Baking with Mary Berry: Cakes, Cookies, Pies, and Pastries from the British Queen of Baking

by Mary Berry

A sweet and savory collection of more than 100 foolproof recipes from the reigning "Queen of Baking" Mary Berry, who has made her way into American homes through ABC's primetime series, The Great Holiday Baking Show, and the PBS series, The Great British Baking Show.

Baking with Mary Berry draws on Mary's more than 60 years in the kitchen, with tips and step-by-step instructions for bakers just starting out and full-color photographs of finished dishes throughout. The recipes follow Mary's prescription for dishes that are no fuss, practical, and foolproof-from breakfast goods to cookies, cakes, pastries, and pies, to special occasion desserts such as cheesecake and soufflés, to British favorites that will inspire.

Whether you're tempted by Mary's Heavenly Chocolate Cake and Best-Ever Brownies, intrigued by her Mincemeat and Almond Tart or Magic Lemon Pudding, or inspired by her Rich Fruit Christmas Cake and Ultimate Chocolate Roulade, the straightforward yet special recipes in Baking with Mary Berry will prove, as one reviewer has said of her recipes, "if you can read, you can cook."

Genres: Cookbooks, Cooking, Nonfiction, Food, Reference, Adult, Culinary

192 pages, Paperback

First published November 3, 2015

About the author

There are multiple authors in the Goodreads database with this name.

Mary Berry is an English food writer and television presenter. After being encouraged in domestic science classes at school, she went to college to study catering. She then moved to France at the age of 21 to study at Le Cordon Bleu school, before working in a number of cooking-related jobs.

She has published more than seventy cookery books (her first being The Hamlyn All Colour Cookbook in 1970) and hosted several television series for the BBC and Thames Television. Berry is an occasional contributor to Woman's Hour and Saturday Kitchen. She has been a judge on the BBC One (originally BBC Two) television programme The Great British Bake Off since its launch in 2010.

Reviews

[Scottsdale Public Library]

Mary Berry is not only one of the BEST parts of the Great British Bake Off (available here at SPL); she really knows how to make some scrummy bakes! There is some great range to the recipes here fast and easy to more complex and things you would probably only make for a special occasion. I loved the crumbles (I tried several) and the pear and ginger pavlova was very well received as well. The techniques guide was a nice addition and I think would make these bakes more approachable to the novice or teen bakers. -Alexis S.

[Emma · Rating 2 out of 5]

Like many others, I am a fan of The Great British Bakeoff and wanted a cookbook that would give me recipes with similar tips for success that you get on the show. While this book has many things that I like in a cookbook, such as an easy-to-read layout, informative table of contents, and color pictures, I was disappointed that each recipe is simply a list of ingredients and basic directions. I didn't realize, until I tried to use this cookbook, that I look for recipes to have a little blurb or description of variations, troubleshooting, or even a description of what it is traditionally served with. Very few recipes in this book have a blurb, and so I was left feeling like this book is not as comprehensive as I would expect from the proclaimed "queen of baking." I tried the recipe for choux pastry, and its ingredients and directions were too basic. My pastries were too flat and not crisp enough. If she had written a few of the tips that I learned from watching the episodes of Bake Off (and others I learned in doing my own research about choux pastry), I would have given this a higher rating and felt like it lived up to the expectation.

[Beth Cato · Rating 5 out of 5]

I adore the Great British Bake Off, and one of the vital parts of that show is Mary Berry. She's a shrewd baker who provides thoughtful, considerate critiques, and is best known for her judgment of pies with soggy bottoms. I was delighted when my mom bought this cookbook for me for Christmas. Mary has published scads of cookbooks in the UK, but this is the only one released in the States with American-standard measurements.

I had permission from my mom to not wrap this gift, but to utilize it for the holidays. Therefore, on Christmas Eve, I made Mary's recipe for double-crust apple pie, which also used her recipe for rough puff pastry. It was different than my usual apple pies--the apples are softened on the stove top, which drains off a lot of juice--but the resulting pie was good. It was less sugary than our American-style apple pies, usually loaded with caramel or spices, but it really emphasized the apple and the pastry together. Plus, it did NOT have a soggy bottom.

