Afternoon tea

Cake is best decorated on day required. Note

This adorable princess birthday cake is perfect for kids who love all things pretty and pink.

This cake is at its best eaten on the same day as baking. Keeping time: 1 day. Note

This recipe also makes 6 texas muffins (¾-cup/180ml), bake about 25 minutes. Note

Buy greek or lebanese baklava from specialty shops, delicatessens or some coffee shops. Note

Silver leaf, available from cake decorating stores, is delicate and fiddly to handle but worth the effort. Note

Keeping time: 4 days. Note

You’ll have about 1½ cups of the cake mixture left over to make more cakes for your party. Note

Moist and buttery.

These nuts are so moreish it will be hard to hand them over; to prevent such a dilemma, double the quantity and the problem is solved! Note

Kids will adore this Leo the Lion birthday cake from The Australian Women's Weekly's famous 'Children's Birthday Cake Book' cookbook. He is the King of the Jungle, after all.

This gorgeous layered cake is the perfect balance of sweet and nutty. It's the perfect celebratory cake to serve at Christmas time.

Delicious and chewy chocolate Turkish delights with the sweet scent of rosewater and the crunch of sliced almonds.

You need a 7cm (2¾-inch) and a 5cm (2-inch) starshaped cutter. It’s best to use food colouring pastes rather than liquids. Roll, cut and bake one portion of dough at a time. While those biscuits are cooking , roll and cut the next batch, ready for the oven. Note

This recipe also makes 6 texas muffins (¾-cup/180ml); bake about 35 minutes. Note

Mad about marmalade? Then, this muffin is for you. Marmalades come in a range of flavours sweet through to bitter and everything in between. Try a bitter marmalade first, it teams so well with the almonds and the sweetness of the syrup. Note

Old-fashioned cast gem irons are available from specialty cookware shops or second-hand shops. Note

Cake can be baked and cut into shape one day ahead; keep, covered, in refrigerator if weather is hot. Finish cake on day of serving, as per recipe. The remaining purple jelly can be used to make extra jelly cups. Young explorers will love this cake. The swamp is filled with murky (but delicious) jelly, […]

36 lollypop or paddle pop sticks are needed for this recipe. Push the sticks of the popcakes into the top of a cardboard egg carton to dry. Light or dark fruit cake is suitable, use whichever is preferred. Note

Any small jubes or jelly sweets can be used. Use lightly oiled scissors to cut the jubes. Note

Keeping time: 4 days. Note

Semolina is available from health-food stores and supermarkets. It can be replaced with 1 cup plain (all-purpose) flour. Lime, orange or mandarin juice and grated rind can be substituted for the lemon. Note

A classic treat from our iconic Test Kitchen.

You will need about two bunches of rhubarb for this recipe. To spread the second layer of cake batter over the crumble, without mixing the two, dollop the batter into each corner first, then gently spread the batter toward the centre. Note

Sugar flowers of many shapes, sizes and colours can be bought from most supermarkets and cake decorating shops. Note

For this recipe you need 1 large pomegranate (375g). Note

You’ll be prouder than a peacock when you present this cake at the party. The design is mainly in the placement of the lollies. Note

It’s important to use regular honey in the matzo cake, not the easy-to-pour liquefied version Note

Allen’s Racing Cars and Pineapples can be found in Allen’s Teeth `n’ Stuff, Retro Party Mix and Classic Party Mix. Note

Ehh, what's up doc? This cake, for one! Inspired by our favourite wacky wabbit, Bugs, this kids' favourite - straight from The Australian Women's Weekly's famous 'Children's Birthday Cake Book' cookbook - is sure to be a hit.

