Easter means sitting in a sunny garden with friends and family sharing a cup of freshly brewed loose leaf tea in a china cup and a slice of home baked cake.

This cake is the ‘all in one method’ inspired by my ‘Bero’ book I cooked from as a girl. It never fails as long as you pre-heat the oven and don’t keep opening it to check what’s happening. Check after 25 minutes; it will almost inevitably rise as the Easter promise!

The flavouring of the cake can be enhanced with lots of lemon juice and zest. Decorating elaborately with a display of freshly picked flowers can make it look positively miraculous!

Happy Easter!

ABSOLUTLY FABULOUS EASTER CHERRY CAKE

Bake the cake:

Self-raising flour, 200g

baking powder, 1 teaspoon

caster sugar, 200g

unsalted butter, room temperature, 200g

large free range eggs,

unwaxed lemon, grated rind and juice

Method:

Grease and line 2 x 18 cm x 5 cm baking tins

pre-heat oven 180C /gas 4

Use the all in one method to mix the cake.

Sieve the flour and baking powder into a mixing bowl.

Add the sugar, soft butter, lemon rind and juice .

Beat everything together to make a light fluffy batter.

Share evenly between the baking tins and bake in a pre-heated oven for 25-30 minutes until they are well risen and spongy to the touch.

Test if cooked by putting a skewer in the middle of each cake to make sure it comes out clean.

Remove and allow to cool in the tins for 5 minutes or so before turning out onto a wire rack to cool.

For the filling:

morello cherry jam , 3-4 tablespoons

whipping cream, 150ml

fresh cherries, 200g

Place one cake onto a display plate.

Apply a layer of morello cherry jam to the cake. For ease, dip a pallet knife into hot water and then into the jam. The warmth of the knife will allow the jam to spread easily.

Whip the cream until light and fluffy.

Spread half onto the cake.

Halve and stone the cherries and scatter onto the cream.

Cover with the remaining cream.

Gently lower the second cake onto the cream.

Now finish the cake with buttercream.

100g unsalted butter room, temperature

200g icing sugar sieved

1 tablespoon milk

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Beat the butter and half the icing sugar together to make a paste.

Gradually beat in the remaining icing sugar adding the milk and vanilla extract towards the end to loosen the butter icing.

Use this to spread decadently on top of the cake.

To complete, decorate the cake with some fabulous roses and spring flowers.