Preheat the oven to 150ºC fan/325ºF/Gas mark 3

Grease & line a 20cm/8" round cake tin

In a large mixing bowl, cream the sugar and butter

In a jug, whisk the eggs. Add to the sugar and butter mixture in 3 batches, combining well each time (if the mixture looks like it's going to curdle, simply stir in a tablespoon or two of the plain flour)

In a medium-sized mixing bowl, sift together the flours and bicarbonate of soda

Fold in this dry mixture into the wet mixture

Roughly chop the dried apricots and stir them into the mixture

Spoon the mixture into the prepared cake tin and bake for 1 hour or until golden brown on the top and a skewer inserted into the middle comes away clean

Remove from the oven, leaving it in the lined tin

In a small bowl, stir in a teaspoon or two to the apricot conserve/jam. Warm slightly by pinging in the microwave in 10-second bursts or in a small saucepan over a low heat on the stove-top

While the cake is still warm (and still in the lined tin), brush the top generously with the apricot glaze

Put the cake back into the oven for 5-10 minutes to brown the glaze ever so slightly

Remove the cake from the oven again, put it on a wire rack to cool completely before taking it out of its tin