• Making time 30 minutes
• Preparation time  20 minutes

Ingredients

For the filling

• 200 g ready-to-eat dried apricots
• 200 ml apple juice

For the sponge

• Four eggs
• 125 g caster sugar, plus extra for sprinkling
• Grated rind of 1 orange
• 125 g plain flour, sifted

Love can change a person the way a parent can change a baby-awkwardly, and often with a great deal of mess.

– Lemony Snicket

Preparation:

1. Simmer the apricots and apple juice in a saucepan covered, for 10 minutes until most of the liquid has been absorbed, puree then leaves to cool.
2. Make the sponge, put the eggs, sugar and orange rind in a large heatproof bowl set over a saucepan of gently simmering water. Whisk, using an electric whisk, for 10 minutes until very thick and foamy and the whisk leaves a trail when lifted above the mixture.
3. Gently fold in the sifted flour, pour the mixture into a 30*23cm roasting or a swiss roll tin lined with non-stick baking paper, and ease into the corners, bake in a preheated oven, 200⁰C, set the timer for 10 minutes until the sponge is golden brown and just beginning to shrink away from the sides, and the tops spring back when gently pressed with a fingertip.
4. Meanwhile, cover a clean damp tea towel with non-stick baking paper and sprinkle with a little caster sugar, quickly turn out the cooked sponge onto the sugared paper, carefully peel off the lining paper, spread the apricot puree over the sponge then, starting with a short side and using the paper to help, roll up to form a log, leave to cool and serve the same day.