MARY Berry is the name most people associate with home baking in the UK. She has a long-established reputation for creating easy-to-follow, reliable recipes but, if there's one area where she is the undisputed queen of the kitchen, it's cake-making.

In her latest book, Foolproof Cakes, Mary guides you step-by-step through the art of making all kinds of mouth-watering cakes, biscuits and pastries. The book features 40 new recipes - which range from a classic tarte tatin to a sumptuous sacher torte, lemon drizzle traybake and Devonshire scones. With clear, easy-to-follow methods, Mary Berry's foolproof instructions guarantee even the novice cook excellent results every time.

To make your Easter holidays even more scrumptious, here are two recipes from the new book to try out.

CHOCOLATE BROWNIES

Preparation time: 15 minutes

Cooking time: 40-45 minutes

Tin needed: A tray-bake tin, or roasting tin, 30 x 23 x 4 cm. Makes 24.

Mary says: "The best brownies are soft in the centre and have a crust on top. This recipe couldn't be simpler - all you do is measure the ingredients in a bowl and give it all a good mix!"

Ingredients:

275g (10oz) margarine, softened

375g (13oz) caster sugar

4 eggs

75g (3oz) cocoa powder

100g (4oz) self-raising flower

100g (4oz) plain chocolate chips

Cut a rectangle of non-stick baking parchment to fit the base and sides of the tin. Grease the tin and then line it with the paper, pushing it neatly into the corners. Pre-heat the oven to 180C/350F/Gas Mark 4. Measure all the ingredients into a large bowl and mix with a hand-held electric mixer until evenly blended.

Spoon the mixture into the prepared tin, scraping the sides of the bowl with a spatula to remove all of it. Spread the mixture gently into the corners of the tin and level the top with the back of the spatula.

Bake for 40-45 minutes, until the brownies have a crusty top and a skewer inserted into the centre comes out clean. Cover loosely with foil for the last 10 minutes if the mixture is browning too much. Allow the brownies to cool in the tin and then cut into 24 squares. Store in an airtight tin.

LEMON DRIZZLE TRAYBAKE

Preparation time:

15 minutes

Cooking time:

35-40 minutes

Tin needed: A traybake or roasting tin, 30 x 23 x 4cm (12 x 9 x 1.5 in)

Mary says: "This really is top favourite. It is moist and crunchy. The cake needs to be still warm when the topping is added so that it absorbs the lemon syrup easily, leaving the sugar on top. Do allow the cake to cool a little though - if is too hot, the syrup will tend to run straight through".

Ingredients:

225g (8oz) butter, softened

225g (8oz) caster sugar

275g (10oz) self-raising flour

2 teaspoons baking powder

4 tablespoons milk

4 eggs

Finely grated zest of two lemons

For the crunchy topping:

175g (6 oz) granulated sugar

Juice of two lemons

Cut a rectangle of non-stick baking parchment to fit the tin. Grease the tin and then line it with the paper, pushing it neatly into the corners. Pre-heat the oven to 160C/325F/Gas Mark 3. Measure all the ingredients into a large bowl and beat well for about two minutes, until well blended; an electric mixer is best for this but you can always beat by hand with a wooden spoon. Turn the mixture into the prepared tin, scraping the sides of the bowl with a plastic spatula to remove all of the mixture. Level the top gently with the back of a spatula.

Bake in the middle of the oven for 35-40 minutes, until the traybake springs back when pressed lightly with a finger in the centre and is beginning to shrink away from the sides of the tin.

Allow to cool in the tin for a few minutes, then lift the cake out of the tin still in the lining paper. Carefully remove the paper and put the cake on to a wire rack (to catch drips of the topping).

To make the crunchy topping, mix the granulated sugar and lemon juice in a small bowl to give a runny consistency. Spoon this mixture over the traybake while it is still just warm. Cut into 30 squares.

l Mary Berry's Foolproof Cakes (BBC Books, £14.99) is out now, available at all good bookshops or www.bbcshop.com