Mary Berry says never use certain kind of butter to make a cake - and it's crucial | Somerset Live

Mary Berry is a national treasure and baking icon, so when the 90-year-old shares advice, we listen. The former Great British Bake Off judge has shared a top tip for bakers

Baking legend Mary Berry has offered some golden advice for bakers of all abilities. The 90 year old culinary queen, who has a wealth of experience from her Le Cordon Bleu training and authoring 70 cookbooks, warns against using certain types of butter in your cake-baking endeavours.

She knows what can make or break a homemade birthday cake or her famous Victoria sponge. One key factor, she points out, is the choice of butter, which can greatly affect the outcome of your dessert.

Emphasising the need to check the ingredients thoroughly before putting on the apron, Mary explained in a Good Food article: "I always aim at over 75 per cent. The problem with lower fat spreads and butters is they have a higher water content.

"When it evaporates it causes layers bind together in your mix. In the UK we tend to always have high fat content so it's not usually a problem, but it's always worth checking your ingredients."

The quality of butter is crucial to achieving a bake that's light, moist, and delicate. Choose butter with a higher fat content (over 75 per cent) to ensure there's minimal water, allowing air bubbles to stay intact, as reports the Express.

And don't forget, patience is key - let the butter soften before you start.

When baking, it's easy to forget to take a vital ingredient out of the fridge, with butter often being the one that needs extra time to soften.

A clever hack for dealing with butter, as suggested by Mary Berry, involves chopping it into cubes while it’s still chilled and dunking them in warm water. Allow the butter to sit for ten minutes whilst you get on with other recipe prep – it’ll be just the right kind of soft for baking.

But remember to measure your butter before slicing it up rather than using the full block, because "melting" what you don't need and chilling it again could spoil its taste next time you use it.

With this simple trick up your sleeve, you can be confident that your next sponge cake – or whichever delight you're planning to bake – will have all the creaminess and tenderness you're aiming for. More fat means a richer, moister, and fluffier outcome.

Once you give this tip a whirl, it's sure to become a staple in your baking routine.