Dessert

Walnut, Date and Ginger Slice

These delicious chocolate marzipan almonds make a lovely gift at either Easter or Christmas.

You can use any colour you like to tint the dough, choose a matching lolly, or coloured sugar, to coat the pinwheel edges. Note

These gooey chocolate puddings make a perfect dessert on a cold winter's night.

You will need about 9 oranges for this recipe. Grate the rind from the oranges for the custard before juicing them for the jelly. You can make the jelly, candied rind and orange custard a day ahead. Refrigerate jelly and custard separately until ready to assemble. Store rind in an airtight container at room temperature. […]

You can make the syrup up to two days ahead and refrigerate, covered, until ready to use. Reheat before pouring over the fruit. You can use this syrup with any fruit, for instance, a selection of tropical varieties such as carambola, rambutan, pineapple, mango or mangosteen. Note

This recipe is also nut-free and gluten-free. Handy hints Instead of the lime, make the curd using lemon, or even orange juice. Make double the curd mixture and use it to fill mini pastry tartlet shells, or use as a topping for scones or pikelets. Note

To cut this dessert, use a large hot dry kitchen knife. Cut as many portions as you need, and freeze any remaining dessert covered with foil. Cut the dessert as soon as you take it out of the freezer, but wait about 10 minutes before serving. Note

Keeping time: 2 days. We used 3 bananas for this recipe. Note

Incredibly simple as well as zesty and delicious, these tangy lemon squares are a welcome treat when you hit that mid-afternoon slump.

Sweet, rich and wonderfully decadent, this beautiful chocolate slice is easy to make and perfect enjoyed with a cup of coffee for a relaxing morning or afternoon treat.

Originally called a black forest cherry torte because it contained whole cherries and cherry brandy (kirsch), our version of this German extravaganza uses a well-known chocolate sweet instead ­but remains just as delightfully wicked!

Beat butter in a small bowl with an electric mixer until as white as possible. Beat in rind and sifted icing sugar until smooth. Whoopie pies are best eaten the day they are made. Note

Combine chocolate cake, chocolate custard and chocolate ganache and you've got this fabulous chocolate on chocolate torte, with cherries on top.

These fudge bars are soft, sweet, rich and will make an excellent sweet snack or finger food style dessert.

These simple, yet stunning wedding cupcakes are a perfect treat for a special day.

Layers of featherlight cake, meringue and passionfruit cream make this cake perfect for a particularly special celebration.

Store squares in an airtight container in the fridge for up to a week. Note

Fruit can be cooked a day ahead, keep, covered, in the refrigerator. Make bread topping and bake puddings as required. Note

Tender pear topped with crunchy maple syrup crumble this dessert is rich and satisfying, serve with a dollop of double cream.

You might have a few puffs left over; freeze them, unfilled. Valentine’s croquembouche Fit a large piping bag with a plain tube (or without a tube); three-quarters fill the bag with pastry mixture. Hold the bag upright, pipe the pastry into 2cm (¾ inch) rounds. Working quickly, use tongs or forks to dip the puffs […]

The addition of dates and orange rind gives this otherwise traditional apple pie a wonderful, distinct flavour.

This little extra-terrestrial is so likable that even a horde of hungry alien task force officers may have trouble cutting into it.

These zesty poached guavas are so delicious served with a big scoop of vanilla ice-cream.

When folding flour into egg mixture, you can use a large metal spoon, a rubber spatula, a whisk or use one hand like a rake. “This is my mum’s recipe, and whenever I go home, I’ll always find one waiting in the cake tin.” Note

This cake is perfect for a first birthday party. It's quite simple to make, so you're not spending lots of time on a creation that probably won't be given its due attention by the birthday child.

Fruity and fabulous, this cheesecake is perfect for picnics, parties or just dessert.

It's not that hard being green... there's a pond, plenty of water, lily pads and a rainbow connection... Why, there's lots of fun to be had!

A refreshing, sensational summer dessert with subtle spicy flavours brought to you by Australian Women's Weekly.

Use any berries you like in this cake; they will all marry happily with the orange flavour. The mascarpone adds an extra level of decadence.

If you want to make the bread a little lighter in colour and texture, use half white self-raising flour with the wholemeal self-raising flour. Note

Thick ready-made custard is sold in the refrigerated section of supermarkets. Note

Vincotto honey and rosemary take these spiced, poached pears to another level. An elegant end to a dinner party.

