Dame Mary Berry is quite simply the Queen of Christmas baking. After her stint on The Great British Bake-Off for six years, decades of food writing and dozens of cookery shows, there’s no one we would trust more with such an important recipe.

BBC One’s Mary Berry’s Festive Feasts will show on BBC One at 7.05pm until 8pm tonight (Monday 20 December) where the food expert will help her novice cook cousins James, Jack and Leah, prepare a Christmas feast to surprise their mothers. The group will also go to Leeds Castle in Kent to enjoy the family feast at the end of the programme.

As a well-versed cook and baker, Mary Berry also makes coveted Christmas desserts from frangipane mince pies and pavlova to gingerbread.

Mary, Queen of Cakes, holding a baked creation called a “sunshine cake” in her contemporary-looking kitchen.
(Image: BBC/Sidney Street/Endemol ShineUK/Craig Harman)

Read More

Related Articles

Mary Berry’s Classic Christmas Cake

Known as Mary, Queen of Cakes, it is fitting to say her classic take on the Christmas cake is one to want to replicate.

The preparation for the classic cake starts at least three days before baking day, so that the fruit can soak in brandy for enough time.

And after two hours in the oven and there is overnight process at the end with the icing to harden.

The ingredients you will need include:

For the cake

• 175g/6oz raisins
• 350g/12oz natural glacé cherries, halved, rinsed, and thoroughly dried
• 500g/1lb 2oz currants
• 350g/12oz sultanas
• 150ml/¼pt brandy or sherry, plus extra for feeding
• 2 oranges, zest only
• 250g/9oz butter, softened
• 250g/9oz light or dark muscovado sugar
• 4 large free-range eggs, at room temperature
• 1 tbsp black treacle
• 75g/3oz blanched almonds, chopped
• 275g/10oz plain flour
• 1½ tsp mixed spice

For the covering

• about 3 tbsp apricot jam, warmed and sieved
• icing sugar
• 675g/1lb 8oz marzipan

For the royal icing

• 3 free-range eggs, whites only
• 675g/1½lb icing sugar, sifted
• 3 tsp lemon juice
• 1½ tsp glycerine

For the method in full see here.

Read More

Related Articles

<…….

Source: https://www.birminghammail.co.uk/whats-on/food-drink-news/how-make-mary-berrys-best-22518568