The nostalgia.
40 years ago, one of the greatest books ever to be published landed in the hands of parents across the country, becoming a stalwart in households, frustrating parents and revolutionising the childhood party culture.
With its retro cover featuring the iconic red and blue ‘choo-choo’ train cake, The Australian Women’s Weekly’s Children’s Birthday Cake Book became engrained in the upbringing of Aussie children, encompassing the pictures and instructions for dozens of birthday cakes that required just boxed cake mix, pre-made icing and a packet or two of lollies.
From the figure-8 shaped racetrack, the piano, Dolly Varden, and the cricket bat, to the meringue castle, duck featuring chips, Miss Piggy and of course the swimming pool, featuring green jelly, typically Aeroplane Jelly, this glorious creation featured more than 100 cakes modelled after everything us kids could ever dream of. Flicking through those pages and picking out a cake for your birthday each and every year was a rite of passage for most 80s and 90s kids (sorry Mum).
Now 40 years on and having sold half a million copies worldwide, the AWW has released a new hard-cover anniversary edition of the iconic text, which hit newsagents, supermarkets and bookstores last week.
Divided into five themed sections (animals and creatures, playtime, numbers, for everyone and fantasy), this special edition comes complete with a revamped train-cake cover and over 50 of those photos and recipes we obsessed over as kids, alongside some new ones, helpful decorating tips, icings and frostings.
Our next iso baking project is officially sorted.
The Australian Women’s Weekly Children’s Birthday Cake Book 40th Anniversary edition is available now, while stocks last.
