Sugar

Emergency response fire squad birthday cake, for our firefighting heroes!

Surf's up little dude! This summer birthday cake is perfect for beach bums and surfer dudes.

Do you have a young doodler? This birthday cake is fun and colourful, perfect for any young aspiring doodling artist.

Piggy, the money maker! Piggy is a cute, fun birthday cake. Be sure to have lots of chocolate money left over to share around. Oink Cha-ching, oink oink!

A night in the forest! A cool camping themed birthday cake for a outdoorsy camper.

Crazy scientist experiment birthday cake for your little scientists! Fill the cone flasks with lollies so the children get a surprise when they lift the cone flasks!

The start of the BIG BANG! These firecracker cakes are filled with popping candy - watch the children's faces when the candy spills out cutting the cake!

Get the kids involved and let them go crazy and draw pictures on the icing cake, or draw their favourite character!

I'm watching you! These cake eyeballs in jelly are fantastic for kids birthdays and for Halloween parties. Scary and delicious - BOO!

A-B-C fun with letters! This birthday cake is perfect for preschool and early primary kids.

Peacock pomp and pageantry. Fan that tail! Make as many lolly skewers as there are children at the party so they can each have their own part of the peacock tail.

Quiet as a mouse. This cute heart shaped mouse is a fun animal birthday cake.

Quince paste is a great accompaniment to cheese, or can be melted down and used in fruit tarts and pies. It should be cut into small slices to serve.

Yummy, delicious gluten-free and dairy-free spiced apple cupcakes perfect for the kids lunchbox and for you with a cup of tea, morning or afternoon.

Kiwi chef and global high tea winner Laurent Loudeac shares his tea infused mille-feuille recipe.

Kiwi chef Laurent Loudeac, who won top prize in a global high tea competition, shares his Hélène recipe.

Lucky for me, my mum always let me experiment in the kitchen as a kid – so I have named this slice after her.

Get creative in the kitchen with these sweet and sugary meringue ghosts, the ultimate 'treat' this Halloween!

Basic butter cake and basic butter creme

Once I was sent a tin of toffee as an end-of-year gift from the US office of an American company I worked for. It was thin and nutty and outlandishly delicious. So good, in fact, my colleagues and I polished off most of the tin before I left the office that day. Here’s my version of that very almond toffee, pimped out with green pistachios and a little silver sparkle. I’ve also added a thin base of the finest milk chocolate (use dark, if you prefer), just to make each bite extra special. To give as gifts, simply snap into shards and place in cellophane bags. You will need a candy or kitchen thermometer that measures up to 140°C for this recipe. Photograph by Jani Shepherd and styling by Fiona Hugues – Gatherum Collectif.

This is one of my all-time favourite sweet treats. My papa comes from Messina in Sicily, and this is a typical dessert from that region of Italy. You will need a sugar thermometer to achieve perfect results and a very small cake tin, about 11cm square. Photograph by Todd Eyre. Props and styling by Cameron Woodcock.

This is a slightly salty, almond-flavoured version of hokey pokey, very thin and crunchy. It is hard to resist, so for the sake of your teeth, best make it when there is a crowd around to share the task of eating. You will need a heavy-based saucepan in which to cook it, and take special care since boiling sugar is very hot indeed. Photograph by Mike Rooke. Props and styling by Alexa Johnston.

Alexa Johnston gets you out of the mall and into the kitchen to craft delicious edible Christmas gifts.

I can still remember making this slice as a young girl. I’m sure I created a terrible mess in the kitchen but the reward was always worth it!

This super-sized cake fits the bill for those times when you just need a hit of sugar. It’s got all those wonderful caramel-sweet flavours in there to cure a sugar craving good and proper. Photograph by Jani Shepherd.

Flavoured with peppermint and marbled with a little red food colouring, these cushiony clouds of sweet delight make great edible gifts.

Everybody's favourite childhood treat - jam filled doughnuts! Light, fluffy batter with a rich sweet filling - simply delicious!

If you’re looking for something different and delightfully sweet, canelés are perfect.

