Afternoon tea

The German term for "sprinkle", a streusel is great to have with tea or coffee mid-morning on a chilly weekend, and this one's rhubarb and apple filling gives it a wonderfully homely flavour.

Heat ungreased gem irons in hot oven for 5 minutes just before use; grease with cooking oil spray. Note

These buns are best made on the day of serving. Note

So popular is this delectable French biscuit, that it has its own day on which it is celebrated. March 20 is unofficially 'Macaron Day', and participating bakeries offer customers free samples. With this recipe, you can make your own!

Paper hearts can be bought at newsagents, or you can place a smaller heartshaped cutter, covered with plastic wrap, on each cake before dusting. Dust hearts with icing sugar. Pour mixture evenly into prepared pan. Use a cutter to cut hearts. Note

There is a little more involved here than simply mixing berries into cupcake batter, but the results are absolutely stunning and delicious.

These gluten-free coconut, almond and berry cupcakes make the perfect sweet treat with a cup of tea.

A slice of this dense, zesty cake goes wonderfully with a dollop of yoghurt.

Filled with almond frangipane and sweet dates, this stunning tart is absolutely delicious served with whipped cream and a pot of hot coffee.

Walk into any French patisserie and you will be greeted by a feast for the eyes. Among the delights you will surely see the delicate galette, topped with any variety of fruit; we've chosen mango and coconut cream

Filled with jam and cream, these elegant little cakes are simply delectable, with a cherry on top.

Put the kettle on and enjoy a slice of this old-fashioned spiced sponge roll, just like Gran used to make.

You need 1 large overripe banana (230g), to get the amount of mashed banana required in this recipe This recipe is gluten-free and yeast-free The cake batter needs to be spread quite thinly to bake properly. If you haven’t got twox22cm sandwich pans use two x deep 22cm-round cake pans Note

Perhaps the most well known pumpkin recipe comes from the United States, in the form of this delicious pie. You will need to cook about 350g pumpkin for this recipe.

Get the kids helping in the kitchen with these adorable funny face cupcakes.

Take one packet of chocolate cake mix, add bit of creativity and voila! A beautiful looking layered chocolate cake laced with Grand Marnier and sweet ricotta, decorated with toasted almonds.

Tia Maria and Kahlua are both coffee-flavoured liqueurs and would work well in this recipe. Serve it up as a special grown-up treat along with your afternoon cuppa with friends.

This teacake usually sinks slightly due to the soft custard in the centre. Note

serving suggestion Dusted icing sugar. Note

The perfect balance of sweet, salty and crunchy, these delicious caramel peanut hearts are the perfect weekend snack, or gift for loved ones.

Sponge-finger biscuits are also known as savoiardi biscuits, savoy biscuits, lady’s fingers or sponge fingers; they are long, oval-shaped Italian-style crisp fingers made from sponge-cake mixture, and are available from supermarkets. Recipe is not suitable to freeze. Note

Store slice in an airtight container in the fridge for up to four days. Note

With a crunchy coconut topping, these fluffy banana muffins go perfectly with that morning or afternoon cuppa.

Moist, fresh and earthy, this cake owes all of its finer points to the inclusion of the beetroot.

With hints of cardamom and orange, this rustic cake is delicious for a winter afternoon tea or dessert. Cardamom is one of the world's most expensive spices; it has a distinctive aromatic, sweetly rich flavour and is widely available.

There's something divine about the tanginess of lemon curd coupled with freshly made pikelets. Easy to make, they're the ideal mid-morning or afternoon snack.

We used a thick, caramel-flavoured ice-cream topping in this recipe. Note

Sometimes nicknamed “yuppie Vegemite”, this classic Provençal preparation is used as a dip for raw vegetables, spread on bread and pizza, and served with fish and meats. Note

These crunchy Italian treats are perfect with hot espresso coffee.

Drizzled in sweet passionfruit icing, this delectable tart is perfect with a morning or afternoon cup of tea.

These black forest brownies feature that classic combination of rich dark chocolate and cherries.

The popular combination of chocolate and peppermint makes this an extremely more-ish cake. This cake can also be baked in a deep 20cm-round cake pan that has its base lined with baking paper. Bake in moderate oven for about 1 hour. These icings are known as glacé icings, and are sometimes also called warm icings. […]

This date loaf comes out tremendously moist and is great served fresh with melted butter, but also keeps nicely for a rainy day.

EQUIPMENT 30cm x 40cm (12-inch x 16-inch) rectangular cake board You can use butter cream instead of the vanilla frosting. We used a variety of different jubes to get different shapes. Note

Moist, dense and dripping with syrup, this chocolate orange polenta cake is a very grown-up way to recapture a childhood love for jaffa cakes.

This impressive cake is brought to you by the classic Australian Women's Weekly birthday cake cookbook.

Drizzled in sweet toffee, these almond and cranberry wreath biscuits make wonderful Christmas gifts.

These fun and impressive blondies can be enjoyed by everyone. They are both nut-free and egg-free.

This cute snail cake is perfect for a kids' birthday party at home or school - your children will love the cute little bugs.

The addition of pecans to these brown sugar biscuits adds a sophisticated flavour and texture. They're dead easy to make; the kids could do it with minimal supervision.

