Now, I have to say, even among the other quick and easy recipes I include, this cherry cake recipe wins the prize for quick and easy. Less than 5 minutes to make, then serve hot with cream. Oh yes, tastes good too and preferably mase with fresh cherries you have just gathered yourself in a French orchard!.

Ingredients

• 125gm (4 oz) self raising flour
• 3 eggs
• 8 dessertspoons sugar
• milk
• cherries - best with fresh ripe cherries, ideally stoned (I don't bother but I have a tolerant family)

Recipe

1. Beat/whisk the eggs, then add the sugar and beat that in to the eggs
2. Add the flour to the mix, and beat it in - you will probably need to use a fork, since it is too thick for a hand-held whisk and the recipe is too quick to bother getting the food-mixer out
3. Add a small amount of milk, perhaps 1/2 a cup, and mix well in. The consistency should be half-way between double cream and single cream - quite smooth but not at all watery. A cherry placed in the cake mix should stay put, not roll around!
4. Pour the mix into a tart/quiche type dish, quite low and flat
5. Add the cherries, carefully laid in an attractive pattern if it is for a dinner party (careful, this can add 2 minutes to the preparation time)
6. Cook in a PREHEATED hot oven (225degrees c / gas 7) for about 35-40 minutes, then remove. You can sprinkle some sugar on top if you want it to look even more sophisticated.
7. Serve your chery cake, ideally still hot but still nice cold, with a big blob of creme fraiche. Yum.