Bread can be toasted 2 hours ahead; store in an airtight container. Pumpkin can be cooked 1 hour ahead. Note

Pizza fingers can be prepared the day before; put the toppings on, then cover them with plastic wrap and store them in the fridge. Bake when ready to eat. Note

You need a 6cm (2-inch) flower-shaped cookie cutter. Don’t use boiled lollies for the centres as they will melt during cooking. You can vary the lollies used, but gelatine-based ones (jelly babies and the like) are probably best. Note

You could also use coliban or sebago potatoes for this recipe. Note

Delicious sweet and spicy Asian-style ribs are great for summer barbecues and dinner parties.

Store in an airtight container for up to a week. Note

Meet Geraldine the giraffe, a fun and delicious cake that is great for kid's birthday parties.

We’ve used shredded coconut in our picture, but feel free to mix and match using shredded, desiccated or flaked. If you use flaked coconut, be sure to blend or process it until it’s chopped coarsely; this helps it to stick to the icing. Note

A cute little wintery ice-cream cake that the children will love.

This traditional Spanish frittata combines salty chorizo and fresh veggies to create a flavour-packed dinner dish the whole family will love.

Cook a double or triple batch of these quinces and store them in their syrup in the fridge. Serve with porridge or muesli for breakfast. Note

Mocha vanilla twists are a cute and fun biscuit to both make and eat!

Don’t overbeat the frosting or the texture will be grainy. Note

Player position seems to indicate only a handful of runs are needed before the end of the match. Budding cricketers will surely want a rematch before cutting into this fun cake. Note

No one will want to pick this guitar up and smash it...it’s much too tasty for that and it's just another of our old-school favourites from The Australian Women's Weekly's famous 'Children's Birthday Cake Book' cookbook.

sicilian creams are best assembled close to serving. Any liqueur can be used to flavour these biscuits, e.g. Galliano, Grand Marnier, Cointreau or Amaretto. Note

You can substitute glacé fruit with others of your choice. Cut the cake with a hot knife. Wipe the blade clean between cuts. Note

Equipment: 30cm (12-inch) round wooden cake board 15cm (6-inch) round wooden cake board smoothing tools 4 wooden skewers 2 paper piping bags number 1 and 2 cutters 2 x 10cm (4-inch) pieces 18-gauge floral wire fine artist’s paint brush pasta machine 1cm (½-inch) plain piping tube Covered in pastel hues, this very simple, though elegant, […]

Pastizzi are a traditional Maltese food. These flakey pastry pockets are traditionally filled with either fresh ricotta or mushy peas, but nowadays, the variety of fillings are endless and can be sweet or savoury. Fillings are usually distinguished by the unique shape, ricotta-filled pastizzi are diamond shaped, pea-filled pastizzi are a rounded semi-circle. It is […]

Take a tropical holiday with this pina colada-inspired cake. Made with refreshing fruity pineapple and coconut and topped with a zesty lime glacé frosting, it's a true taste adventure.

You will need to buy a 200g jelly beans packet and a 35g tumini M&M’s for the decorations. Colin should beeaten before he under goes a metamorphosis and changes into a giant butterfly. This cake is just the right size for small hands and its bright colours will keep little ones amused. Note

For those who prefer a light fruit cake, this is ideal. Keep the cake for 3 to 4 days before cutting, then cut with a sharp serrated or electric knife to cut cleanly through the almonds. Note

Cooking the pizza in a covered barbecue gives it a wonderful smoky flavour similar to a wood-fired oven. If not using covered barbeque, pizza can be cooked in the oven. Place toppings on dough and bake until browned and crisp. There is no need to turn the dough over using this method. Note

There's nothing more rewarding than making your own pizza dough like a true Italian.

