Afternoon tea

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

Instant mash is a dried mashed potato mix reconstituted with boiling liquid to give a light buttery flavour. It is available from most supermarkets. Note

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.

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

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

This recipe makes 18 cake pops. A quick way to make cake crumbs is to break up a ready-made cake bought from the supermarket. The cake pops become quite firm, and can be placed in a bowl or basket with little or no damage to the pops. Note

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

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

While this frilly little cake is ideal for a baby shower or christening, it would also delight any budding prima ballerina in the family. Use shades of pink to resemble a tutu, and top with a pair of ballet slippers. The frilled strips of icing should still be slightly soft when positioned on the cake. […]

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

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

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

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

Decorate the cake pops with small bows. Note

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

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. […]

Flaked coconut can be bought from a store which stocks Indian and Fijian food. Note

A light and fluffy strawberries and cream sponge cake with visually stunning layers.

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

Store slice in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 2 days. Note

See if you can get the 6 orange strips and 2 teaspoons of rind from 1 orange, otherwise you may need to buy 2 small oranges. This recipe makes 6 ­ freeze the remaining 4 muffins for later use. Note

Ballerina cake toppers are available from cake decorating suppliers, or top with tiny ballerina dolls from toy stores. Note

Place the unused vanilla bean in a jar of caster sugar to make your own vanilla sugar. Note

Use frangelico (hazelnut) or crème de cacao (chocolate) flavoured liqueurs. Cut cakes with a serrated knife. Note

You need 1 large (230g) overripe banana to get the amount of mashed banana required for this recipe. Note

Éclairs are best made on day of serving, but do not fill until ready to serve. Unfilled éclairs can be frozen. Note

Clarissa the cow is out in the paddock, eating the flowers and generally getting into all kinds of mischief. Note

Dried lavender is available from gourmet food stores and cake decorating stores. Note

Ginger wine, a beverage that is 14% alcohol by volume, has the piquant taste of fresh ginger.You can substitute it with dry (white) vermouth, if you prefer. Any type or combination of glace fruit can be used in this recipe. Note

Pink petal dust can be purchased at specialty baking or cake-decorating shops. Note

You can find artificial spider’s web at novelty shops. If you can’t find it, use fairy floss or cotton wool instead. Be sure to remove spider’s web or cotton wool and skewers before cutting and serving the cake. You will need approximately 3 x 100g bars of Toblerone for this cake. Note

Dried lavender is available from selected delis and spice shops. If you prefer, you can use 1 teaspoon finely grated orange or lemon rind instead. Note

Flavoured Milk Bottles can be found in packets of Allen’s Milk Bottle Mania; you will need about 3 x 170g packets. Note

The taste of this loose-crumbed pineapple and coconut cake will instantly transport you to the seventies when a piña colada was 'the' cocktail.

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

You need two passionfruit for this recipe. Note

Use hundreds and thousands as an alternative to the orange sprinkles. You can use cream-filled rollettes, if you prefer. If using butter cream instead of the vanilla frosting, you will need two quantities. White icing is also known as fondant (it’s the traditional icing used on wedding cakes). It is available in packets from the […]

More fun and delicious animal cupcakes that the whole family will love.

Tart will keep in an airtight container, in the refrigerator, for up to three days. 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

Biscotti can be stored in an airtight container for up to 4 weeks. Note

One-year-olds may be too young to eat the cachous, but they’ll certainly love the cake. Tiny heart-, star-, moon- and other-shaped cutters are sometimes sold as aspic cutters. Note

Pinky bunny is a small cute cake, ­just enough for a small cute person’s birthday. You’ll have ½ cup of the cake mixture left over, enough for another mini loaf. Note