AFTER a lot of over-indulgence at Christmas when it came to sharing a cake recipe with you, this month I wanted to choose something light, delicious and also quite different.

As I searched for inspiration, I came across a cake made with one of my favourite herbs and one of my favourite flavours, parsley and mint.

A little different but well worth trying I thought!

I was fairly mesmerised by the dark green colour –it reminded me of basil ice cream, or pesto, so I was excited to taste the consistency in a cake!

Turns out I was right to have tried it, the cake was delicious. Its fern-coloured, pleasantly grassy texture carries a laid-back sweetness so it's not too 'cakey' to enjoy whilst cutting back the calories in January.

I really like the fact that the cake’s main ingredients are fresh and light too, and carried by the cake once baked.

The process starts as if you are making pesto. This 'base' is used in making the rest of the cake instead of adding butter.

I baked the cake in a square pan instead of a traditional circular tin because whilst the cake was sweet and savoury, the flavours are intense so you don’t need a large slice!

Parsley is often an unappreciated herb and in the past I myself have been guilty of using it just as a garnish to accompany a meal, or buying to sprinkle on croissants and baked mushrooms.

In fact, parsley is wonderfully nutritious and healing and has many great ways of baking and cooking. It's one of the most ubiquitous herbs in British cookery, and is also popular in European and Eastern food.

The traditional British choice is curly parsley, but flat leaved (Continental) parsley is also widely available.

Parsley is the world's most popular herb. It derives its name from the Greek word meaning 'rock celery'. It is a biennial plant that will return to the garden year after year once it is established.

The flavonoids in parsley have been shown to function as antioxidants that combine with highly reactive oxygen-containing molecules (called oxygen radicals) and help prevent oxygen-based damage to cells.

Parsley is an excellent source of vitamin C and a good source of vitamin A. Vitamin C is also a powerful anti-inflammatory agent, which explains its usefulness for osteoarthritis and rheumatoid arthritis.

And since vitamin C is needed for the healthy function of the immune system, it can also be helpful for preventing recurrent ear infections or colds.

When buying parsley, go for fresh looking, bright green bunches, with no wilting or discolouration.

Curly parsley is darker than the flat leaf variety, and has a milder taste. Flat leaf has a more robust (and, some say, better) flavour.

Dried parsley is also available but its flavour doesn't match up to the real thing so please don't use it in this recipe.

This cake can be served alone over tea, or with a drizzle of honey and a dollop of crème fraîche. I'd avoid serving it with anything heavy as the cake holds such a laid-back sweetness.

Hope you enjoy making and eating this cake as much as I did!