Donna Hay releases new cookbook titled Kids Baking

Australian food personality Donna Hay has released a new cookbook titled Kids Baking, featuring a chocolate cake she describes as “fudgy yet fluffy,” alongside recipes for funfetti and strawberry cakes designed to build children’s confidence in the kitchen.

The Recipe Behind the Claim

Priced at $55 and published by Fourth Estate, the book targets young bakers with simple and achievable methods. The featured chocolate cake serves 10 to 12 people and requires standard pantry items alongside specialty additions like sour cream and milk chocolate. The process begins by placing 1 cup of water, 200 grams of chopped unsalted butter, and 2 teaspoons of vanilla extract into a saucepan over low heat, followed by sifting in three-quarters of a cup of cocoa powder.

According to the recipe specifications, bakers add 1 and a half cups of caster sugar and three-quarters of a cup of brown sugar after removing the pan from the heat. The dry mixture combines 3 cups of plain flour and 3 teaspoons of baking powder in a separate bowl. Whisking three eggs together before adding them alongside the cocoa mixture and 1 cup of sour cream creates the batter, which bakes at 160 degrees Celsius (325°F) for 50 minutes in two 20-centimetre round tins.

The accompanying chocolate frosting utilizes 500 grams of melted and cooled milk chocolate mixed with 1 and two-thirds cups of extra sour cream at room temperature. Hay notes in the text that the kitchen serves as a place for creating rather than achieving perfection, encouraging children to embrace messy or wonky results.

Funfetti and Strawberry Cake Variations Join the Collection

Beyond the chocolate bake, the collection includes a funfetti cake described as a party hiding inside a cake. This variation calls for 125 grams of unsalted butter, 1 cup of caster sugar, 2 vanilla extract teaspoons, 2 eggs, three-quarters of a cup of milk, 1 and three-quarters cups of plain flour, 2 baking powder teaspoons, and a quarter cup of sprinkles. Whipping pure cream and double cream together provides the topping for this specific bake.

The strawberry cake rounds out the selection as an accessible option requiring only a bowl and a whisk, with Chris Court going so far as to label this the easiest cake you’ll ever make and adding that It is so easy to mix together, you just need a bowl and a whisk. The recipe uses 400 grams of strawberries, 2 eggs, two-thirds of a cup of vegetable or light-flavoured extra virgin olive oil, half a cup of plain thick Greek yoghurt, 2 teaspoons of grated lemon rind, 1 cup of caster sugar, 1 cup of desiccated coconut, 3 teaspoons of baking powder, and 1 and three-quarters cups of plain flour. Hay states that bakers can substitute the strawberry topping with almost any sliced fruit available.

Kids Baking is available now, offering home cooks structured instructions on how to handle frosting temperatures and manage baking tins, while instructing bakers to preheat the oven to 160°C (325°F) for the strawberry recipe.