Springtime in Canberra is not only magnificent, but delicious, too. Asparagus and broad beans, beetroot, and the seeds of our gorgeous native wattle – there is no shortage of bright seasonal flavours to experiment with in the coming months.

Broad bean, asparagus & soba noodle salad

Serves 4

• 500g broad beans, podded
• 1 head of broccoli, chopped into small florets, stalk peeled and chopped into 8mm discs
• 1 bunch of asparagus, cut into 2cm
• 3 bundles of buckwheat soba noodles (270g)
• 100g baby English spinach leaves, washed and dried

For the tahini ginger miso dressing

• 2 Tbsp tamari or soy sauce
• 2 Tbsp rice wine vinegar
• 2 Tbsp sesame oil
• 1 Tbsp tahini or smooth peanut butter
• 1 Tbsp honey or soft brown sugar
• 1 Tbsp rice seasoning (shichimi togarashi or furikake, sold at Asian grocers)
• 2 tsp miso paste
• 1/2 tsp wasabi paste
• A good pinch of freshly ground black pepper
• 1cm knob fresh ginger, peeled and finely grated
• 1 garlic clove, peeled and finely grated

To serve

• 1 ripe, creamy avocado, peeled and cut into cubes
• 1/4 bunch of coriander, washed and roughly chopped
• 2 spring onions, thinly sliced rice seasoning, for sprinkling (optional)

Bring a large saucepan of well-salted water to the boil.

Add the broad beans and blanch until bright green and soft. Scoop them out and refresh under a cold tap until cool enough to touch. Double pod the broad beans into a bowl by splitting the skin with your fingernail and popping out the bright green flesh.

Bring the water back to the boil and blanch the broccoli for 3–4 minutes, until vibrant green. Scoop out, refresh under a cold tap, add to the broad beans, and set aside. Bring the water back to the boil and blanch the asparagus for 2–3 minutes, until bright green. Scoop out and set this aside with the broccoli.

Bring the blanching water to the boil again. Add the buckwheat noodles, wait until they soften enough to submerge, then cook for 1 minute less than suggested by the packet instructions. Drain the noodles and dunk into iced water to stop them cooking.

Combine the dressing ingredients in a medium-sized bowl. Plonk the noodles into the dressing and stir to coat.

When ready to serve, add the blanched veg and baby spinach leaves to the dressed noodles, tossing everything together until well coated. Taste for seasoning — an extra splash of soy is worth it if the salad needs a salty kick.

Scatter the avocado, coriander, and spring onion on top and sprinkle with extra rice seasoning.

Beetroot, chocolate & wattleseed cake

Serves 8

• 125g butter, softened
• 1 1/3 cups (300g) firmly packed brown sugar
• 2 tsp roasted ground wattleseed
• 3 large free-range eggs
• 75g dark chocolate, melted
• 1 1/2 cups (225g) self-raising flour
• 2/3 cup (50g) raw cacao powder, sifted
• 250g cooked beetroot, peeled and grated

For the Muntrie cream

• 2 cups (500ml) thickened cream
• 1 Tbsp pure icing sugar
• 1 cup (155g) muntries, or raspberries/blueberries

For the icing

• 150g dark chocolate, chopped
• 135g sour cream
• 1/4 cup (30g) pure icing sugar, sifted
• 1 tsp roasted ground wattleseed

Preheat oven to 180°C. Line a 20cm cake tin with baking paper (or two tins if you are making a two-layer cake). Cream butter, sugar, wattleseed and eggs in a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment until pale and fluffy, then add melted chocolate and beat to combine. Gently fold in flour, cacao powder and a pinch of salt, then stir in beetroot.

Pour into tin(s) and bake for 45 minutes or until a skewer inserted into the centre comes out clean. Cool for 5 minutes, then turn out onto a wire rack to cool completely.

For muntrie cream, whip cream and icing sugar together until thick.

For icing, put all ingredients into a heatproof bowl set over a saucepan of simmering water (don’t let base of bowl touch water) and stir until melted and combined. Remove from heat and keep stirring until glossy. Allow both cake and icing to cool. For a single cake, transfer to a serving plate and ice the cake, serving with cream and muntries. For a two-layer cake, transfer one of the cakes to a plate, spread the cream across the top and scatter with muntries. Carefully place the second cake on top and spread with icing. Devour.

Get the latest Canberra news, sport, entertainment, lifestyle, competitions and more delivered straight to your inbox with the Canberra Daily Newsletter. Sign up here.