Kitchen tea

MAKES 16 Note

Wheaten cornflour gives a lighter result, but normal cornflour can be used. Note

Strawberries and cream powder puffs, strawberry recipe, brought to you by Australian Women's Weekly

These tasty little Greek-style cheese and spinach filo triangles are delicious served with a squeeze of fresh lemon. Great as finger food or for an after-school snack.

Light, crumbly kisses are utterly divine sandwiched together with Vienna cream. These classic little biscuits are make a scrumptious afternoon treat. The hardest thing is trying not to eat them all at once.

Enjoy a bite of heaven with these light and fluffy homemade coffee friands. They are gorgeous enjoyed with your mid-morning or afternoon coffee as a relaxing treat with friends.

Basic cup cakes make a great project when you're looking to bake with the kids on a wet afternoon.

The use of lemonade in these beautiful scones means you no longer have to spend time rubbing butter and flour together!

These fragrant sugar and spice shortbreads, infused with all the fragrances of the festive season, make fabulous end of year and edible Christmas gifts. Package in a pretty tin or box, and finish with a fancy label and pretty ribbon.

This very rich cake is perfect for the grand finale to a dinner party, and should be made ahead and served cold. The cake is almost like a huge truffle in texture; note that no flour is used.

Chocolate, lemon and thyme truffles

You can also make this pastry using a food processor: Process flour, icing sugar and butter until crumbly. With motor operating, add egg yolk and enough of the water to make ingredients come together. Turn dough onto floured surface; knead gently until smooth. To segment the orange, use a small sharp knife to cut the […]

For a variation: lemon poppy seed friands. Omit the mandarin juice and replace with 2 tablespoons lemon juice. Omit the mandarin rind and replace with 1 tablespoon finely grated lemon rind. Note

To decorate allow for another 200 grams (6½ ounces) fresh raspberries Note

You will need about 3 punnets of raspberries for this recipe. Note

Stollen is delicious toasted lightly under a griller (broiler); serve it buttered. Bread flour is a strong flour, meaning that it has a relatively high gluten (protein) content; this causes the bread to rise, giving it shape and structure. It is available from most supermarkets. Note

You will need a pasta machine, cannoli moulds (8cm long and 2cm wide/3¼-inch x ¾-inch) and a piping bag fitted with a 1cm (½-inch) plain tube for this recipe. Note

For a ricotta orange and semolina cake with sticky strawberries: substitute orange rind and juice for the lemon rind and juice in step 2. For a sticky strawberry syrup, use 500g strawberries instead of the cherries and reduce the simmering time to 5 minutes. Note

Ready-rolled puff pastry can be bought at any local supermarket. Note

Silver lustre is a shimmer dust that gives a slight sparkle and helps create a wet look. It is available from cake decorating supply stores in 5g (¼ ounce) screw-top pots. This recipe also makes 6 texas muffins (¾-cup/180ml); bake about 1 hour. Note

Frittatas can be eaten cold or warm. Store frittatas, in an airtight container, in the refrigerator for up to three days. Note

Bring out this tree with the coffee, suggesting to your guests that they snap off bits of the branches. Or, for an impressive gift, wrap the whole tree in cellophane and deliver it on the day. Drop teaspoonfuls of chocolate mixture along all the crosses to make branches. Note

This recipe is not suitable to freeze. Note

You can find lavender honey (produced by bees fed on lavender) at selected delicatessens. If unavailable, any variety of honey can be used. Note

Equipment: three 12-hole (-cup/80ml) muffin pans 25 paper muffin cases 5 disposable piping bags medium plain piping tube 48cm x 55cm covered cake board Decorations: 8 red ALLEN’S MARELLA Jubes 4 red ALLEN’S SNAKES ALIVE 1 banana ALLEN’S Milk Bottle Mania 3 strawberry ALLEN’S Milk Bottle Mania 6 LIFE SAVERS PEP‘O’MINT, halved 6 LIFE SAVERS […]

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

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

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

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

You need an 80cm length of 50mm diameter PVC pipe, cut into 10cm lengths; ask the hardware store to do this for you, or use a hacksaw. This recipe will also fit into six 10cm round springform tins or a 24cm springform tin. Note

Make these bite-sized wonders.

