If you need to put a cake on the table quickly this is the one and it is seasonal too. A simple base of sunflower oil, soft brown sugar and eggs are whisked together before folding in grated courgette, walnuts, spices and flour. The topping is a heavenly floss of mascarpone and Greek yogurt, spiked with lemon zest, and sweetened with a little icing sugar. White currant berries are in season now and make a jewel like flourish to this statement cake.

This is a great to have up your sleeve for when you need a pudding or cake to put on the table for family or friends. The cake freezes well. I like putting two of the small loaf versions in the freezer. One serves 4-6 with a dollop of yogurt and a drizzle of fruit purée and there is another one stored for later.

These two recipes are perfect for Christmas celebrations. The cake is delicately flavoured with orange and chocolate, and has a hint of vanilla. The pears are poached in a ginger and honey syrup flavoured with rosemary and bay.

I love this quick to make wholewheat muffin recipe. The muffins freeze well and are great to eat alongside a cup of coffee or tea. The original recipe is from Lagom by Steffi Knowles - Dellner but I have tweaked the recipe and added some chopped dates and walnuts which I think go really well with the texture of the wholewheat flour.

Young rhubarb growing in the garden is at its best early in the year. As the stalks get exposed to increasing amounts of light, they toughen. So cut them in the spring and make the most of them. Baked rhubarb is a quick pudding for me and if I haven’t time to make a crumble I serve it with granola and a dollop of thick Greek yogurt. To make it special you can flavour the syrup in different ways. I love to use lemon zest and crushed cardamom seeds but you can use ginger (either grated root or powdered), cinnamon, cloves, star anise and orange. It is worth experimenting with. Any left over baked rhubarb stores well in the fridge and is lovely served with breakfast cereals and porridge.