Baking

Friands are not meant to be light and airy, so the last thing you want to do is whisk air into the mixture. Note

You’ll have about 1 1/2 cup of the cake mixture left over; make more noughts and crosses cakes for your guests. This is a very easy birthday cake to make; it is suitable for boys and girls alike. You can make it in any colour you like. Note

Delicious and crispy pork loin with a spiced orange relish from Australian Women's Weekly.

Cooking salt is coarser than table salt, but not as large-flaked as sea salt: it is sold packaged in bags in most supermarkets. Note

This recipe also makes 12 standard muffins (⅓-cup/80ml capacity holes). Bake cakes for 20 minutes. Note

Bread cups can be made a day ahead, store in an airtight container. You need 3 x 12-hole (2-tablespoon/40ml) deep flat-based patty pans, it’s fine if you only have one pan, just make the cups in batches. You also need an 8cm round cutter. Buy fresh, thin-style pitta bread. If the bread is too thick […]

Don’t slice the strawberries too thinly or they will fall apart during refrigeration. Note

If the dough feels soft after rolling out, refrigerate for about 15 minutes before cutting out shapes. Fill boxes with anything you like, chocolates, candy canes, lollies or biscuits ­ they would all make a great gift. Instead of using a paper piping bag, place the melted chocolate into a zip-top plastic bag and cut […]

This basic fruit mix is enough to make a pudding (boiled or steamed) large enough to serve 10 people, a regular-sized cake and a dozen mince pies. Note

This light and delicious sponge cake is a quick and tasty treat for the whole family to enjoy.

Use any fresh berries you like in this recipe. If you only have one patty pan, bake the first batch, then wash, butter and flour the pan again before baking the next lot. Note

This cake is another one perfect to take to school, or picnic — or any outdoor party. Note

French for `doughnut’, beignets are best eaten while still warm or soon after. You can use your preferred jam or try these beignets with apple compote. The oil should be between 175°C and 190°C for deep-frying (a small cube of bread should turn golden in about 30 seconds). Note

Delicious, thin and crunchy Belgian-style chocolate hazelnut thins.

The amount of milk you need to add to this scone dough depends on the water content of the pumpkin. The amount you add will vary every time you make these scones. Note

The easiest way to line the base of a pan hole is to cut the bottom out of cupcake paper cases; use the correct sized case for the muffin pan. Don’t overbeat the dairy-free spread or it will break down; you just need to break it up before adding the flour mixture. These cakes will […]

This colourful cake is perfect for little kids who love building sand castles and exploring the beach.

Use regular golden syrup for this recipe, not the squeezable bottles, as this has a lighter texture. Note

We used a 35cm x 45cm oval plastic serving platter for the pond; a shallow cake pan, baking dish or shallow casserole dish would also work, depending on the number of frogs you need for the party. You will have about 1 cup of cake mixture left over ­enough for another five frogs. Note

Meringues can be made one day ahead, store in an airtight container at room temperature. Note

Pide is a Turkish-style pizza, usually stuffed with a spiced lamb filling.

Soufflé can be made ahead through the end of step 4. Just before you intend to fold in the egg whites and bake the soufflé, warm the prepared egg yolk and spinach base by standing the bowl in warm water a few minutes. Note

Make sure the rosebuds have not been treated with any chemical sprays. Note

Feed lots of hungry mouths with these tasty sandwiches. You can use any bread you like such as fresh sourdough, sliced ciabatta or crusty white rolls, as we have here. Note

Tasty Moroccan-spiced flavours make this chicken casserole unique and a great option for a hearty dinner.

Serve accompanied with asparagus or broccoli or a green leafy salad, if liked. You can use red salmon or canned tuna if you like. The recipe can be made to the end of step 4 several hours ahead. From cold, bake covered at 200°C for 30 minutes or until heated through then uncover and bake […]

Standing the custards in a dish filled with ice cubes keeps the custards from melting while the sugar is caramelising under the grill. Of course, if you have a cooking blowtorch, use that instead. Note

Watch their eyes light up for this happy, smiling flower. 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 can also make this pastry using a food processor. Process flour, icing sugar, ginger and butter until crumbly. Add egg yolk and enough of the water to make ingredients just come together. Knead gently on floured surface until smooth. You need 1 small papaya (650g) for this recipe. Note

An exquisite and morish Mediterranean-style mushroom and polenta dish with roasted tomatoes.

This recipe makes a lot of little one-bite shortbreads. If you like, make 50 shortbreads and freeze the remaining log, wrapped in baking paper then plastic wrap, for up to 3 months. Thaw in the fridge overnight before slicing and baking. You will need to halve the butter cream frosting if only baking 50 shortbreads. […]

Rich and delicious French morsels that will have everyone coming back for more.

