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Original poster

Please share the baking recipes people BEG you to make

68 replies

Koili · 11/11/2025 10:56

I’m trying my hand at baking for the first time. Have made a few amazing things but quite a lot of meh.

Please can I ask you to share any recipes you know work and are crowd favourites. I would love to be able to take something to a friend’s house which is actually good.

Thanks in advance.

I made the bbc good food’s banana bread quite successfully for anyone who is looking for a good banana bread recipe. It was a little greasy so maybe slightly reduce the butter (I later saw a few people made that suggestion in the comments)

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Starconundrum · 12/11/2025 01:04

Ok, I'm going to share my secret cookie recipe. It took me ages to perfect this.

It's in Oz. I apologise, but when I devised it 20 years ago that's what my scales said.

3 Oz butter. Creamed.
6oz Demerara sugar. Cream it in.
1 medium egg. Beat in thoroughly.

1 teaspoon vanilla. Proper expensive extract.
1 very large pinch of salt
almost a teaspoon.

Fold in 6oz sr flour. It will be very firm at this point.

Fold in 4oz chocolate chips. Thoughts are divided on this. My mum prefers 2 Oz. Galaxy or Lindt is best. Make your own chips.

Bake at 160-180c for 12-16 minutes. 1 tablespoon blobs spaced out on a greased baking tray. They should look Slightly uncooked in the middle and browning on the edges. You need to watch them like a hawk at this point.

Remove after a few minutes while still warm with a fish slice.

They are both soft and crisp and perfection.

Unless you are my daughter who cannot make them to save her life 🤷
Id say it makes 14-18 cookies. I often make the whole lot with an electric whisk as my arms get tired. It's a bit difficult to get the chocolate chips in without them flying around the room but I usually manage ok.

Pinklilly · 12/11/2025 00:44

bbc good food chocolate and pear traybake. It can be prepared in advance so I do it often for dinner parties and it’s always a hit. I reduce the sugar by half 100g and use tinned pears sliced in half (so quarters)

fishcalledwonder · 12/11/2025 00:40

https://www.thepinkwhisk.co.uk/2012/04/chocolate-chip-cookies.html

These are the cookies my family prefer over any others.

Speckson · 12/11/2025 00:36

Been making this for years - it's a favourite.

Please share the baking recipes people BEG you to make
OSTMusTisNT · 12/11/2025 00:29

I love homemade biscuits, not keen on cake.

My absolute favourite is a recipe called "Twinks Hobnobs" that you can find via Google, it's posted in the Martin Lewis MSE forums.

Super quick, easy and really customisable if e.g you like chocolate, ginger, coconut type flavours you'll find someone who has already tried tweaking the recipe.

Rescuedogblues · 12/11/2025 00:21

Chocolate fridge cake

Good quality ingredients is key

Oilofeveningprimrose · 12/11/2025 00:17

I am another that has had good success with Jane's Patisserie recipes. Her chocolate chip cookies are the best!

Starconundrum · 12/11/2025 00:06

Starconundrum · 12/11/2025 00:05

I use butter instead of margarine, but this is my recipe for chocolate cake too. Its denser but I think tastes better.

Either half a pint of whipped cream and halved strawberries for a filling, or chocolate buttercream made with butter, icing sugar and cocoa.

Show quote history

It didn't quote the recipe, sorry!

It's on the first page of comments!

Starconundrum · 12/11/2025 00:05

YoureKillingMyPeace · 11/11/2025 12:19

Here. It’s 160 degrees for a fan oven, it’s just that the recipes so old it’s from before everyone had fan ovens!
It’s tasty with buttercream if you don’t want fresh cream. It’s been my go to for nearly 30 years.

I use butter instead of margarine, but this is my recipe for chocolate cake too. Its denser but I think tastes better.

Either half a pint of whipped cream and halved strawberries for a filling, or chocolate buttercream made with butter, icing sugar and cocoa.

Mulledjuice · 11/11/2025 23:00

Nigella's jaffa cake cake (whole jar of marmalade in it) and her chocolate brownies.

Plus a plain old coffee quick mix sponge with coffee buttercream and walnut chunks on top

LilaRose25 · 11/11/2025 22:58

Cherry and white chocolate scones. Use bbc good food scone recipe, add half a tub of glacé cherries (chopped) and half a packet of white chocolate chips to the dry scone mix.

