“I will put plants in puddings given the merest hint of encouragement. And an abundance of courgettes, their bright, trumpet f lowers winking at me like orange hazard lights in the veg beds, is all the invitation I need. This is a very simple cake, not nearly as odd as it sounds, and the answer to so many situations. Forget the buttercream and simply dust it with icing sugar for elevenses; or smooth out the buttercream icing and festoon it with f lowers for a rustic celebration cake. The version below is somewhere in between the two,” says Kathy Slack.