There are a bunch of other recipes I'm eager to try, too, such as choux pastry (a total failure the one time I tried it years ago), chocolate muffins and cakes, an apple tart, and a Swiss roll. I don't think Mary Berry will steer me wrong!

[QNPoohBear · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a very nice intro to baking book with some of Mary's most classic recipes and some classic American recipes as well. The baking technique tips in the beginning of the book look helpful. Some of the recipes seem simple

This book is divided into sections by type of bake:
Breakfast
Cakes, Cupcakes & Pastries
Cookies, Bars & Brownies
Pies, Tarts & Cobblers
British Favorites
Special Occasion Desserts

The recipes seem straightforward although some require special ingredients not commonly found in American grocery stores. There is also a chapter on steamed puddings which are not really common here in America.

I bookmarked a few recipes to maybe try once I finish all my Easter and birthday cakes and candy!

[Jamie Canaves · Rating 5 out of 5]

MARY BERRY!

Okay, so I got this because I'm a HUGE fan of The Great British Bake Off and I always want to make the stuff on the show.

Do you need to be a fan of the show or know Mary Berry to want this cookbook? No.
If you love the show will you like the cookbook? YES.

There is a huge range of recipes from zucchini bread to Heavenly Chocolate Cake with everything in between like French Pancakes. You get a pretty picture, list of ingredients, and the directions. All of it was or looks simple-- most had 3 - 5 steps and basic ingredients like flour, sugar, butter. And the one ingredient I had to buy (sunflower oil) was easily available at the grocery store (I live in a large city).

I first made the Zucchini Loaf (8 ingredients/ 4 steps) and it was delicious. So good I served it as a "side" with dinner because I couldn't stop eating it.

To be honest the only thing I thought that might be a bummer was that I was going to have to convert the measurements the way I sometimes have to for European cookbooks/blogs but I didn't.

This is definitely a good buy for fans of Mary Berry, The Great British Bake Off, or as a gift for anyone who enjoys baking-- or wants to start.

[Milton Public Library · Rating 5 out of 5]

If you have ever watched the popular British cooking show, The Great British Bakeoff, you will know the treasure that this cookbook holds! Mary Berry is a British baking superstar who has made a easy to follow cookbook that will help us all master a sponge cake or a choux pastry. For me, this cookbook has just want I would want to learn and master from Mary Berry. The beginning of the book gives easy step by step techniques, with pictures! My limited knowledge of baking will be advanced through this cookbook, as it will provide the necessary skills to make some baking basics, such as; macaroons, cream puffs, and shortbread. Anyone who loves baking or Mary Berry will enjoy this cookbook of baking classics. This may be one that I go out and buy!

Find it today: https://ent.sharelibraries.info/clien...

Ashley C. / Milton Public Library #CheckOutMPL

[Sarah · Rating 2 out of 5]

The desserts in this book come across as quite old fashioned, and are often accompanied by limited detail. Maybe I only think this because I'm American, but I don't want to eat a cake that has "matured" for three months while being occasionally brushed with brandy.

[Julie · Rating 2 out of 5]

I tried the Chocolate & beet cake recipe with very mixed results. I happened to have two beetroots that I wanted to use up before they shriveled up. They were included in my weekly CSA delivery. I have preferred to avoid beetroot since eating them frequently at school dinners in childhood. So, when I came across the recipe for a chocolate cake that could disguise the flavor of beetroot I was pretty excited to try it! The cake turned out just fine, I have to say it tasted best & least beetroot-y on the day it was baked, after that it had a sort of heaviness to it. However, the Chocolate Fudge Frosting recipe which is included just didn't work for me. I tossed my first lumpy attempt in the garbage can. On the second try, I adjusted the ingredients, and hey presto! I had a spreadable chocolate frosting. I wonder if something got lost between the translation of British ounces to American cup measurements? Anyhow, it left me feeling somewhat reluctant to try any other recipes, even the ones in the British favorites section.

