The 5 Mary Berry recipes you can't live without

To mark her 90th birthday, we reveal the five most popular BBC Food recipes from Dame Mary Berry's 400-strong archive

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Enjoy Dame Merry Berry's most iconic moments

Hang the bunting, blow up the balloons and get your tiered cake stand at the ready. It's time to celebrate the birthday of cooking icon Mary Berry, who turned 90 on 24 March this year.

Having experienced a long and fulfilling career, you might think she'd be tempted to put her feet up. But back in October 2024, ahead of her BBC Two cooking series Foolproof Dinners, she shared that she has no plans to retire any time soon. "I still have lots of thoughts and ideas, and there's plenty of time to rest in heaven," she explained.

So, we can expect plenty more recipes to come. But in the meantime, to celebrate her birthday and the impact she's had on the nation's home cooks, we've sifted through her hefty BBC archive to pull out your five favourite recipes, which millions of you use every year.

1. Mary Berry's Yorkshire puddings

This recipe for Yorkshire puddings is incredibly popular – in fact, it's one of the most visited recipes on BBC Food. The reason? It's foolproof! With this trusty recipe, Mary takes out all the guesswork and makes whipping up puffy, crisp Yorkies a breeze.

2. Mary Berry's easy Victoria sponge

So simple and yet so satisfying. Victoria sponges are a classic tea-party treat and Mary Berry's no-faff recipe is always a winner.

3. Mary Berry's scones

Whether you like them plain or with sultanas, served Devon-style (cream first and then jam) or the Cornish way (jam then cream), you can be assured that Mary Berry's recipe will come up trumps, every time.

4. Lasagne al forno

Mary Berry takes her ragu up a notch with a tablespoon of a simple store-cupboard ingredient in this lasagne recipe. Her other tip? Once the lasagne's assembled, let it stand for six hours in the fridge so the pasta sheets begin to soften before transferring it to the oven.

5. Lemon drizzle traybake cake

"If you ask anybody what their real favourite cake is, it's nearly always lemon drizzle. It's certainly mine," explains Mary Berry. The baking queen has spent years developing her recipe for lemon drizzle cake so that it gives perfect results.