Mary Berry

Mary Berry’s chocolate fairy cakes are small, light chocolate sponges made by swapping 25g of the self-raising flour for sifted cocoa powder, baked in paper cases in bun tins at 200°C (Gas 6) for 15-20 minutes. The recipe makes about 18 cakes using her all-in-one method, with everything beaten together in one bowl for 2-3 …

Mary Berry’s iced fairy cakes are light sponges baked in paper cases and topped with a simple glacé icing made from icing sugar and warm water, decorated with fancy sweets. The sponges bake at 200°C (Gas 6) for 15-20 minutes, the icing takes 2 minutes to mix, and the recipe makes about 18 cakes. Berry’s …

Mary Berry’s fairy cakes are light, golden sponges baked in paper cases in bun tins, made from a Victoria sponge mixture with margarine, caster sugar, eggs, self-raising flour and baking powder, baked at 200°C (Gas 6) for 15-20 minutes. The recipe makes about 18 cakes using her all-in-one method where everything goes into one bowl. …

Mary Berry’s red velvet cupcakes are moist, lightly chocolatey sponges coloured with red food-colouring gel, topped with a tangy cream cheese frosting piped through a star nozzle, baked at 180°C (160°C fan) for 20-25 minutes. The recipe makes 12 cupcakes using her all-in-one method, so everything goes into a single bowl. Berry’s headnote in Foolproof …

Mary Berry’s toffee cupcakes are sticky, caramel-flavoured sponges made with light muscovado sugar and black treacle, topped with a buttercream icing swirled with homemade toffee sauce, baked at 180°C (160°C fan) for about 20 minutes. The recipe makes 12 cupcakes and they keep for 1-2 days in an airtight container. Berry calls these “sticky toffee …

Mary Berry’s lemon meringue cupcakes are soft lemon sponges with freeze-dried strawberries folded through, filled with lemon curd and topped with a glossy Italian-style meringue browned with a blowtorch, baked at 180°C (160°C fan) for 18-20 minutes. The recipe makes 12 cupcakes and the sponges freeze well without the topping. Berry describes these as “strawberry …

Mary Berry’s gluten free chocolate cake is a rich, fudgy, flourless sponge made with dark chocolate, ground almonds, eggs and a touch of coffee, baked at 190°C (170°C fan) for about 50 minutes, then covered in a glossy chocolate and butter icing. Ground almonds replace the flour entirely, giving the cake a dense, moist texture …

Mary Berry’s ginger flapjacks are chewy, golden traybake squares made with porridge oats, demerara sugar, golden syrup, dark chocolate and chopped stem ginger, baked at 160°C (140°C fan) for 35-40 minutes. The recipe makes 24 squares from a 30 x 23cm tin and they keep for up to 2 weeks in a cake tin. Berry …

Mary Berry’s chicken and leek pie is an old-fashioned puff pastry pie filled with cooked chicken, leeks, portabella mushrooms and thyme in a creamy sauce made from apple juice, chicken stock and crème fraîche, baked at 200°C (180°C fan) for 35 minutes. Berry gives quantities for both 6 and 12 servings in the same recipe. …

Mary Berry’s toad in the hole is crispy, well-risen Yorkshire pudding batter baked around browned pork sausages, served with a rich onion gravy made from beef stock, soy sauce, Worcestershire sauce and balsamic vinegar. The individual toads bake at 220°C (200°C fan) for 15-18 minutes, or you can make one large version in a roasting …