This super easy strawberry traybake is ‘the easiest cake you’ll ever make’, says Donna Hay

Everyone has to begin somewhere in the kitchen, and for kids, that often means a biscuit, cake or something else deliciously simple and sweet.

“The kitchen is a place for creating, not for being perfect,” writes popular cookbook writer Donna Hay in her new collection, Kids Baking. “Sometimes things will be neat, sometimes they’ll be a little messy or wonky, and that’s exactly how real baking works.”

All young bakers need is curiosity and a little bit of can-do plus some simple step-by-step recipes.

From chewy cookies to fudgy slices, Hay’s cookbook includes perennial childhood favourites that are designed to help children build skills and confidence in the kitchen.

“By following the recipes, you’ll pour, stir, crack, whisk and taste (yes, tasting is important!) your way to yummy things,” she writes.

“Baking is about exploring flavours, textures and ideas. It’s about trying new things, using your imagination and discovering what happens when you mix this with that.”

That doesn’t mean children need to follow recipes precisely – if they’re feeling creative, they can add their own delicious twist. The most important thing is to roll up their sleeves and have a go.

Here are four easy favourites to enjoy with the young baker in your life, from an easy strawberry traybake to lunchbox-ready blueberry muffins.

– Megan Johnston

Super easy strawberry cake

This cake is one that you will make over and over again. It is so easy to mix together, you just need a bowl and a whisk. Get creative and top it with any fruit you have handy – fresh or frozen, it all works. Easy and delicious! The easiest cake you’ll ever make.

INGREDIENTS

• 400g strawberries
• 2 eggs
• ⅔ cup (160ml) vegetable or light-flavoured extra virgin olive oil
• ½ cup (125g) plain thick Greek yoghurt
• 2 tsp finely grated lemon rind
• 1 cup (220g) caster sugar
• 1 cup (80g) desiccated coconut
• 3 tsp baking powder
• 1¾ cups (260g) plain flour
• 2 tbsp caster sugar, extra, for sprinkling

To serve

• extra plain thick Greek yoghurt or vanilla ice-cream

METHOD

1. Preheat the oven to 160C fan-forced (180C conventional).
2. Lightly grease a 20cm x 30cm slice tin and line with non-stick baking paper.
3. Remove the green stems and leaves from the strawberries and slice each strawberry in half.
4. Place the eggs, oil, yoghurt, lemon rind and sugar into a large bowl and whisk until combined.
5. Add the coconut, baking powder and flour and mix until combined.
6. Pour the mixture into the prepared tin. Top the cake with the strawberries.
7. Sprinkle with the extra sugar.
8. Bake for 45-50 minutes or until cooked when tested with a skewer. Allow to cool in the tin for 10 minutes before serving warm, or cool completely in the tin. Slice and serve with extra yoghurt or vanilla ice-cream.

Serves 12

Cook’s note:

Be adventurous – you can swap the fruit topping on this cake for almost any sliced fruit, so let your imagination run wild with any combination you love. I want you to make this cake to delight your tastebuds!

Berry delicious blueberry muffins

INGREDIENTS

• 2 cups (300g) plain flour
• 1 cup (150g) plain wholemeal flour
• 1 tbsp baking powder
• 1 cup (220g) caster sugar
• 2 eggs
• 2 tsp vanilla extract
• ⅔ cup (160ml) vegetable or light-flavoured extra virgin olive oil
• 1 cup (250g) plain thick Greek yoghurt
• ½ cup (125ml) milk
• 3 cups (375g) frozen blueberries, not thawed
• 2 tsp finely grated lemon rind
• 1 tbsp caster sugar, extra, for sprinkling

METHOD

1. Preheat the oven to 180C fan-forced (200C conventional).
2. Line a 12-hole muffin tin with muffin papers.
3. Place the plain and wholemeal flours, baking powder and sugar into a large bowl and stir to combine.
4. Crack the eggs into a separate bowl or jug and add the vanilla, oil, yoghurt and milk. Use a whisk to mix everything together until it is combined.
5. Pour the liquid ingredients into the dry mixture. Use a spatula to mix everything together until it is just combined. Be careful not to overmix.
6. Add the blueberries and lemon rind and gently mix them through.
7. Spoon the mixture into the prepared muffin tin. Sprinkle with the extra sugar.
8. Bake for 25-30 minutes or until lightly golden and cooked when tested with a skewer.
9. Allow to cool in the tin for 5 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to cool.