This recipe also makes 12 standard muffins (⅓-cup/80ml capacity holes). Bake cakes for 20 minutes. Note

If using frozen berries, use them unthawed, this will minimise “bleeding” of the colour into the mixture. Muffins can be frozen either individually wrapped in foil or together in a sealed container for up to 3 months. To thaw frozen muffins, either place muffins on an oven tray covered with foil, or wrap individual muffins […]

Even though small guests may not be eating the cakes they’ll love the look of a duckling-topped cake. Make sure the ducks are completely dry and firm. The drying time will depend on the weather; if it’s wet or humid, it could take overnight. The ducklings will take less time to dry than the mother […]

You will need about 3 large overripe bananas for this recipe; mash 2 of them for enough mashed banana. Note

A fun and delicious gingerbread man that is great for kid's parties.

This playful, and friendly, looking monster will keep the little ones amused with its bright, cheery colours and smiling face. Note

Kids love funny faces so Merv is bound to create peals of merriment Note

Make sure the rose petals are chemical-free. Organic petals can be found at specialist cake decorating shops and some delicatessens. If fresh organic rose petals are unavailable, sprinkle cake with chopped rosewater-flavoured turkish delight. Rosewater will vary in strength between brands. Start with a small amount and adjust to taste. If using rosewater essence, start […]

If you don’t like heavy fruit cake, this light fruit cake may just hit the spot. Note

White icing is also known as fondant (it’s the traditional icing used on wedding cakes). It is available in packets from the supermarket and cake decorating shops Tiny heart cutters are sometimes sold as `aspic cutters’. We’ve scattered Allen’s Sour Rush Jelly Beans, Allen’s Milk Bottle Mania and Nestlé Melts White Cooking Compound around the […]

You can use any flavoured jelly you wish. Note

To decorate the cake in the same colours as pictured here, you need 32 of each colour. We used rainbow Mentos mints, which come in packs of three. The purple and green colours can be used in lolly bags. Decorate the cake however you like using all the colours, rather than the ones used here. […]

White icing is also known as fondant (it’s the traditional icing used on wedding cakes). It is available in packets from the supermarket and cake decorating shops. Note

Equipment: 2 x 12-hole (2-tablespoons/40ml) deep flat-based patty pans 24 standard paper cases (brown) 40cm-square prepared cake board decorations white and black decorating gel The recipe makes 24 cakes, however, we’ve only used 17 in our picture. Encourage the guests to bring their instruments, if possible, to a musically-themed party. A white board would make […]

The sponge roll used for this recipe has a diameter of 10cm and a length of 16cm. Note

Equipment: Deep 30cm-round cake pan 2 x 20cm x 30cm lamington pans 2 bamboo skewers 3cm, 4cm, 6cm and 9cm-round cutters 40cm x 1m prepared cake board Decorations 3 rainbow sour straps, cut yellow strips from strap Note

Use a palette knife to press dough evenly over base of pan. Note

Use white Candy Melts in place of chocolate Melts for an extra-white finish. Note

This is a very quick and easy cake to make that only involves hand-mixing in one bowl. It is very important to thoroughly drain the pineapple, or else the cake will be doughy and heavy. Toasting macadamias brings out the flavour. There are two ways to toast them: spread macadamias onto an oven tray, toast […]

This cute and colourful birthday cake is perfect for young adventurers and little ones that love the outdoors.

School would be much more entertaining, and homework much more fun, if we could all have pencil cases as delicious as this one. Note

Parties for budding artists are popular ­and this cake will get them in the creative mood. It doesn’t matter if these pots tip over, nothing’s going to spill. Tint the icing any colours you like, just make them bright. Lollies could easily be hidden under the glacé icing. You’ll have enough cake mixture left over […]

Now we are six! Celebrate this auspicious occasion with this delightful sssssnakey ssssix cake, by the Australian Women's Weekly. The birthday boy or girl will be delighted!

Keeping time: 3 days. Note

A row of clown faces on a party table decorated with streamers and party whistles would look great. Pushing the “hair” into the cakes is a bit fiddly, and needs to be done about an hour before the party. You will have enough cake mixture left over to make about another five clowns , you’ll […]

Children of all ages will be delighted with a cake that makes one of their favourite games good enough to eat. Note