Homemade custard
Once you've cracked this technique for silky smooth vanilla custard, you'll never go back to tinned

Elevate this retro recipe with fresh raspberries and toasted desiccated coconut. Using coconut milk in the batter results in a sponge with a moist, tender crumb
Nutrition: Per serving
Heat the oven to 180C/160C fan/gas 4. Butter a 20 x 30cm baking tin and line with baking parchment. Toast the coconut in a dry frying pan over medium heat until lightly golden, then tip into a bowl and set aside to cool.
Beat the butter and caster sugar together in a large bowl using an electric whisk until very pale and fluffy. Beat in the eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition (you can beat in a little of the flour if the mixture starts to curdle). Beat in 150ml coconut milk.
Fold in the flour, baking powder and the cooled toasted coconut. Scrape the batter into the prepared tin and level the surface using a spatula. Push 125g of the raspberries into the surface, then bake for 35 mins until light golden and a skewer inserted into the middle comes out clean. Leave to cool completely in the tin.
For the topping, put the remaining 25g raspberries in a sieve set over a bowl or jug, and press down using a fork to extract the juice. Mix 2 tbsp of the juice with the remaining 50ml coconut milk and the icing sugar until smooth – the icing should be thick and spoonable; add a splash of water or raspberry juice if it’s too stiff. Spoon the icing over the cake and smooth out to the edges. Scatter over the sprinkles and leave to set slightly. Will keep in an airtight container at room temperature for up to three days.