The Great British Bake Off: How to Bake the Perfect Victoria Sponge and Other Baking Secrets by Linda Collister

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  • Victoria sandwich

    from The Great British Bake Off: How to Bake the Perfect Victoria Sponge and Other Baking Secrets The Great British Bake Off by Linda Collister

    • Categories: Cakes, large; Afternoon tea; Children's parties
    • Ingredients: butter; caster sugar; eggs; self-raising flour; raspberry jam
    show

  • Mary's coffee and walnut Battenburg

    from The Great British Bake Off: How to Bake the Perfect Victoria Sponge and Other Baking Secrets The Great British Bake Off by Linda Collister

    • Categories: Cakes, large; Frostings & fillings; Afternoon tea; English
    • Ingredients: butter; caster sugar; ground almonds; instant coffee powder; marzipan; walnuts; store-cupboard ingredients
    show

  • Cherry Bakewell cup cakes

    from The Great British Bake Off: How to Bake the Perfect Victoria Sponge and Other Baking Secrets The Great British Bake Off by Linda Collister

    • Categories: Cakes, small; Frostings & fillings; Afternoon tea; English
    • Ingredients: butter; caster sugar; store-cupboard ingredients; ground almonds; raspberry jam; icing sugar; glacé cherries
    show

  • Chocolate and orange cup cakes

    from The Great British Bake Off: How to Bake the Perfect Victoria Sponge and Other Baking Secrets The Great British Bake Off by Linda Collister

    • Categories: Cakes, small; Frostings & fillings; Afternoon tea
    • Ingredients: dark chocolate; store-cupboard ingredients; caster sugar; oranges; orange-flavored dark chocolate; white chocolate; butter; icing sugar
    show

  • Quick and simple fruit loaf

    from The Great British Bake Off: How to Bake the Perfect Victoria Sponge and Other Baking Secrets The Great British Bake Off by Linda Collister

    • Categories: Quick / easy; Bread & buns, sweet; Afternoon tea; Cooking ahead
    • Ingredients: butter; caster sugar; plain flour; mixed dried fruits; store-cupboard ingredients
    show

  • Gorgeous lemon cream cake

    from The Great British Bake Off: How to Bake the Perfect Victoria Sponge and Other Baking Secrets The Great British Bake Off by Linda Collister

    • Categories: Cakes, large; Frostings & fillings; Jams, jellies & preserves; Afternoon tea; Dessert; Cooking ahead; Cooking for a crowd
    • Ingredients: eggs; caster sugar; plain flour; lemons; double cream; ricotta cheese; flaked almonds; butter
    show

  • Lemon curd

    from The Great British Bake Off: How to Bake the Perfect Victoria Sponge and Other Baking Secrets The Great British Bake Off by Linda Collister

    • Categories: Jams, jellies & preserves
    • Ingredients: butter; caster sugar; lemons; eggs
    show

  • Flourless lemon and cream roll

    from The Great British Bake Off: How to Bake the Perfect Victoria Sponge and Other Baking Secrets The Great British Bake Off by Linda Collister

    • Categories: Cakes, large; Frostings & fillings; Jams, jellies & preserves; Afternoon tea; Dessert
    • Ingredients: eggs; caster sugar; lemons; ground almonds; double cream; butter
    show

  • Speckled mocha cake

    from The Great British Bake Off: How to Bake the Perfect Victoria Sponge and Other Baking Secrets The Great British Bake Off by Linda Collister

    • Categories: Cakes, large; Frostings & fillings; Afternoon tea; Dessert; Cooking ahead
    • Ingredients: butter; caster sugar; store-cupboard ingredients; self-raising flour; instant coffee powder; dark chocolate
    show

  • Lemon poppyseed Madeira cake

    from The Great British Bake Off: How to Bake the Perfect Victoria Sponge and Other Baking Secrets The Great British Bake Off by Linda Collister

    • Categories: Cakes, large; Afternoon tea; Cooking ahead
    • Ingredients: plain flour; store-cupboard ingredients; poppyseeds; butter; caster sugar; lemons
    show
  • Golden apricot and marzipan loaf cake

    Golden apricot and marzipan loaf cake

    from The Great British Bake Off: How to Bake the Perfect Victoria Sponge and Other Baking Secrets The Great British Bake Off by Linda Collister

    • Categories: Cakes, large; Afternoon tea; Cooking ahead; Valentine's Day / romantic
    • Ingredients: self-raising flour; butter; golden caster sugar; dried apricots; sultanas; store-cupboard ingredients; marzipan; apricot jam; flaked almonds
    show

