There’s nothing quite like having a really good, simple melt-and-mix chocolate cake up your sleeve – one that wows everyone every time it’s served up. This is that cake.

“This cake is always guaranteed to impress, but is really quite simple to prepare. Not that anyone needs to know…” – Tracey Pattison. You'll need 2 x 20cm springform pans for this recipe.

"Devil’s food cake is really an all-time favourite; rich and velvety, fudgy, and yet somehow light enough to be used in so many different ways – for cupcakes, as a layer in your next trifle or dressed up as a celebration cake." – Emelia Jackson

"This melt-and-mix recipe has a sturdy structure which actually improves with age (you can wrap it in plastic wrap and store it in the fridge for 1-2 weeks; it just gets fudgier and fudgier), making it the perfect choice for a stacked celebration cake." – Emelia Jackson. You'll need to start this recipe a day ahead, and you’ll need a piping bag with a large round nozzle.

"Snacking cakes are just that – they’re the perfect cake to keep in your kitchen, so you (and your loved ones) can simply keep coming back over the next day or two to slice off sections for snacking on… if it lasts that long!" – Tracey Pattison. You'll need a 22cm x 32cm x 3cm-deep slice pan and a kitchen blowtorch for this recipe. Hot chocolate snacking cake

“This cake can be served without icing and just a light dusting of cocoa powder, or dressed up to the nines, as it is here.” – Yotam Ottolenghi

These mocha crepes are the perfect dessert for a cosy night in.

“I just adore this pie – it’s so decadent and moreish, and when it stands at room temperature, the filling softens and becomes more fudge-like.” – Tracey Pattison

Chocolate and caramel rule in this easy layer cake. Perfect as a birthday cake idea or for special celebrations, you can be sure that there won’t be any leftovers. You’ll need 2 x 20cm round cake pans for this recipe.

A triple-threat of desserts, this simple chocolate fudge pudding oozes indulgence topped with a sweet, homemade butterscotch sauce.

"As a lifelong committed thin cookie lover, I was certain I didn’t need or want a NYC Levain Bakery–inspired, super-thick cookie in my life. But my first big cookie changed all that. Where had these irrationally huge macadamia-studded joys been all my life?! I make them often now, keeping a freezer stash of raw ones to bake at a craving’s notice. To adapt Nora Ephron’s line from the movie When Harry Met Sally, ‘When you realise you want to spend the rest of your life with a cookie, you want the rest of your life to start as soon as possible.’ I like to make the dough the day before and rest overnight, but it can be as little as 1 hour 30 minutes from toasting macadamias to baked cookie if you are excited!" – Natalie Paull. This is an edited extract from Beatrix Bakes: Another Slice by Natalie Paull (Hardie Grant Books, RRP $50. Available in stores nationally).

If you're looking for a fudgy, decadent chocolate cupcake recipe, these devil's food cupcakes will certainly deliver. Promising rich, velvety cakes with a generous spread of smooth chocolate buttercream, these sinfully delicious treats will take your chocolate cupcake game to a whole new level. Perfect for a school bake sale or an office morning tea, this is one easy cupcake recipe you'll keep returning to.

This pudding hits all the right notes. It's crunchy on the outside and super fudgy in the middle, with an irresistibly decadent sauce.

“Chocolate mud cake is such an easy cake to make, and one that yields truly impressive results. Once you’ve melted together the wet ingredients, be sure to let them cool completely before adding in the flour. This will ensure you don’t get a gummy texture. A little hack to speeding up this process is to use fridge-cold eggs. This needs to be baked low and slow – it needs time to set. After all, it is predominantly made from chocolate, butter and sugar. Don’t be tempted to increase the oven temperature.” – Emelia Jackson. You'll need to start this recipe at least 6 hours ahead, and you’ll need a 20cm round, 7cm-deep cake pan.

This is an edited extract from Beatrix Bakes: Another Slice by Natalie Paull (Hardie Grant Books, RRP $50. Available in stores nationally).