Preheat oven to 175°C (350°F).

Peel, core, and slice three apples. Put aside the fourth apple, you’ll need it later. Collect the apple slices in a bowl, drizzle them with the juice of a lemon and sprinkle them with two tablespoons of sugar. Give them a quick stir and set aside.

Whip eggs and sugar until light and foamy. Whisk in the extra virgin olive oil, then fold the flour sifted with baking powder, cardamom and salt.

Now add the apples, pouring in also the lemon juice left in the bowl. Fold the apples gently into the batter.

Grease a 26cm / 10in round cake mould with a knob of butter and dust it with flour. Scrape the batter into the cake mould and smooth the surface with a spatula.

Peel, core, and slice the apple you put aside. Use the apple slices to decorate the surface of the cake, placing them in concentric circles, starting from the outside.

Bake the cake in a hot oven for about 45-50 minutes, checking if the cake is done with a toothpick: when you insert it in the centre of the cake, it should come out clean.

Once ready, remove the cake from the oven, allowing it a few minutes to cool down on a wire rack, then remove it from the cake mould and place it on a serving plate.

Dissolve the apricot jam in a saucepan with two tablespoons of water, warming it on low heat until it starts to boil. Brush the cake with the apricot glaze. Let it cool down completely before slicing it.

It keeps well for a few days on your kitchen counter, covered with a paper napkin or a kitchen towel.