Sweet dish

Use any combination of melons you like. You could prepare this salad the day before, if you like; keep, covered, in the fridge. Add mint and juice to the melons when you're ready to enjoy.

Best-ever cheesecake with sticky rhubarb

The Australian Women's Weekly Kids' Perfect Party Book

These pretty jelly parfaits make a delightful kids' party food or dessert. Top with fresh fruit for a colourful flourish.

This is the trifle to end all trifles, the recipe for the ultimate trifle. Sponge fingers, liqueur, raspberries, strawberries and a liqueur spiked mascarpone cream. Delicious.

Praline, otherwise known as nut toffee, is a versatile confection and can be used in many ways, but it's hard to go past a sprinkle on top of a dish of ice-cream for delicious simplicity.

Keeping time: 1 day. This is delicious served warm with cream either as a cake or a dessert. Note

This recipe is also nut-free, egg-free and gluten-free. Note

A fortified wine, like sherry and port, muscat is the result of grapes left to ripen well beyond normal harvesting time, resulting in a concentrated dark, toffee-coloured wine with a rich yet mellow flavour. Note

This divine chocolate tart combines rich sweetness with salty crunch to create a flavour and texture sensation. Delight your guests with this beautiful dessert at your next dinner party - it'll be like nothing they've tasted before.

These bite sized truffles make great gifts, especially at Christmas, as well as a sweet treat for parties or afternoon teas. If you want to go all out, dust with little fragments of gold leaf.

Blueberries are a powerhouse antioxidant and may help lower cholesterol.

Store slice in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 4 days. Note

If preferred, melt chocolate with Copha in the microwave oven on medium (50 per cent) power in 1-minute bursts, stirring after each. Also, to make it easier, spoon the chocolate over the balls and then sprinkle with the coconut or cocoa. Note

Jelly buttons are liquorice flavoured jellies with a crunchy coating. They are also known as jelly spogs. Note

Brownie will keep in an airtight container at room temperature for 4 days; in the refrigerator for 1 week; or frozen for up to 2 months. Note

Rich, chocolatey tiramisu cake with mascarpone cream and plump, fresh raspberries makes a fine end to a special dinner.

These cupcakes are not only sweet and tasty, but are utterly gorgeous too. Make them for your loved ones for a birthday, anniversary or celebration of choice. Divine!

All this layered honey cake needed to take it from tasty to ridiculously delicious was just a touch of mixed spice and lashings of honeyed cream. You'll love it.

test kitchen tip Use iced chocolate doughnuts as nests instead of the cinnamon doughnuts. Note

equipment 3 x 10cm (4-inch) round cardboard cake boards, small offset metal spatula, tape measure, plastic ruler, 4.5cm (1.-inch) fluted round cutter, 3.5cm (1.-inch) fluted round cutter Instead of one large cake, place smaller cakes randomly on the table, display them on stemmed glass cake plates for a charming effect. Cakes can be completed at […]

The caramel and caramelised white chocolate ganache can be made a day ahead; store in an airtight+ container in the fridge. Bring to room temperature before assembling cake. Note

For a lighter dessert, you could use low-fat ice-cream, omit Maltesers and replace the hot fudge sauce with warmed low-joule caramel topping. Note

When we think of soufflés as a sweet, we often think of the chocolate kind. While you won't catch us dissing anything with chocolate in it, this lemon curd soufflé is sweet and tart and exceedingly delicious.

Iced cake will keep in an airtight container for up to three days. Uniced cake can be frozen for up to three months. SERVING SUGGESTION Serve warm as a dessert with cream or custard. Note

If you're looking for a sweet treat that will appeal to young and old and isn't too full of sugar, these frozen coconut bananas with passionfruit dip are for you!

Tia Maria and Kahlua are coffee- flavoured liqueurs. You can substitute your favourite liqueur, if preferred. Note

These impressive desserts are a lot simpler to make that they look, and give the final course a little glamour.

You will need to cook about 1 cup of medium-grain white rice for this recipe. Note

A truly indulgent chocolate cake recipe from The Australian Women's Weekly.

To give as a gift, thread ribbon through centre of the shortbread and tie into a ring. Or, you can hang shortbread from your Christmas tree. Note

These are quite small cakes, so you will need to serve each person two or three. Make sure you use a good quality ice-cream. Note

Try this classic Italian dessert with a hazelnut twist.

Thickly sliced fresh nectarines or peaches can be used in place of figs. Note

For a speedy, elegant dessert, try this French classic with a cardamom twist.

We used packham pears in this recipe. Add a squeeze of lemon juice to the reduced syrup if it is too sweet. Note

Instead of brandy snaps, you could use ginger snap, butternut snap or honey snap biscuits. Note

You need to press the cake mixture into balls using your hands, ­ do not roll as the mixture will crumble. You will need 25 lollypop or paddle pop sticks for this recipe. When dipping the popcakes in chocolate, tilt the bowl of chocolate to one side, so the chocolate is deep enough to completely […]

Classic, creamy and comforting, blancmange is really the French version of panna cotta. It is delicious all on its own, or served with a variety of toppings, for example, berry coulis

If preferred, use eating chocolate, broken into pieces for melting. Be careful not to overheat chocolate when melting as it will become hard and unusable. Add a few drops of peppermint essence to the mixture if liked. Note

While the cooking method may stray from tradition, there are only pure, classic, mouth-watering flavours to be found in these delicious brownies. This recipe is an easy crowd pleaser.

