Mark Hix recipe: Rapeseed oil cake with raspberries

Serves 6-8

No one needs to feel too guilty about nibbling on Mark's rapeseed oil cake with raspberries (Jason Lowe)

More and more people are discovering they have gluten and wheat allergies, but panic not, companies such as Dove Farm are producing gluten-free flours to side-step these problem and allow the afflicted to join in the cake eating with the rest of us.

Also, oil, instead of butter, is used here for the cake (if we were in a Mediterranean country, where there are a lot more olive trees, we would be using that). Here in Britain, we have plenty of rapeseed oil, so if your cholesterol is a tad high as well, then you need not worry. No one needs to feel too guilty about nibbling on this delicious cake.

For the cake

150g granulated sugar
175ml rapeseed oil, plus extra for oiling
A couple of good pinches of saffron strands, soaked in 2tbsp milk overnight
3 medium eggs, beaten
175g caster sugar
175g gluten-free self-raising flour

To serve

100-150g raspberries
Crème fraîche or thick cream

Preheat the oven to 180C/gas mark 4. Lightly oil a small loaf tin or a loose-bottomed cake tin and then line with greaseproof paper.

Put the saffron-infused milk, eggs and caster sugar in a mixing bowl and whisk until fluffy and doubled in volume.

Slowly stir in the rapeseed oil, then fold in the flour with a spoon until well mixed; now gently fold in half of the raspberries and pour the mixture into the tin.

Bake for about 25-30 minutes – if a skewer inserted in the centre comes out clean, it's done. Leave to cool for 15 minutes, then remove from the tin and transfer to a cooling rack. Serve with the raspberries and crème fraîche.