Birthday

Not suitable to freeze or microwave. If cooking chicken the day before, reserve some of the cooking liquid to pour over the sliced chicken meat before refrigerating. Note

Suitable to freeze. Not suitable to microwave. The lamb can be marinated overnight for extra flavour. If you like a bit of sweetness in your curries, you can also add currants to the rice. Note

Cake suitable to freeze. Note

Fluffy rose-pink cake dressed in a sinful mascarpone frosting, this dessert is almost too pretty to eat. Almost!

Marinated uncooked veal suitable to freeze. Not suitable to microwave. Note

The jelly can be made up to two days ahead of serving. Note

Un-iced cakes can be frozen for up to 2 months. Not suitable to microwave. Cakes can be made up to two days ahead; store in an airtight container. Ice up to one day ahead. Note

Not suitable to freeze or microwave. This salad, without the dressing, can be made several hours ahead and refrigerated, covered. Note

Chocolate and butter suitable to microwave. Suitable to freeze. Note

Suitable to freeze. Not suitable to microwave. Note

Kofta suitable to freeze. Not suitable to microwave. Note

Add a little extra honey to dressing if it is too tart. Toast almonds in a dry frying pan over a medium heat for 2-3 minutes until golden. Note

Adorable chocolate cupcakes with a hint of coffee and a gorgeous swirl of coffee buttercream for the coffee lover in your life.

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

Can be made four days ahead. Store in an airtight container at room temperature. Not suitable to freeze or microwave. Note

Not suitable to freeze. Suitable to microwave. Risoni is a small rice-shaped pasta very similar to orzo. If unavailable, use any small soup-style pasta. Alternatively, pearl barley, rice or quinoa can also be used in this salad. Note

Use shallow patty pans, if preferred. Change the filling-try wilted spinach and feta, char-grilled vegetables and brie or caramelised onion and blue cheese. Note

If you don’t have a piping bag, snip about 2.5cm off the corner of a plastic freezer bag and pipe through this instead. Note

Whether you're celebrating a friend's birthday, engagement, or career milestone this decadent salted caramel three-tier cake will show just how much you care.

There's no need to take a trip to the cinema to enjoy this classic favourite movie snack.

Sprinkled with a light dusting of icing sugar, these pretty biscuits add a celebratory note to your Christmas or birthday festivities. Use your favourite jam to fill.

Use a combination of ricotta and spreadable cream cheese. Note

Whip up these mini savoury tarts the next time you have a crowd over. Give the filling a toss in a little salt and pepper, or add some bacon for extra flavour, if you like.

Combine dissolved gelatine and cream cheese mixture at the same temperature to prevent lumps from forming in cheesecake. Note

The fresh herb blend contains lemongrass, ginger, coriander and chilli. Buy it in the fresh food aisle. Note

When you have extra lemons, freeze juice in ice-cube trays for later use. You’ll need about 4 lemons. Note

Make sure butter is well creamed before adding sugar. This incorporates air and makes for a lighter cake. Use unsalted butter at room temperature, if preferred. For a richer cake, use 185 grams unsalted butter, 3 eggs and reduce milk to 1/4 cup. Continue as directed. Note

Kids will love these fun spotty chocolate cakes, ideal for a party.

Master the art of the classic sponge cake with this delicious version sandwiched with whipped cream and passionfruit butter.

If you like, make an icing by combining 2 cups icing sugar sifted with 2 tablespoons cocoa. Mix in 30g chopped butter and 1-2 tablespoons hot water. Stir until smooth. Note

Chocolate mud cake is possibly the most popular choice of cake, and for good reason. It's quite delicious! Use the best-quality chocolate you can afford for this version.

This colourful loaf is stuffed full of bright and healthy Mediterranean vegetables and makes a delicious change from the usual sandwiches.

Allowing the cheesecake to cool in a turned-off oven helps prevent cracking. Note

You’ll need 1 1/2 packets of biscuits for the base. The filling will keep cooking after the oven is turned off, so it should be just set in the centre, with a slight wobble. Note

Zucchini can be replaced with mashed banana if preferred. Note

Opposites attract in this cake with sour cream, white chocolate and apricot creating an explosion of flavour in your mouth.

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

Why choose between cake and lollies when you can have both in one handy slice?

Rhubarb is available all year round. For the best flavour, choose thin, magenta coloured stalks over thicker green ones. Note

To ripen bananas quickly, place in a brown paper bag in a warmish place until brown. To give the cake a nutty flavor, fold 1 cup of chopped pecans into the mix after adding the sour cream. Note

Having a gathering? Give the frozen party pies a miss and hand around a piping hot batch of these tasty, cheesy hot dog puffs. Snack food never tasted so good.

