Did you know that The Australian Women’s Weekly Children’s Birthday Cake Cookbook has delighted families for 45 years this year? It has been a staple in many Aussie households for generations. Spreading joy and a whole lot of buttercream with its fun and (mostly) achievable cake designs.
Now, fans of the iconic (if we do say so ourselves) birthday cake cookbook can collect more than just memories! From Thursday, 12 June, you can collect coins celebrating these iconic party cakes, too.
The Royal Australian Mint, in partnership with NewsXpress, has a new collectible coin program coming!
What are The Australian Women’s Weekly Children’s Birthday Cake Cookbook coins?
The Mint is proudly releasing 12 coins, each honouring the book’s most iconic cakes. From the unforgettable Choo-Choo Train that graced the cover and inspired countless birthday wishes, to the jelly-filled Swimming Pool, the lolly-laden Candy Castle and the charming Cuddly Koala — these coins are a delicious tribute to Aussie nostalgia.
The series features 11 $1 coins and a $2 coloured coin, available in four different packaged formats of coin-in-card, 10-coin tube and folder, proof coin in cake book, 12-coin recipe card collection and till coin. They’re perfect for gifting, collecting, or proudly displaying next to your (batter-stained) copy of the original book!
Furthermore, there are 10 individual $1 coins in a card available, or you can buy the tube and folder set, with a one-in-10 chance of finding a special Choo-Choo Train coin instead of the Racing Track coin.
The special limited edition hardcover Children’s Birthday Cake Book with a proof $1 Choo-Choo Train coin, as well as the complete collection, including both the limited uncirculated $1 Choo-Choo Train coin and $2 coloured Hickory Dickory Watch Clock coin, can be purchased in the 12-coin recipe card collection.
Designed by the Mint’s Lydia Ashe, each coin captures the quirkiness of its original cake: popcorn hairstyles, chocolate-finger echidna quills, potato-chip beaks, and sprinkles galore. You’ll spot beloved classics like Rubber Ducky, Dolly Varden and Robert Robot, alongside the infamously ambitious Tip Truck and the wonderfully detailed Humpty Dumpty.
Where can you get The Australian Women’s Weekly Children’s Birthday Cake Cookbook coins?
The coins are available from Thursday, June 12, online at NewsExpress, at participating NewsXpress stores, and at the Royal Australian Mint.
The collection of birthday cakes from the original Birthday Cake Cookbook has touched the lives of many in Australia. Maybe your mum made you the train? Or your kids were delighted when they saw Bluey and his family making the Duck Cake? Or perhaps you yourself attempted the swimming pool? Now these cakes will be immortalised in more than our memories, photos, and the pages of “Australia’s most famous children’s cake book”!
We speak to the original creators of the iconic Women’s Weekly cakes
For a deep dive into the lore of The Australian Women’s Weekly Children’s Cake Book, head to Women’s Weekly Food. There you can find tips and tricks on how to perfect any of the cakes. Furthermore, you can uncover the history of the cakes in the Birthday Cake Cookbook from the women who made them!
Including the incredible story of how the Duck Cake came to be!
A Current Affair came behind the scenes with some of the original creators of the cakes from The Australian Women’s Weekly Children’s Cake Cookbook. Watch our interview with the bakers below!
Check back for all the exciting things we’ve got planned in 2025 – from recipes to competitions, new videos and more.
And be sure to keep an eye on the Women’s Weekly Food and also the Mint’s Instagram accounts as more is revealed…
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