
Very easy baking recipes to make with kids at the weekend or over the holidays, including easy tray bakes, butterfly buns and cake pops
Find lots of easy baking recipes to make with kids, including simple all-in-one cakes that you can make and decorate together, easy tray bakes and biscuits.
These recipes are a great way to keep your little ones entertained over the weekend or holidays, or a good way to spend a rainy afternoon. Teaching kids how to bake is a great way to get them started thinking about where food comes from and how it’s made, plus with all the mixing and decorating, it’s a great way to practise some key skills like co-ordination and counting. Our simple baking recipes are child-friendly and perfect for all ages, with a little help from you, of course.
Our baking recipes for kids include fun recipes from celeb chef Annabel Karmel and from mummy blogger Anneliese, who knows all about cooking with kids. Plus, we’ve got some step-by-step recipes in there for you too, showing exactly which bits the kids can get stuck into.
And baking isn’t just about getting a yummy treat at the end either (although obviously that’s a fabulous outcome), these clever recipes will teach little ones important life skills. Get them to help you measure out ingredients to practice their counting and grasp of weights and measures. Wet ingredients help foster interest in volume and of course there’s the timing of each bake too. Kids will love counting down the minutes until they can bring their homemade bakes out of the oven and this is the best way we know of getting our kids to sit quietly and watch a timer! If you have slightly older children then you could let them take the baking from the oven themselves, making sure they use oven gloves and go carefully, to teach them about heat safety.
Click through to see all of our easy baking recipes for kids. We’re sure you’ll find one to suit you and your little ones…
These butterfly buns are a real classic to make with your little ones. Filled with cream and jam and topped with sponge ‘wings’, your kids can really get involved in baking these sweet cakes (as well as eating them).
Get the recipe: Butterfly buns

Chewy chocolate oat squares
This serious easy traybake recipe takes just 15 mins to prepare before you pop it in the oven and the kids can help decorate the top any way they like. Go wild with their favourite chocolate bars chopping into bite-sized pieces.
Get the recipe: Chewy chocolate oat squares

Basic cake pops
Now these are a real bit of fun! Bake a simple cake, use leftover cake (or buy one: we won’t tell), then blitze them into crumbs and mix with candy melts or melted chocolate to form little balls that you can push onto lollipop sticks and decorate any way you like. Go for a mix of sprinkles, chopped nuts or chocolate chips.
Get the recipe: Basic cake pops

Mary Berry’s iced fairy cakes
Mary Berry would be proud to see your little ones rolling up their sleeves and making one of her favourite recipes. This recipe may be from the queen of baking but it’s actually very simple. Your kids are going to love decorating each cake with icing and sweeties.

Mary Berry’s lemon drizzle cake
There’s something very moreish about a lemon drizzle cake, and you know this one by Mary Berry is going to be delicious! The simple loaf style means mistakes can’t really be made and kids will absolutely love spooning over the sweet and sticky drizzle once the cake is warm. The real challenge is making this last more than a few minutes once it’s out the oven!

Yogurt cupcakes
Pretty yogurt cupcakes and extra moist and filled with a surprise jam filling. Make a batch with the kids then let them decorate any way they like.
Get the recipe: Yogurt cupcakes

Homemade chocolate digestives
Chances are the whole family loves chocolate digestive biscuits and now you can make your own! Your little helpers can get stuck in with stamping out the rounds and covering them with melted chocolate.
Get the recipe: Homemade chocolate digestives

Sticky marshmallow and chocolate tray bake
Sticky and chewy, this marshmallow and chocolate tray bake is made with storecupboard ingredients includign Rice Krispies, but is so easy to make with little helpers.
Get the recipe: Sticky marshmallow and chocolate tray bake

Rolo cookie cups
With only 6 ingredients on the list and 15 mins in the oven, you can have these tasty little bites ready in no time. The kids are not only going to love making the cookie dough, they’ll love eating them afterwards too (and so will you!).

Annabel Karmel’s banana butterfly cakes
The kids are going to seriously love these butterfly cakes. Made with banana and topped with a sweet caramel icing, these butterfly cakes are perfect for parties and special occasions.

Rainbow cupcakes
Help your little ones to make these impressive rainbow cupcakes. Colour each part of the mixture with a different food colouring and add into the cupcake cases. Your child’s face will light up when you cut into them to reveal the rainbow layers.

Maltesers cookies
Made with a simple dough and packed with Maltesers, you just can’t go wrong with these cookies. Ready in only 25 mins, these biscuits are perfect for a spot of Sunday baking.

Weetabix cake
If the kids love Weetabix as their morning cereal, they’re going to love this easy to make Weetabix loaf cake. It may take a little while to bake but this loaf cake is certainly worth the wait made with Weetabix, banana, sultanans, raisins, apricots and cherries.

Annabel Karmel’s chocolate orange brownies
In just a few simple steps, you can have these mouth-watering brownies baked and ready to serve with a scoop or two of ice cream. The kids are really going to love making these brownies, and not just because they’re delicious.

