Preheat and prepare: Preheat your oven to 190°C (170°C fan). Line a 12-hole muffin tin with paper cases. The air will feel warm and the smell of spice will start to develop as the oven heats.

Whisk dry ingredients: In a large bowl, whisk together the plain flour, baking powder, bicarbonate of soda, salt, cinnamon, nutmeg, and ginger until evenly combined. The mixture should look pale and smell fragrant with spice.

Mix wet ingredients: In a separate bowl, beat the eggs with the golden caster sugar until thick and pale, about 2 minutes. The mixture should feel light and airy, and when you lift the whisk, it should fall in a ribbon that holds its shape for a moment.

Add oil and vanilla: Pour in the oil and vanilla extract, then whisk until fully emulsified. The batter will look glossy and smooth, with a slight sheen on top.

Fold in zucchini: Add the grated zucchini to the wet mixture and fold gently with a spatula until evenly distributed. You'll see green flecks throughout the batter, and it will feel much wetter than typical muffin batter — that's exactly what you want.

Combine wet and dry: Pour the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients and fold together with a spatula using just 10–12 strokes. Stop as soon as you see no more streaks of flour; a few small lumps are fine. Overmixing will make the muffins tough and dense.

Fold in extras: If using chocolate chips or walnuts, scatter them over the batter and fold in gently with 3–4 strokes. The batter should look speckled and slightly chunky.

Fill the cases: Divide the batter evenly among the 12 paper cases, filling each about three-quarters full. The batter will be thick and somewhat lumpy — use two spoons or a small ice cream scoop for neat portions.

Bake: Place the tin in the centre of the oven and bake for 20–22 minutes. The muffins will rise and turn a deep golden brown on top. A skewer inserted into the centre should come out clean or with a few moist crumbs attached. The kitchen will smell wonderfully of warm cinnamon and nutmeg.

Cool: Let the muffins rest in the tin for 5 minutes, then transfer them to a wire rack to cool completely. The tops should spring back when pressed lightly, and the edges will be slightly crisp while the centres remain soft.