Dessert

Kids love to go camping. If you have a large enough grassed area at home, turn the area into a camping ground for the party. It's an easy, inexpensive party theme.

Only remove the legs of the doll if she’s too tall for the cake. Just push the doll, with legs, gently through the cake until the doll’s body is in the right position. Dolly Varden cake pans can be bought or hired from cake decorating suppliers. Note

Upside down cake is a classic afternoon tea snack, but can also be presented as an impressive dessert.

The combination of tender baked apples, tart raspberries and a wonderfully crumbly quinoa and almond topping makes this healthy fruit dish perfect for dessert, brunch or a sweet snack.

Warm chocolate pudding cakes with a molten chocolate core served with mascarpone coffee ice-cream make an elegant yet indulgent dessert.

You can use any type of fruit-flavoured yoghurt you like or plain yoghurt. Note

Buy drinking straws in three colours if you can, and match them to their corresponding cake pops. Note

If you have a coffee machine, use it to make three espresso coffees, rather than using instant coffee; you need ⅓ cup coffee. Note

Sponge drops are topped with orange jelly and coated in melted chocolate to make these spectacular jaffa jelly cakes.

The smooth flavour of mocha in a freshly baked, moist cake is irresistible. This cake will keep for up to 2 days, but we're sure it won't last that long!

equipment 12-hole (½-cup/125ml) friand pan 5 strong wooden toothpicks 35cm x 40cm prepared cake board (see basic know-how number 2, pages 160-161) medium gum-leaf cutter You’ll have about 1 cup of the cake mixture left over, enough to make another four balloons. The balloons are not difficult to make, but getting the sides of the […]

These sweet little bites are a hint of zesty and a touch of creamy; a crowd pleaser and a joy to make.

Undecorated truffle pops can be kept refrigerated for up to one week in an airtight container. If making ahead, melt a little extra chocolate to attach toffee. Truffle pops must be served within 2 hours of being decorated with toffee. Once decorated with toffee shards, the truffle pops cannot be refrigerated. Note

This English dessert is often called Eton Mess, taking its name from Eton College, one of Britain's most famous public schools, where it was traditionally served. The `mess' part is because it was all mixed together in one big bowl.

This creamy frozen dessert is rich in flavour, and most definitely a crowd pleasing dish.

Celebrate winter citrus with these stunning, refreshing Bavarian creams. You'll need about 8 limes for this recipe.

Like a Bounty candy bar in cheesecake form, this recipe combines the delicious duo of coconut and chocolate with a sensational result.

Impress your dinner guests with these elegant cherry and chocolate soufflés.

Spiced with ginger, these dark chocolate truffles make a delectable after dinner treat with a cup of coffee or a digestif.

The contrast between wafer-thin brandy snaps, sweet rhubarb and cool yoghurt is delightful in this sophisticated dessert.

To freeze; wrap cake in two layers of plastic wrap. Seal, label and freeze for up to 1 month. Thaw overnight at room temperature. This cake will also keep in an airtight container at room temperature for 3 days or in the refrigerator for 1 week. Note

The beauty of this pavlova roll is that you can experiment will all sorts of fruit to fill the centre. We've used banana, kiwi and passionfruit here, but any soft fruit will do. The result is still amazing.

The winning combination of rich chocolate and nutty hazelnuts work perfectly together in these sweet and fluffy meringue cupcakes. Perfect for an indulgent dessert or mid-morning treat.

Sweet, juicy peaches are beautiful served atop this golden, crumbly almond tart. Sprinkle with some icing sugar for a quick and tasty baked dessert.

EQUIPMENT 25cm (10-inch) round cake board You can make your own meringues for this cake and colour them any colour you like. This works well as a Christmas cake using green and white meringues. You can use butter cream instead of vanilla frosting if you like. Note

Make this delicious Italian specialty your new Christmas staple.

The cake is best made on the day of serving. Note

As a variation to this fresh and icy treat, you could make pineapple and mint sorbet; substitute 1 small peeled and coarsely chopped pineapple for the rockmelon and 2 tablespoons coarsely chopped mint leaves for the basil.

Serve these delicate turnovers dusted with sifted icing sugar for a delicious mid-afternoon treat or, for a yummy dessert, serve with ice-cream.

These gorgeous poached pears are slow-cooked in a sugary sweet syrup and served drizzled with a fragrant coffee sauce and crisp hazelnut wafers.

You can use 300ml carton of cream. Note

We used glacé peaches and pineapple in this delicious, moist cake recipe. Glacé pears, apricots, cherries and figs could also be used.

This sweet, creamy no bake cheesecake is delectable and simply moorish. This recipe will need to be started the day before to give adequate setting time.

These gorgeous tarts are perfect for special occasions; elegant afternoon tea's, high tea, dessert - anything with a touch of decadence.

A good basic, light cake that is perfect as a base for kids' birthday cakes. It is also nice plain or with cream and berries.

