The perfect balance of sweet and tart, this delicious candied orange peel recipe can be included in desserts, cakes and savoury dishes like tagines.

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

Sweet, rich and fudgey, these chocolate and macadamia squares are beautiful enjoyed with a mug of coffee for an indulgent afternoon tea or dessert.

A classic recipe, this beautifully simple cinnamon tea cake is wonderfully light, fluffy and sweet, perfect to enjoy with a cup of tea as an afternoon treat.

The fairer cousin to a brownie, these white chocolate blondies are stuffed with raspberries and macadamia nuts.

Arranging these coffee walnut scrolls so that they're all touching while they're baking helps keep them light and fluffy. Just pull apart to serve.

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.

A cross between mandarins and grapefruit, tangelos make a jam that's sweeter than marmalade yet still tart, thanks to the fruit's natural acidity. This jam is particularly good spooned generously over rice pudding.

There's something about warm cake that can turn even the most anti-sweet toothed reaching for the fork. These warm ginger and date muffins with caramel sauce are worth writing home about.

The dark caramel flavours of brown sugar and golden syrup spiced with cinnamon mean these simple golden cinnamon biscuits are absolutely full of flavour.

This jam will keep for a year; store in refrigerator. Recipe unsuitable to freeze or microwave.

Homemade jam makes a great gift for family or friends.

An enduring classic, these little French-style strawberry tarts are given a boozy lift with the addition of Grand Marnier.

Blood oranges are in season for all too short a time in winter. They have red-streaked, salmony-coloured flesh with a sweet, non-acidic pulp and juice with a slight berry taste; even the skin is not as bitter as other citrus. Note

Pineapple cream slice

You will need to grate about 2 large carrots for this recipe. Note

Loaf can be stored in an airtight container for up to 3 days. Note

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. Keep the icing that’s not being handled, wrapped tightly in plastic. If logs don’t stick together during rolling, brush sides of logs with a little water. The tent […]

Be sure to remove skewers before cutting and serving cake. This cake is not difficult ­it is, however, time consuming. Note

If using butter cream instead of vanilla frosting, you will need half a quantity of butter cream. We used a selection of small jelly beans, rainbow choc chips and M&M’s for the treasure. You will need 3 x 4-pack (460g) double chocolate chip muffins for this cake. Note

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

If using butter cream instead of the vanilla frosting, you will need one quantity of butter cream. Note

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 […]

While not as old as the Trojan horse used by the Greeks, this cake certainly has the looks of an antique rocker. Note

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

Speculaas are a Dutch Christmas biscuit traditionally made in wooden moulds. If you have them, dust with cornflour or flour; press dough mixture into moulds then draw a knife across the surface to scrape off excess. Turn mould over and slap hard to loosen biscuits onto oven trays. Dust mould with flour between each biscuit. […]

This slice can keep for 3 days. Note

This cake is best eaten on the day it is made. It is important not to over beat this cake mixture, or the sour cream will slip to the base of the pan. Note

Packaged cupcakes usually come iced, however, you can ice over the top with the frosting or remove the icing. Place the muffins in matching paper cases, if you like. Note

This tree takes a little time to make, but it is delightful to look at and delicious to eat. The Christmas tree can be made two days ahead. 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 […]

This king of the jungle cake will be a hit with young explorers at a jungle-themed safari. If the weather is wet or humid, chop the Violet Crumble bars and position them on the cake just before the party, as the damp air will make them sticky. You’ll have about 1 cup of cake mixture […]

This cake will keep in an airtight container at room temperature for 2 days, in the fridge for 1 week, or in the freezer for 2 months. Note

You need one small overripe banana (130g) for the amount of mashed banana used in this recipe. Whoopie pies are best eaten the day they are made. Note

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

This delightful gnome cake by the Australian Women's Weekly is easier than it looks! All you need is some packet mix, a variety of sweets, some food colouring, and a little creativity! Have fun!

You can swap the almonds for hazelnuts or pistachios if you prefer. Note

Remember to remove the skewers from the drawbridge before cutting the cake. 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 can use ready-made air-popped popcorn instead of making your own; you will need about 8 cups. While this looks cute enough for a baby’s first birthday, it’s best not to use the popcorn ­instead, pipe some of the frosting over the sheep to make its woolly coat. Note

These madeleines are best made and eaten on the same day. Note

Treat your little princess to the sweetest birthday cake around this year.

Allen’s Teeth and Milk Bottles can be found in packets of Allen’s Teeth `n’ Stuff and Allen’s Retro Party Mix. Note

Use a gluten-free packet cake mix for this recipe, if you like. Just make sure the ingredients for the butter cream and the decorations are also gluten-free. Number 4 cake pans can be hired from cake decorating suppliers. Note

We used blue and green Life Savers, mini M&M’s, Skittles and baby jelly beans, but you can use any lollies you like. Note

Violet Crumbles can be substituted with Crunchie bars or any other chocolate-coated honeycomb. Note

Warning, warning… the kids will be back for more of this cute robot cake. Get your little robotics engineer to help with the decorating. Note

The cake mix is enough to make 12 patty cakes, so decorate the other six patty cakes with your own favourite critters & crawlers. Note

You need about 3 large passionfruit for this recipe. Note

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. You could use one of those many pictures, drawn by your little Picasso and lovingly stuck on the fridge, to make the scene for the top of this […]

It is fine to use just the one 600ml carton or two 300ml cartons of cream for this recipe. You can vary this dessert endlessly by changing the flavours of the sorbet and the fruit. You can make this dessert ahead of time; once frozen, cover with plastic wrap. Decorate with fresh fruit before serving. […]

You can finely chop the pistachios in a food processor if you like; use the pulse button, in bursts, for an even texture. Cake flour is lower in protein than plain (all-purpose) flour so it produces a finer, more tender crumb in baking. This cake is best made on the day of serving. Note

Stained glass christmas trees

Use any remaining cake mixture to make some extra cupcakes for the party. The cake can be completed at least two days ahead. 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

This loaf keeps for 3 days. Note

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

If syrup is a little thin, remove quince with a slotted spoon, then boil syrup, uncovered, for 5 minutes or until thicker. Note

Build it and they will come…and eat it with gusto. The toy tools are readily available from most toy stores. 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

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

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

A puff of fairy floss makes a soft and cuddly chest for this lovable southern visitor. Note

We used scrap-booking decorations available from craft and hobby shops. This cake can be assembled directly onto a table or covered 24-inch square cake plate. Note

We found that using a cheese slicer is an easy and effective way of making large chocolate curls. You can use this recipe as a guide to make the boxes smaller or larger. Who wouldn’t love to receive a gift as wonderful, and as delicious, as this chocolate box? It’s the perfect present for any […]

You will need about 4 passionfruit for this recipe. Note