We don’t much go for those multi-layered, super-rich, cake extravaganzas. They have their place but we prefer more wholesome, humble cakes; the sort that may not look like much, but have that delicious, straightforward, home-baked flavour that knocks you off your perch. We like the kind of cake you can eat for breakfast, guilt-free. Here is such a cake; fresh strawberries contain vitamins and fibre, right?. Easy, sturdy, buttery, gloriously fruity and so perfect with a cup of coffee to start the day, this is 100% our kind of cake. The batter is pretty stiff once it’s mixed but that’s how it should be; pile as many strawberries over the top as you can physically fit, because this cake batter can pretty much take as many as you can chuck at it. Yum!

MAKES AN 18.5cm CAKE

150g (1 cup) self raising flour

75g (½ cup) plain flour

½ tsp salt

115g softened unsalted butter

200g caster sugar

2 tsp vanilla extract

2 eggs

125g (½ cup) sour cream

4 tsp milk

300g strawberries, hulled and halved if large

2 tbsp sugar

Preheat the oven to 180C. Lightly grease and flour a 18.5cm springform pan, then line the base with baking paper.

Sift the flours and salt, then set aside. Using electric beaters, cream the butter, sugar and vanilla extract until light and fluffy. Add the eggs, one at a time and beating well between each. Stir in the flour mixture, sour cream and milk, then spread the batter evenly in the prepared tin, smoothing the surface even. Lightly press the strawberries into the surface of the cake, then scatter over the sugar.

Bake for 1 hour 20 minutes or until a cake tester withdraws clean. Cool in the pan for 30 minutes, then turn out onto a wire rack to cool.