It’s that time of year when there’s a glut of late summer fruit and vegetables so we're bringing you recipes that make the most of countryside produce. HEATHER BARRON found a fabulous alternative recipe for courgettes that uses the veg in a delicious, family-favourite cake, courtesy of Nigella Lawson’s How To Be A Domestic Goddess cookbook. It's become a firm favourite in the Barron household...

Ingredients: 250g courgettes, weighed before grating 2 large eggs 125ml vegetable oil 150g caster sugar 225g self-raising flour ½ teaspoon bicarbonate of soda ½ teaspoon baking powder Filling: Nigella provides a recipe in her book, but I use 3 or 4 tablespoons of bought lime curd Icing: 200g cream cheese 100g icing sugar, sieved Juice of 1 lime 2-3 tablespoons chopped pistachio nuts Method: Grease and line 2 x 21cm sandwich tins and preheat oven to 180°C/gas mark 4.

Wipe the courgettes with a paper towel (don’t peel them), and grate roughly. Turn them into a sieve over the sink to remove any excess liquid.

Beat together eggs, oil and sugar in a bowl until creamy. Sieve in the flour, bicarb and baking powder, and beat until well combined.

Stir the grated courgettes into the mixture, and divide evenly between the sandwich tins.

Bake for 30 minutes until slightly browned and firm to the touch. Leave in the tins on a rack for 5-10 minutes, then turn out onto the rack to cool completely.

Make the icing by beating the cream cheese in a bowl until smooth, then beat in the sieved icing sugar and stir in the lime juice.

To assemble, place one cake on a plate and spread with the lime curd. Place the other cake on top and cover it thickly with the cream cheese icing mixture.

If the mixture is a bit loose, place the cake in the fridge for a while.

Just before serving, scatter the pistachio nuts over the top.