Gingerbread man party cake

Follow our step-by-step guide to icing a fruitcake with white fondant and marzipan, then decorate with smiling gingerbread men and cute candy canes

Instant vanilla ice cream

Children will love this – part recipe, part science experiment, milk transforms into delicious ice cream in front of their eyes

Love bug biscuits

These cute cookies decorated with fondant icing in a heart-shaped ladybird pattern would make a lovely romantic gift

Eerie eyeball pops

These spooky chocolate cake balls will be a hit with kids at Halloween – they can help decorate them too

Red velvet cake

Bake a modern classic with this fabulous red velvet cake. With a light chocolatey flavour and bright red sponge, it’s both delicious and gorgeous to look at

Chicken & almond pastillas

Morocco’s very own version of the pasty – spiced meat and apricots are wrapped in crisp filo pastry and finished with cinnamon sugar

French rhubarb tart

Take your time with this pretty in pink dessert and you’ll have a fruit pie worthy of any Parisian patisserie shop window

Red velvet choc-cherry cupcakes

Very cherry chocolate sponges dotted with fruit and topped with creamy frosting – perfect for a cake sale

Rudolph cupcakes

Get the kids into the kitchen to decorate these individual chocolate sponges with frosting and sweets

Christmas wreath cake

Turn one fruitcake into two with these festive ideas – this one is a decorative holly ring with fondant icing (find the second recipe in ‘goes well with’)