Sugar

The supremely clever culinary folk over at Woman's Day have created the most delicious Eton mess. We're lucky they left enough for us to complete the shoot. It didn't last very long!

A smaller amount of mixed fruit results a lighter, but equally delicious fruitcake. A generous slosh of sherry has still been added though, so there's no need to fret.

To make a light, fluffy teacake, it is important to cream the butter and sugar thoroughly, until mixture is as light and white as possible. Note

Improve on perfection with the addition of tasty roasted hazelnuts to this fluffy, sugary meringue. Top with cream and fruit to create a beautiful pavlova for dessert.

A candy/sugar thermometer will reach 160°C when the syrup is ready. Note

Handling frozen pastry is easier if you let it just partially thaw. Tarts can be dusted with a little nutmeg before the final baking, or with icing sugar before serving. Accompany with cream if liked. Note

Beautifully retro and irresistibly delicious, the folk at Woman's Day would like to re-introduce you to the brandy snap. Eat immediately to preserve the crispness, you say? If we must.

Makes 20 Note

Zucchini can be replaced with mashed banana if preferred. Note

A classic dessert often served after a big meal in Chinese restaurants. Make it for your loved ones at home and serve with fresh fruit for a quick and tasty treat. The combination of a crispy golden coating and cool, creamy ice-cream is unbeatable.

Slice the cookies you need from your freezer dough, then refreeze the rest for next time. To make chocolate biscuits, you can replace 2 tablespoons self-raising flour with baking cocoa and roll out until 1cm thick. Sandwich the cooled biscuits together with ready-made vanilla frosting (found in the baking aisle of your supermarket). Note

Sticky and sweet with just a whisper of tartness, a good old-fashioned lemon meringue pie is always greeted with murmurs of appreciation. This one is no different.

Use other nuts of choice, such as macadamia or chopped pecans. Note

Sweet, rich and creamy with just the right amount of zest, this cheesecake filling sits atop a crumbly biscuit base for the perfect pairing of textures.

Sabyon is the French name for Zabaglione, the fluffy custard and sometimes beverage. The lime flavoured sabayon is delicious with poached fruit such as peaches, mandarins or mango. Enjoy shortbread biscuits dipped in the coffee based version.

Let your creativity flow when designing these beautiful toffee decorations. Try different shapes, sizes, patterns and designs for some fun and variation.

Made with almond meal in place of flour, these divine little almond and raspberry jam drops are soft, moist and ever so slightly crumbly. They're also incredibly pretty!

These white chocolate mud cakes look and taste absolutely divine. Select brightly coloured icing flowers to decorate the top of the cakes and arrange beautifully on a cake stand for that extra 'wow' factor.

If you fancy a decadent dessert for those long cold winter nights, consider this indulgent caramel self-saucing pudding. Serve it with lashings of thickened cream or ice-cream for a truly warming end to the chilliest of evenings.

A sugar (candy) thermometer, available from kitchenware stores, is essential for this recipe. Yes, you need to get your timing just right, and making nougat can be a little fiddly, but it's totally worth it for the real deal.

Topped with strawberries, raspberries and white chocolate curls, this Irish cream and berry trifle is a triumph. Creamy, fruity and spiked with alcohol, it's a celebration in a dish.

The addition of the liqueur of your choice to this luscious strawberry sorbet takes this icy delight to new levels of decadence. Serve your guests this ruby red and refreshing dessert at your next dinner party

The daiquiri was created in a small Cuban town of the same name by an American engineer, who combined the local spirit (rum) with native limes to make the ultimate pick-me-up after a hot day in the iron mines.

These delightful little butterfly cakes with strawberry jam are simple to make and extremely delicious. They go down a treat at children's parties, or morning teas. You can substitute the jam for just about any conserve.

This soft, sugar-dusted confectionery goodie comes in many flavours, however this recipe has remained traditional and gone with the classic rosewater.