With a cinnamon-spiked plum and prune filling, these almond crescents are the perfect sweet treat with tea or coffee.

You can use bought lemon curd or lemon butter in this recipe or make your own. To make lemon curd, whisk 2 egg yolks and ¼ cup caster (superfine) sugar in small heatproof bowl until pale and thickened. Whisk in 1 teaspoon finely grated lemon rind and 2 tablespoons lemon juice, stir over small saucepan […]

This fruit cake is deliciously moist and looks beautiful decorated with almonds. It can last up to 12 months, but we think you'll polish it off well before then.

The cheesecake will sink slightly in the centre during baking. Store the cheesecake in an airtight container at room temperature for 1 day, or refrigerate for 1 week. Note

Slathered with chocolate cream frosting, these divine little coconut chocolate cakes make an excellent afternoon tea treat.

Served fresh and hot from the oven with butter, this cheesy ham, tomato and pineapple loaf is simply mouth-watering.

Combining two of our favourite things, chocolate and hazelnuts, these incredible cookies are filled with an irresistibly creamy centre.

Pop the kettle on and treat yourself to a thick, buttered slice of moist banana walnut bread.

Deliciously lemony and topped with meringue, these divine cupcakes are best served still warm.

This decadent chocolate-orange slice is heavenly with a cup of hot espresso coffee.

The tart cases we used were bought frozen and unbaked; they come ready-to-bake in foil cases and measure 6.5cm in diameter. They are available from supermarkets. Tartlets can be made a day ahead, keep refrigerated.

This baked ricotta is perfect for picnics, just cover with chilli and parmesan and bake it that morning.

These romantic cupcakes are ideal for an engagement party or baby shower.

Try this gorgeous blue gluten-free cake for your child's second birthday party. The number 2 cake pan can be hired from cake decorating shops.

You can substitute the fig and ginger jam for any jam of your choice. These biscuits are best served on the day they are made. Store unfilled biscuits in an airtight container for up to 1 week. Note

Cherries, pecans and brandy go together beautifully in these popular little cakes.

These popular little cakes make a lovely afternoon treat served with yoghurt.

Perfect for a filling morning tea, afternoon tea or lunch box treat, these cheesy zucchini and leek muffins are tasty and delicious.

Completed cookies can be made up to 4 weeks ahead; store at room temperature in an airtight container. Note

An elegant dish to bake for an afternoon tea with friends, or a light dessert on a summer's eve. Serve with a little cream if you like.

You can also bake this mixture in one loaf pan;­ it will take about 45 minutes to cook. Loaves are best made on the day of serving. Note

Using fresh coconut for sweet dishes like this will enhance the flavour immeasurably, and you'll find many greengrocers and supermarkets now sell plastic bags of shredded or grated fresh coconut in the Asian ingredient section.

Rich and warmly spiced, this baked cheesecake with fig and orange makes an excellent dessert or mid-afternoon treat.

A true family favourite.

This classic caramel slice with the crunch of macadamias is perfect with that morning or afternoon cuppa.

Crispy on the outside, these chocolate lace cookies are chewy on the inside. Just what you need when it's time to sit down with a cup of tea.

These puffs are best eaten soon after baking. Note

These flapjacks make a great snack for lunchboxes or to serve as morning tea. We used dried pineapple, papaya and mango in this recipe. You could also try chopped dates or figs.

The natural sweetness of date and banana make this fruity slice moist and rich. Gorgeous served with a cup of tea or strong coffee.

If you don’t have a candy thermometer, boil the syrup until it’s thick with heavy bubbles. Remove from heat, let bubbles subside, then reassess the thickness of the syrup. Note

Equipment 2 large oven trays 6.5cm (2¾-inch) heart-shaped cutter small piping bag fitted with small plain tube Sprinkling lollies into heart shapes Joining boxes with royal icing The tea lights should only be left alight for a short time or the heat will melt the windows. Note

Delicate and light as air, these puffs are filled with lemon cream, glazed with lemon and topped with candied lemon. Altogether delectable.

Krachel are sweet, fragrant rolls flavoured with anise seeds, sesame seeds and orange flower water. They are perfect served warm, with butter, for morning or afternoon tea.

Gluten-free and dairy-free, the flavours and textures of this cake will not disappoint.

Filled sponges are best eaten the day they are made. Note

A moist and delicious microwavable cake that tastes every bit as good as an oven baked one. This cake is best made on the day of serving, which is fine because it's just so easy! You're welcome.

We used a store-bought lemon curd in this recipe. Biscuits can be made a day ahead; they are best filled on the day of serving. Note

We used fruit mince bought in a jar from the supermarket, but home-made would be even better. Store squares in an airtight container for up to 3 days. Note

With a layer of dark chocolate, creamy cheesecake filling and sweet cherry jelly, this slice is a most decadent treat.

To make hazelnut and coffee friands, omit the walnuts and replace with 125g hazelnut meal. Note

Little tennis lovers will rejoice in this delicious and impressive birthday cake.

If you prefer, you can use 11/4 cups (380g) bottled fruit mince instead of the filling in this recipe. Note