PREPARE: Heat the oven to 180°C / 350°F / Gas 4 and line a 20x30cm baking dish or tin with baking paper.

CREAM BUTTER AND SUGAR: Beat the butter and sugar together until pale and creamy. Beat in the eggs, one at a time, then beat in the vanilla extract, oil and milk until well combined.

STIR THROUGH DRY INGREDIENTS: In a separate bowl whisk together the flour, baking powder and salt and add to the liquid ingredients, stirring until just combined. Use a spatula to scrape the mixture into the prepared baking dish, smoothing the top so it is even.

ADD THE CHERRIES: Scatter the cherries evenly across the top (with jarred cherries I always check very carefully to remove any cherry stones. Nobody wants to crack a tooth).

BAKE: Transfer to the preheated oven and bake for 45-50 minutes until golden brown and a skewer inserted into the middle comes out clean. As there is a lot of fruit in this cake, take care to check that the middle of the cake is cooked through. If the cake is browning too much on the top, it’s better to cover the cake loosely with tin foil than to reduce the cooking time.

COOL AND SERVE: Allow the cake to cool in the tin. Just before serving, dust generously with powdered sugar, then slice into squares. Serve with whipped cream, yoghurt or crème fraîche.