Heat the oven to 180°C conventional, 160°C fan, or Gas Mark 4. Grease and line a 20 cm round cake tin with baking parchment.

Rinse the glacé cherries briefly under warm water, dry them very thoroughly, and cut them in half or quarters. Toss them with 1 tablespoon of the flour.

Beat the softened butter and sugar until pale and creamy. Gradually beat in the beaten eggs, adding a little flour if the mixture starts to curdle.

Fold in the remaining flour, milk, and vanilla extract until just combined. Fold in the coated cherries gently.

Spoon the batter into the prepared tin and level the surface. Bake for approximately 40–50 minutes, until golden and a skewer inserted in the center comes out clean or with only a few moist crumbs.

Leave the cake in the tin for about 10 minutes, then transfer it to a wire rack. Cool completely before icing or slicing.

For the optional icing, mix the icing sugar with enough lemon juice or water to make a thick drizzle. Spoon it over the cooled cake and decorate with halved glacé cherries.