“They always put a smile on everyone’s face,” Alison Stanley said when describing her pear tart four years ago.

“I was looking for a nice tart recipe that didn’t involve making pastry.

“It doesn’t take very long, but it looks spectacular when plated up.

“Everyone always says, ‘Wow, that looks wonderful’.”

Trudy O’Connor, speaking later in 2012, understood the impact of serving a special dessert.

“I like the colour and presentation, and the satisfaction it brings,” she said “You can serve a beautiful entree and main meal, but when you serve a great dessert, that’s the thing they talk about.”

The proof lies in the eating for Chris Stern, whose gluten-free chocolate cake has been sampled by many at his sporting club.

“I took it to the committee meeting,” he said. “Seven of us and it was gone before the end of the meeting, so it must have been OK.”

Not that our Casual Cooks want to appeal only to a guest’s sweet tooth.

“I love warm desserts,” Kelsey Shaw said last year.

“I reckon if I had to have a last meal on earth, it would be apple pie or something warm like that.”

Early influences remain a common theme among the bakers and dessert makers.

Two years ago, almost to the day, Kim Healy recalled her mother’s regular baking sessions. 

“I remember coming home from school and the kitchen being filled with all sorts of cakes and slices,” she said. “It smelled glorious and happened once a week.”

Teenager Jye McBurnie adapted another slice for his Mars Bar rocky road.

“It was half my nan’s recipe and then we thought we’d incorporate some Mars Bars and get another chocolate in,” he said.

As a child, Angela Eastman created a little recipe book with her sister,

“Dad used to come home from golf and we’d make a dessert for him,” she said.

Claire Enever, known as The Dessert Queen to her family and friends, shared her recipe for lime and coconut tart in 2011.

“This tart tastes best if made the day before; that’s if you can resist the temptation for long enough,” she said.

Some recipes, like Joan Spinelli’s banana cake, have needed no tweaking for 40 years or more.

“It still works the same as it did then, it’s great,” Joan said.