Citrus lovers will adore these fluffy puddings drizzled in marmalade syrup.

Myzithra cheese is the traditional Greek cheese used in this cheesecake; you could use mascarpone as a substitute in this recipe. Note

Serve with chopped mint or basil leaves. Note

Sweet and delicious mandarin moments that will melt in your mouth.

Try this cheats version of a Croquembouche

Raspberry swirl cake

You could use canned plums or other canned fruit instead of cherries. This dish could be made with most kinds of bread. Try fruit loaf. Note

Be sure to remove toothpicks from cake before cutting and serving. Raspberry straps, cut into strips, can be used instead of red licorice rope. Sandwich the two cakes together with a little blue butter cream. Spread the cake with coloured butter creams. Insert candy cane into centre of red icing ball to make drumstick. Note

When too much chocolate is never enough, take one more step over the line and there you'll find these decadent little triple choc muffins. They make a great treat for the kids, or for you.

Delicious and impressively decorated cupcakes that resemble dazzling kaleidoscopes.

When this classic French dessert is done well, nothing can beat its silky, cream texture. Don't forget to sieve your custard and remember to insulate with a tea towel so the outside doesn't cook too quickly.

Show off your MasterChef skills by making this traditional croquembouche. You will need a croquembouche stand, and if you've got a silicon liner to help slip the finished tower from the stand all the better. It'll be worth the work to see the look on your guests' faces when you present them with croquembouche.

With a crunchy biscuit base, ice-cream filling with sliced banana, toffeed pecans and a drizzle of caramel sauce, this decadent tart will satisfy the sweetest tooth.

Also known as turón, these popular Filipino deep-fried bananas make an excellent dessert with refreshing coconut ice-cream.

There is nothing quite as comforting as a warm, fragrant, melt-in-your-mouth homemade sweet pie, and this recipe exceeds expectations.

The pudding is best made on the day of serving. Rum sauce can be made a day ahead, store, covered, in the fridge. Reheat the sauce before serving either in a microwave oven or over low heat in a small saucepan until hot. Note

It is fine to use just one 300ml carton of cream for this recipe. Raspberry meringues with rosewater cream. Spoon meringue onto baking-paper-lined tray into 12 free-form shapes about 5cm (2 inches) apart. Bake in very slow oven until meringues feel dry to touch. Note

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

This plump, sticky fruit loaf is a cinch to make and simply delicious.

Keep things simple with this delicious, plump sultana cake.

On the days when you're pressed for time to come up with the perfect homemade dessert it's perfectly ok to get a little extra help from your local supermarket. Topped with this deliciously tart passionfruit cream, you'd never know the crêpes were store bought.

storage Note

When served warm and fresh out of the oven, these muffins are melt-in-your-mouth, moreishly good!

Mango puree helps turn this classic coconut tea cake, and the coconut frosting, into a moist, fruity delight. Lovely served with a cup of tea or coffee.

A slice of this rich chocolate torte sprinkled with crushed praline makes an excellent dessert or indulgent afternoon tea.

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

Buy small brioche from the bakery section of your supermarket or from any French cake shop. This recipe is not suitable to freeze. Note

Ice-cream bombe mixture needs to be prepared at least a day ahead, keep in the freezer until required. Cake base can also be prepared a day ahead, keep in an airtight container. Cover bombe with whipped cream just before serving. Note

Scented with almond and anise, these Italian cookies are delicious and great fun to make.

Locking in the base of a springform pan upside down, makes it easier to remove the cake later. Blowtorches are available from kitchenware and hardware stores. Alternatively, you can place the tray of figs under a hot grill to caramelise the sugar. Note

The birthday child and friends will be thrilled with these individual tortoise cakes covered in chocolate freckles.

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.

Sago, also known as seed or pearl tapioca, comes from the sago palm and is used in soups and desserts, and as a thickening agent. You can use Cointreau, Grand Marnier, Curaçao or any other orange- flavoured liqueur in this recipe.

We used crème de cacao, but you could use any chocolate flavoured liqueur you like. Soufflés must be made just before serving. Note

Use lightly oiled scissors to cut turkish delight. You will need about 35 sugar flowers per cake pop. Note