It might be too late: apricot season might already be over, but if you can find some late-season beauties then you need to make an apricot bretonne. It’s the ultimate summer apricot tribute: tangy and meltingly soft apricots on top of a buttery shortcake with a delicious dusting of cinnamon sugar. It’s best eaten warm from the oven with a dollop of melting vanilla ice cream, but isn’t a bad time eaten with some Greek yoghurt for morning tea or afternoon tea either. 

The original recipe comes from my old favourite Lois Daish and you can find the original recipe here. I’ve adapted the recipe to be gluten-free and it’s just as good, if not even better than the original. 

Note that the cake dough needs to rest in the fridge for 30 minutes before you press it out. 

Apricot Bretonne 

Adapted from Lois Daish’s recipe. 

120g gluten-free flour mix or regular flour 

40g ground almonds

1 teaspoon baking powder (check it’s gluten-free if that’s a concern for you)

120g butter, cut into smallish cubes

60g caster sugar

1 egg yolk

8 apricots

1 teaspoon sugar

1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon

Put the flour, almonds, baking powder and butter into the bowl of a food processor and process until the butter is finely chopped and dispersed through the flour. Add the sugar and process again. Now add the egg yolk and process until the mixture starts to clump together. Cut a piece of cling film and lay it flat on the bench, then tip the cake dough onto this. Form the dough into a wrapped-up ball by bringing the corners of the cling film together. Put the dough in the fridge to rest for 30 minutes (you could also make it the day before you need it). 

Preheat your oven to 180°C and line a 20cm round loose-bottomed tin with baking paper. Prepare the apricots by cutting in half and removing the stones. Push the rested dough into the base of the tin – it doesn’t need to be smooth but ensure it’s an even-ish thickness.

Place the apricots on top of the dough, cut-side down. Combine the sugar and cinnamon and sprinkle over the top of the apricots. Bake for 35 – 40 minutes until golden brown.