Delicious Apricot Olive Oil Tea Cakes

I was inspired by the olive oil pound cake from Pure Dessert by Alice Medrich. Although I have not gotten around to making it in its true form, the flavor of olive oil in a cake intrigued me immensely. I also was not looking for a muffin consistency with these cakes. Although I wanted to bake them in muffin forms to make eloquent individual portions, I wanted something more moist and spongy. I decided to use natural yogurt not only for the moister texture but also that slightly tangy flavor. Apricots gave the tea cakes that final touch of sweetness and epitomized the sunshine my neighbor is for me.
The result was delicious and elegant teacakes with such exquisite flavor that they quickly became the star of the afternoon!
I have used less sugar and of course the olive oil substitutes the butter. This makes the cakes lighter and fluffier in texture. The natural yogurt brings a slightly tangy note to the cake making it a delightful partner for the sweet apricots.

Ingredients 

200g all-purpose flour
2 eggs
80 ml LunaOlivo Mission olive oil
2 teaspoons baking powder
125g Demerara sugar
300 ml natural yogurt
200-300g fresh apricots, a few quartered the rest coarsely chopped
Pinch of salt 

Method

Pre-heat the oven to 180 degrees C.

Prepare the muffin tin or forms by brushing with some melted butter and flouring them. Alternatively you can line them with baking paper.

In a large mixing bowl whisk together eggs, sugar, olive oil and yogurt into a smooth batter. In several portions incorporate the salt, flour and baking powder into the batter.

Gently fold in the chopped apricots, reserving the quarters for the tops.

Fill the forms with the fruit-batter. Place a quarter apricot on the top. Place in the oven and bake for 20-25 minutes until golden or when a wooden toothpick inserted into the middle of the cake, comes out clean.

Notes:

• You can use a variety of stone fruit for these teacakes. Try plums, peaches or even other fruit like figs work extremely well.
• Serve these warm drizzled with some vanilla pudding for a lovely after meal dessert.
• If you like a crunchier texture add a few chopped nuts to the batter. Pecans or pistachios are just perfect.