Youngsters will squeal with delight at the sight of these cute little pigs. You could easily make a piglet for each small guest to take home. Instead of tinting your own sugar, you can use the packets of coloured sugar crystals found in packets of Monster 5s or Fairy 5s, available from supermarkets. Note

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

You will need to buy a 265g packet of small lollipops for this recipe. You should never smile at a crocodile, or be taken in by her welcoming grin, but Clara looks friendly enough — maybe! Note

If liked, microwave pumpkin in a little water until tender and drain well. Note

Peanut butter sauce can be made up to 3 days ahead. Leftover sauce can be used over ice-cream. Note

Limoncello is an Italian lemon-flavoured liqueur made from the peel only of fragrant lemons, which is steeped in clear alcohol then diluted with sugar and water. Store unfilled macarons in an airtight container for about a week. Fill macarons just before serving. Note

You can use lemon, lime or blood orange marmalade or your favourite jam instead. Note

Any similar-sized pasta shape such as casarecce, rigatoni or penne would be suitable for this dish. Note

Pies can be cooked one day ahead; keep, covered, in refrigerator. Reheat pies in a single layer on oven trays, covered loosely with foil, in oven (180°C/160°C fan-forced) for about 10 minutes. Uncooked pies can be frozen between layers of freezer wrap for up to three months; thaw in refrigerator for 12 hours or overnight […]

To save time, buy shelled and deveined prawns and calamari rings from your local fish supplier. Some major supermarkets also have a fresh seafood section. Note

These delicious homemade chicken and vegetable rolls are great for sharing.

We used small (15cm/6-inch diameter) packaged pizza bases for this recipe. Note

Equipment deep 23cm (9¼-inch) square cake pan 30cm (12-inch) round or square prepared cake board and a bamboo skewer. The cake can be made a day before the party. Note

This beautiful raspberry and rosewater cake is perfect for a birthday celebration or a Valentine's Day gift for your loved one. Not only does it look amazing, it tastes utterly delicious.

If plums are not in season, use a 1kg (2-pound) jar of whole plums. Drain, halve and seed them before using. Note

Porcini, dried Italian mushrooms, are available from delicatessens, gourmet food stores and some supermarkets. Some butchers sell a pork and veal mixture, this is fine to use here. Buy 625g. Note

Choose freestone peaches as it will be easier to remove the seeds. Note

Aïoli is a garlic mayonnaise; it is available in supermarkets and delicatessens. Note

Be extremely careful when blending hot soup, let it cool a little first. Don’t overfill the blender, one third to half full is a good guide, and make sukre the lid is secure. Alternatively use a stick blender. Note

You can use one quantity shortcrust pastry instead of the store-bought pastry sheets. Note

This is another one of those charming cakes that look so great, but is really quite easy and simple to make. Note

Peaches & Cream are found in Allen’s Party Mix. You’ll have about 1 cup of the cake mixture left over; use to make extra cupcakes for the party. Note

Fruit medley is a combination of chopped dried fruit containing apricots, apples, sultanas etc. Any fruit of your choice can be substituted. Note

Fun, colourful and delicious, this adorable sand castle themed birthday cake is perfect for busy explorers who love spending time at the beach.

A healthy and rich vegetable dish with smoky baked beans and tomato from Australian Women's Weekly.

The tin needs to be coated thickly with melted butter so the roll won’t stick to the inside of the tin. Don’t use cooking-oil spray, as this doesn’t give a good enough coating and the roll will stick and be hard to turn out. If you can’t find nut roll tins, this mixture can be […]

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 […]

Cake is best decorated on day required. Note

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

Quick and easy-to-make crispy roast potatoes with paprika aïoli from Australian Women's Weekly.

A modern take on the traditional French method of cooking “en papillote” (in sealed paper packets), this recipe uses aluminium foil rather than parchment to enclose the ingredients. Cooking this way intensifies the contained flavours. Note

This is a quick version of making a soufflé as the base is not made on a flour-thickened cheese sauce. Note

Tortiglioni, a straight tubular pasta with grooves on the exterior, works well when baked with a chunky sauce, such as this one.

