Tasting notes

Cakes that contribute to your five a day, possibly

ONE OF THE NICEST CAKES I ate last year was made on a photo shoot for the food pages in the Saturday newspaper. The recipe was by our columnist, the award-winning chef-owner of The Sportsman, in Kent, Stephen Harris, who offered up his lightly spiced sponge as an alternative to the traditional dark-fruited, marzipanned and iced Christmas cake. Despite the vast quantities of rich mincemeat and boozy chocolates I’ve eaten since, the flavour of his bake (earthy with wholemeal flour, a pinch of ginger and splash of brandy) is still fresh in my mind – as is its texture, which benefitted from a roughly grated Bramley apple.

A new book by the food writer Marianne Stewart, Nourish Cakes (Quadrille, £15), really goes to town with fruit and vegetables. There are carrots in a multicoloured (but not artificially so – it comes from the different heritage varieties used) layered cake, and passion fruit and parsnip in some mini cannelé-shaped numbers. Squidgy pecan brownies made with the flesh of roast sweet potatoes call for far less sugar than classic recipes (and I’ll be throwing in the potato skins, too, next time). Many of Stewart’s bakes are gluten-free or vegan, and she plays with textures by swapping dairy-based fats with nuts and adding flaxseed for a health boost.

So if you haven’t completely sworn off sweet treats this month, here are lemony loaf cakes with courgette and swede to ease you into the new year.

From top Marianne Stewart’s lemon and Earl Grey loaf cakes; a courgette and lime cake, decorated with fresh flowers