Yes, the sun may only have come out around three times over the past two weeks, but that doesn’t make us immune to that familiar itch to take anything and everything outside. Coffees, cocktails, cakes – there’s just something about al fresco dining that signals the arrival of spring in the very best way, even if the temperatures don’t always match.

As we gear up for a month of long, lazy weekends in what we hope will be sunshine, it’s only natural that we’ve started looking for picnic season inspiration, and who better than Claire Ptak, founder of the beloved Violet Bakery in London, to lead the way?

Her new book, Love Is A Pink Cake is full to the brim with 85 irresistible bakes for morning, noon and night. You’ll even find the recipe for Harry and Megan’s famous lemon and elderflower wedding cake.

If your mouth’s watering already, here are three dreamy recipes from the book to get started with that are absolutely perfect for a long spring lunch in the great outdoors.

Basil, parmesan and pine nut scones

Ptak says: “I love savoury scones. You can put just about any combination of cheese and herbs into a buttery scone and get great results. These are the perfect summer treat in a picnic. Frances and I have taken them as a snack to the Hackney Marshes not far from the bakery to forage wild blackberries. As with all my scones, you can make them and freeze them raw, then bake off as needed.”

Cooking time: 25-30 minutes

Makes 12 scones

Ingredients

• 400g (2¾ cups + 2 tbsp) plain flour, plus more for rolling
• 1 tbsp caster sugar
• 2½ tsp baking powder
• ½ tsp bicarbonate of soda
• ½ tsp salt
• ¼ tsp freshly ground black pepper
• 180g (¾ cup + 1 tbsp) unsalted butter, chilled, cut into cubes
• 1 egg
• 200g (¾ cup + 1 tbsp) sour cream
• 100g (3½ oz) good fresh pesto (from a deli)
• 50g (⅓ cup) pine nuts
• Freshly grated Parmesan
• 1 egg or egg yolk, beaten with a little water

Method

Preheat the oven to 180°C fan/200°C/ 400°F/gas mark 6. Line a baking sheet with baking paper.

Put the flour, sugar, baking powder, bicarbonate of soda, salt and pepper into a bowl. Cut in the butter with a pastry cutter or a round-bladed knife (or use a food processor) until crumbly. Whisk the egg, sour cream and pesto together and add to the mix and stir in just to combine. Pat the dough into a cube and place on a lightly floured surface.

Let the dough rest for 5 minutes then flatten it to about 2.5cm (1in) thick with a rolling pin. Scatter the pine nuts over and then fold it in half like you are closing a book so that you have a rectangle, then fold it in half again so that you have a small square. Rest for 7 minutes and then two and then each square into triangles. Chill in the fridge for about 30 minutes (at this point you can freeze the unbaked scones to bake another day).

Place the chilled scones on the lined baking sheet and brush with the egg and water mixture. Grate each scone with fresh Parmesan and bake for 25–30 minutes until golden. These are best eaten on the same day.

Raspberry loganberry roulade with mascarpone

Ptak says: “Roulades are retro. You don’t see them enough in the US but they have a pretty good stronghold in the UK. This version is light and soft, swirled with creamy mascarpone and punctuated with ripe tart summer raspberries and logan-berries. If you don’t have loganberries, substitute blackberries. All three components meld together in perfect berry harmony.”

Cooking time: 30 minutes

Serves 6–8

Ingredients

For the meringue:

• 4 egg whites
• 250g (1¼ cups) caster sugar
• 2 tsp vanilla extract
• 1 tsp white vinegar
• 2 tsp cornflour
• For the cream:
• 500g (2 cups) mascarpone
• 2 tsp caster sugar

For the fruit:

• 300g (2 cups) raspberries
• 300g (2 cups) loganberries
• 100g (½ cup) caster sugar
• Splash of orange blossom water
• Icing sugar, for rolling and dusting

Method

Preheat the oven to 140°C fan/160°C/325°F/ gas mark 3. Grease and line a 20×30cm (8×12in) Swiss roll tin with baking paper, coming right up the sides.

Put the egg whites in a spotlessly clean mixing bowl, and whisk to soft peaks. Add the caster sugar a tablespoon at a time, with the whisk running, until all the sugar is incorporated and you have soft, glossy peaks. Fold in the vanilla extract, vinegar and cornflour. Spread into the prepared tin and bake for 30 minutes until it has formed a crust on the surface.

While the meringue is baking, whip the mascarpone in a large bowl with the sugar and set aside. Then toss the berries in another bowl with the sugar and orange blossom water. Set aside as well.

Transfer the cooled meringue (crisp-side down) from the tin onto a work surface lined with a clean tea towel dusted with a good amount of icing sugar. Carefully peel off the baking paper and dust liberally with icing sugar. Use the tea towel to roll the meringue up into a scroll. This is to create a ‘memory’ in the meringue to avoid unwanted cracks later.

