Sometimes the simplest cakes, made with careful love and attention to detail, work best. The base for this cake was adapted from Will’s Gran’s beloved coffee cake recipe, which I’ve used several times now and am just in love with. It’s fluffy and soft, but deeply fragrant of buttery richness, with the fruit keeping it moist for a few days after. I used plums and blueberries, but pears in winter would be lovely for example, or apples in autumn. Admittedly blueberry season has passed, but I had 2 kilos (yes, you read that correctly) carefully squirreled in my freezer after a gorgeous morning of blueberry picking.

I’m even more keen on buttery cakes like this now that I’ve figured out a few sneaky ways around the “room temperature” ingredients rule, without butter splattering your microwave. I basically pop some chopped butter in the oven for 5-7 minutes while it’s…