Pale green in appearance and with the lightest of crumbs, this loaf is modestly sweet and so moreish. The bolt of sharpness that comes from the raspberries is masked by a twist of orange and glugs of basil-flavoured olive oil.

15g basil leaves
100 ml extra-virgin olive oil
150g unsalted butter
zest of 1 orange
220g raw sugar
3 eggs
25ml orange juice
100ml milk
300g plain flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
pinch of salt
185g fresh raspberries

Preheat the oven to 175C. Lightly grease and line a 450g loaf tin with baking paper.

In a bowl, blitz together the basil and oil using a hand-held blender until smooth. Add the butter, orange zest and sugar and cream together for at least six minutes, or until light and fluffy. Beat in the eggs one by one, then gently fold in the orange juice, milk, flour, baking powder and salt to form a batter.

Continuing to fold gently, drop the raspberries into the batter in small handfuls until evenly distributed (try not to break the raspberries up at this stage as the batter will turn a grey/purple colour rather than the vibrant pistachio green it should be).

Pour the batter into the prepared tin and bake for 1 hour, or until a skewer inserted into the centre comes out clean. Remove from the oven and leave to cool slightly in the tin for 5 minutes, then carefully turn out onto a wire rack and leave to cool completely.

Bug off: A tip for all the arachnophobes out there: try planting some basil around the entrance to your home. The scent of this herb is a big deterrent to eight-legged furry things, as well as mosquitoes. Win-win.

Serves 8-10

The warm, honey-like notes of saffron lend the pumpkin-flecked batter of this cake an addictive quality. Nasturtium butter helps form the cake’s base – adding to its sunset looks and grassy, garden vibe – while the egg yolks deepen the colour and give it a lovely crumbly texture.

150g butternut pumpkin, cut into 1 cm cubes
5g nasturtium, marigold or calendula petals
230g caster sugar
170g unsalted butter
4 teaspoons saffron threads
6 egg yolks
1 egg
300g plain flour
½ tsp baking powder
½ tsp bicarbonate of soda
icing sugar, to serve
whipped cream, to serve

Add the pumpkin to a steamer set over a saucepan of lightly simmering water and cook until tender. Remove from the heat and set aside to cool, then mash 80 g of the pumpkin in a bowl until smooth.

Preheat the oven to 175C. Lightly grease and line a 20cm round cake tin with baking paper.

In a bowl, rub the flower petals into the sugar using your fingertips. Don’t be delicate here; the more you rub, the more the petals will infuse their flavour into the sugar.

In the bowl of an electric mixer, beat the sugar and petal mixture together with the butter and saffron threads for six minutes on high speed until creamy and voluminous. Continue to beat on low speed, adding the egg yolks one by one followed by the whole egg, then adding the mashed pumpkin, flour, baking powder and bicarbonate of soda. Mix together until combined.

Pour the batter into the prepared tin, then gently push 35g of the cooked pumpkin pieces into the batter so they’re evenly distributed. Bake for 45 minutes, or until a skewer inserted into the centre comes out clean.

Remove the cake from the oven and leave to cool slightly in the tin for five minutes, then carefully turn out onto a wire rack and leave to cool completely. Sprinkle with icing sugar and serve with freshly whipped cream.

Save those eggshells: This recipe will give you a good batch of shells to reuse in your garden. Crushed coarsely they make an excellent slug and snail repellent and add calcium to your soil, which can be a great boost to your tomato, beetroot and capsicum plants.

Seedy start: For a sprawling blaze of colour, soak nasturtium seeds in water to encourage germination. The perfect home for nasturtiums is at the base of citrus trees with access to morning sun.

Serves 8-10

This recipe will become your secret weapon chocolate cake. Earthy baby beetroots are roasted until juicy to lend a dense, fudge-like texture to an already deep, dark chocolate base. The real highlight, though, is the addictive beetroot and rose truffles dusted in cocoa, which happen to be a cinch to make. Just try not to scoff them before you decorate your cake.

10 baby beetroot (about 1.5 kg)
60ml extra-virgin olive oil
340g unsalted butter
370g soft brown sugar
340g caster sugar
4 large eggs
2 tsp vanilla extract
a few drops of rosewater, to taste
600g plain flour
4 tsp baking powder
160 Dutch cocoa powder
4 tsp salt
625g sour cream
Beetroot and rose truffles
3 beetroot (about 150 g)
1 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
400g good-quality dark chocolate (approx. 60% cocoa solids), broken into chunks
400ml thick cream
40g edible dried rose petals, plus extra to decorate
a few drops of rosewater
100g Dutch cocoa powder
Beetroot icing
3 tbsp finely grated roast beetroot (see method)
225g unsalted butter, softened
225g cream cheese, softened
500-625g icing sugar
½ tsp vanilla extract
50ml milk

This recipe makes one tier with two layers. To pump up the tiers and recreate the cake tower pictured, as a guide you’ll need to quadruple the ingredients; as well as a 20 m cake tin, you’ll need one 23cm and one 25cm cake tin.

Preheat the oven to 175C. Lightly grease and line two 20 cm round cake tins with baking paper.