Unroll the meringue and spread with the cream, leaving a small border around the edge. Top with the berries and roll tightly away from yourself. Carefully transfer to a serving platter (I like to use a tart tin base for this), seam-side down.

Dust with a final layer of icing sugar and serve. This could also be chilled for a couple of hours before serving but will need another dusting of icing sugar before serving.

Late summer peach tarte tatin with peach leaf custard

Ptak says: “Oren is a great little restaurant around the corner from my flat in Hackney. It’s Mediterranean-inspired, simple, delicious fare. It’s the type of place you want to visit once a week. The Israeli-born chef-owner Oded is a good baker. His loaves of challah and perfect pillows of pitta bread accompany the food while the desserts are seasonal classics. One of my favourites is a peach tarte tatin. Since trying his, I prefer using peaches to the typical apples. I serve mine with a light custard steeped with fresh peach leaves, which taste of green almonds.”

Cooking time: 45-55 minutes

Serves 8–10

Ingredients

For the custard:

• 3 egg yolks
• 480g (2 cups) single cream
• 2 tbsp caster sugar
• 30–40 peach leaves, washed and dried (If you can’t get the leaves, add a drop or two of almond extract to the custard instead)
• Pinch of salt

For the tarte:

• 8–10 large ripe but firm peaches
• 3 tbsp unsalted butter
• 135g (½ cup + 3 tbsp) caster sugar
• 500g (1lb 2oz) puff pastry, rolled into a 30cm (12in) circle and chilled

Method

Make the custard. Separate your egg yolks into a small bowl, reserving the egg whites for another use (they freeze well!). Add the single cream and sugar to a heavy- based saucepan and place over a medium heat until foaming and hot but not boiling. Take a handful of peach leaves and steep them in the steaming cream for about 30 seconds. Dunk them and stir them around as they steep, then remove and discard the used leaves before adding another fresh handful. Repeat until all leaves have been used and the cream is a pale shade of green. To achieve the bright, fresh, peach-leaf flavour, you must work swiftly. Leaving the leaves for too long in the custard changes the flavour and is undesirable. Next, temper the egg yolks with a few tablespoons of the warm cream, whisking until smooth. Add the tempered yolks back into the remaining cream, moving a heatproof spatula or wooden spoon along the bottom of the pan continuously. As soon as the custard thickens on the bottom of the pan, turn off the heat, stir in the salt and pour the custard through a strainer and into a jug. Chill completely in the fridge.

Next, blanch the peaches. Bring a large saucepan of water to the boil. Have ready a large bowl of iced water and have a slotted spoon or small sieve to fish out the blanched peaches. Gently lower the peaches into the boiling water (don’t overcrowd the pan). The peaches will only need about 30 seconds in the water to loosen the skins. Lift one up out of the water and pinch the skin to see if it is ready to slide off. If the skin is still clinging to the flesh of the peach, slip it back into the water for a few more seconds. If it’s peelable, gently add it to the bowl of iced water. Continue until all the peaches have been blanched, then lift them out of the water bath and slip off the skins. Cut the peaches in half, remove the stones and cut into quarters. Set aside on a plate. Don’t worry about any oxidisation that occurs as this will disappear when baked.

Preheat the oven to 200°C fan/220°C/425°F/gas mark 7. Prepare a bowl of iced water large enough for a 25cm (10in) cast-iron frying pan or copper tatin mould (or you could set this up in your kitchen sink).

Caramelise 2 tablespoons of the butter and 6 tablespoons of the sugar over a high heat, swirling the pan now and then. Once the sugar has dissolved, use a wooden spoon or balloon whisk to bring it all together. Do not worry if it splits or crystallises, as it will dissolve again during the baking process. You want a deep, dark caramel. Remove from the heat and immediately put the pan in the iced water to stop the caramel from colouring any further.

Arrange the peaches in the pan of caramel, bearing in mind they will be up-side down when done, so make them look pretty. I place the curved side down into the caramel, core side up. Place a second layer of peaches on top, core side down, and press gently with your hands, coaxing them to fit together like a puzzle.

Cover with the chilled pastry circle, tucking the edges in between the peaches and the pan, then melt the remaining tablespoon of butter and brush the pastry with it. Sprinkle with the remaining 3 tablespoons sugar, then pierce several times with a knife to allow steam to escape during baking.

Bake the tarte tatin for 45–55 minutes, or until the pastry is crisp and golden, the sugar has started to caramelise on top, and the peaches and caramel beneath are starting to bubble up at the edges.

Remove the tarte from the oven and allow to sit undisturbed for 10 minutes. Have ready a large plate that will completely cover the top of the tarte tatin. Using extreme caution, place the plateover the pan and, using an oven glove or tea towel wrapped around the outside, quickly flip the pan over and turn the tart out onto the plate in one smooth motion, being cautious of any hot liquid or steam that might escape. Serve with cold peach leaf custard.

Love is a Pink Cake by Claire Ptak (£27, Vintage) is out now

Photography: Maren Caruso