Red Currant Bakery

Crust

Preheat the oven to 350 F and place a rack in the center of the oven.
In a medium bowl, add in the softened butter, egg yolk, almond extract, and sugar. Use a mixer to mix the ingredients together into a smooth mixture.
Pour in the flour and use a fork to rub the flour into the mixture until it clumps together and no more flour is visible.
Pour the mixed crust into a springform pan. First press the crust into the sides of the pan and then into the bottom of the pan.
Be sure that the corner where the sides and bottom meet isn't too thick. You can do this by pressing the back of your pointer finger into the corner once the crust has been pressed into the whole pan. 
The crust doesn't need to go more than 1/2"-1" up the side.

Assemble

In a large mixing bowl, add in the lemon zest and sugar. Use your fingers to rub the zest into the sugar.
Then add in the quark (or greek yogurt), heavy cream, eggs, and vanilla. Use an electric mixer to whisk together until smooth and combined. 
Carefully pour the filling into the pressed crust.
Cut the apricots in half and remove the pits. Gently place the apricot halves face down into the filling around the edge and into the center of the filling.
Bake the apricot cake for 60-70 minutes, rotating it after 30 minutes to ensure even baking.
Once baked, remove the apricot cheesecake from the oven and leave to cool on a rack until it is room temperature. Then, move it to the fridge and allow it to set fully before removing the springform pan.