Toss the whole beetroot in the oil. Wrap each one separately in aluminium foil. Roast one hour or until soft, then remove from the oven and cool. Once cool, peel off the skin and finely grate. Set aside.

To make the truffles, cook the beetroot as per the method above, then add to a blender or food processor and blitz to a fine purée. Transfer to a saucepan set over a low heat for 2-3 minutes (this will dry up any excess moisture and help bring out the flavour, so don’t skip this step). Remove from the heat and set aside.

Place the chocolate pieces in a heatproof dish. Bring the cream to the boil in a heavy-based saucepan, reduce the heat to a simmer, add half the dried rose petals and cook gently for 15 minutes, or until the flavour of the rose petals has fully infused into the cream. Strain the cream over the chocolate pieces and stir slowly until melted and glossy, then add 110g of the beetroot purée and the rosewater and mix well. Refrigerate for 1 hour until firm. Once set, take teaspoons of the mixture and shape them into bite-sized balls, then roll them in the cocoa powder and the remaining dried rose petals to coat. Transfer to the refrigerator and leave to chill until needed.

Cream the butter and sugars together in a bowl using a hand-held mixer, or a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, until light and fluffy. Beat in the eggs, vanilla and rosewater and mix in half the flour, baking powder, cocoa powder and salt. Stir in the sour cream, then mix in the remainder of the dry ingredients before gently folding in 300g of the grated roast beetroot until well combined (save the rest for the icing).

Pour the batter evenly into the prepared tins and bake for 35 minutes, or until a skewer inserted into the centres comes out clean. Remove from the oven and leave to cool slightly in the tins for five minutes, then carefully turn out onto a wire rack and leave to cool completely.

To make the icing, beat all the ingredients together in a bowl using a hand-held mixer or a stand mixer until well combined.

Place one of the cooled cakes on a serving plate or stand and spread with half the icing. Place the second cake on top and spread with the remaining icing. To decorate, top with the truffles and scatter over a few more dried rose petals or team the truffles up with fresh garden roses.

Beetroots are team players: Just like radishes and carrots, beetroot’s growing style helps break up and aerate soil, which lets more nutrients reach the roots of neighbouring vegetable patch friends. Members of the cabbage family will be most grateful.

Serves 10-12

The poor parsnip often gets lost in a tray of mixed roasted vegetables, but it’s far more interesting than you might think. This moist cake celebrates its overlooked flavours and pairs them with the floral tones of blossom water. I like using wild-willow water, which is a lighter Persian alternative to rosewater, but you could also use orange-blossom water – either will add a fresh, sweet hum. If it’s a special occasion, top your blossom icing with flowers (I like to use stock) and sprinkle with ground ginger.

1 tsp coriander seeds
½ tsp star anise
200g soft brown sugar
100g raw sugar
4 tsp blossom water (such as wild-willow water or orange-blossom water)
300ml grapeseed oil
3 eggs
300g plain flour
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp bicarbonate of soda
½ tsp sea salt flakes
330g grated parsnip
2 tsp finely grated fresh ginger
4 tsp finely chopped coriander stalks
Blossom icing
600g icing sugar
2-3 drops of blossom water
100g unsalted butter, softened
250g cream cheese, chilled

Preheat the oven to 175C. Lightly grease and line a 22 cm round cake tin with baking paper.

Blitz the coriander seeds and star anise in a food processor or spice grinder to form a powder. Set aside, separating ½ teaspoon for garnishing.

Beat the sugars, blossom water, oil and eggs together in a large bowl until frothy and well combined.
Mix the flour, baking powder, bicarbonate of soda and salt together in a separate bowl to combine. Fold the flour mixture into the egg mixture in two batches, then stir in the parsnip, ginger, coriander stalks and freshly ground spices (remembering to set aside ½ teaspoon of the spices for garnishing) and mix together well.

Pour the batter into the prepared tin and bake for 30-40 minutes, or until a skewer inserted into the centre comes out clean. Remove from the oven and leave to cool slightly in the tin for five minutes, then carefully turn out onto a wire rack and leave to cool completely.

While the cake is cooling, make the icing. Add the icing sugar, blossom water and butter to the bowl of a stand mixer and beat together on medium-slow speed until the mixture comes together. Add the cream cheese and beat on medium-high speed for at least five minutes, or until fluffy and smooth.

Place the cooled cake on a serving plate or stand and spread with the icing.

Brutes to grow: Parsnips have a reputation for being a tricky vegetable to cultivate, because when planted from seed it will take around 100 days for anything to appear. To encourage healthy growth, water with a seaweed fertiliser twice a month and ... wait.

Multiple blooms: Citrus blossoms can bud several times per year so make the most of the flowering periods with a DIY blossom water. Wash the petals thoroughly and dice finely, then transfer them to a bowl and cover with distilled water and a dash of vodka. Refrigerate overnight. The next day, bring the mixture to a gentle boil in a saucepan over a medium–high heat, reduce to a simmer and cook gently for 30 minutes. Leave to cool, then strain and store in a sterilised jar.

This is an edited extract from Sticky Fingers, Green Thumb, by Hayley McKee. Hardie Grant Books, $29.99.