We're not sure if this chocolate ganache meringue is more slice, or more pavlova. What we are sure of, is that it is absolutely heavenly and there will but a few sweet crumbs leftover immediately after serving.

A delicious twist on our classic cornflake cookies these white chocolate cornflake cookies with peanuts are crunchy and delicious.

In a book dating back to my great-grandmother, there is this recipe for traditional Danish pancakes. It was the one my grandmother used to serve at family gatherings in December. In the part of Jutland, Denmark, that my family comes from, they make a sweet prune compote and add about a teaspoon of it to every aebleskive before turning them over. They are called "aebleskive with music".

This decadent butterscotch pie will satisfy the cravings of any sweet tooth. The only problem with this luscious dish is trying to decide whether to serve it with lashings of whipped cream, or ice-cream.

The pavlova was so named because it was thought to be as light as the famous dancer, Anna Pavlova. We love that this version reminds us of her brightly coloured ballet tutu. It's almost a shame to eat. Almost.

The contrast between sweet rhubarb and creamy vanilla cheesecake filling is divine in these impressive desserts.

EQUIPMENT 40cm (16-inch) square cake board Use assorted cream-filled rollettes for a colourful alternative. Note

Keeping time: 2 days. Note

Celebrate your child's birthday with this charming (and easy to make) butterfly display case.

These simple white cakes make an elegant wedding cake for an all-white wedding.

This pudding goes straight to the top of the favorites list when it comes to classic winter warming desserts.

This exceedingly rich, decadent dessert is just the ticket at the end of a long dinner party with friends. Serve with coffee and lots of laughs.

These two classic sweet treats just got even sweeter, as they have merged into a fabulous fun cupcake.

These Middle Eastern biscuits are perfumed with orange flower water.

Topped with fluffy pink icing and sugar roses, this gluten-free butter cake is perfect for a party.

Marshmallows are best eaten on the day they are made when they are at their softest. Note

Juggling is so much fun, people have been doing it since ancient Egyptian times. This delightful fellow is constructed from lots of little cakes, so it's simple to make and easy to decorate.

Serve puff pops within 6 hours of making. When dipping the puff pops in toffee, tilt the pan of toffee to one side, so it’s deep enough to completely coat the pops. Dip one end of each stick in toffee too, this will ensure the pops don’t fall off the sticks. Note

EQUIPMENT deep 22cm (9-inch) square cake pan 25cm (10-inch) square cake board. While it is cute, it’s best to serve this to older children as the small noodles can be a choking hazard for younger children. Using a small serrated knife cut ‘V’-shaped indents into the middle of each piece of cake. Note

A ballet spectacular that will leave any prima ballerina stage-struck. Note

Cinnamon, mixed spice and treacle combine together to give these cookies a rich, dark colour and flavour. Their crown of chopped walnuts make them the perfect treat for grownups.

Delicious spread on toast, this chunky apricot jam would make the perfect home-made gift. To test if it is ready, put a plate in the freezer for a few minutes, then see if the jam 'jells' when you blob a teaspoon full onto the cold surface.

Try something a little different with these delightful mini meringue pies.

Use toothpicks to position paper pattern on cakes, ready to cut out. Assemble cake on prepared board ready for icing. Note

Brought to you by the classic Australian Women's Weekly's children's birthday cake cookbook.

Transpose the leaf pattern onto cardboard, then use the cardboard leaf as a guide when cutting the leaf shapes from icing. The leaves can be made up to 3 days ahead; store in an airtight container. Using the leaf pattern, cut five lily leaves from the icing then drape over a rolling pin to dry. […]

This recipes makes 1 cup (250ml) sauce. Note

Edible glitter is available from specialist cake decorating shops. Long (30cm) pipe cleaners, sometimes known as tinsel sticks, are available from craft stores. Note

Use any jam you prefer. Note

EQUIPMENT 35cm (14-inch) round cake board 8cm (3¾-inch) round cutter 3 long bamboo skewers We only used the white marshmallows from the packets of marshmallows; serve the pink marshmallows at the party. You can make the castle pink and white if you like; in this case you will only need 4 packets of marshmallows. Use […]

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

Be sure to remove toothpicks from cake before cutting and serving. Note

Sweet and sticky caramelised vegetables that go perfectly with roast dinners.