  • Hazelnut and chocolate cake

    from The Great British Bake Off: How to Bake the Perfect Victoria Sponge and Other Baking Secrets The Great British Bake Off by Linda Collister

    • Categories: Cakes, large; Afternoon tea; Dessert; Cooking ahead
    • Ingredients: blanched hazelnuts; dark chocolate; caster sugar; eggs; store-cupboard ingredients
    show

  • Rhubarb and custard cup cakes

    from The Great British Bake Off: How to Bake the Perfect Victoria Sponge and Other Baking Secrets The Great British Bake Off by Linda Collister

    • Categories: Cakes, small; Frostings & fillings; Afternoon tea
    • Ingredients: caster sugar; plain flour; store-cupboard ingredients; milk; whipping cream; egg yolks; egg whites; butter; vanilla pods; rhubarb compote
    show

  • Quick chocolate fudge cake

    from The Great British Bake Off: How to Bake the Perfect Victoria Sponge and Other Baking Secrets The Great British Bake Off by Linda Collister

    • Categories: Frostings & fillings; Quick / easy; Cakes, large; Afternoon tea; Cooking ahead
    • Ingredients: pecans; store-cupboard ingredients; dark chocolate; cocoa powder; light muscovado sugar; coffee; butter; sour cream
    show

  • Banana fudge layer cake

    from The Great British Bake Off: How to Bake the Perfect Victoria Sponge and Other Baking Secrets The Great British Bake Off by Linda Collister

    • Categories: Frostings & fillings; Cakes, large; Afternoon tea
    • Ingredients: butter; caster sugar; light muscovado sugar; store-cupboard ingredients; self-raising flour; double cream; bananas
    show

  • Devil's food cake

    from The Great British Bake Off: How to Bake the Perfect Victoria Sponge and Other Baking Secrets The Great British Bake Off by Linda Collister

    • Categories: Frostings & fillings; Cakes, large; Afternoon tea; Dessert; Cooking ahead; American
    • Ingredients: cocoa powder; store-cupboard ingredients; dark chocolate; butter; caster sugar; plain flour; sour cream; white chocolate
    show

  • Chocolate chilli cake

    from The Great British Bake Off: How to Bake the Perfect Victoria Sponge and Other Baking Secrets The Great British Bake Off by Linda Collister

    • Categories: Cakes, large; Afternoon tea; Dessert; Cooking ahead; Picnics & outdoors
    • Ingredients: milk; dark chocolate; ground ginger; Tabasco sauce; plain flour; cocoa powder; store-cupboard ingredients; butter; light muscovado sugar; black treacle
    show

  • Earl Grey cup cakes

    from The Great British Bake Off: How to Bake the Perfect Victoria Sponge and Other Baking Secrets The Great British Bake Off by Linda Collister

    • Categories: Cakes, small; Frostings & fillings; Afternoon tea; Dessert
    • Ingredients: Earl Grey tea; butter; caster sugar; plain flour; store-cupboard ingredients; lemons; icing sugar
    show

  • Blood orange sponge cake

    from The Great British Bake Off: How to Bake the Perfect Victoria Sponge and Other Baking Secrets The Great British Bake Off by Linda Collister

    • Categories: Cakes, large; Afternoon tea; Dessert; Winter
    • Ingredients: eggs; caster sugar; blood oranges; ground almonds; flaked almonds
    show

  • Strawberry and white chocolate cream cake

    from The Great British Bake Off: How to Bake the Perfect Victoria Sponge and Other Baking Secrets The Great British Bake Off by Linda Collister

    • Categories: Cakes, large; Dessert; Children's parties; Summer; Cooking for a crowd
    • Ingredients: white chocolate; butter; caster sugar; oranges; self-raising flour; strawberries; double cream; eggs
    show
  • Sticky orange marmalade cake

    Sticky orange marmalade cake

    from The Great British Bake Off: How to Bake the Perfect Victoria Sponge and Other Baking Secrets The Great British Bake Off by Linda Collister

    • Categories: Cakes, large; Afternoon tea; Dessert; Cooking ahead
    • Ingredients: butter; caster sugar; store-cupboard ingredients; self-raising flour; Seville orange marmalade
    show

  • Double-chocolate marbled loaf cake

    from The Great British Bake Off: How to Bake the Perfect Victoria Sponge and Other Baking Secrets The Great British Bake Off by Linda Collister

    • Categories: Cakes, large; Afternoon tea; Dessert; Cooking ahead
    • Ingredients: butter; caster sugar; eggs; self-raising flour; dark chocolate; white chocolate; cocoa powder
    show