Pastry pretzels
Get the kids to bake their own lunch with this next recipe. This recipe shows you how to make a light pastry from scratch and how to flavour it with cheese too. The kids are going to love rolling out the dough and watching them rise in the oven.

Annabel Karmel’s farm animal cupcakes
This recipe shows you how to make pretty little cupcakes as well as how to decorate them as fun animals! Watch their little faces light up as they make marshmallow sheep, pigs or biscuit dogs.

Easy chocolate cupcakes
We challenge you to find a child who doesn’t love a chocolate cupcake. This simple method keeps fuss to a minimum and there’s plenty the kids can help with (and we don’t just mean licking the batter off the spoon!) Get them to read out the quantities needed and help you make sure everything comes out at the same weight. Then, when you’re ready, they can help fill the cupcake cases with a spoon. Finally there’s the decoration – which is the best bit – either follow our easy icing instructions for older children or simply used melted chocolate and sprinkles for younger kids if preferred. Either way they’ll be delicious!

Bread pudding bites
Popping over to the grandparents’ house at the weekend and want to bring them a treat? Get the kids to whip up these delicious bread pudding bites ready to share with the grandparents in the afternoon with a nice cup of tea. They’ll love showing off their hard work!

Porridge bars
It doesn’t take much to make these tasty porridge bars. It’s a bit of a messy recipe, but we promise the kids will have so much fun making them(plus, they are packed with good ingredients!).

Rainbow vegetable pizza
Get the kids to help make the family dinner with this child-friendly pizza recipe. The best thing about this recipe is the simple base made with only two ingredients – flour and yogurt. The kids can shape it into whatever they like and top with their favourite veggies too.

Oat raisin cookies
Keep the kids entertained and their friends too by making up a batch of these delicious cookies. Made with oats and raisins, these cookies are ready to eat in just 30 mins.

Victoria sandwich
This simple Victoria sponge recipe is a real classic, and looks really impressive without too much effort needed thanks to just a handful of ingredients. Little ones can get to grips with weights and measures while weighing out the flour and sugar and will love mixing everything together. If you have a set of balance scales you can also show them a fun trick where you weigh out all the ingredients to equal the weight of the eggs – this will make a perfect Victoria sandwich every time!
Get the recipe: Victoria sponge

Hearty Smartie chocolate cake
This recipe is perfect for older children who fancy their hand at a spot of serious baking, especially if they’ve been watching the Great British Bake Off with you. They can learn how to make a mouth-watering chocolate cake with our simple step-by-step recipe and how to decorate it with Smarties.

Banana Angel Delight cookies
If your little one is a fan of Angel Delight, they will love making and eating these cookies. Baked in just 15 mins and made with only 7 ingredients, these cookies are a real treat that the kids can enjoy with a glass of milk.

Baked bean muffins
If your kids are a massive fan of baked beans, they’ll definitely want to make these savoury muffins. The perfect packed lunch treat or after school snack, these muffins can be cooked in just 25 mins.

Jazzy shortbread biscuits
Jazzy shortbread biscuits make a fun activity for the kids to take part in at a birthday party or kids club. Roll up your sleeves and get involved too in the rolling, melting chocolate and decorating with sprinkles. The kids will have a ball!

Chocolate caramel cupcakes
Chocolatey caramel cupcakes are going to be big hit with the kids. From measuring to decorating, your little ones can help out at every stage. These delicious cupcakes are topped with a rich chocolate and caramel sauce as well as your little ones’ favourite sweets.

Peanut butter and jam slices
Peanut butter and jam fans are going to love these slices! This easy tray bake takes 15 mins to prepare and makes 12 bite-sized squares, perfect as an after school treat or mid-morning snack.

Animal cookies
Cute animale cookies are made simply with vanilla and are super easy to decorate with writing icing and a steady hand. You can make all sorts of shapes, including these sheep!
Get the recipe: Animal cookies

Giant M&M cookies
Who doesn’t love a giant cookie? These M&M cookies will make everyone smile (and reach for one). This recipe uses regular M&Ms but you could try peanut or a different flavour instead.

Mini Victoria sponges
Introduce your child to making classic sponge cakes by making mini versions instead. These mini Victoria sponges are ideal for beginners. Sandwich together with strawberry jam and cream and enjoy!

Custard thumbprint biscuits
These custard thumbprint biscuits are ideal for making with toddlers as they’re a really simple bake that doesn’t take too long to make so they won’t get bored in the process. They can also get their hands messy too.

Milkshake mice cupcakes
Do your little ones love milkshake? Yes? Well, they’ll certainly love these cupcakes. Made with strawberry milkshake powder, these mice cupcakes are so simple to make and decorate. They taste delicious too.

Spotty muffins
Smarties fans are going to love these easy spotty muffins. Ready in just 30 mins, this recipe is a good one for those boring Sunday mornings or late Saturday nights when you want to find a way to keep the kids entertained.