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

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

Inspired by the classic nursery rhyme, this gorgeous yellow moon cake - straight from The Australian Women's Weekly's famous 'Children's Birthday Cake Book' cookbook - is sure to thrill your child on their birthday.

Baked on lollipop sticks, these raspberry and lemon curd heart biscuits will be a smash hit at kids and grown-up parties alike.

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.

EQUIPMENT 5 x 12-hole (1-tablespoon/20ml) mini muffin pans 12-hole (⅓ -cup/80ml) standard muffin pan 2.25-litre (9-cup) pudding steamer 60 mini muffin paper cases (28 yellow, 32 dark brown) 35cm (14-inch) square cake board Make the mini muffins in batches; the cake mixture will be fine to stand at room temperature. Make the toffee wings up […]

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.

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

Make a cake in shape of a football jersey, ­decorate it with the colours of your child’s favourite team to make him the hero of the day. Note

Candy and brittle of all kinds make excellent gifts, or treats to have on hand during holiday seasons.

equipment 5cm (2-inch) square cutter 4 paper piping bags small stencils (see tips) small offset metal spatula 16 plain coloured paper cases 30cm (12-inch) square wooden cake board (page 208) Square paper cases are available in specialty food or kitchen shops, but we found round cases happily change shape to accommodate the square cakes. The […]

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.

Attach pattern to cake using toothpicks before cutting out cake. 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

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!

To sterilize jars, wash the jars and lids in warm soapy water. Rinse well. Place jars in large saucepan and cover with water. Bring to the boil and boil for 10 minutes. Carefully drain water from jars; transfer jars and lids to a baking tray lined with a clean tea towel. Cover with a sheet […]

The cake and ice- cream cones can be prepared one day before the party. The frosting is best spread over the cake about an hour before serving. The frosting will lose its gloss after an hour or so. Note

Who could resist the tropical turtle with her yummy chocolate shell? Note

You need to start the recipe the day before. Note

Two 20cm x 30cm (8-inch x 12-inch) rectangular cake pans 35cm x 40cm (14-inch x 16-inch) rectangular cake board toothpicks. Position paper pattern on cake, cut out butterfly using a sharp knife. Use toothpicks to transfer butterfly markings from paper pattern onto the cake. Spread different coloured butter creams on butterfly markings. The butterfly is […]

Treacle is a sweet and richly flavoured syrup which is perfect for making moist baked goods; especially tarts!

EQUIPMENT deep 26cm x 36cm (10½-inch x 14½-inch) baking dish 45cm x 50cm (17-inch x 18-inch) rectangular cake board small paper piping bag. DECORATIONS silver cardboard, for buckle; 1 black licorice strap; 100g (3 ounces) white chocolate Melts; coloured sprinkles. With magic and mayhem being all the rage these days, there are sure to be […]

6 serving plates, or a large serving tray Use a mixture of jam and cinnamon doughnuts, mini jam doughnuts and doughnut holes, if you like. Note

The cave is made up of three cakes, so while it may look fiddly and complicated, it isn’t. The kids’ll think you used magic to make it. Cooked cakes can be frozen for up to one month. Thaw at room temperature for about six hours. Cake can be iced and decorated one day ahead (except […]

Serve up these delightful glazed doughnuts at your next kids' party. They are easier to make than you might think.

These bite sized baked goodies are somewhere between a biscuit and a cake. They make a perfect treat for high teas or simply a sweet after dinner snack.

Two is never terrible when it comes to this delightful birthday cake by the Australian Women's Weekly. Buttercream hides a multitude of sins, so don't worry about any little mistakes!