Cakes can be made unique with a range of additional ingredients, be it seasonal berries, a citrus glaze or a glug of booze added to the mixture.

Esteemed chef Ian Haste has an alternative twist, however, and one that few people may have considered. The former gastro-pub chef and current Men’s Health writer has been running his enormously popular Haste’s Kitchen YouTube channel since 2014.

His recipe for a delicious yet simple fruit loaf is easy to follow. A creamy addition makes it even more memorable than your standard slice of cake.

Speaking in collaboration with Primula, who Ian has teamed up with to craft unique recipes, the chef said: “I’m thrilled to be partnering with Primula to bring some of the nation’s quirkiest food pairings to life.”

He continued: “With so much pressure on what we should be eating, it’s easy to lose sight of the joy that comes from simply experimenting with different flavours.”

Fruit cake recipe

Ingredients

450g self-raising flour

125g caster sugar

One tsp baking powder

One tsp mixed spice or cinnamon

125g unsalted butter, room temperature

450g mixed dried fruit

30g glacier cherries, quartered

One tsp bicarbonate of soda

250ml milk

Two tbsp honey

80g Primula light cheese

Method

This cake needs a hot oven to bake evenly so first, preheat the oven to 160C.

Now prepare your cake tin – a standard-sized loaf tin will do. Lightly grease it with butter then cut some baking parchment to size and layer it in the tin.

Now move on to the fruit cake batter. Start by combining the flour, sugar, baking powder, mixed spice, honey and bicarbonate of soda in a large mixing bowl.

Rub in the butter with the dry ingredients to form breadcrumbs then stir in the mixed fruit before adding the milk and slowly mixing everything.

Now spoon the finished mixture, which should be smooth and well combined, into the loaf tin.

Place in the oven to bake for one hour and 45 minutes. Check at the 30-minute mark and if the top looks too brown, cover it with tin foil.

Remove the cake from the oven and allow to cool in the tin for a while before tipping it out onto a serving plate. Slice up and serve with a spread of Primula light cheese, as recommended by chef Ian Haste.