BAKER’S HALF DOZEN

Continuing their weekly guide to apps, Anne Shooter and David Thomas review six for the amateur baker

THE GREAT BRITISH BAKE OFF

Cost £2.99. What it does Brings Mary Berry and Paul Hollywood right into your kitchen...

Why we love it Cooking with this app is a little bit like taking part in Bake Off at home, only without the stress, thanks to the gorgeous introductory video set to music, and the 50 recipes from Mary and Paul with glorious photographs. Everything is clear and straightforward and each recipe seems more inviting than the next. A winner.

THE BAKER APP

Cost Free.

What it does Provides serious cooks with grown-up recipes.

Why we love it This is a no-nonsense app. There aren’t any pretty photos and the recipes are given in a straightforward manner. You get a few free recipes for such basics as sourdough bread and vanilla cupcakes, and then you can add to them by buying packages of recipes for 69p each. Worth it if you do like to actually cook rather than just enjoy looking at the pictures in cookery books.

THE PHOTO COOKBOOK: BAKING

Cost £2.49. What it does Makes baking as easy as pie.

Why we love it Gosh, this is pretty! The photography is amazing and the recipes will make your mouth water. There are four sections – cakes and tray-bakes, pastries, small cakes and biscuits, and bread – each with a roll of pictures you can scroll through to choose your recipe. The recipes themselves are clear, with step-by-step instructions and photos for each stage of the process. Even for a beginner it would be almost impossible to go wrong with this app.

43 CHOCOLATE CAKE RECIPES

Cost Free. What it does Exactly what it says

on the tin.

Why we love it It’s got some super recipes that are decadent and delicious, but this app is also really useful if you’re looking for a flourless or eggless cake, or one suitable for diabetics. It’s also good for chocolate desserts and cupcakes, not just big teatime cakes, though those are here too. There are video tutorials too. It’s all very American. But we love it anyway.

MARTHA STEWART COOKIES

Cost £1.49. What it does Shows you how to make perfect cookies, the queen of the American kitchen’s way.

Why we love it For a start, it’s brilliant value – 90 recipes for £1.49! That’s better than a cookery book. And this is so beautifully designed you feel like you’re actually holding a book. There are six sections, including chocolate, kids’ and ‘giftable’, and a calculator to convert the US measurements for you.

BAKING RECIPES

Cost Free.

What it does Shares baking love with cooks from around the globe.

Why we love it This app from Pinfoody (there are other ones with similar names) has too many adverts on it. But once you get past that, you have free access to a database of some 10,000 recipes from keen cooks, all with photos and many with reviews from people who’ve tried them. You can also post your own recipes and see what others say about them.