Sometimes simple is best. This is such a lovely cake to slice up with a cup of tea. It’s pretty, full of vanilla flavour and super simple to bake. Bake it for someone you love.

Ingredients

175g self raising flour

175g butter

175g caster sugar

2 teaspoons vanilla extract

1.5 teaspoons baking powder

2 tablespoons milk

3 eggs – beaten

For the vanilla Icing

70g icing sugar

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

A few drops of iced water to mix

Sugar paste flowers to decorate

Method

Pre heat oven to 180C / 160c fan

Line a grease a loaf tin.

Put all of the ingredients except those for the vanilla icing into a large mixing bowl and whisk with an electric whisk to form a smooth consistency. Now pour your mixture into the loaf tin and bake in the centre of the oven for approximately 40 minutes. The top will look all golden and springy when it’s ready to come out.

Remove from oven and allow to cool in the tin for five minutes or so. Transfer from tin to a wire rack to allow to cool fully.

Mix up your ingredients for your icing, once the cake has fully cooled spread it all over the top generously so you get the desired drip effect and adorn with your sugar paste flowers.