How do you rise to the challenge of catering for a children's birthday party?

Children’s birthdays in general can be a bit of a minefield... expectations are so high on behalf of both the child and the parents and one of the biggest challenges is how to make a birthday cake that will compare favourably with those that have come before…

We go for the morning or afternoon tea option in terms of timing and I always serve very simple food (and always the same things every year): small ham and/or cheese sandwiches, mini meatballs, hummus, carrot sticks and crackers and real fruit kebabs. The only sugar hit in the whole event is the cake... but the cake is the piece-de-resistance and I try to impress...

Last year I made this one with a digger theme:

The year before I made this one with a pirate theme:

Then before that, a train theme:

But this year, I was getting over a nasty bout of flu and I decided that a six year-old birthday party was going to be an easier ride…

Jack, following in my footsteps, has been compiling his own recipe book and found a photo of a chocolaty slice that his liked the look of… ‘Done’, I said, ‘let’s make it for your birthday!’

I hadn’t read the recipe at that point, but it turned out to be a 15 minute no bake slice and one of the easiest things I have ever made… the only downside, is that it uses raw egg, so you need to use eggs you can trust. I buy mine from Yvette in town here, so I know her chooks are healthy and happy.

The kids loved it, the adults loved it and you could only eat little pieces at a time as it was quite rich… and it certainly took the pressure off Mum this year!

Chocolate Fudge Slice

2 packets vanilla wine biscuits

½ cup sultanas

¼ cup walnut pieces

250g butter or Olivani

1 cup raw sugar

1 tsp vanilla essence

½ cup good quality cocoa

2 large or 3 medium eggs, lightly beaten

1. Crush the biscuits in a food processor or in a plastic bag with a clean rolling pin. Line a shallow cake tin (square or rectangle).

2. Melt the butter or Olivani in a saucepan, take off the heat and then add the sugar, vanilla, cocoa, sultanas, nuts and eggs. Stir well.

3. Pour this mixture over the crushed biscuits and mix together very thoroughly.

4. Spoon out into a the cake tin, press down well and refrigerate.

5. After a couple of hours it is ready to serve. Cut into small cubes… and that’s it!