The fruit can be varied to suit the season. Try adding raspberries, blackcurrants or grated apple instead of the fresh figs. You can change the flavour of the jam you use too, to suit.

Makes 12 large muffins or 16 regular muffins

Preparation: 30 minutes 

Cooking: 35 minutes

Ingredients

• butter, for greasing
• 120g wheat bran
• 120g plain yoghurt
• 1⁄2 tablespoon grated lemon zest
• 1 tablespoon honey
• 3 tablespoons fig jam
• 120g soft light brown sugar
• 120ml sunflower oil
• 1 egg, plus
• 1 egg white
• 65g plain flour, plus extra for dusting
• 65g wholemeal flour
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1 teaspoon bicarbonate of soda 
• 1⁄2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1⁄2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
• pinch of salt
• 50g pumpkin seeds, coarsely chopped
• 6 figs, de-stemmed and each cut across into 6 slices
• demerara sugar, for sprinkling

Method

Preheat the oven to 180°C/350°F/Gas Mark 4. Line a baking sheet with baking paper. Butter and flour the holes of a jumbo muffin pan, or 16 holes of 2 non-stick 12-hole muffin pans.

Spread out the wheat bran on the prepared baking sheet and bake for 5 minutes, or until lightly toasted. Remove from the oven, turn the bran over once or twice and return to the oven for another 5 minutes.

In a large bowl, mix together the toasted wheat bran, yoghurt, lemon zest, honey, fig jam and soft brown sugar. Add 250 ml/ 8 fl oz (1 cup) water, the oil, egg and egg white and mix until well combined.

Sift the flours, baking powder, bicarbonate of soda, cinnamon, nutmeg and salt into a large bowl. Stir into the wet ingredients, add the pumpkin seeds and mix until just combined, being sure to not over-mix.

Spoon the batter into the prepared pan(s), filling each hole almost to the top. Top each one with 2 fig slices. Bake in the oven for 25 minutes, or until a skewer inserted into the middle of a muffin comes out clean.

Let cool in the pan(s) for 5 minutes before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely. Sprinkle a little demerara sugar over the muffins before serving.

From Grow Fruit & Vegetables in Pots by Aaron Bertelsen (£24.95, Phaidon), out now

Makes 12

Ingredients

• 120g plain flour
• ½ cup ground hazelnuts
• 150g sugar
• 1½ tbsp vanilla sugar
• ½ cup cocoa powder
• 2 tsp baking powder
• 1 pinch salt
• 200g cooked beetroot
• 150ml canola oil
• 3 eggs

For the topping:

• 100g dark cooking chocolate
• 50g icing sugar
• about 1½ tbsp beetroot juice
• red food colouring
• 80g hazelnuts

Method

Preheat the oven to 180°C (350°F). Line two 6-hole or one 12-hole muffin tin with paper cases; alternatively, butter the holes and dust them with flour to get beautifully smooth muffins.

Combine the flour, ground hazelnuts, sugar, vanilla sugar, cocoa powder, baking powder and salt. Coarsely chop the beetroot and transfer to a tall mixing bowl together with the oil. Finely blend with a stick blender, then add the eggs one by one. Quickly stir in the dry ingredients in three batches to combine everything well.

Divide the batter among the muffin holes, filling them two-thirds full. Bake for about 22 minutes. Use a toothpick to test for doneness. Set the muffins aside to cool, then remove from the tins.

Melt the dark cooking chocolate in a bowl over a saucepan of simmering water. Whisk the icing sugar, beetroot juice and a little food colouring together to make a bright pink icing.

Coarsely chop the hazelnuts and dry-roast in a frying pan until they smell fragrant. Glaze half of the cooled muffins with the chocolate and the other half with the icing. Sprinkle with the nuts.

From Fairytale Baking by Christin Geweke (£20, Murdoch Books), out now

These muffins are perfect for breakfast with a large coffee, but also great with a cup of tea mid-afternoon.

Makes 12 regular/6 jumbo-size muffins

Preparation: 15 minutes

Cooking: 25 minutes (40 minutes for jumbo-size muffins)

Ingredients

• 120g softened unsalted butter, plus extra for greasing
• 3 tablespoons demerara sugar
• ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 200g white granulated sugar 
• 2 eggs
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 250g plain (all-purpose) flour
• ½ teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 165ml buttermilk
• 375g fresh raspberries

Method

Preheat the oven to 190°C/375°F/Gas Mark 5. Line a jumbo pan or a regular 12-hole pan with paper cups, or grease generously with extra butter.

Mix the demerara sugar and cinnamon together in a small bowl and set aside.

Cream the butter and granulated sugar together in a large bowl. Beat in the eggs one at a time and mix until evenly incorporated. Add the vanilla extract and mix thoroughly. Combine the flour, salt and baking powder in a bowl.

Using a rubber spatula, fold the buttermilk into the batter along with half the flour. When mostly mixed, add the remaining flour. Carefully fold in the raspberries so they are evenly distributed but not too crushed. Spoon the batter equally into the prepared pan(s) and sprinkle with the sugar and cinnamon mixture.

Bake for 25–40 minutes (depending on size) until golden brown on top but still soft to the touch. When cool enough to handle, remove from the pan(s) and let cool completely on a wire rack. 

From The Great Dixter Cookbook by Aaron Bertelsen (£24.95, Phaidon), out now