Adding pearl sugar to the dough is the secret to the delicious caramelised crunch of these waffles.

These divine mini brown sugar and hazelnut whoopie pies are wonderfully sweet, nutty and creamy. Enjoy one with a pot of tea for an indulgent morning of afternoon snack with loved ones.

These sweet, quaint mini champagne cupcakes are like a little slice of heaven - super tasty and so easy to make. These are sure to sweeten up your day!

These delicious cookies have just the right about of sugar, and just the right amount of spice - simply divine!

Enjoy these delightful cinnamon spiced wafer roll biscuits, delicious and perfect for any time of the day!

These sweet and sugary jam and peach donut puddings are the ultimate sweet treat for morning or afternoon tea! Easy to prepare and so delicious!

Indulge in this deliciously decadent lemon meringue cake. Topped with sugary meringue and sweet candied lemon, this is perfect for any special event or family barbeque!

These delightful jaffa biscotti biscuits are perfect for morning or afternoon tea- a sweet treat to enjoy any day of the week.

You can't go past these super-sweet, picture-perfect rosewater and raspberry meringues! They are the perfect balance of sweet, tart and floral. Enjoy a couple with cream or ice-cream for a beautiful dessert.

This fun and playful crocodile cake not only tastes delicious but is super fun to look at - perfect for a little kid's birthday party!

Sweet and delicious- this double-decker sponge will please your weekend visitors.

Rich, chocolatey and utterly decadent, this devil's food cake from The Australian Women's Weekly vintage cookbooks is the perfect treat for birthdays, afternoon teas or even just because.

This classic, simple slice combines all the great baking flavours – lemon, fruits, nuts and vanilla. The icing should be just runny enough to leave adorable little droplets around the edges.

Apple Charlotte is a classic, and as this recipe from The Australian Women's Weekly archives proves, it is still as delicious today as it ever was.

Who remembers jelly cakes? These delicious sponge cakes, filled with whipped cream and coated in sweet strawberry jelly and coconut, are a delight from start to finish.

"These biscuits were unkindly called 'squashed flies' by children; this was probably due to the appearance and slightly acid flavour of the filling." This classic from The Australian Women's Weekly cookbooks will still go down a treat!

Who remembers matches? These dreamy cream slices with lemon and chocolate icing from The Australian Women's Weekly vintage cookbooks are definitely still worth serving up today.

Feather sponge filled with clouds of whipped cream and topped with passionfruit icing.

Crunchy nuts and rich, decadent caramel are a match made in heaven in this peanut butter tart, especially when all wrapped up in golden pastry.

Chocolate brioche is heavenly fresh out of the oven for morning tea. Photo Credit: Murray Lloyd.

These cute little bunny cookies are a great way to get kids involved in the kitchen. Let them cut out the shapes and ice them once baked. Before you know it, you’ll have a fun new family tradition!

Michelin star awarded English chef, Justin Gellatly, shares his winning donut recipe with us that he claims is the world's best.

This light and fluffy pikelet recipe makes a delicious family treat served with jam and cream.

These biscuits are simple, delicious, and always look beautiful.

These mini sponge apple cakes are deliciously moist and syrupy, perfect served with a drizzle of fresh cream.

This moist loaf is divine served warm with a spread of butter or a drizzle of honey.

These sweet pastries make great nibbles for morning or afternoon tea. They are best made and served on the day.

This sweet, moist pudding is absolutely divine served warm, drizzled with rich golden syrup and a spoonful of creamy ice-cream.

These explosive lava cakes ooze an addictively rich stream of chocolate, rum and raisins. Delve beneath the surface if you dare.

The humble apple crumble jazzed up with the glorious addition of apricot - wonderful served warm with a dollop of ice-cream.

Whether you're baking for a high tea, party or simply a treat this classic cake will delight in taste and appearance.

Light, fluffy, and filled with juicy warm apple pieces, this delicious apple sponge cake is wonderful served warm from the oven with a scoop of vanilla ice-cream.

