Versunkener Apfelkuchen

Take the butter and eggs out of the fridge well ahead so the butter is soft and the eggs are at room temperature. Heat the oven to 180°C, or 160°C fan. Grease a 26 cm springform tin with a little of the butter and line the base with baking paper.

Finely grate the zest of the lemon and set it aside for the batter, then squeeze the juice into a large bowl.

Peel the apples, cut them into quarters and cut out the cores. Turn each quarter in the lemon juice as soon as it is cut, so it stays pale.

Score the rounded side of each apple quarter lengthways 4 or 5 times, cutting about two-thirds of the way through so the slices stay joined at the base.

With an electric mixer, beat the rest of the butter with the sugar, the vanilla and the salt for 4 to 5 minutes, until pale and fluffy. The butter should be soft enough to dent with a finger.

Beat in the eggs one at a time, mixing each in well before adding the next, then beat in the lemon zest.

Sift the flour and baking powder into the bowl and mix them in on a low speed with the milk, just until smooth. The batter should be thick and drop heavily from a spoon.

Spread the batter evenly in the tin. Press the apple quarters lightly into it, rounded side up, in a ring close to the edge, then fill the centre with the rest, leaving small gaps between them.

Bake on the middle shelf for 45 to 55 minutes, until golden brown and a skewer pushed into the cake between the apples comes out clean. If the top browns too quickly, cover it loosely with foil.

Towards the end of the baking time, warm the apricot jam in a small pan, stirring, until runny. Push it through a sieve if it has large pieces of fruit.

Brush the warm jam over the hot cake, especially the apples, as soon as it comes out of the oven. Leave it to cool in the tin on a wire rack for 15 minutes.

Run a knife round the edge, remove the ring and leave the cake to cool for at least 1 hour more. Dust with the icing sugar just before serving.