[Ashley · Rating 5 out of 5]

If you have ever watched the popular British cooking show, The Great British Bakeoff, you will know the treasure that this cookbook holds! Mary Berry is a British baking superstar who has made a easy to follow cookbook that will help us all master a sponge cake or a choux pastry. For me, this cookbook has just want I would want to learn and master from Mary Berry. The beginning of the book gives easy step by step techniques, with pictures! My limited knowledge of baking will be advanced through this cookbook, as it will provide the necessary skills to make some baking basics, such as; macaroons, cream puffs, and shortbread. Anyone who loves baking or Mary Berry will enjoy this cookbook of baking classics. This may be one that I go out and buy!

[Anna · Rating 1 out of 5]

Terrible. The recipes have been really poorly translated from the original British version to an “American” recipe. I made the blackberry and apple cobbler and it was awful. I then looked up the recipe online and found the published British recipe to be entirely different! Different ingredients, different quantities, different instructions! I looked up a number of other recipes in the books to compare them to the published British versions and found the same to be true for each I investigated. I love Mary Berry, and I enjoy baking, but this cookbook is dreadful. It should be recalled.

[Gigi · Rating 2 out of 5]

I get the feeling this is a book compiled by editors, and Mary Berry's name and picture are put on it. Not many tips on how to do things, a collection of desserts, WAY too many fruit cakes. Also, a few recipes had steps naming ingredients, but the ingredient isn't in the list, so you have no idea how much you need.

[Carrie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Delicious British baking recipes, with American measurements! Yum! (Must rush out and buy my own copy, before I get chocolate frosting all over the library's.) She uses a lot of self-rising flour, which makes recipes quick and easy to make.

[Sara · Rating 4 out of 5]

Some of these looked great. I want to try a few recipes.

Update:
I made the Key Lime Pie and it was just okay. The crust wasn’t very good with this pie and it didn’t have enough lime for my liking. But I like a really strong citrus flavor to my citrus pies or tarts.

[Celia · Rating 1 out of 5]

This cookbook sucks.

We have tried multiple recipes and they don't work. It doesn't even seem like the recipes were tested. Extremely disappointed.

Lesson learned: Don't buy a cookbook just because Mary Berry is on it.

[Beth Harbaugh · Rating 5 out of 5]

I would like to taste, not bake, everything in this book! Great photos and the recipes are well written.

[Stephen · Rating 3 out of 5]

We fell in love with Mary Berry by watching The Great British Baking Show on which she was a judge. Her expertise was patent in everything she said to the contestants about their bakes. One might worry that a book by someone described as "the British Queen of Baking" might contain measurements which would challenge a mathematician such as gas-ring numbers, grams and liters. This book is an "American edition" which means that the editors at DK Publishing converted all of the measurements into something which Colonials can understand. There remain a few Anglo-American linguistic booby traps such as a recipe entitled "flapjacks" which has nothing to do with pancakes and produces oat bars suitable for breakfast instead. The book begins with a techniques section which, while helpful, is much too condensed. The editorial design is to avoid repeating these lessons in every recipe which requires the procedure. Without debating that choice, more detailed instructions would be better for those who do not bake all the time. The breadth of her recipe choices is interesting. The book includes some basics: blueberry muffins, chocolate cake, date-walnut bread, brownies, bread and butter pudding. It includes some well-known international bakes: Danish pastries, baklava, tarte tatin, apricot-and-almond galette, apple strudel. There are a few show-off dishes with which one may wow the diners at the end of a meal: chocolate profiteroles, fruit Christmas cake, hot chocolate souffle, and something called "party pavlova pyramid" which is actually much simpler than it looks and, if done well, would be a "show stopper." A British author appropriately includes a number of distinctly British dishes: simnel cake, fairy cakes, Devon scones, Wimbledon cake, Bakewell tart, Banoffi pie, sticky toffee pudding, Christmas pudding. These would be much enhanced by some discussion of their history, their place in British cuisine, how they fit into the culture. This was an opportunity to teach which was missed. This book will not replace any of the basic baking texts in anyone's culinary library nor is it the only book one might wish to own on the baking that goes on in Britain. Other possibilities include Jenny Baker Kettle Broth to Gooseberry Fool: A Book of Simple English Cooking, London: Faber, 1998, and Margaret M. Johnson, Irish Puddings, Tarts, Crumbles, and Fools: 80 Glorious Desserts, San Francisco, Chronicle Books, 2004.

