Kate Ritchie is an Australian icon herself, but when she combines her status with another iconic tradition Down Under… well, great things happen.
And what exactly are those great things, you ask? Only the most recognisable, delicious cakes our humble country is synonymous with baking on any given birthday.
Yes, the Australian Women’s Weekly Children’s Birthday Cake Book is an undisputed national icon with its array of unique, creative and frankly, delicious recipes for any and every birthday occasion.
From the infamous Barbie cake to the milestone numbers, Australians have enjoyed the light and fluffy (well, hopefully fluffy) creations for decades.
Now, as Kate Ritchie’s daughter Mae turns six, she’s continuing the tradition.
Kate is carrying on an iconic Australian tradition with her daughter Mae as she celebrates her sixth birthday.
(Instagram)“Of the six birthday cakes I have baked for my daughter three have come straight from the Australian Women’s Weekly Children’s Birthday Cake Book,” Kate tells The Weekly.
“And the other three have certainly been inspired by it,” she added before describing the familiar creations she’s whipped up for Mae over the years.
“I’ve done the Number One covered in chocolate drops, the Coconut covered Bunny Rabbit for birthday number two and the Barbie princess cake for number three.”
While there are many variations of the Barbie princess cake doing the rounds on the internet, Kate provided us with an image of what she managed to concoct from the recipe – and it’s quite impressive!
Kate made her daughter Mae this iconic Barbie cake for her birthday.
(Supplied)Kate said she and her daughter are big bakers in the kitchen, too.
One of her own early memories was flicking through the pages of the iconic Children’s cake recipe book, and now, she continues to do it with her own daughter.
“My earliest memory of [the birthday cake book] was flicking through the pages in wonderful birthday anticipation.. Something I do with my own daughter now,” Kate said.
She said Mae enjoys the fun of being in the kitchen, with a little extra incentive at the end.
“It is just good fun with a lovely sense of achievement attached when we can stand back and marvel at our creations,” she said, before adding: “I can’t deny the fact that scoring the bowl and the spatula serves as excellent encouragement to get involved too!”
Mae (and all of us, to be honest), was well impressed with Kate’s bunny cake creation.
(Supplied)And just because Kate isn’t a kid anymore doesn’t mean she can’t still have her own children’s birthday cake flashback.
“I knew I had a pretty special group of girlfriends when for my 30th birthday they baked me the lion’s head cake (I’m a Leo), complete with mane and liquorice whiskers!” She told us.
Her pals even made the effort to carefully travel it to the Potts Point restaurant where she blew out her candles.
“This was before we all had children so that tradition has come to a grinding halt and our cake making efforts are reserved for the little people in our lives these days,” she added.
Old or young, it looks like the tradition is alive and well where Kate and Mae are concerned.
The Women’s Weekly Children’s Birthday Cake Book is celebrating it’s 40th anniversary with a brand new edition, which you can buy here.
