Ingredients

• 300 gm. or 10 oz. self raising flour or cake flour

• 150 gm. or 5 oz. butter or margarine, softened at room temperature

• 150 gm. or 5 oz. caster sugar

• 2 or 3 large eggs, at room temperature

• 1 tsp. vanilla essence

• Milk to mix, as necessary

• 7 inch, deep cake tin, greased and lined with baking parchment or greaseproof paper.

• For the topping:

• 1 tbsp. brown or Demerara sugar (optional)

Instructions

1. Pre-heat oven to 350?F or 180?C (10?C less in fan oven), gas mark 4.

2. Put the flour and sugar in a bowl.

3. Add the butter and cut into very small pieces using two knives, or rub in as for pastry, if you prefer

4. Add the eggs, vanilla essence and any other flavourings and additions you are using*. Beat until well mixed and creamy, adding milk a little at a time if necessary to give a dropping consistency.

5. Transfer the mix into the cake tin and spread it evenly with the back of a spoon.

6. Sprinkle on the sugar topping, if using. You can sprinkle the top with flaked almonds, before baking.

7. Bake in the centre of the oven for 75 minutes. Oven times and performances vary, so keep an eye on it after 60 minutes. It should be springy to touch and a skewer inserted in it?s centre should come out clean.

8. Take out of the oven, cool for ten minutes and then turn it out onto a wire rack. When completely cold, wrap in aluminium foil and store.

9. You can serve it fresh and warm, with hot tea.

Notes

• Sifting the dry ingredients helps to trap the air and make cakes lighter.

• *Some of the suggested additions are:

• Replace 2 oz. or 50 gm. flour with 2 oz. or 50 gm. cocoa and/or ground nuts.

• Add 4-8 oz. or 100 -200 gm. chopped dried fruit, chocolate pieces or chopped nuts at step 4.

• Replace 2 oz. or 50 gm. flour with ground hazelnuts, then add 1 oz. or 25 gm. cocoa and 4 oz. or 100 gm. chocolate chips at step 4.

• Replace 2 oz. or 50 gm. flour with 2 oz. ground almonds then add 4 oz. or 100 gm. chopped glace cherries at step 4.

• Replace 2 oz. or 50.gm. of flour with 3 oz. or 75 gm. desiccated coconut then add 4 oz. or 100 gm. chopped glac? cherries at step 4.

• Add 8 oz. or 200 gm. mix of chopped dates and walnuts, and 1 tsp. cinnamon at step 4.

• Add 1 apple, cored, peeled and roughly chopped, 4 oz. or 100 gm. mix of chopped dates and nuts and 1 tsp. cinnamon at step 4.

• Add 4 oz. or 100 gm. chopped marzipan and 4 oz. or 100 gm. chocolate chips at step 4.