Delicate as the ballerina it was named after, Pavlova is the quintessential summer dessert. Whipped cream is typically dolloped on top of a snowy meringue, followed by a pop of color in the form of fruit, preferably the tart varieties which contrast the sweetness of the meringue.

Research suggests Pavlova is a descendant of the German torte and was invented in the 1920s during Anna Pavlova's tour of Australia and New Zealand, although the exact inventor is still debated. The first recipe for Pavlova appeared in print in 1926, although it was not the dessert we know today, but was instead a multi-colored gelatine dish. 

The world-famous Australian culinary icon Lamington consists of a sponge cake that is dipped in chocolate and sprinkled with finely desiccated coconut. The cake is believed to have been created by accident when Lord Lamington's maid accidentally dropped his favorite cake in melted chocolate.

Lamington, the eighth Governor of Queensland, suggested that the cake should be sprinkled with coconut in order to avoid the mess while consuming it - and the erroneous cake was proclaimed a massive success by all. Today, the cake is extremely popular due to its climate suitability, as it lasts longer in the heat when it's cut in bite-sized squares and covered in coconut. 

Vanilla slice is the Australian answer to mille-feuille - this dessert consists of a thick custard that’s flavored with vanilla, sandwiched between puff or phyllo pastry sheets, and topped with vanilla, raspberry, strawberry, chocolate, or passion fruit icing.

Due to the fact that the texture of the custard is slightly wobbly, the vanilla slice is sometimes also called a snot block. Once prepared, the dessert is cut into slices before being served. This dessert is so popular that there is an annual competition for the best vanilla slice baker, called the Great Australian Vanilla Slice Triumph.

Anzac biscuits are sweet cookies made from a combination of flour, oats, golden syrup, butter, sugar, coconut, and soda bicarbonate. Although the origins of these cookies are not clear, both Australia and New Zealand claim to have invented Anzac biscuits that we know today.

The first known recipe for the biscuits is completely different than modern Anzacs, although other similar recipes were found in the cookbooks of the early 1900s. The cookies are linked to Anzac Day, a day of remembrance of the Australian and New Zealand Army Corps (ANZAC) landing at Gallipoli, because some believe that the biscuits were sent to Anzac soldiers during the war. 

Hot jam donut is an Australian specialty hailing from Melbourne, which is why it's also affectionately known as the Melbourner. Unlike most other donuts, these ones are always served hot, usually from the window of a street food van at the Queen Vic Market.

The donuts are made with yeasted dough that's proved twice and filled with red jam before it goes in the fryer. They're designed to be eaten fresh and hot, and once cooked, crispy on the outside and pillowy on the inside, the donuts are coated in sugar and served in white paper bags.

Synonymous with children's birthday parties in Australia, fairy bread is an unusual dessert consisting of triangle-shaped slices of white bread that are smeared with butter and topped with tiny, multi-colored balls of sugar called hundreds and thousands in Australia, also known as sprinkles in the rest of the world.

No one really knows where fairy bread came from, but its closest relative is called hagelslag, a Dutch chocolate sprinkle topping for sandwiches. Some claim fairy bread was inspired by Robert Louis Stevenson's eponymous poem. The earliest written reference of the dish is found in a 1934 issue of the Sydney Morning Herald, in an article called Christmas Dinner with Toddlers. Easy to prepare, fun, and colorful, fairy bread remains a staple of birthday parties throughout Australia and New Zealand.

Lamingtons are simple sponge cakes coated in chocolate icing and sprinkled with desiccated coconut. This is a version of lamingtons made with jam and cream. The cake is usually made with flour, dark cocoa, eggs, sugar, butter, and vanilla extract, while the icing consists of dark cocoa and icing sugar.

Once baked, the lamingtons are rolled in coconut, cooled, then cut horizontally and spread with fruit jam (usually strawberry or raspberry jam) and vanilla-flavored cream. The cake is topped with the remaining half of the lamington, and jam and cream lamingtons are then chilled until the cream sets. 

Neenish tart is an Australian and New Zealander delicacy, a sweet treat consisting of pastry shells with a custard-like filling, their tops decorated with a thin layer of icing, with each half colored differently. The usual color combinations are brown and white, pink and white, or brown and pink.

The earliest written reference about the tart is found in an Australian newspaper called The Bunbury Herald from 1913, while the oldest recipes for the dish are written under the name Neinich tart, suggesting a possible European origin of the dessert. 

Iced VoVo is a classic Australian biscuit made from wheat flour and topped with a strip of raspberry jam and two strips of pink fondant. These cookies are sprinkled with coconut for the final touch. They have been trademarked by Arnott’s biscuit company since 1906.

These iconic cookies can be found throughout the country and the sales of Iced VoVo skyrocketed in 2007, when Australian Prime Minister Kevin Rudd mentioned them in his victory speech. Iced VoVos are especially popular at children’s birthday parties and they’re usually enjoyed with a cup of tea on the side.