Vanilla

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.

Simple and elegant, these dainty little cupcakes are a delicious treat to share for dessert or a special afternoon tea.

It’s important to measure the cake mixture carefully, so the cakes are all the same depth. Make the full amount of mixture; it will be fine standing at room temperature while you bake the cakes in batches. We used standard sized foil cases and scrapbooking decorations, available from craft and shops. Note

Pudding can be prepared several hours ahead. Stand, covered, in the refrigerator. Bake as required. Note

Colour the icing on these cupcakes to match your favourite footy team.

Drizzled in a sweet vanilla syrup and topped with fresh mint, these colourful citrus and yoghurt pots make a pretty dessert.

Topped with candied carrot, this cardamom-infused fruit salad is magnificent served with thick Greek yoghurt.

This is the trifle to end all trifles, the recipe for the ultimate trifle. Sponge fingers, liqueur, raspberries, strawberries and a liqueur spiked mascarpone cream. Delicious.

These impressive desserts are a lot simpler to make that they look, and give the final course a little glamour.

Drizzled with melted white chocolate, these delightful cookies are perfect for a special occasion.

These colourful vanilla cupcakes will be very popular with the kids.

The word 'junket' normally conjures up images of politicians on 'work' trips in exotic places, or unappetising, lumpy bowls of custard. This dish is, thankfully, neither. It is a smooth, sweet, gingery bowl of goodness.

Eggnog crème anglaise (French for "English cream") is a light pouring custard used as a dessert cream during the Christmas season.

Accurately named in French as crème brûlée literally meaning 'burnt cream', this fabulous dessert is oozing goodness under that crunchy top.

This classic dish is comforting, dependable and delicious. No wonder it is so popular in so many cultures around the world.

The three types of nuts used here are tossed with the spice mixture then toasted, a process that infuses the cake with their combined flavours. The secret to a successful teacake lies in the beating of the sugar, egg and butter ­ the mixture must be very light in colour and full of air.

This Italian tart with sour cream pastry and a sweet quince jam filling is wonderfully simple to make and delicious to eat.

Now an established classic in the honour roll of great cookie recipes, these white chocolate and macadamia cookies are crisp on the edges and deliciously chewy inside. The perfect mid-afternoon indulgence.

The slightly astringent flavour of quince is the perfect foil to the sweet creaminess of cheesecake, especially when doused in fresh lemon juice. This quince and vanilla cheesecake has our favourite granita biscuit base. Yum.

You can decorate these party patty cakes just like we have, or you can use your favourite lollies to make up your own designs. For a fun, if messy, party game place all the bits and pieces out on a long table, and let the kids decorate their own cupcake.

Equipment: deep 22cm (9-inch) round cake pan deep 15cm (6-inch) round cake pan 30cm (12-inch) round wooden cake board 15cm (6-inch) round wooden cake board medium offset metal spatula 3 wooden skewers. Note

We used purple jubes, small jelly beans, Smarties and fizzers, but you can use any lollies you like. Note

Wrap the steamer lid in a clean tea towel to avoid condensation drops falling onto the custards. Cook custards in two batches if they don’t all fit in your steamer. Note

Tender madeleine biscuits flavoured with vanilla and gentle dipped in a sweet rosewater glaze.

Beautiful bite-size cakes with succulent syrup and subtle saffron flavour.

We used car patches available from craft and sewing stores. You could use small diecast cars from toy shops. Be aware of choking hazards if using small plastic cars. If you want a daytime scene, colour the icing light blue and use a yellow jube as the sun and the sugar pearls to represent sun […]

Rich and delicious mocha trifle with a kick of Tia Maria or your favourite liqueur.

A cheesecake pan is similar to a texas muffin pan, only the base is removable. Note

Cute and fun little nippy the crab cupcakes that the kids will love.

Cut the pizza so your guests get a slice of pear per piece. Note

A fun and yummy cake that's up to no good.

Depending on the variety of quince used, some will turn more of a rusty red colour while others a deep crimson. Also, cooking time can vary between types, with some needing a little longer cooking to achieve a red hue. Note

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

Peach & vanilla yoghurt fools

17 paddle pop sticks halved crossways are needed for this recipe. Note

The best French dessert of all time: delicious mini french éclairs with rich praline and smooth vanilla custard.

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

These peaches will keep for 1 week stored in an airtight container in the fridge. After 2 days, the liquid will increase by half, and the flavours will intensify. Make sure the fruit is covered in the poaching liquid. Keep any leftover poaching liquid to poach other fruit, or reduce to a syrup by simmering […]

This decadent chocolate coffee cake layered with vanilla mascarpone cream piled high with sweet syrupy marsala-soaked dates is almost too beautiful to eat. Almost.

If you don’t have an 11cm round cutter, simply use a saucer or bowl instead. Add an icing bow to the ear for a girly elephant or use a pretty ribbon. If using butter cream instead of the vanilla frosting, you will need one quantity of butter cream. You need 1 sponge cake round and […]

For a citrus twist, add a little finely grated orange rind and replace the apple juice with orange juice. Replace the raspberries with blueberries and sprinkle with lightly roasted hazelnuts. Note

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

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.