Ground pistachios are loaded with flavour and color, providing a welcome shot in the arm to otherwise beige bakes, as evidenced by this verdant cake and regiment of rose tart lets.

No-bake desserts are a winner, whatever the weather. These creamy refrigerator cakes will help keep kitchen temperatures down.

Summer's the time for slurping ices and lollies straight off the stick, but sometimes homemade ice-cream the kind that demands dainty bowls and tiny spoons is called for. Try this cheesecake-inspired tub with honeyed edible bowls.

The Portuguese make a religion of their pastries, celebrating saints' days with little cakes of all kinds, filled with custard or scattered with flaked nuts, such as these two heavenly confections: the Jesuit pastry and the bread of God. Amen

What you see is not what you get. Unlike all those fancy gateaux and extravagantly frosted cakes, swiss rolls and roulades keep their velvety richness and sweet fruity creams hidden within, ready to break out the flavour.

Bread is sometimes too good to play a side role pack your dough with fillings and you will have an all-in-one loaf that really can take centre stage.

Though its fallen out of favour compared to its red cousins, the unlovely old-fashioned gooseberry can give a fresh, sharply summery flavour to cakes, crumbles and a tangy and light white wine sorbet. Just dont forget the sugar

Put on your lab coats there's mad science at work in this weeks bakes. Acidic buttermilk reacts with bicarbonate of soda to form a quick, sweet-and-sour dough perfect for honey-glazed doughnuts and blueberry soda bread buns.

Ruby pairs peach with pepper for a sweet, spicy bake, then strawberries are piled high atop vanilla custard and sprinkled with pine nuts.

Add a floral touch to your bakes with this summery sponge sandwich with its floral hint of camomile and bright pineapple curd, and this delicate orange blossom and strawberry panna cotta.

The classic quiche no longer a vestige of 1970s naffness here is revamped into a couple of picnic-perfect summer treats: a herby, crumbly affair laced with salmon and ricotta, and a heartier pie, bursting with roasted cauliflower.

In baking, humble cocoa powder is easier to work with and stronger than expensive chocolate, and can hold its own against the other ingredients. See for yourself in these easy birthday cake and treacle brownie recipes.

The best pies are the ones you can eat with your hands, which is where hot-water pastry comes in handy.

Aromatic cinnamon can add warmth and mellowness to your baking especially when used alongside other spices. Use it sparingly to add elegance to these chocolate tarts and a delicate piquancy to this chai swirl loaf cake.

There's a strange alchemy at work when you combine sweet and savoury flavours. Not convinced? Try these recipes for sticky maple and bacon buns, or this cheesy toffee apple pie.

Ricotta is the secret to this succulent lime drizzle cake and silky passion fruit cheesecake, leaving them light and creamy without the usual heaviness of a butter-based mix.

Using oats lends subtle texture to your baking. Try them in this tender blackberry oat crumble cake and this crunchy batch of white chocolate honey oat biscuits.

Besides your bog-standard banana loaf, how else can you make use of a bunch of overripe bananas? Why not transform them into these finger-licking fritters or a light sponge, fragrant with thyme?

Poppy seeds are a smash hit when combined with citrussy notes, such as in these lemon and basil muffins and this rolled Polish cake

Ground pistachios are loaded with flavour and colour, providing a welcome shot in the arm to otherwise beige bakes, as evidenced by this verdant cake and regiment of rose tartlets.