In a celebration of Australian culinary nostalgia, the Royal Australian Mint has partnered with NewsXpress to launch a collectable coin series honouring The Australian Women’s Weekly Children’s Birthday Cake Book.

Australian Royal Mint acting CEO Emily Martin said for this program there are 12 different coins to collect.

“…and they are based on the most popular cakes from the book. You may be familiar with some like The Choo Choo Train, Robert the Robert, and Dolly Varden,” she said.

Marking the book’s 45th anniversary, the initiative cements its status as a cultural touchstone in Australian households. First published in 1980, the beloved cookbook became an instant classic. Its pages featured over 100 themed cakes—from train engines to swimming pools—mostly built from packet cake mix, buttercream, and supermarket lollies.

Despite its humble recipe roots, the book has sold over a million copies and inspired generations of Australian birthday parties. Its influence spilled beyond the kitchen, with the original test kitchen fielding hotline calls from anxious parents navigating last-minute cake crises.

Now, that enduring affection is being transformed into something tangible. The collectible coin program, launching through NewsXpress outlets, will spotlight some of the book’s most iconic cakes—linking childhood nostalgia with national iconography.

“It’s really important to us at the Mint to tell Australian stories, and we tell those stories through coins. So, this is another example of Aussie culture being etched onto a coin,” Emily said.

“In this instance, one of our team members found the book in a bookstore and thought it could possibly be a fun program, so we partnered with the Australian Women’s Weekly and with News Express.

“We’ve been working on the program for the last two years and have been lucky enough for it to coincide with the 45th anniversary of the book.”

The Australian Women’s Weekly captured the excitement in a recent Instagram post: “Do you remember the cakes that made birthdays magical? A beloved Aussie tradition is about to be reimagined—in the most delightful way. We’re cooking up something you’ll want to collect.”

Emily went on to note that the cakes were selected specially by the Australian Women’s Weekly editorial team and were based on the most popular cakes in the book as voted by their readers.

This upcoming collection of coins, arriving June 12, invites Australians of all ages to celebrate a slice of their shared history—one sweet, unforgettable cake at a time.