Mary Berry's Baking Bible

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Traditional and simple, the humble rock cake is inexpensive and easy to make, but will never disappoint. I adore Berry’s cooking and I love the recipes she provided, along with all of the tips and tricks she offers readers.

After being encouraged in domestic science classes at school, she went to college to study catering.I'm especially interested in the very British and classic Victoria Sandwich (Sponge Cake), Banoffee Pie, The Best Scones and The Fork Cookies Recipe. This revised and updated book is filled with an introduction on baking at home, the equipment needed, and all the different terminology. I won't rate/review a cookbook until I actually try a recipe so the first recipe I tried was The Pavlova. For one or two recipes I prefer someone else’s (Nigella’s banana bread) but if I didn’t have much time to mix up the cake I’d always make Mary’s. One of many classic bun recipes that can be found in Mary Berry’s Baking Bible, this is a reliable recipe to revisit whenever the craving strikes.

As with the original, this revised and updated version would a good book for aspiring bakers to use to develop their baking chops (just don't start with the Special Cakes chapter as those recipes are more complex). Mary’s easy-to-follow instructions and handy tips make it ideal for kitchen novices and more experienced cooks alike, and full-colour photographs and beautiful illustrations will guide you smoothly to baking success. In this completely modernised reissue, the 250 bakes include 20 brand-new recipes alongside all of the much-loved originals, which have been newly tested and photographed. Some of the recipes that I most want to make are Crunchy Top Lemon Cake, Special Shortbread Cookies, Millionaire Shortbread (probably one of my all-time favorite desserts), and Bakewell Slices. There are a variety recipes from: Classic Cakes, Spiced Cakes, Chocolate Treats, Cupcakes and other small goodies, Celebration Cakes, Special Cakes, Sheet Cakes, Baking for Children, Crackers and Cookies, Fancy Cookies, Tarts and Pastries, Breads, Fruit Loaves, Buns and Scones, Hot Puddings and Pies, Souffles and Meringues, and a whole Chapter just on Cheesecakes!From perfecting the basics of a classic Victorian sponge cake to testing your baking skills with one of the more elaborate creations in the Special Cakes chapter, this cookbook is here to guide you through a wide range of different bakes and exemplifies what we have all come to love about Mary; reliable and easy-to-follow recipes that deliver perfect results every time. Given the book is about as large a cookbook as can easily be handled I think I’d have preferred less recipes and more pictures. While I was there I discovered the very first Great British Bake Off, known on this side of the pond as the Great British Baking Show. The instructions are easy to follow, the techniques are relatively simple and the results are always very well appreciated in my house! Cordon Bleu trained in Paris, Mary began her career as a magazine cookery editor before publishing her first cookery book in 1966.