Blackberry and lemon drizzle cake

When I was a child the Sunday before we went back to school after the summer holidays we used to go to Wimbledon Common, complete with picnic tea, to pick blackberries. Since Miss and Master JibberJabber return to school on Thursday and the blackberries have ripened it was time to get the boxes out and go picking. We were going to go to Wimbledon Common but the on-off showers meant we stayed slightly closer to home.

This cake is based on one my friend has made several times for the visitors at her garden openings. It's from the BBC website but I have amended it for two reasons. Firstly, as I was at my parents' house I didn't have access to my full range of baking ingredients. Secondly, the commenters on the recipe have complained about how the method has been written which has resulted in several ruined cakes. I will say that the ingredients list on the original recipe is not in order of use which is unusual and rather disconcerting. Hopefully I've made things a bit clearer.

Off course the real reason for making this particular cake is that the Great British Bake Off has returned to our screens. Week One is my favourite as it is always cake week. With the choice of signature bake being a drizzle cake it would have been rude not to bake a cake to fit the theme.

Equipment: 2lb (900g) Loaf tin lined, large bowl, electric whisk/beaters, skewer.

Ingredients

6oz (170g) Unsalted butter, soften or baking spread

6oz (170g) Caster sugar

9oz (250g) Self raising flour

Zest of 1 lemon (juice to be used for topping)

2 Eggs

4oz (115g) Blackberries

Topping

3oz (85g) Blackberries

5oz (140g) Granulated sugar

Juice of 1 lemon

Method

1. Pre-heat the oven to 180°C/Gas mark 4.

2. In a large bowl beat together the butter, caster sugar, flour, zest and eggs for a couple of minutes.

3. Put a third of the mixture in the prepared tin.

4. Arrange 2oz of the blackberries as a single layer on the cake mixture and top with another third of the cake mixture. Put the other 2oz of blackberries on top and then cover with the remaining mixture.

5. Bake for 1 hour. A skewer should come out clean of the cake mixture but it may show some of the blackberries.

6. Poke the cake all over with the skewer.

7. Put the blackberries into a bowl and mix in the granulated sugar. Then stir in the lemon zest.

8. Top the cake with the blackberries and sugar allowing it to drip into the holes.