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

Equipment you will need to make the cake guitar; 8cm x 25cm bar cake pan, deep 20cm square cake pan, deep 22cm square cake pan and a 40cm x 80cm rectangular cake board. No one will want to pick this guitar up and smash it…it’s much too tasty for that. Note

Summertime… and the livin’ is easy. Use blue jelly crystals if you think the green makes this pool look like it needs a good clean! Remove any toothpicks before cutting and serving the cake. 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

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

A sweet puff pustry pie that hails from France, where desserts simply taste better.

EQUIPMENT 12 plain white paper cases Large piping bag 1cm (.-inch) plain piping tube Cupcakes stale quickly, so it’s best to use a fruit or mud cake for the best keeping qualities. The cakes can be made and frozen for about 3 months. Choose the cake you like, then a type of jam, or a […]

Bunting can be found at most craft and party shops. Be sure to remove the toothpicks from the cake before serving. For a boy, decorate with green or yellow fruit sticks and matching bunting, or use the colours of his favourite sporting team (of course, this also can be done for girls and their favourite […]

Dried rose petals are available from specialist food stores. Note

Equipment: 30cm (12-inch) round wooden cake board 15cm (6-inch) round wooden cake board smoothing tools 4 wooden skewers 2 paper piping bags number 1 and 2 cutters 2 x 10cm (4-inch) pieces 18-gauge floral wire fine artist’s paint brush pasta machine 1cm (½-inch) plain piping tube Covered in pastel hues, this very simple, though elegant, […]

This recipe is best made on day of serving. Note

Rose, violet, nasturtium and pansy petals are all edible and make beautiful additions to recipes. Note

Cook a double or triple batch of these quinces and store them in their syrup in the fridge. Serve with porridge or muesli for breakfast. Note

For those who prefer a light fruit cake, this is ideal. Keep the cake for 3 to 4 days before cutting, then cut with a sharp serrated or electric knife to cut cleanly through the almonds. Note

Equipment: 30cm (12-inch) round wooden cake board pastry brush 1 quantity sugar syrup smoothing tools stencil medium offset metal spatula 6 wooden skewers 2 x 18cm (7-inch) round wooden cake boards fine pearl-headed pins straight-sided metal scraper paper piping bag small shallow bowls 3 lengths 18-gauge floral wire wire cutters Black and white may be […]

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. […]

Ho ho ho and a bottle of red cordial will soon have Pete smiling again. We were lucky enough to find an odd-shaped chocolate- coated sultana for the eyebrow, but use some licorice instead. Note

Also known as floating islands, this dessert is an adaptation of a French pudding, in which a stale sponge cake, steeped in liqueur, was floated in a bowl of custard. Note

When they’re in season, this pudding also works well with quince. Prepare 4 small quince (800g) as for the pears in step 1, cooking them for 30 minutes until softened. Note

To make individual crumbles, use four 1½ cup (375ml) dishes and bake 15 minutes. Note

This cake serves 20. Store the cake in an airtight container for up to three days. Note

Equipment 10 lollipop or ice-cream sticks tyrofoam block or egg carton paper piping bag Decorations 10 mini ice-cream cones 2 tablespoons each grape, orange and pink WONKA NERDS, combined 10 WONKA Gobstoppers 10 ALLEN’S JAFFAS 2 ALLEN’S Ripe Raspberries, sliced thinly 5 Fairy Floss ALLEN’S FUNFAIR THRILLS Jelly Beans, halved crossways 10cm piece licorice strap […]

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

For a clear jelly, don’t push the mixture through the muslin-lined strainer, instead, allow the mixture to strain gradually. 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

Decorate the cake pops with small bows. Note

Equipment: Deep 22cm (9-inch) square cake pan 7cm (2¾-inch) round cutter 30cm (12-inch) square cake board Note

Grand Marnier or Cointreau can be used for the orange-flavoured liqueur. Store truffles in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 weeks. Truffles, without cocoa coating, can be frozen for up to 3 months. Remove from freezer 1 hour before serving and dusting with cocoa. Note

You need six 30cm (12-inch) squares of unbleached calico and six 1m (1 yard) lengths of kitchen string. Note

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

This cake is perfect for the little girl who dreams of having her very own pony. Note

Edible gold leaf and candy thermometers are available from kitchenware stores and cake decorating suppliers. Note

You will need to cook 350g pumpkin for the amount of mashed pumpkin required in this recipe. Note

You can turn this into an ‘eggless processor fruit cake’, if you like. Omit the eggs, and increase the golden syrup by 1 tablespoon to ⅓ cup (155g). The cake doesn’t keep quite as well without eggs, about 5 days, but will freeze for 3 months. Note

EQUIPMENT Deep 22cm (9-inch) square cake pan 35cm (14-inch) square cake board Carefully position photograph in centre of cake. You can use any photographic print you like, but remember to laminate it if you want it to remain after the cake is gone. Use a selection of your favourite lollies to decorate this cake Note

Inserting the base of the springform pan upside down will make it easier to slide the cake from the base. Note

Store cake pops in an airtight container at a cool room temperature until ready to serve. Pipe eyes and mouths on the day of serving. They will keep for up to a week. Note

Equipment you will need for this recipe, 23cm x 34cm number 4 cake pan and a 25cm x 40cm rectangular cake board. You can decorate this cake with single or multi coloured lollies. Place lollies such as Smarties on butter cream close to presentation time to prevent the colours running. 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 […]

Top puddings with a slice of glacé orange. It is available from gourmet and health-food stores. If the six 30cm squares of unbleached calico have not been used before, soak them in cold water overnight. The next day, boil them for 20 minutes then rinse in cold water. Puddings can be cooked in two boilers […]

The number one cake for your baby's first birthday!

Hundreds & thousands 18 milk chocolate freckles 30cm yellow ribbon The cutter we used was about 5cm (2 inches) deep, which made it easier to cut right through the cake. You could use a sharp pointed vegetable knife to cut out the cake rounds, cutting around the markings of the shorter cutter. Freeze the little […]

Use a clean piping and tube for each different coloured meringue. Note

You can serve fresh berries instead of the berry compote, if preferred. The berry compote can be prepared a day ahead; keep, covered, in the refrigerator. The parfait can be made a week ahead up to step 3; slice with a knife that has been dipped in hot water, before allowing to soften in the […]

Use fresh raspberries if fresh blackberries are not available. Place the unused vanilla pod in a jar of caster (superfine) sugar to make your own vanilla sugar. Note

This pudding recipe is suitable to freeze. Note

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.

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

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

Equipment 18 x 30cm cake pop sticks; large square styrofoam block; 2 paper piping bags. Use any firm-textured cake to make cake pops ­ mud, fruit, coconut or butter cakes all work well. Leftover Christmas cake or pudding are real winners as they’re usually moist. Cake pop sticks (also sold as `lollypop candy sticks’) are […]

A classic steamed Christmas pudding that is sure to bring back childhood memories.

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

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

Place any leftover lime leaves in a resealable plastic bag and freeze for another use. Add three or four to a curry, scrunching the leaves first to release the flavour; toss thinly sliced leaves through a tropical fruit salad; or add sliced leaves to a jug of iced water for a refreshing citrus flavour. Mango […]

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

Sometimes called Indian blood plum, the large plum used in this recipe has a distinctive dark red to purple fibrous flesh, is extremely juicy, pleasantly sweet, and is the plum most often found canned. Canned apricots or peaches can be substituted for the plums. A delicious time-and waist-saving recipe. 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