A new month means another book to bake from in my Cooking The Books challenge! I’ve changed my choice about three times in the last three weeks but once again it has to reflect what I can actually bake at home that my family will eat and not turn their noses up at! What with Easter falling this month too, I also have to include my usual Easter bakes as well as trying out new ideas.

So, which book am I going for? Well after much umming and ahhing I settled on the hugely popular Baking Bible by Mary Berry!  I bought Mary’s Baking Bible before The Great British Bake Off started on TV back in 2010 but have only baked about 6 or 7 recipes from the whole book. There are about 250 recipes altogether. I know there are other bloggers out there who have baked their way all the way through the Baking Bible but I wanted an excuse to bake some recipes I wouldn’t have got round to trying!

The Baking Bible is a very long book and as part of my challenge is to bake one recipe from each chapter, this month is going to be a very busy one!  There are 18 chapters ranging from Classic Cakes, to Fruit Cakes, to Fancy Biscuits and Celebration Cakes.  Thankfully there are loads of occasions this month where I need to bake!

So, this is what is on the plan. Hope I can manage it!

For the last day of term in school I plan to take the Lemon Griesetorte from the Special Cakes chapter for my work colleagues to try out.  I have tasted this cake before but never made it myself.

For Sunday lunch desserts over the next month we will be having a Hazelnut Meringue Cake, an Austrian Curd Cheesecake, a Marbled Chocolate Ring Cake and a Banoffi Pie.

From the Baking With Children Chapter I want to make the Banana and Chocolate Chip Bars for my kids or they may want to help me with them if the mood takes them!

During the Easter holidays I’m on supper duty at my local WI meeting.  When it’s our turn for supper, three of us provide sandwiches and savoury items and a couple of sweet things.  I love a good excuse to bake so I plan to bake a Cherry and Almond Traybake, a Walnut Frosted Cake and a Cut and Come Again Cake.  We have to provide prizes for the raffle so instead of buying chocolates or wine I’m going to bake a tin of Viennese Fingers and some Shrewsbury Biscuits.

Over the Easter Weekend itself I will be making some Foccacia and a traditional Simnel Cake. I’m also going to try out the Cheese Scone Round to go with a bowl of soup on a Saturday lunchtime.

That still leaves around four chapters so for our school training day on the first day back after the school holidays I will take in some treats: a Classic Swiss Roll, some Millionaires’ Shortbread and some Borrowdale Teabread. As well as this I’m hoping to try my hand at Chocolate Eclairs for the first time ever. Wish me luck as I’ve never tried making choux pastry!

I have baked a few of the recipes from the Baking Bible and have found those that I’ve tried have been great to use with children.  Last year at the school where I work we provided flapjacks, gingerbread biscuits, cookies and butterfly cakes which were all recipes from the Baking Bible! They were a big hit at our school Lenten Fair!

So, as you’ve probably gathered there’s a lot to keep me busy over the next coming month.  I hope I can rise to the challenge!

Watch this space to see if I can get there!

Happy Baking.

Love Sam xx