Festival Cake-eggless, can be vegan

Festival cake: I used cherry jam here, but raspberry is equally good!

Here is a never-fail cake recipe that is cheap'n'cheerful, quick to make and uses ingredients you can find anywhere (if they're not already in your storecupboard). There is absolutely no compromise on taste, however! This cake is therefore ideal for family gatherings, parties, festivals and other events. Last Saturday for the Way of Love Festival  I made double the quantities given here in two medium- large deep roasting tins and it made no less than 70 portions just a bit bigger than the size of an average piece of burfi. It was perfect to put on the plates at dinner time instead of a sweet. Today I made the cake again to say thank you to a friend who has helped out so much with the festival and other events recently.

400g self-raising flour

200g demerara sugar

2 heaped tabs desiccated coconut plus a little more for sprinkling

4 tsps baking powder

400ml soya milk/ dairy milk

150ml sunflower oil/ melted butter

2 tsps natural almond essence
just under half a 420g (normal size) jar of jam for topping

• Pre-heat your oven to 180C (mine is a fan oven, so adjust if necessary) and oil and flour/ dampen your cake mould or tin.
• Mix together the flour, sugar, coconut and baking powder in a large bowl.
• In a separate jug, combine the milk, oil and almond essence.
• Add the wet to the dry ingredients and best well for about a minute. You should see some small air pockets forming as the baking powder gets to work.
• As soon as it is thoroughly mixed, put into the cake tin and bake for 20-30 minutes, checking with a thin skewer to see if it is cooked through. The top will brown slightly.
• When cold, turn out of the tin and spread with jam. finish by sprinkling some desiccated coconut on top. Instant party!