There are scones, buns and biscuits that you can whip up for tea, traybakes and fruit loaves perfect for a school or village fete and of course foolproof cakes for every occasion from everyday recipes such as a Honey and Almond Cake to Mary's First-Rate Chocolate Cake. The recipes are lovely and we have enjoyed trying out quite a few of them, our favourite is still a classic though, chocolate cake! Put large spoonfuls of both cake mixtures in the tin, then swirl the two together with a skewer to create a marbled effect. Her instructions are clear, most recipes have photos (that was my one quibble - I would have liked all the recipes to have photos). It is definitely quicker than some other recipes though and still gives a great result with delicious cakes.

Story has it that the Battenberg Cake was first made in 1884 in honour of Princess Victoria's marriage to Prince Louis of Battenberg. I think that may mean I've overloaded the peachiness but I was a little short of the 8oz of dried fruit required so it may balance out. going to put some almonds in next time, the grandchildren love it, and it is so quick to make a big plus for me.With walnuts, banana and carrot, this moist bake is topped with a vanilla cream cheese icing and adorned with walnut halves – a classic for a reason! I particularly liked the no nonsense making of jam doughnuts, you simply make the dough, flatten it out put a teaspoonful of jam in the middle, bring the sides up and make a doughnut shape and chuck in the fat fryer, simples! I love that the directions are very easy to follow and the cakes are simple to make they can even be done by kids. They are simple to make, when Mary said some recipes take minutes to make we raised an eyebrow, but this wasn't an exaggeration, many are really quick and very simple. These timings are based on an 800W microwave, you may need to adjust the timings slightly for other wattages.

In addition to the easy tray bakes and family cakes there are some recipes to interest the seasoned baker such as battenberg cake, or my favorite brandy snaps that need to be rolled around a wooden spoon while still warm to achieve their tube-like form, ready for filling with cream! For example, a lot of traybakes that don’t seem to all merit their own page when they could’ve just been a paragraph like “to make chocolate traybake, substitute 3/4 c cocoa powder for the molasses” or whatever.Recipes include the marble cake my mum would make when I was small and the coffee walnut gateau which was one of my grandma's favorites. Bake for 30-35 minutes, until well-risen and the top of the sponge springs back when lightly pressed with a finger.