Alison Head of Projects
Baking has become BIG news over the past few years and the increasingly popular Great British Bake Off plays a big part in getting us back in our aprons and baking those yummy Mary Berry recipes!
Here at Eat, we love watching The Great British Bake Off; Mary Berry is our hero and we can’t wait to bake her scrumptious recipes. We’ve already tried out quite a few Mary Berry recipes and we thought it would be a great idea to share our favourite ones with you! Here’s our top 3 so far… So go on, pop your pinny on and get your bake on. What’s more, we’d love to how you did and even hear what your favourite Mary Berry recipes are, so why not tweet us and share what you think!
In the meantime, try these Mary Berry recipes and enjoy…
Mary Berry’s Victoria sponge
Who can resist a classic Victoria Sponge? Sometimes, the simplest cakes are the best and this comforting combination of soft, fluffy sponge spread with lashings of your favourite jam is perfect at any time.
FOR THE SPONGE
- 225g soft butter
- 225g caster sugar
- 225g self-raising flour
- 2 tsp baking powder
- 4 large eggs
FOR THE FILLING AND TOPPING
- About 4 tbsp raspberry or strawberry jam
- A little caster sugar
INSTRUCTIONS
Makes 6-8 slices
1. Preheat the oven to 180°C/fan 170°C/gas mark 4. Cut 2 greaseproof paper circles, grease the sandwich tins with butter and put the circles inside. Grease the circles.
2. Place the butter in a large mixing bowl, then add the caster sugar, self-raising flour and baking powder. Crack the eggs one at a time and then add to the bowl.
3. Using the electric mixer on a slow speed, beat for 2 minutes until smooth. The mixture will be soft enough to drop off the beaters when you lift them up.
4. Divide the mixture equally between the prepared tins and level the surfaces with a palette knife or spatula. Place in the oven and bake for 20-30 minutes.
5. The cakes are ready when they are risen and pale golden. The tops should spring back when lightly pressed. Cool for about 2 minutes; loosen the edges with a knife.
6. Push the cased out of the tins on their bases, invert them and remove the bases. Cool the cakes the right way up on a rack. Soften the jam with a palette knife.
7. When the cakes are cold, remove the lining papers and invert one cake layer onto a plate. Spread with jam, put the other layer on top and sprinkle with caster sugar.
The Ultimate Chocolate Roulade
Oooo… We love a bit of chocolate here at Eat (oh ok, we love a LOT of choc, but keep it to yourself…) and when we discovered this recipe for chocolate roulade we were in chocolate heaven. And even better, there’s not only chocolate, but oodles of thick cream to go with it!
TO START
- 175g plain chocolate, such as Bourneville
- 175g caster sugar
- 6 large eggs, separated
- 2 tbsp cocoa powder, sifted
TO FINISH
- 300ml double cream icing sugar
INSTRUCTIONS
SERVES 8 – 1
Preheat the oven to 180C/fan 160C/gas 4. Lightly grease a 33cm x 23cm Swiss-roll tin and line with nonstick baking parchment, pushing it into the corners.
1. Break the chocolate into small pieces over a bowl and stand the bowl over a pan of hot water; the bowl must not touch the water or the chocolate may overheat. Place the pan over a low heat until the chocolate has melted.
2. Measure the sugar and egg yolks into a large bowl and whisk with an electric whisk until light and creamy. Add the cooled chocolate and stir until evenly blended.
3. In a separate bowl, whisk the egg whites until stiff but not dry. Stir a large spoonful of the egg whites into the chocolate mixture. Mix gently, then fold in the remaining egg whites and the sieved cocoa powder. Spread evenly in the prepared tin. Bake in the preheated oven for about 20 minutes until firm.
4. Remove the cake from the oven, leave in the tin, cover with a dry tea towel and leave until cold.
5. Whip the cream until it just holds its shape and dust a large piece of greaseproof paper with sifted icing sugar. Turn out the roulade and peel off the paper. Spread with the cream. Score a mark 2.5cm in along the short edge, then roll up very tightly like a Swiss roll, using the paper to help. Do not worry when the roulade cracks – a good one should! Dust with more sifted icing sugar to serve.
IN THE AGA
Place on the grid shelf on the floor of the roasting oven with the cold plain shelf on the second set of runners. Bake for about 20 minutes, turning after 12 minutes.
PREPARING AHEAD
Complete the roulade but without the final dusting of icing sugar up to 24 hours ahead, cover and keep in the fridge. Or you could freeze the roulade, again without the final dusting of icing sugar, for up to 1 month.
Classic Lemon Tart
PASTRY
- 225g plain flour
- 150g cold butter, cut into small cubes
- 25g icing sugar
- 1 large egg, beaten
- 2 tbsp water
LEMON FILLING
- 9 large eggs
- 300ml double cream
- 350g caster sugar
- finely grated zest and juice of 6 large lemons
Love your lemons? You’ll love this! No favourite recipe list is complete without a tart and this one is up there with the best we’ve tried – a beautifully sharp, yet luscious lemon filling wobbling on a crisp, sweet pastry base…mmm… Fab with a cuppa!
INSTRUCTIONS
SERVES 8
1. You will need a 28cm deep loose-bottomed tart tin.
2. To make the pastry, measure the flour, butter and sugar into a processor. Whiz until the mixture looks like breadcrumbs and then add the egg and water. Whiz again until it forms a ball.
3. Roll out the pastry thinly on a floured work surface until it is just a little bigger than the size of the tin. Line the tart tin with the pastry, letting the extra pastry hang over the sides of the tin. Place on a baking sheet and then chill in the fridge for 30 minutes.
4. Preheat the oven to 200C/fan 180C/gas 6. Line the tin with nonstick paper and fill with baking beans. Blind bake for 15 minutes in the preheated oven until pale golden brown.
5. Take out of the oven and remove the baking beans and paper. Carefully trim the excess pastry from the sides using a sharp knife. Return the empty pastry shell to the oven for another 10-12 minutes or until it is completely dry. Set aside to cool.
6. Reduce the temperature of the oven to 160C/140C fan/gas 3.
7. Measure all the filling ingredients into a bowl and whisk until smooth. Carefully pour the filling mixture into the cold baked pastry case.
8. Transfer the tart and tray carefully to the oven and bake for 35-40 minutes or until just set but still with a slight wobble in the middle. The filling will sink down a bit when it has cooled.
9. Leave to cool a little, or completely, and then remove it from the tin. Transfer to a serving plate and dust with icing sugar to serve.
PREPARING AHEAD
The tart can be made up to 2 days ahead. Freezes well.
AGA
Bake the pastry blind on the grid shelf on the floor of the roasting oven for 10 minutes. Remove the paper and beans and cook for a further 10 minutes. Fill the tart, then slide back on to the floor with the cold shelf on the second set of runners for 15 minutes or until just set with a slight wobble. Transfer to the simmering oven for 20 minutes until completely set.
Serve warm or cold.
We hope we’ve inspired you to try our favourite Mary Berry recipes and keep your eyes peeled because there’s more coming your way! We’re off to do a little more baking, but don’t forget, we’re also great at baking up some great food marketing ideas so give us a call or drop us an email if you want to know more.