A quick, simple and delicious Mexican-style pizza; great for busy midweek evenings.

As the name suggests, pound cakes originally consisted of a pound each of sugar, butter, flour and eggs, which made them very large cakes.

Substitutes: use whole roasted almonds instead of hazelnuts. Note

A hit with every coconut lover, this slice just improves with age. It can also be made as tartlets. Note

Although almonds were the key ingredient in traditional macaroons, coconut quickly became an equally popular adaptation. Can be made a week ahead store in airtight container freeze suitable microwave not suitable. Note

Use frozen spinach, which has been cooked and cooled, for this recipe. Note

Crispy golden Moroccan pastry filled with spiced eggplant and ricotta and served with a colourful tomato salad.

Frittata can be cooked on top of the stove, in a medium lightly oiled slightly sided frying pan; cook on low heat, uncovered, until almost set, then brown frittata under a preheated grill. Frittata can be served hot or cold Note

Delicious little cupcakes that are the perfect treat to celebrate graduation day!

You will need about six passionfruit for this recipe. Remaining passionfruit curd is delicious spread on scones or used as a filling for pavlovas. These tarts are best made on the day of serving. Note

Corella pears have only a short season, if they’re not available use thinly sliced apple, red-skinned look best instead. Note

Do ahead The tart and dressing can be made a day ahead. Refrigerate in separate airtight containers. Don’t be concerned if the cooked tart has small cracks in the top these will be covered by the salad. Note

It's 9am on a Saturday, and the party crowd's already here. Birthday parties... it's about food, friends and making memories.

One-year-olds may be too young to eat these colourful Smarties, but they will love the cake. Note

Cake pans vary in depth, so if you have a little cake mixture left over, use it to make cupcakes. Use bought sugar flowers of your choice, available from supermarkets and cake decorating suppliers. Remove and discard skewers before cutting bottom tier. White icing is also known as fondant (it’s the traditional icing used on […]

Kumara slices can be baked several hours ahead. Keep covered. Assemble salad and add dressing just before serving. Note

Strawberries are jam-packed with the good health-promoting vitamins A and C. Note

The hardest part of making this cake is getting the colours right. Use good quality colourings and you’ll have no trouble. It’s been around since 300 BC… but it wasn’t until 1952 that the first checkers programme was used by a computer. Note

You could top the petit fours with fresh raspberries instead of the icing flowers. Petit fours are best made on the day of serving. Note

One muffin is to be served per person for breakfast. The remaining muffins can be frozen or eaten as a snack. You could make two large muffins for breakfast and the remaining mixture can be made into snack-sized mini muffins. The ricotta mixture serves 2 people; make a fresh batch before serving the remaining muffins. […]

A delicious French-style roast leg of lamb in a tomato stew with rosemary and white beans.

Makes 10-12 maple snaps. Maple snaps can be cooked one day in advance and stored in a cool dry place in an airtight container. Ice-cream can be prepared in advance and stored in the freezer in an airtight container for 2 weeks. Note

Thanks to hothouse growing, rhubarb is available all year, so you can indulge in a hot pie or crumble as well as any number of luscious desserts matching rhubarb with berries and cream or mascarpone whenever you like. Be sure to discard every bit of the vegetable’s leaf and use only the thinnest stalks (the […]

Stand the yeast mixture in a warm place to allow it to become frothy. It’s important that the spot you choose is warm, not hot. If it’s too hot you’ll kill the yeast. Note

Personalise the messages scrawled all over this clever cake, which looks just like an inner-city wall for the cake. Note

ORANGE FROSTING Beat cream cheese and butter in a small bowl with an electric mixer until smooth. Gradually beat in sifted icing sugar; stir in rind. You can use a zesting tool to make the thin strips of orange rind. Note

EQUIPMENT Two x deep 20cm (8-inch) round cake pans 5cm (2-inch) round cutter 30cm (12-inch) round cake board To make your own coloured sugar crystals, place white table sugar in a plastic zip top bag with a little colouring. Massage the colouring through the sugar until it’s evenly coloured. This little piggy went to a […]

You can substitute chopped, drained canned peaches or apricots for the pineapple in this recipe. We used Just Right breakfast cereal in this recipe but you can use any flaked and dried fruit cereal, even a muesli or granola-like product. We used Malibu liqueur but you can use your favourite brand. Note

A delicious salad full of crispy roast kumara and crunchy and balanced with fresh pear and cranberries.