Makes 12

Cook’s note:

If you are the adventurous or creative type, then muffins are a great place for you! Add chopped fruit, berries, dried fruit and other flavours like ground cinnamon or ginger to make your own wonderful flavour-loaded creations.

The best chocolate cake

INGREDIENTS

• 1 cup (250ml) water
• 200g unsalted butter, chopped
• 2 tsp vanilla extract
• ¾ cup (75g) cocoa powder
• 1½ cups (330g) caster sugar
• ¾ cup (180g) firmly packed brown sugar
• 3 cups (450g) plain flour
• 3 tsp baking powder
• 3 eggs
• 1 cup (240g) sour cream

Chocolate frosting

• 500g milk chocolate, melted and cooled
• 1⅔ cups (400g) sour cream, extra, at room temperature

METHOD

1. Preheat the oven to 160C fan-forced (180C conventional).
2. Lightly grease 2 x 20cm round cake tins and line with non-stick baking paper.
3. Place the water, butter and vanilla into a medium saucepan over low heat. Sift over the cocoa powder and stir until combined and the butter is melted. Remove from the heat. Add the caster and brown sugars and stir until combined.
4. Sift together the flour and baking powder into a large mixing bowl.
5. Crack the eggs into a small bowl and whisk until the yolks and whites are combined.
6. Add the eggs, the cocoa mixture and sour cream to the flour mixture. Use a whisk to mix together until smooth.
7. Spoon the mixture into the prepared tins and bake for 50 minutes or until cooked when tested with a skewer. Allow to cool in the tins for 10 minutes, before turning out onto a wire rack to cool completely.
8. To make the chocolate frosting, place the melted chocolate and extra sour cream into a mixing bowl and mix until smooth.
9. To assemble, place one cake on a serving plate and spread with ⅓ of the frosting. Top with the other cake and spread the remaining frosting over the top and sides to cover.

Serves 10-12

Cook’s note:

If your frosting is too runny to ice your cake then just let it chill out in the fridge for a few minutes. It will thicken up quickly, but if it chills too much and is not as smooth and spreadable as you want, warm it up in the microwave in 5-second bursts to soften it.

The perfect vanilla cupcakes

INGREDIENTS

• 125g unsalted butter
• 1½ cups (225g) plain flour
• 2½ tsp baking powder
• 1 cup (220g) caster sugar
• 2 tsp vanilla extract
• 2 eggs
• ½ cup (125ml) milk

METHOD

1. Preheat the oven to 160C fan-forced (180C conventional).
2. Line a 12-hole muffin tin with cupcake papers.
3. Place the butter into a small saucepan over low heat and heat until melted. Set aside to cool slightly.
4. Place the butter, flour, baking powder, sugar, vanilla, eggs and milk into the bowl of an electric mixer with the whisk attachment.
5. Whisk on medium-high speed for 1 minute or until combined. Be sure to scrape down the sides as you go to make sure everything is mixed in.
6. Spoon the mixture into the prepared tin and bake for 20-22 minutes or until cooked when tested with a skewer.
7. Allow the cupcakes to cool in the tin for 5 minutes, then transfer to wire racks to cool completely.
8. Top with frosting of your choice – see below for some frosting recipes you might like. We used the white chocolate frosting for our cupcakes.

Makes 12

Cook’s note:

To keep your cupcakes light and fluffy, mix them until the mixture is just smooth. If you overbeat the mixture, you could end up with tough little cakes! Still yum, but a bit tough!

Milk chocolate frosting

INGREDIENTS

• 250g milk chocolate, chopped
• 200g sour cream, at room temperature

METHOD

1. Place the chocolate into a heatproof bowl and place over a saucepan of simmering water. Stir until the chocolate has melted.
2. Carefully remove the bowl from the saucepan. Set the chocolate aside to cool.
3. Add the sour cream to the cooled chocolate and stir until combined.
4. Use the frosting to decorate cakes and cupcakes. If the frosting gets a little thick, simply warm over simmering water or in the microwave for a few seconds until the frosting is spreadable.

Makes enough to decorate 1 large cake

Variations:

White chocolate frosting

• In step 1, swap the milk chocolate for white chocolate.

Strawberry frosting

• In step 1, swap the milk chocolate for white chocolate.

• Place 30g freeze-dried strawberries into a small food processor and process until the strawberries are a fine powder. Sift the strawberry powder to remove the seeds and any lumps. At the end of step 3, add the strawberry powder into the frosting and stir until smooth.

This is an edited extract from Donna Hay Kids Baking by Donna Hay, published by Fourth Estate, RRP $55. Photography by Chris Court; recipe and styling by Donna Hay