I love an old fashioned cake and this is as old fashioned as they come. Gorgeously moist and fabulously comforting. Honestly I think if I could chose only one slice of cake that I could have for the rest of my life, this one would be it.
250g Stork margarine or unsalted butter, softened
200g caster sugar
6 large eggs, beaten
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
400g self-raising flour
2 tablespoons double cream
200g desiccated coconut
150g glaze cherry halves
Zest of an orange
You will also need a 20cm deep loose bottomed cake tin, greased and the base lined with buttered baking parchment
Preheat the oven to 160c
In the bowl of a free-standing mixer cream the Stork and sugar together until pale, light and fluffy. Gradually add the beaten eggs and vanilla extract. Add the cream and flour mix until light and fluffy. Next fold in the orange zest, cherry halves and coconut.
Spoon the mixture into a prepared tin, spread level and bake on the middle shelf of a preheated oven for about 35 minutes, now turn the oven down to 150c and bake for another 30-40 minutes or until golden and a skewer comes away clean when inserted into the middle of the cake.
Turn the cake out of the tin onto a wire cooling rack and leave until cool find somewhere quiet to enjoy a huge slice.
*TOPTIP dry and toss the cherries in flour, and keep a few to stud on the surface this will keep them from all sinking to the bottom x