Make your festive season more opulent with this traditional French Christmas cake - infused with dark chocolate buttercream and divine chantilly cream, then decorated to resemble a tree log.

Give your shortbread biscuits a twist by adding orange zest and dipping in dark chocolate. A sweet treat for afternoon tea that family and friends will love.

Fluffy homemade raspberry marshmallow is perfect for kid's parties or a fun dessert.

The flavours of warm apple and delicate chai spices work perfectly in this fluffy French dessert.

Create these divine creamy chocolate pana cotta desserts for your family in no time at all. Beautiful served with fresh strawberries and cream, they are the perfect sweet treat to end a beautiful meal.

Make these cute and colourful gingerbread cookies for the family, a children's party or to give as gifts. They can be made up to 4 days ahead.

Chocolate croissants, or pain au chocolat, are one of life's culinary delights. For this quick mini version of the French classic, your mini-masterchefs will want to help.

These classic little pastries are divine served warm, their buttery crust matching perfectly with the cinnamon and apple filling.

These sweet crunchy apple fritters are divine served hot, drizzled with a chocolate caramel sauce and a scoop of cool ice-cream.

Perfectly sweet and tender apricot pieces are stewed with cinnamon and zesty ginger, then stopped with a sweet, nutty cookie crumble and thick custard.

This gorgeous buttery slice is made even better with the addition of thin apple slices and a delicious lemon glaze.

These decadent pikelets are perfect for a lazy weekend breakfast. Stacked with sliced banana, crunchy toasted walnuts, and an indulgent chocolate sauce, this dish will delight the whole family.

Relive your childhood and share with your family the true joys of a traditional finger bun for morning tea - complete with pink icing and a fluffy, golden base stuffed with juicy sultanas.

There's little room for disappointment with hot, steamy cinnamon-baked sultanas and apples inside a golden, flaky crust.

Deliciously moorish, these sweet biscuits are packed full of chewy dried fruit and crunchy walnuts. Perfect served fresh out of the oven and shared with loved ones.

These beautiful star-shaped biscuits are perfect for Christmas gifts or children's parties. Golden, crumbly and spiced to perfection, they are beautiful topped with a smooth icing and enjoyed with a pot of tea.

This sweet treat can be made ahead and stored in the freezer, so it's perfect for when an attack of the munchies strikes!

With a thick, crumbly crust and warm, cinnamon stewed apples, this apple pie is sure to satisfy the whole family.

This country style classic has a thick buttery crust and is jam packed with lightly spiced stewed fruits - delightful!

Known for being a good source of starch, chestnuts are used in sweetened puree form for these gorgeous baked tarts. Once you top them with softy and chewy meringue, you'll have everyone coming back for seconds.

The irresistible textures of soft stewed apples and crunchy pine nuts swirled through out a delightfully fluffy butter cake will have you reaching for more!

We've added a delightful twist to the much loved Australian dessert, sandwiching light and fluffy lamingtons around a layer of fresh whipped cream.

Deliciously sweet and fluffy, these buttermilk pancakes make the perfect breakfast for a relaxed weekend morning. Topped with warm maple berries and a dollop of vanilla yoghurt, these will set you up for a great day ahead!

Make these crumbly golden biscuits for your children this weekend. Topped with melted chewy jubes, they will love the bright colours and sweetness of these tasty treats.

Making these cute Christmas treats is truly a piece of cake. The special skill comes in adding the festive decorations. You'll need star and snowflake cutters, edible gold paint and a small brush. Bon Noel!

Let the smell of freshly baked muffins surround your kitchen with these deliciously nutty apple and pecan mini cakes.

Indulge in this classic dessert and enjoy the textures of warm, stewed fruits with a crumbly sweet topping. Perfect for a Winter's night!

Beautiful tropical summer fruit is caramelised on the grill and is perfect served drizzled with a sweet coconut rum sauce and a scoop of vanilla ice-cream.

It's no mystery why this luscious dish is such a classic - just take one bite of the crispy base, soft fruity centre and fluffy meringue top to experience pure dessert joy.