  • Butter icing

    from The Great British Bake Off: How to Bake the Perfect Victoria Sponge and Other Baking Secrets The Great British Bake Off by Linda Collister

    • Categories: Frostings & fillings
    • Ingredients: butter; icing sugar; flavoring of your choice
    show

  • Buttercream

    from The Great British Bake Off: How to Bake the Perfect Victoria Sponge and Other Baking Secrets The Great British Bake Off by Linda Collister

    • Categories: Frostings & fillings
    • Ingredients: caster sugar; egg yolks; butter; flavoring of your choice
    show

  • Mary's brandy snaps

    from The Great British Bake Off: How to Bake the Perfect Victoria Sponge and Other Baking Secrets The Great British Bake Off by Linda Collister

    • Categories: Cookies, biscuits & crackers; Dessert
    • Ingredients: store-cupboard ingredients; Demerara sugar; golden syrup; ground ginger; chocolate; pistachio nuts; whipping cream
    show

Notes about this book

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Notes about Recipes in this book

  • Cheese and onion tear and share loaf

    • Melanie on January 01, 2012

      I made a tray of about 15 rather than 19 rolls. These were a good size for dinner rolls with lovely added flavour - fluffy rolls filled with cheese and onion.

  • Florentines

    • Alro9 on August 19, 2014

      Not the easiest to handle! Must admit id try a different recipe to see if that made a difference. They were absolutely delicious though.

  • Victoria sandwich

    • mamacrumbcake on June 08, 2020

      Half of recipe fits in 2-6” rounds and bakes in 20 minutes. To approximate the protein content of English self-raising flour I used 65 g King Arthur AP, 48 g cake flour, 1½ t baking powder (half recipe). It turned out very well! Looks very pretty and has a good, simple flavor. The crumb is soft, tender, and light. Lightly sweetened whipped cream goes perfectly.

  • Monkey bread

    • anya_sf on July 04, 2020

      I made the sweet version, but unfortunately it did not turn out well. I had to use King Arthur all-purpose flour instead of bread flour, but the dough seemed fine, although fairly stiff. About halfway through the dough balls, the sugar mixture stopped sticking to them, probably because too much butter had gotten into the sugar. I did the best I could and ended up sprinkling the remaining sugar mixture over the top. I did not need all the butter. I let the loaf rise overnight in the fridge and baked it in the morning. Perhaps because of that, and/or maybe because my tin was light-colored, the loaf wasn't done inside after 35 minutes, although it was dark on top. I reduced the oven temperature and baked it another 15 minutes. The loaf didn't hold its shape and the edges were too hard. The flavor was just so-so.

  • Hazelnut and chocolate cake

    • BasicStock on December 23, 2017

      A one layer dense and flavourful cake, not too rich so the chocolate and hazelnut tastes find a nice balance. My idea of a great dessert for a dinner party.

  • Little stem ginger gingerbreads

    • CarolineCaple on September 28, 2018

      Easy to make despite needing to heat two different sets of ingredients. Lovely individual moist ginger cakes. I used cut-up stem ginger (not sure if this is what they meant by glacé ginger).

  • Mary's coffee and walnut Battenburg

    • CarolineCaple on September 28, 2018

      I make this for a charity coffee morning and everyone was very impressed - it sold out first and I got great feedback. It makes quite a small cake (about 8 medium slices) but worth the effort for a special celebration or for someone who particularly likes battenburg.

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  • ISBN 10 1849902682
  • ISBN 13 9781849902687
  • Linked ISBNs
  • Published Aug 04 2011
  • Format Hardcover
  • Page Count 320
  • Language English
  • Countries United Kingdom
  • Publisher Ebury Press
  • Imprint BBC Books

Publishers Text

Twelve new amateur bakers are ready to rise to the Great British Bake Off challenge. While they don their aprons, adjust to their new ovens and get used to baking in a tent, this book takes you through the challenges from the series and shows you how to achieve baking perfection. Throughout the book, Mary Berry and Paul Hollywood are on hand with practical tips to help you create perfect cakes, biscuits, breads, pastries, pies and teatime treats every time, as well as showing you how to tackle their 'technical challenges', as seen on the show.

There are over 120 recipes in this book, including traditional British bakes and imaginative twists using classic ingredients, as well as the best contestant recipes from the series. There is plenty to challenge keen bakers here, from brandy snaps to elaborate pastries, pavlovas to iced celebration cakes, and with a sensuous and yet practical design and full-colour, step-by-step photography, this really will become the baking book that you will turn to for years to come.

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