Whoopie pies are best eaten the day they are made. Note

Take an eaton mess, replace the pav with macaroons and add some custard and you have this deliciously layered raspberry dessert in mere moments.

These delicious and refreshing mango and passionfruit ice-cream pops are full of natural colours and flavours and a delightful treat for the kids.

It seems counter intuitive to cook fruit in this way, but char grilling caramelises all of those lovely fruit sugars and brings a great intensity of flavour. Whipped cream completes the experience.

These grilled pears with vanilla ice-cream make a simple, elegant dessert.

Glucose syrup is often quite difficult to measure as it is very thick and sticks to everything. To make it easier, warm the jar of glucose syrup in a bowl of hot water before spooning out the required amount. Lightly oiling the spoon, or heating the spoon under hot water, and drying, will also help […]

Walnut, Date and Ginger Slice

You will need about 9 oranges for this recipe. Grate the rind from the oranges for the custard before juicing them for the jelly. You can make the jelly, candied rind and orange custard a day ahead. Refrigerate jelly and custard separately until ready to assemble. Store rind in an airtight container at room temperature. […]

You will need about four large stems of rhubarb for this recipe. Note

You can make the syrup up to two days ahead and refrigerate, covered, until ready to use. Reheat before pouring over the fruit. You can use this syrup with any fruit, for instance, a selection of tropical varieties such as carambola, rambutan, pineapple, mango or mangosteen. Note

To cut this dessert, use a large hot dry kitchen knife. Cut as many portions as you need, and freeze any remaining dessert covered with foil. Cut the dessert as soon as you take it out of the freezer, but wait about 10 minutes before serving. Note

Incredibly simple as well as zesty and delicious, these tangy lemon squares are a welcome treat when you hit that mid-afternoon slump.

These fudge bars are soft, sweet, rich and will make an excellent sweet snack or finger food style dessert.

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

Fruit can be cooked a day ahead, keep, covered, in the refrigerator. Make bread topping and bake puddings as required. Note

You might have a few puffs left over; freeze them, unfilled. Valentine’s croquembouche Fit a large piping bag with a plain tube (or without a tube); three-quarters fill the bag with pastry mixture. Hold the bag upright, pipe the pastry into 2cm (¾ inch) rounds. Working quickly, use tongs or forks to dip the puffs […]

These zesty poached guavas are so delicious served with a big scoop of vanilla ice-cream.

When folding flour into egg mixture, you can use a large metal spoon, a rubber spatula, a whisk or use one hand like a rake. “This is my mum’s recipe, and whenever I go home, I’ll always find one waiting in the cake tin.” Note

A refreshing, sensational summer dessert with subtle spicy flavours brought to you by Australian Women's Weekly.

Thick ready-made custard is sold in the refrigerated section of supermarkets. Note

Vincotto honey and rosemary take these spiced, poached pears to another level. An elegant end to a dinner party.

Myzithra cheese is the traditional Greek cheese used in this cheesecake; you could use mascarpone as a substitute in this recipe. Note

Serve with chopped mint or basil leaves. Note

Sweet and delicious mandarin moments that will melt in your mouth.

Try this cheats version of a Croquembouche

Raspberry swirl cake

When this classic French dessert is done well, nothing can beat its silky, cream texture. Don't forget to sieve your custard and remember to insulate with a tea towel so the outside doesn't cook too quickly.

On the days when you're pressed for time to come up with the perfect homemade dessert it's perfectly ok to get a little extra help from your local supermarket. Topped with this deliciously tart passionfruit cream, you'd never know the crêpes were store bought.

Buy small brioche from the bakery section of your supermarket or from any French cake shop. This recipe is not suitable to freeze. Note

The word 'junket' normally conjures up images of politicians on 'work' trips in exotic places, or unappetising, lumpy bowls of custard. This dish is, thankfully, neither. It is a smooth, sweet, gingery bowl of goodness.

Sago, also known as seed or pearl tapioca, comes from the sago palm and is used in soups and desserts, and as a thickening agent. You can use Cointreau, Grand Marnier, Curaçao or any other orange- flavoured liqueur in this recipe.

We used crème de cacao, but you could use any chocolate flavoured liqueur you like. Soufflés must be made just before serving. Note

Use lightly oiled scissors to cut turkish delight. You will need about 35 sugar flowers per cake pop. Note

Makes 4 If liked, use canned fruit or fresh berries of choice. For Chocolate Fresh Toasts, use plain bread or fruit bread if preferred. Milk chocolate can be used in place of dark. Make sure the bread is well soaked in the egg mixture before cooking. Note

Creamy chocolate and refreshing peppermint - a match made in heaven. We've added some crispy ingredients to this delicious slice recipe to create a wonderfully indulgent dessert.

The ganache can be made 2 days ahead; store in the refrigerator. When ready to use, beat with an electric mixer until it is of a spreadable consistency. Decorate the log with fresh cherries, if you like. Note