When I used to read Enid Blyton’s books as a young girl, I loved the food that the children in the stories enjoyed. They seemed to be always having picnics with cake and lashings of ginger beer or midnight feasts or just enjoying scones and buttery toast in the cafe in the village. Her descriptions made my mouth water. So I decided to try to make the cherry cake that the Adventurous Four ate on top of the cliff.

Enid Blyton herself gave the recipe for cherry cake but she was living in a post-World War 2 world with rationing in place. I live in a time of plenty. So my cake is richer and tastier and healthier too as I use butter instead of margarine.

Ingredients

Butter 180 g

All-purpose flour 1 cup

Baking powder 1 tsp

Sugar 3/4 cup

Eggs 3

Milk 4 tbsp

Vanilla essence 1/2 tsp

Dried cherries 1 cup mixed with 1 tbsp flour

Method

Cream the butter and sugar together. Crack the eggs and add to the mixture.

Add the vanilla essence.

Mix the flour and baking powder and add little by little to the mixture.

Add the milk when the mixture appears too thick.

Grease a round cake pan and pour about a third of the cake batter. Add about half the floured cherries.

Mix the rest of the cherries with the batter and pour it into the baking pan.

Bake in a 170 degrees C preheated oven for 40 minutes. Keep checking after 30 minutes. When a toothpick inserted in the cake comes out clear, take the cake out of the oven and let it cool on a rack. Slice and serve.