1 Preheat an oven to 170 degrees Celsius, or equivalent. Lightly grease a rectangular baking tray (18cm x 28cm) and line it with parchment paper.

2 Using an electric mixer, whisk the eggs in a bowl briefly, then add the sugar and vanilla and whisk for five minutes until the mixture is pale in colour and thickened so that the mixture forms ribbons when falling from the whisk.

3 Sieve the self-raising flour into a separate bowl, then gently fold the sieved flour into the egg and sugar mixture.

4 Pour the mixture into the prepared baking tray.

5 Bake on the middle shelf of the preheated oven for 25-30 minutes, until the surface is firm and lightly golden in colour and a skewer inserted in the centre comes out clean.

6 Remove from the oven and transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.

7 Once cool, trim the edges of the sponge to neaten them. Then cut the sponge into 5cm squares (a handy tip at this stage is to freeze the cake squares so they turn solid, making them easier to coat with jam).

8 Place the desiccated coconut in a small bowl.

9 In a saucepan, gently warm the jam to give a runny consistency, then allow it to cool down slightly once loosened. Use a pastry brush to brush the top and sides of each sponge square with jam then toss each square in the coconut to coat the sides evenly.

10 Transfer to a wire rack to set. They can be made a day in advance and stored in an airtight container.

Variation
Turn the sponge into mini Victoria squares by cutting it in half, and sandwiching together with whipped cream and strawberry jam. Top with a sprinkling of icing sugar and a fresh strawberry.