[Cara · Rating 3 out of 5]

I’m really glad I was able to borrow this from the library. I have been watching GBBO and wanted to bake stuff, so I looked up Mary Barry’s books and decided on this one. I didn’t see anything really interesting that I’d want to make...so, kind of meh for me. Oh, well. Maybe I was looking for newer, more interesting recipes. What I did like about this book was the “Techniques” section, which highlighted and explained in pretty good detail the basics of making cakes, frostings, pastries and creams.

[Laura · Rating 3 out of 5]

The technique chapters in the beginning are must-reads. Her recipes are concise, yet yummy. This is a very British book (treacle tart, anyone?) but the measurements are converted and there are lots of pictures to guide you. Worth checking out if you like to bake; I really enjoy her no-nonsense approach.

[Sonee Singh · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great book for beginner bakers. The first chapter includes basic techniques that are used throughout. They are well illustrated. The remaining chapters include recipes for breakfast items, cakes, pastries, cookies, bars, pies, and many others. Recipes are simple and easy to follow. The ebook has photos of several items.

[Cindy Koch-Krol · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a great book on baking everything. She shows in-depth how to do things like fold, temper, cream, etc. It's a regular how-to of everything baking. Plus the recipes look scrummy! I wanted to try them all simultaneously yesterday as I was reading it through cover to cover.

Can't wait to get started!

[Patricia Spadaro · Rating 3 out of 5]

Great collection of traditional recipes by a master

Its nice to have a central source for some familiar recipes like Bake well Tarts. However, why measurements aren't given by weight makes no sense. I imagine they were converted to volume for the American reader. In the past I haven't always cared for the results from this change. Still, looking forward to trying a couple.

[Mary · Rating 3 out of 5]

The formatting on this book was off and didn't work well. I tried it on multiple devices.
These recipes also seemed more basic and lacked the creativity that I enjoy from her recipes. This is however, a wonderful book for beginners that would like a good explanation from a master.

[Roberta · Rating 4 out of 5]

So I bought this book after watching a episode of The Great British Bake Off, and I was fascinated with the show.

All the recipes look good, I haven't tried one yet but the apricot-cherry loaf cakes are calling my name.

[Elsa S · Rating 4 out of 5]

I absolutely love Mary Berry. All of the recipes in this cookbook sound great, but I found that a majority of the ones I attempted did not work out very well. As a four time state champion baker, I was very disappointed that these recipes did not work for me.

[Aimee · Rating 5 out of 5]

At my first read thru, this cookbook looks wonderful! So many beautiful, delicious recipes to try! First up in my kitchen will be the Strawberry & Rhubarb Pie. I can’t wait to work my thru all of Mary Berry’s recipes shared in this book!

[Mattie · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love this cookbook! I am by no means an expert baker and this book made it easy to make beautiful desserts! The recipes are easy to follow and have a wide variety. I think this book is great for beginners or experts. The blueberry and vanilla muffin recipe is so good!

[Lydia S · Rating 4 out of 5]

So Tempting

Just to read Mary Berry's is special. I loved the photos showing most of the recipes, even when there was a group shot. I am going to try some of these recipes for sure. Thank you Mary!

[Carolyn · Rating 4 out of 5]

I love that the recipes are easy. No need to buy ingredients I don’t normally keep on hand. The scones and pineapple upside cake were very easy to make. I’ll be baking more treats from this book soon

[Alexandra Martin · Rating 5 out of 5]

I just love everything about the show and the food and the queen of baking!

[Beth · Rating 4 out of 5]

Wonderful baking book with Mary Berry from the Great British Baking Show.