From nostalgia to now: How our cake kits are bringing back the magic of the Australian Women's Weekly Birthday Cake Book
If you grew up in Australia, the Australian Women's Weekly Birthday Cake Book probably played a starring role in your childhood celebrations. Packed with creative homemade birthday cake ideas, it inspired a generation of parents to roll up their sleeves and make birthdays magical. Clever Crumb cake kits were born out of that same tradition, giving today’s families an easy, stress-free way to create amazing cakes and lasting memories together.
Did you spend hours as a kid flicking through the Australian Women's Weekly Children's Birthday Cake Book, trying to choose between the iconic train, the jelly swimming pool, or the Dolly Varden dress? Meanwhile, our mums were gently steering us towards the ones that wouldn’t add 10 years to their life in a single evening!
Mention this book to anyone this side of the Tasman and you’ll see the same nostalgic smile. Almost everyone has baked, eaten, or at least attended a party where one of these cakes was the star. They weren’t just desserts, they were family traditions.
It was that same love of homemade birthday cakes that inspired Clever Crumb. The Women’s Weekly Birthday Cake Book showed us how special it is to create something by hand. Clever Crumb kits take that spirit and make it simple for modern families, everything you need is in the box, pre-measured and ready to go. You get the joy and memories, without the stress or late-night supermarket runs.
Our Top 5 Australian Women's Weekly Birthday Cakes and Their Clever Crumb Twins
Picture credit - Women's Weekly Food
Women's Weekly - The Train Cake
Ease: ★★★★★
Seen as a badge of honour, if you pulled it off, you were legendary!
Design: ★★★★★
A forever classic.
Our All Aboard Cake Kit lets you recreate this nostalgic favourite without having to carve sponge into wagons at midnight. All ingredients are provided in the kit, including clever pre-made decorations which make putting together a train cake so much easier.
Picture credit - Women's Weekly Food
Women's Weekly - The Swimming Pool Cake
Ease: ★★★☆☆
Moderate decorating required, with tricky jelly setting.
Design: ★★★★★
Delicious, fun and instantly recognisable.
Our Pool Party Kit gives you the same wow-factor with everything included, no last-minute dash for wafer biscuits required or time waiting for jelly to set.
Picture credit - Women's Weekly Food
Women's Weekly - The Dolly Varden Dress Cake
Ease: ★★★☆☆
Moderate, as shaping the skirt can be fiddly.
Design: ★★★★☆
The princess cake every child wanted.
We've put together a Princess Cake Kit that includes the tiara cutter and all of the decorating tools, making a princess-themed cake totally doable for modern parents.
Picture credit - Women's Weekly Food
Women's Weekly - The Number Cakes
Ease: ★★☆☆☆
Simple shapes and easy decorating
Design: ★★★☆☆
Simple and fun design.
We've changed things up a bit, and instead of carving out numbers from slabs of baked cakes, we use cupcakes and arranging guides to make things easy. Our Mermaid Cupcake Kit has to be the most popular number kit so far.
Picture credit - Women's Weekly Food
Women's Weekly - The Teddy Bear Cake
Ease: ★★☆☆☆
Simple shape, with textured icing.
Design: ★★★☆☆
Easier to make than the big showstoppers and perfect for younger kids’ parties.
Our Buddy Bear Cake Kit uses easy decorating techniques and because it comes with everything you need in the kit, there's little-to-no organising required.
Why we love the Australian Women's Weekly Birthday Cake Book
The Australian Women's Weekly Birthday Cake Book gave families a way to create moments that mattered. Clever Crumb is built on that same foundation, bringing back the tradition of homemade cakes, making them achievable, and giving parents more time to enjoy the celebration (instead of cleaning up flour at midnight!).
If you’re excited about creating your own celebration cakes at home, explore Clever Crumb Cake Kits and enjoy the nostalgia of homemade birthday cakes, all with a modern, stress-free twist.