These little berries are not only scrumptious on crêpes, but they also have a number of health benefits, including being full of antioxidants and antibacterial properties. Note

This blue chopper is a favourite from The Australian Women's Weekly's famous Children's Birthday Cake Book.

This recipe is best made on the day of serving. Note

20cm (8-inch) round cardboard cake board10cm (4-inch) round cardboard cake board30cm (12-inch) round cake board10cm (4-inch) round cutter Use regular hundreds andthousands for a brighter,less pastel, cake. Note

With the added texture of walnuts and sesame seeds, this delectable pear and ginger strudel makes a most satisfying dessert.

Not only are they incredibly quick and easy to put together, but caramelised oranges with ice-cream are sweet, sharp and boozy.

We used amaretto in this recipe, but you can use any almond-flavoured liqueur you like. Note

Rich, moist little orange cakes are finished beautifully with a drizzle of hot orange syrup.

Sparkling wine and fresh peaches are combined to make this decadent summer dessert.

This cake is almost a cross between a mousse and a fallen soufflé. It’s a wonderfully impressive cake to present for dessert or with tea and coffee.

Green tea powder is available from Asian food stores. If you don’t have an ice-cream maker, pour custard into shallow container and cover with foil, freeze until almost firm. Place ice-cream in large bowl, chop coarsely then beat with electric mixer until smooth. Pour into deep container, cover, freeze until firm. Repeat process twice more. […]

Turn your favorite Italian restaurant treat into a spectacular cake.

Serve thick wedges of this traditional pudding with custard or cream.

Use an accurate candy thermometer for perfect results. They are available at selected department stores or online. Note

You will need about six passionfruit to make this recipe. The thin-skinned purple-black variety will yield much more pulp than the thicker-skinned Panama passionfruit. Note

A lovely strudel is delicious, easy to make, and relatively inexpensive. You can also experiment with different fillings. We've gone with basic apricot here, but all sorts of fruits and nuts make an equally yummy filling.

If chocolate is not quite melted, return to saucepan and stir over low heat until melted. Note

Healthy and delicious banana ice-blocks

Your guests will be trumpeting praise when they see this cute elephant cake from The Australian Women's Weekly's famous 'Children's Birthday Cake Book' cookbook on the party spread.

Ginger and caramel go together beautifully in this ultimate winter dessert, especially when teamed with decadent calvados custard.

Attach pattern to cake using toothpicks before cutting out cake. Note

In this delicious recipe, chocolate and cinnamon cupcakes are topped with a swirl of cream cheese frosting sprinkled with cinnamon sugar.

Both Granny Smith and Golden Delicious apples are suitable for this recipe. Note

Pastry cases can be made 3 days ahead; store in airtight container. Note

You could fill the cones with scoops of ice-cream instead of the cupcakes just before serving. Tint the frosting a colour to match your party theme. Note

These gently poached quinces and pears are soft and juicy and sweet. They are complimented wonderfully by the crispy almond crumble. If you like, you could serve them with whipped cream.

Some nights warrant pulling out all the stops, and these chocolate and hazelnut pavlova with berries, cream and chocolate sauce have it all.

You can also use peaches, apricots or plums instead of nectarines. Keep any leftover poaching liquid to poach other fruit; or simmer the liquid until it's reduced and syrupy, stir in 1 tablespoon orange-flavoured liqueur then pour over ice cream.

These crunchy Italian biscuits go wonderfully with hot espresso coffee.

If you would like to make your own delicious pastry cases, see the recipe for pastry in blueberry apple crumbles. Note

Make the most of summer cherries with this cooling dessert.

equipment 20cm x 30cm lamington pan 20cm x 50cm prepared cake board (see basic know-how number 2, pages 160-161) decorations 165g packet mini musks Piping takes a little practice. You might find it easier to do the piping, numbering and lettering before using a spatula to position the cakes on the board. Note

Make someone's special day even more special with this triple-layered beauty.

Not suitable to freeze. Not suitable to microwave. Leave the nuts and berries out of this recipe if you just want a plain Blondie. Dust the slice with a little sifted icing sugar, if you like. Note

Pink grapefruit syrup turns these delectable little lemon cakes into something rather special.

The frangipane flower and this frangipane tart have absolutely nothing to do with each other, despite the name. Although both look absolutely stunning and will fill your house with the most delightful aroma.

Satisfy your sweet tooth with this decadent triple-layered slice.

Break up a few tablespoons of the frozen yoghurt and raspberry swirl with a fork for your toddler. Note

We used Cointreau, but you can use your favourite citrus-flavoured liqueur. Use orange juice instead of the liqueur, if you like. Note

This fun children's cake is great for the little ones that love playing with trains and automobiles. They'll love the taste and look of this tasty dessert!

When in season, use one large fresh mango weighing about 600g (1¼ pounds). Peel mango over a small bowl to catch as much juice as possible; cut off mango cheeks, then slice thinly. Squeeze as much juice as you can from around the seed into the same bowl, add enough cold water to make 1 […]