Perfect as an after-school snack, or to meet those bottomless appetites during the school holidays.

We have many things to thank the Greeks for, baklava is but one of them. These cigar shaped treats drenched in syrup go perfectly with a steaming hot cup of espresso.

Give your next batch of cupcakes a special lift with this beautiful looking marbled frosting. Get the kids involved and decorate with 100s and 1000s, cachous and little icing flowers.

Made famous in our ever popular Women's Weekly Birthday Cake book, the ladybird birthday cake is surprisingly easy to decorate, and looks marvellous.

One of the most important accessories for any young glamourette is her designer handbag and this stunning cake will be the envy of all the guests. It can be completed a day ahead, and decorated on the big day.

Surprise and delight at your little one's next birthday with this amazing party piñata cake. Watch little faces light up with glee as they discover the sweet treasures contained within the chocolate shell.

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.

Homemade ice-cream is swirled with caramel sauce and topped with crushed amaretti biscuits in this impressive, decadent ice-cream cake.

Give your next children's party that authentic movie experience by rolling out the red carpet, dimming the lights, popping on a blockbuster, and serving this delightful assortment of colourful candied popcorn.

You could use apricots as well or instead of either fruit for this divine peach and nectarine trifle. As a rule of thumb, just go with whatever is best in season.

Give your child's birthday a fun nautical theme with this delightful Wally whale birthday cake, if you make the cake the day before and freeze it, it will be easier to decorate.

Our profiteroles with chocolate liqueur sauce are the perfect end to your next dinner party. For best results, don't forget to perforate each profiterole with the tip of a sharp knife before the last 5 minutes of baking.

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

Topped with whipped caramel frosting sprinkled with sea salt, this moist banana, walnut and coffee cake is perfect for a special occasion.

equipment deep 23cm (9¼-inch) square cake pan 30cm (12-inch) square prepared cake board Note

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

A perfect and fun ten soda and pizza cake for you child's birthday party.

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.

Be sure to remove toothpick before cutting and serving cake. Mark and cut cake into shape of plane. Trim cake to make it a more rounded shape. Cut cake on an angle from tail end so it appears to be taking off. Write child’s name on back of cake, if desired. Note

butter cream Beat butter in small bowl with electric mixer until as white as possible. Gradually beat in half of the icing sugar, milk, then remaining icing sugar; tint butter cream with purple food colouring. Use any soft jubes or jellies you like for the decorations. Note

12-hole (-cup/80ml) muffin pan 12 paper muffin cases decorations 2 blue NESTLE SMARTIES 2 NESTLE MILKYBAR Buttons 1 ALLEN’S Peaches & Cream 1 orange ALLEN’S SNAKES ALIVE orange sprinkles 12 caramel ALLEN’S Milk Bottle Mania 4 strawberry ALLEN’S Milk Bottle Mania 7 ALLEN’S Strawberries & Cream All the lollies used here have been cut into […]

Make this delicious and fun birthday treasure chest for your child's party!

Kids will love these adorable lion cupcakes.

This chocolate cake is every bit as decadent and moist as you'd expect it to be. It keeps very well for a couple of days in an airtight container, but we don't think it'll last that long!

This fun construction-site themed birthday cake is great for young children who love getting messy and playing with trucks.

6-hole (¾-cup/180ml) texas muffin pan 2 x 12-hole (1-tablespoon/20ml) mini muffin pans 15 mini muffin paper cases (red) 40cm x 50cm (16-inch x 20-inch) rectangular cake board (page 334), see tips 40cm (16 inches) black licorice strap 250g (8-ounce) packet Musk Sticks 1 pink Smartie 4 red sour straps 35g (1-ounce) tube mini M&M’s 35g […]

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

The classic combination of sweet chocolate and crunchy hazelnuts works perfectly together in this divine cake. Topped with an oozy chocolate ganache, this is indulgence at it's finest.

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

Celebrate any occasion with these stunning blueberry cupcakes.

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.

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

equipment 30cm x 45cm prepared cake board, strong wooden toothpick decorations 27 Maltesers, approximately 2 green snakes, halved lengthways 5 mint leaves 3 yellow ready-made icing flowers 3 foil-wrapped chocolate ladybirds If Easter eggs aren’t available, you can use Kinder Surprise eggs. We’ve made quite a long wall out of bought lamingtons; you could have […]

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.

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

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

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.