A few months ago, gripped by baking fever, I purchased Mary Berry's Baking Bible. I quickly decided to embark upon a mission to bake everything in the book, and turn myself from an occasional baker into a bit of an expert. My Grandad Ern was a Master Baker by trade; the man responsible for introducing Danish Pastries to England in fact, and I wish it had occurred to me to spend more time learning from him, rather than simply enjoying the fruits of his effortless labours. This project is almost a way of making amends for that; I'd like to follow in his footsteps (if not in my career, at least as a hobby) and continue the proud heritage of baking in my family.
I credit my friend Rachel with the idea to write a blog about my baking exploits, hoping that there will be more successes than failures as I attempt all 213 of the Queen of Baking's recipes.
So as not to bore the husband with a monotonous diet of sponges, followed by weeks of biscuits, I've decided to tackle the recipes by selecting the first bake from each chapter, followed by the second recipe and so on. I'm not going to pick and choose; I'm determined to face my baking demons and learn how to do everything baking-related, even if the consequences are disastrous!
Everything will be photographed, with comment about how I found baking it, and a husband rating (to be taken with a pinch of salt as he has a very selective cake-tooth).


Tuesday, 3 January 2012

1. All-in-one Victoria Sandwich

Here's my attempt at Mary Berry's recipe for the classic Victoria Sandwich. I've made these before; mainly with my Mum, but never following this 'all-in-one' method, which involves bunging all the ingredients into the mixing bowl in one go. I adapted it slightly by using half-and-half butter and Stork (just because I had some to use up). I also added buttercream rather than just jam to make it even more yummy.
Baker's verdict: really easy to make; baked to perfection - lovely and light. I did find that the top layer slid away from the bottom when I cut slices from it. Next time I'll shave some of the bottom sponge off to make a flatter surface!
Husband rating: 8.5/10 (a bit more jam please)
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