You need 10 ice-block sticks. If the choc orange balls don’t stick to the cookies, secure them with a little melted chocolate. Note

You can peel the potatoes in advance and leave them in a bowl of cold water so they don’t go brown. Once they are sliced, assemble the dish immediately. Don’t stand the sliced potatoes in cold water or you will wash away their natural starch, which thickens the sauce. Note

You need about 3 large overripe bananas (690g) for the amount of mashed banana in this recipe. Note

You can buy packaged pizza bases in two sizes: the large ones we’ve used here measure 25cm across; smaller ones measure 15cm across and come packaged in pairs with a total weight of 225g. Use six of the small ones to make individual pizzettas. Note

The technique to split open and flatten quail so that it cooks quickly and evenly is called `butterflying’. Place quail, breast-side down, on a chopping board. Using poultry shears or kitchen scissors, cut down both sides of the backbone; discard the bone. Turn over, open out and press down on the breast plate to flatten […]

Arrrr you looking for the best kids' birthday cake ever? Pirate Pete is the the way to go! From The Australian Women's Weekly's famous 'Children's Birthday Cake Book' cookbook, this easy cake is sure to impress.

These scrolls can be made 3 days ahead; store in an airtight container. They are not suitable to freeze. Note

For a healthier option, use olive-oil spray instead of butter for pastry sheets. School prawns (shrimp) can also be used, or try crab or lobster meat. Note

Tender pork fillet wrapped in sage and prosciutto and served with creamy potato mash and green beans.

This Asian-style dish creates the perfect lunch box for busy days.

You will need to buy four 22g packets of Life Savers for this cake. Be sure to remove toothpicks, cotton wool and skewer from cake before cutting and serving. Note

This recipe also makes 6 texas muffins (¾-cup/180ml); bake about 40 minutes. Note

Use a mandoline or V-slicer to cut the potatoes into paper-thin slices. Note

When they’re in season, this pudding also works well with quince. Prepare 4 small quince (800g) as for the pears in step 1, cooking them for 30 minutes until softened. Note

To make individual crumbles, use four 1½ cup (375ml) dishes and bake 15 minutes. Note

You can use blueberries or cranberries instead of goji, if you like. Store bars in an air-tight container for up to 1 week. Note

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

Use a mandoline or V-slicer to easily cut the kumara into thin slices. Note

We used large (25cm diameter) packaged pizza bases for this recipe. Note

“I love making pizza at home… and this versatile and easy dough can also be used for loaves, rolls, foccacia… anything.” Cynthia Black came to the Test Kitchen in the early 1990s, and left in 1993, continuing her food career at Darling Mills, her family’s restaurant in Sydney. She has now gone into business for […]

There's no cake like an chocolate layer cake, and this one will be sure to turn heads when presented at any party.

Checkerboard cookies look and taste wonderful. These biscuits make a perfect gift. Stack the cookies, then wrap securely in cellophane to keep airtight. They will keep fresh for a week or two. Note

This cake is perfect for the little girl who dreams of having her very own pony. Note

Creative kids will love helping with this easy sewing machine birthday cake from The Australian Women's Weekly's famous 'Children's Birthday Cake Book' cookbook.

A quick and easy dish that brings together all the best Mediterranean flavours.

These cookies can be topped with nuts before baking or, once cooked, iced then dipped into various sprinkles, or simply dusted lightly with sifted icing sugar. To flavour the dough, beat your choice of essence or extract with the butter and sugar mixture, or beat in a teaspoon or two of finely grated citrus rind. […]

During the final 10 minutes of cooking, stir the barbecue sauce occasionally to ensure it doesn’t catch on the base of the pan. To make the chicken wings go further, cut each one in half through the joint into two pieces. Do ahead The barbecue sauce can be made up to 3 days ahead, refrigerate […]

A moist and delicious Greek apple cake that is traditionally eaten for breakfast.

The number one cake for your baby's first birthday!

This gorgeous French dessert is worthy of any dinner party or family event. The combination of cream-filled puffs, crisp, spun toffee and a buttery pastry base creates the ultimate sweet recipe.

Use fresh raspberries if fresh blackberries are not available. Place the unused vanilla pod in a jar of caster (superfine) sugar to make your own vanilla sugar. Note

Hundreds & thousands 18 milk chocolate freckles 30cm yellow ribbon The cutter we used was about 5cm (2 inches) deep, which made it easier to cut right through the cake. You could use a sharp pointed vegetable knife to cut out the cake rounds, cutting around the markings of the shorter cutter. Freeze the little […]

This recipe is also gluten-free. Note

Edible gold leaf and candy thermometers are available from kitchenware stores and cake decorating suppliers. Note