This cake is both easy and versatile, one of my family favourites, and since it keeps well, it is ideal to take on holidays to the islands. I remember a family picnic on Luskentyre beach on Harris with the wind howling and the cold air swirling around us as we crouched down among the dunes. A thermos of coffee and a slice of this cake, though, and everything seemed better. The sun even came out afterwards.

You can throw in a handful of chopped walnuts or pecans to the basic mixture;