Easy Bakes to make you feel like Mary Berry

Tea and cake is a quintessentially British double act that everyone can champion. Can you think of anything better than sinking your teeth into gooey brownies, or the smell of warm cake, fresh out of the oven? No? Thought not.

Cakes and bakes are an excellent way to bring families and friends together. The process itself is great fun to do as a group, and the results are one way to ensure everyone is sitting around the table at dinner time! But baking alone is equally as enjoyable. Provided you follow good recipes, baking can be relaxing, and a good way to switch off from the world.

In March, the beginning of lockdown brought out the baker in us all. Even if you’d never even greased a tin before, making banana bread became a regular activity and the hunt for self raising flour was like a never ending game of hide and seek in the supermarket. Now that lockdown has eased, baking doesn’t have to become a thing of the past. You don’t have to be a culinary genius to whip up some outstanding sweet treats, so we’ve put together a list of some easy bakes that’ll have you winning star baker every time.

It seems only right to begin our list with banana bread from the queen of baking herself, Mary Berry. Try Mary’s chocolate chip banana bread recipe - it’s super simple and tastes delicious. Once you’ve mashed the banana, it’s just a case of mixing everything together, but make sure you leave the chocolate chips until last. 

Jane from Jane’s Patisserie, has a blog and instagram page where she posts delectable recipes that have clear instructions and are often accompanied by useful notes. The Vanilla Cake from her ‘back to basics’ recipes, follows the traditional method of creaming butter and sugar together before adding the rest of the ingredients. A classic, and always a favourite.

Almond cake might not be the first cake that springs to mind, but Nigella’s easy almond cake is a simple recipe with mouth watering results. The cake can be served with raspberries, needs no decorating and keeps for a week! What more could you want?! 

Vanilla cupcakes are a party staple, and an easy bake to try with children. Jamie Oliver’s simple 6 step recipe for perfect vanilla cupcakes can be easily elevated with icing of your choice, and of course, sprinkles.

BBC Good Food’s Best Ever Brownie recipe is the ultimate recipe for ooey, gooey, fudgy brownies. Eat them warm when they’re still soft, or let them cool in the fridge and enjoy them with a cup of tea. Before they go in the oven, top them with chopped pieces of your favourite chocolate bar for even more indulgence.This recipe might look as though it has a lot of steps, but follow them carefully and you won’t go wrong.

If you’re desperate for a chocolate hit but don’t want to go to the effort of getting your mixer out, try this microwave mug cake recipe. Simple and quick, with very little mess! We would advise splitting the batter or using a very large mug, and adding some chocolate chips to make it even more decadent.

The benefit of baking is that once you crack the basics, you can become as ambitious as you like with your designs and decorations. Sugar sprinkles, edible glitter, and of course a pile of chocolates in the middle of the cake (we can help you there!) are quick and easy ways to impress your friends and family.

If we’ve inspired you to become king or queen of your kitchen, make sure you pop into Maple Gifts (or look online) and find our cookery section. We’ve got lots of serveware, tableware and utensils that will make you want to spend even more time baking, cooking, and of course, eating your creations!

Author: Sophie Howe