1½ cups self raising flour
½ teaspoon baking powder
¼ teaspoon Bicarbonate of Soda
½ teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon cardamom seeds – remove from the pods and crush slightly
½ softened Butter
¾ cup Caster Sugar
2 Eggs
100ml Buttermilk
1 teaspoon icing sugar
About half a ripe mango – peeled and finely diced

Preheat the oven to 180 C/350 F. Prepare a 10″ round tin with parchment and a little butter.

Cream the butter with the sugar until the mixture is light and fluffy. Add the eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Add the buttermilk, mango and cardamom and beat again. Now add the dry ingredients into the batter, adding a little at a time.

Pour the mixture into the prepared cake tin and bake for 30-40 minutes or until a skewer inserted into the cake comes out clean. Allow the cake to cool a little and sieve the icing sugar over it.

The recipe is simple

Place 200g of caster sugar and 200g butter in a bowl. Whisk together until fluffy then add 4 small eggs, one at a time, mixing well. Finally stir in 200g self raising flour.

Put the mixture into two prepared cake tins and bake at 180C for about 20 minutes. You can check they are done by pressing lightly on the top of the cake. if done, the sponge will spring back into shape.

Leave to cool in tins for a few minutes, then remove from tins, and let the sponges cool completely on a wire rack. Spread about 4 heaped tablespoons of good quality strawberry jam over one of the sponges. Whip 200ml of double cream and spread over the jam. Place the second sponge on top and dust with icing sugar.

Serve with a cup of tea and maybe a few fresh strawberries.

100g softened butter
150g caster sugar
2 eggs
150g self raising flour
grated rind of one lemon
100g poppy seeds
milk

for the topping
juice of one lemon
50g caster sugar

Put the poppy seeds in a small pan and add a splash of milk. Heat a little then leave to cool for about 30 minutes.

Cream the butter and sugar together with the lemon rind until light and fluffy. Gradually beat in the eggs. Mix in flour, then add the milk and poppy seeds and stir well into a soft dough.

Pour mixture into a prepared, lined loaf tin. Bake in the centre of the oven at 180C for 45-50 minutes until well risen.

Towards the end of the cooking time heat the lemon juice with the remaining caster sugar until the sugar has dissolved.

Immediately the cake comes out of the oven make holes over the top with a skewer then pour over the hot syrup. Leave in the tin until cool.