I bought this recipe book about five years ago from a cheap book outlet for about £7 and it is still one of my most frequently used cookbooks. I am a keen cook and like to try a couple of new recipes each month. This book is easy to use and because the recipes are short and to the point, I can fit them into gaps in a busy schedule. Most of the recipes have no more than 15 lines of instructions, some are shorter, very few turn over the page.
Many of the recipes have a fabulous full-page colour photograph to show you how it should look - and to be fair, most of them do look like they should because this is such a clear, cookbook with good instructions.
My only criticism is that this book now seems to be a bit outmoded with all the chefs and cookbooks currently around. Victoria Sandwich, Battenburg Cake, Brandy Snaps, Butterfly Cakes and Sharp Lemon Cheesecake are no longer recipes I am likely to follow to impress my friends, family or colleagues. But if you are looking for a book of traditional, familiar cakes, this does the job exceptionally well.
Having said this, there are still some recipes in this book which I DO use to impress family, friends and colleagues (and they are not that easily impressed!) - Lemon Cream Fruit Tarts, Raspbery Meringue Roulade, Gateau Saint Honore are some of my favourites. I'm sure there are others but I haven't tried all the recipes.
There isn't much missing from this cake cookbook. It covers cake-making ingredients, equipment and methods and there's even a Questions and Answers section at the back. Any common cakes or biscuits are found in this solid reference book and that is what makes it useful. I can check ingredients for scones, tuile biscuits, chocolate ganache petit fours and be confident Mary will have included them. I would even (shock, horror) use her ingredients instead of Delia's if they didn't agree. That's how much faith I'd put in Mary Berry.
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Over many years Mary Berry has perfected the art of cake-making and her skills have ... more
earned her a reputation as the queen of cakes. Now she has updated her classic home baking bible the Ultimate Cake Book and once again shares with you the secrets of her success. With over 200 classic recipes Mary Berry's Ultimate Cake Book includes recipes for every cake biscuit and bun you ever wanted to bake and many more. From the traditional Victoria Sandwich Cake Tarte Tatin or Millionaires' Shortbread to the indulgent Very Best Chocolate Roulade Swiss Wild Strawberry and Walnut Cake or Sharp Lemon Cheesecake there is sure to be a cake or bake here to suit everyone. Ideal for cake-making novices as well as more experienced cooks Mary explains the basic methods of baking and gives advice on ingredients and equipment. Mary's easy-to-follow recipes are interspersed with baking tips and solutions for the most common problems making it possible for everyone to bake their favourite cake whatever the occasion.
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Advantages: Never tried a recipe from it yet that didn't work well Disadvantages: Too many tempting recipes that aren't the most healthy foods in the world!
Advantages: Never tried a recipe from it yet that didn't work well Disadvantages: Too many tempting recipes that aren't the most healthy foods in the world!
Mar 6th, 2006
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