Coconut, Lime and Blueberry Slice

Preheat the oven to 180°C/350°F/gas mark 4. Line the base of the tin with baking parchment and brush this and the sides with a little vegetable oil.

To make the base, slowly heat the sugar, butter and salt in a saucepan. Within a few minutes the butter will have melted and there will be a sweet paste in the pan. Put the coconut in a large mixing bowl, tip this paste over it and fold together with a palette knife. Treating the mixture like shortcrust pastry, finish combining it with your fingertips. Don’t worry that it appears flecked, this will right itself in the oven.

Pat the mixture into the tin with a spatula and place it in the oven for 15 minutes. This should give you just the right amount of time to go ahead with making the sponge, but always keep a keen eye on it, as coconut and sugar love to burn.

To make the sponge, beat the eggs and sugar together until light and pale. Add the grated courgette and lime zest, and beat again. Finally, add the flour, baking powder, salt and lime juice, and beat until fully incorporated.

Remove the base from the oven and pour the sponge mixture over it, before scattering the blueberries over the top. Cook for a further 30 minutes in the middle of the oven.

Once cooked, cool in its tin for 10 minutes. Sieve icing sugar over the top and cut the cake inside the tin before serving. This cake is gorgeous either on its own or with a scoop of coconut or vanilla ice cream.