There are usually 22 sheets of pastry in a 375g (12-ounce) packet of fillo pastry. Dried lavender flowers are available from spice shops and online. Note

Cut the marshmallows using an oiled knife, otherwise it will be difficult. Note

other ideas: tiny blini or rösti, polenta squares, upturned mushrooms, baby cos or betel leaves, crisped won-ton wrappers or tortilla wedges. Note

You need only slender small servings of this ultra-rich cake, which is why we’ve chosen to bake it in a lamington pan. The layer of marzipan in the middle keeps the cake moist as well as adding to the flavour. Buy the best marzipan (or almond paste) you can find. Note

You can make the prawn mixture a day ahead. Store, covered, in refrigerator. Assemble sandwiches on the day and store, covered with damp absorbent paper, in an airtight container in the fridge until ready to go. 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

Use white Candy Melts in place of chocolate Melts for an extra-white finish. Note

artist’s fine paint brush 3.5cm (1½-inch) round cutter 12 plain white paper cases large plastic disposable piping bag The 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 3 months. The monograms can be prepared at least a […]

Don’t have the oil too hot or they will brown too quickly before cooking all the way through. The oil should be between 175°C (350°F) and 190°C (400°F) for deep-frying (a small cube of bread should turn golden in about 30 seconds). You can also pipe the dough over the hot oil, using a small, […]

Angel food cakes contain no fat. Their lightness comes from incorporating air into egg whites and an unusual cooking method. Note

Equipment: 4 x 10cm (4-inch) (closed) springform pans Everybody loves their own individual dessert ­ here, the tropical flavours blend happily with the creamy cheesecake filling. The mango rose pattern is simple to achieve, but looks impressive on the cheesecakes. We used a plain store-bought sponge for this recipe, you can make your own, if […]

You can use any fresh berries you like in this recipe. Note

You need 25 foil petit four cases for this recipe. Note

These cakes are best made on the day of serving. Note

Silver leaf, available from cake decorating stores, is delicate and fiddly to handle but worth the effort. Note

This recipe also makes 6 texas muffins (¾-cup/180ml), bake about 25 minutes. Note

Old-fashioned cast gem irons are available from specialty cookware shops or second-hand shops. Note

Mad about marmalade? Then, this muffin is for you. Marmalades come in a range of flavours sweet through to bitter and everything in between. Try a bitter marmalade first, it teams so well with the almonds and the sweetness of the syrup. Note

Instead of piping the cream cheese mixture onto the canapés, you can just use a teaspoon to drop small amounts on top of the mini toasts. Mini toasts are available from delis, groumet food shops and some supermarkets. Note

For this recipe you need 1 large pomegranate (375g). Note

Sugar flowers of many shapes, sizes and colours can be bought from most supermarkets and cake decorating shops. Note

Make sure the rose petals are chemical-free. Organic petals can be found at specialist cake decorating shops and some delicatessens. If fresh organic rose petals are unavailable, sprinkle cake with chopped rosewater-flavoured turkish delight. Rosewater will vary in strength between brands. Start with a small amount and adjust to taste. If using rosewater essence, start […]

17 paddle pop sticks halved crossways are needed for this recipe. Note

You can use any flavoured jelly you wish. Note

Assemble pastries no more than an hour before serving, refrigerate until required. Note

Equipment 30cm (12-inch) round wooden cake board 15cm (6-inch) round wooden cake board Smoothing tools 3cm x 3.5cm (1¼-inch x 1½-inch) scalloped cutter 3 wooden skewers 2 paper piping bags Tape measure Fine artist’s paint brush 2.5cm (1-inch) perspex measure Tweezers Pale minty green and soft dusty pink blend together for a sweet old- fashioned […]

You need to cook 2 medium potatoes (380g) for this recipe. The scones are best made and eaten on the same day. They can be frozen for up to 3 months.Thaw in oven, wrapped in foil. Note

Scone dough can be made in a food processor. Pulse flour, sugar and butter until mixture looks crumbly. Add milk and the water; process until the ingredients come together to make a soft sticky dough. A mixture of milk and water was used for these scones. All milk can be used (darker scones), all water […]