Pineapplesunshine · 11/11/2025 22:57

My response is currently hidden, but it just has a recipe link in it - it’s entirely innocent ☺️.
edited to say - a recipe for Sachertorte - on the gentleman baker site - in case it never appears.
its delicious - and gluten free

hulahooper2 · 11/11/2025 22:57

WishingIWasRich · 11/11/2025 16:34

Avoid Jane’s Patisserie recipes unless your oven is dodgy. The timings and temperatures are always wrong. Mind you, I should know that anyone who thinks chopping up a Mars Bar or opening a bag of mini eggs is “decorating” doesn’t know anything about baking. Her recipes are full of manufactured junk and I think they are written for children. I once questioned the timings and temperatures on her Facebook page and I was blocked! It was a perfectly reasonable question. When people ask questions on her recipes such as “can I freeze this” or “can I use this instead of that” she genuinely hasn’t got a clue. The answers are always vague “I think so” or “probably”.

I only use Mary Berry, Sally McKenney and John Kanell recipes.

any Janes Patisserie recipe we’ve tried has been a great success , and my oven is perfect

Pineapplesunshine · 11/11/2025 22:55

This reply has been hidden

This reply has been hidden until the MNHQ team can have a look at it.

Tarkan · 11/11/2025 22:50

This Mary Berry carrot cake. I don’t do the walnuts in it, just put them on top as we have some who like them and some who don’t. It’s also really easy to make a dairy/lactose free version with plant based cream cheese and spread in the icing, which I’ve done for a friend before.

https://www.lovefood.com/recipes/amp/59634/mary-berrys-carrot-and-walnut-cake-with-cream-cheese-icing-recipe

And these triple chocolate brownies, always a hit:

https://www.bbcgoodfood.com/recipes/best-ever-chocolate-brownies-recipe

PInkyStarfish · 11/11/2025 22:37

Apple dessert

113g melted butter
150g cup sugar
1 egg
2 apples sliced into chunks
120g flour
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp salt
1 tsp cinnamon

Preheat oven to 350 . Spray a 9 x 9 pan.
Mix, butter, sugar, and egg . Blend well. Stir in apples.
Mix all the dry ingredients together and blend into the apple mix.
Place mixture into your prepared pan and bake for 20 to 25 minutes or until done.

Suz145 · 11/11/2025 19:05

Nigella's chocolate and peanut butter cake.

Jane's Patisserie peaches and cream cake.

longtompot · 11/11/2025 19:00

Endofyear · 11/11/2025 12:04

This is my son's favourite cake and has been for many years -
https://www.nigella.com/recipes/chocolate-guinness-cake

Have made it for their birthdays, their friends birthdays too! It's always a winner ☺️

I was going to post this too. I made it for a good friends birthday years ago and she still compares any others she's eaten to that one

NecklessMumster · 11/11/2025 18:49

WishingIWasRich · 11/11/2025 16:34

Avoid Jane’s Patisserie recipes unless your oven is dodgy. The timings and temperatures are always wrong. Mind you, I should know that anyone who thinks chopping up a Mars Bar or opening a bag of mini eggs is “decorating” doesn’t know anything about baking. Her recipes are full of manufactured junk and I think they are written for children. I once questioned the timings and temperatures on her Facebook page and I was blocked! It was a perfectly reasonable question. When people ask questions on her recipes such as “can I freeze this” or “can I use this instead of that” she genuinely hasn’t got a clue. The answers are always vague “I think so” or “probably”.

I only use Mary Berry, Sally McKenney and John Kanell recipes.

Jane's Patisserie Sticky Toffee Cake is brilliant https://www.janespatisserie.com/2020/06/06/sticky-toffee-cake/

Sticky Toffee Cake! - Jane's Patisserie

A gloriously delicious two-layer sticky toffee cake with a homemade toffee sauce, toffee buttercream frosting and more! heaven on a plate! 

https://www.janespatisserie.com/2020/06/06/sticky-toffee-cake/

GreenGreenGreenRed · 11/11/2025 18:44

Linzloopy · 11/11/2025 11:39

Mary Berry's Gingerbread Cake. Drizzle with lemon icing (just lemon juice and icing sugar) and scatter chopped stem or crystallised ginger on top before the icing dries.

I made this last Christmas with a vanilla and cinnamon buttercream, ginger jam and gingerbread pieces and I had to hide a slice so I could have some, it went fast.

HansHolbein · 11/11/2025 18:11

I am always begged for this desertislanddishes.co/moelleux-au-chocolat/

Edwinstarrihavefaithinyou · 11/11/2025 18:07

BBC good food guide.
Rock cakes really simple ,I cut the sugar down to 35G from 75 and they're still sweet enough.