We interrupt our regularly scheduled programming to bring you another Great British Baking Show classic: Mary Berry’s signature lemon drizzle cake! I wanted to try something that was quintessentially British (and thus quintessentially Mary Berry), and I can’t think of anything that fits that bill better than this particular dessert.
As I mentioned back in January, I’ve recently come into a new wealth of cookbooks written by the hosts of the Great British Bake Off thanks to my thoughtful in-laws. I’m planning on trying and posting at least one recipe from each new book, and so far I’ve written about Mary Berry’s date and walnut sheet cake (there will probably end up being several recipes from each book, but one each is a good starting point, right?). This week, I bring you Paul Hollywood’s cheddar and chive scones from Paul Hollywood’s British Baking.
By now, you may have noticed that I’m a bit of a fan of the Great British Bake Off (and all the American spin-offs it has spawned). It seems my family has caught on too, because several of my birthday presents this year were GBBO-themed (thanks, guys!). In light of all this new baking loot, as well as a serendipitous appearance of dried Medjool dates on a recent trip to Aldi, it only made sense to bake something from one of my new cookbooks. This date and walnut “traybake” comes from Mary Berry’s 100 Cakes and Bakes.
Somehow PBS has already aired 8 episodes of series 6 of The Great British Baking Show, and I’ve only posted one companion recipe so far! I will blame this partly on their weird habit of sometimes showing two episodes on the same day (and often at a different time than the week before), but hey, what can you do? Make arlettes, that’s what!
Two weeks ago, I was pleasantly surprised to see that PBS is now airing season 6 of The Great British Baking Show on Friday nights. To celebrate, I decided to try (at least) one recipe from each episode. This week’s experiment is Madeira cake (the first episode’s Signature Challenge).
I first saw a version of this bread on the Great British Baking Show, and I knew I had to try it. It’s simply too pretty not to make. However, being who I am (and knowing that my husband hates butternut squash), of course I had to make some revisions to the recipe. I decided to add some herbs and spices to the dough, and I went with an almost entirely different filling. What I ended up with turned out pretty much like inside-out pizza without sauce, but I’m ok with that because it was delicious. It tastes best warm out of the oven, but it also tastes good cold. I am in the process of experimenting with freezing and thawing it, so I will update you on how that works out.
Is anyone else as obsessed with the Great British Bake Off as I am? After finding it on Netflix, I tore through a season in about 3 days. It has all the fun food information that any cooking show has (perhaps a bit more than some), with none of the catty nonsense of the American varieties.
I Wanna Bake! 