Equipment 6-hole (¾-cup/180ml) texas muffin pan 7 x 12-hole (1-tablespoon/20ml) mini muffin pans 1 yellow texas muffin paper case 77 yellow mini muffin paper cases 50cm-square prepared cake board (see basic know-how number 2, pages 160-161) Decorations 85g packet yellow jelly crystals 400g packet Smarties 1 tablespoon orange sprinkles 5cm piece black licorice strap 25 […]

This adorable princess birthday cake is perfect for kids who love all things pretty and pink.

Panettone are easy to find around Christmas time, at other times they may not be as readily available. You can use brioche instead, adding a handful of sultanas, or thick-cut fruit bread. Note

A crispy and delicious mashed potato casserole is the perfect accompaniment to roast dinners.

Charming little savoury pies filled with a delicious chicken, celery and thyme mix.

You need half a 1kg (2-pound) can plums for this recipe. You can use fresh plums when in season. Fill pastries up to an hour before serving. Note

Keeping time: 4 days. Note

You don’t have to use fruit bread, ­you could use white bread, croissants or panettone. Croissants are particularly delicious with the strawberry jam. Note

To freeze, pack into freezer-proof containers, leaving a 2.5cm space to allow for expansion. Thaw overnight in the fridge. Reheat in a 180°C/350°F oven for 30 minutes or microwave on medium power (50%) until heated through. Note

To make chocolate curls, run a cheese slicer down the back of a slightly warmed block of chocolate. For smaller curls, run a vegetable peeler down the side of a block of chocolate. Note

You need a 7cm (2¾-inch) and a 5cm (2-inch) starshaped cutter. It’s best to use food colouring pastes rather than liquids. Roll, cut and bake one portion of dough at a time. While those biscuits are cooking , roll and cut the next batch, ready for the oven. Note

Cooking time for plums will depend on the ripeness of the fruit. Note

Semolina is available from health-food stores and supermarkets. It can be replaced with 1 cup plain (all-purpose) flour. Lime, orange or mandarin juice and grated rind can be substituted for the lemon. Note

A gingerbread house that’s almost too pretty to eat, but try telling the kids that! Note

These come from the Charente region of south-west France. The name generally refers to a nut-shaped puff from that region.

This cake is at its best eaten on the same day as baking. Keeping time: 1 day. Note

Crispy, crunchy and golden minted tuna triangles that are perfect for sharing with friends at the bach.

For a vegetarian twist on an Italian classic, look no further than this delicious spinach, pesto and parmesan lasagne, for a quick and easy dinner.

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

A quick and easy potato smash with beef and eggplant that is great for the kids.

Light and delicious French-style passionfruit and raspberry eclairs from Australian Women's Weekly.

Sticky, smoky American-style pork ribs with a zesty and crunchy slaw.

A lolly-packed party piñata that the kids will love.

This cake needs to be made at least a day ahead. Or, up to 2 days ahead; store, covered, in the refrigerator. Note

You’ll have about 1½ cups of the cake mixture left over to make more cakes for your party. Note

You can buy sponge cakes for this recipe, if you like (preferably jam and cream filled). You could also buy a large meringue as well, to break up and use to fill and decorate the cake. In this case, you’ll need half the meringue ingredients only, to make the meringue sticks. Note

You need two medium pomegranates (640g) to get the required amount of pomegranate pulp. Note

For an earthier flavour, barbecue the whole eggplant. First prick the skin all over with a fork, then cook the eggplant for about 30 minutes – depending on its size and the heat of the barbecue – or until the eggplant collapses. Cool the eggplant, peel away the skin, then proceed with the recipe. Mini […]

This gorgeous layered cake is the perfect balance of sweet and nutty. It's the perfect celebratory cake to serve at Christmas time.