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Great British Bake Off: Episode 1 – Cake Week

September 25, 2024 Bouncy Leave a comment

Please be aware that this blog will include spoilers… you have been warned!

A parody of Barbie, with arguments over who is the best Barbie between Noel and Alison and Ken (Paul Hollywood) picking Weird Barbie (Prue) with a bad American accent, kicked off the new series of Bake Off.

Signature Bake: Loaf Cake

Prue says that to really impress her, the bakers need something that surprises her, “They could put two kinds of sponge together, so it looks marbled or they could bury something interesting inside.”

Paul Hollywood advises us that, “Time management is critical, you don’t want to put decoration on top of a warm cake, it will literally just melt and slide off. It’s gonna be tricky.”

They have been warned!

Illiyin’s “Cinnamon Roll” Loaf Cake –
The judges loved this loaf cake praising the flavours. This earned Illiyin the first handshake of the series.

Gill’s “It’s all V’s Fault” Loaf Cake –
The marbling was good inside the cake and it tasted nice and orangey, but it was let down by the overall look as the icing had melted.

John’s Cherry & Chocolate Marble Loaf Cake –
A proper loaf with enough height, the inside was more of a splodge than a swirl, but the overall flavour was good.

Andy’s “My First Bake” Loaf Cake –
Lovely flavour but the texture was very heavy.

Mike’s Lemon & Linseed Loaf Cake –
Paul noticed it had a big crack inside. The lemon flavouring was spot on, but Paul couldn’t taste the linseed and Mike obviously had an issue with timing as the icing was melting.

Georgie’s Vanilla & Chocolate Marble Loaf Cake –
Nice flavour, but was criticised for not having enough height. Paul said, “I don’t dislike it, I just think it could be better.”

Sumayah’s “Halwa Surprise” Loaf Cake –
A good strong bake that hadn’t been overmixed with the perfect coconut level in the flavour.

Jeff’s “Guiding Star” Loaf Cake –
Prue was impressed with the star running through the cake. The flavours were good, but the overall look was compared to “lava flow.”

Nelly’s Coconut Loaf Cake –
Prue commented that it was basically pudding and was delicious. Not the best decorated but flavour-wise was lovely.

Dylan’s “Sticky Rice” Loaf Cake –
Neat with a good height. The flavour was there but the bake itself was doughy and dense,

Christiaan’s “Umami Apple” Loaf Cake –
Clever decoration, but the judges weren’t impressed with the miso/apple combination.

Hazel’s “Raspberry Surprise” Loaf Cake –
The shards were too thick and it was slightly overbaked.

So we already have the first handshake of the competition, was it too early or do you think that doesn’t matter, if Paul thinks it’s worthy then that’s fine?

Technical Challenge

We were told the news that Jeff wasn’t feeling well, so he won’t be participating in the rest of the programme.

The technical challenge was to bake 8 symmetrical mini-Battenburg cakes but there was a twist – it’s a Taste and Bake Challenge. There was an example of a Battenburg under the gingham cloth and they had five minutes to inspect that before starting on their own ones.

There was a certain amount of trepidation from the bakers, apart from Georgie who admitted she’d looked at a Battenburg recipe last night! (That’s my girl! – if you look at my previous blog, she’s one of two I have chosen to win this year!)

11. Mike
10. Hazel
9. Sumayah
8. Andy
7. Illiyin
6. Gill
5. Nelly
4. Dylan
3. John
2. Christiaan
And the winner was…. GEORGIE!

Showstopper Challenge

Paul highlights Christiaan, Mike and Hazel, who may be in trouble and have to leave the show today.

This week’s Challenge is a hyper realistic illusion cake with flavours and types of sponges up to the bakers in just four hours.

Georgie’s “Fanny the Chicken” Illusion Cake –
Prue commented it was an odd shape, but that the chicken had a real personality. Alison asks the judges, “How does Fanny taste, guys?” The judge’s managed to keep a straight face and replied, “Absolutely lovely!” Bake Off with its best innuendos. Two of the sponges were overbaked but it had a lovely lemon flavour.

Sumayah’s “Pato the Duck” Illusion Cake –
An exceptional illusion cake, probably one of the most realistic looking cakes in the tent. Beautifully baked. But no handshake!

Dylan’s “Canopic Jar” Illusion Cake –
Impressive illusion cake. An unusual flavour, but delicious.

Christiaan’s “Sweet Seams are Made with This” Illusion Cake –
Prue loved this sewing machine illusion cake comparing it to her own one at home. Paul didn’t hold back on his critique saying it was massively overbaked and bone dry and the flavour was quite sour.

John’s “The Perfect Brunch” Illusion Cake-
The judges were impressed with the illusion cake and they loved the flavours.

Gill’s “Crown Green Bowling” Illusion Cake –
Good illusion, although Prue wished the bowls were more rounded, The judges loved the taste of it.

Mike’s “My Favourite Cake & Books” Illusion Cake –
Each book could be picked up separately, the judges loved them. A beautiful cake, executed very well from Paul and Prue just said, “Ditto.”

Andy’s “It’s an Overnight Job” Illusion Cake –
Exceptional illusion cake, Paul could tell straight away that it was overbaked. Lovely flavour with the sharpness of the raspberries.

Hazel’s “Handbag” Illusion Cake –
For a first for Bake Off, Hazel carried her handbag illusion cake by its handles. But Paul commented it wasn’t very neat, overbaked but a beautiful lemon flavour.

Nelly’s “Retro 90’s Shoes” Illusion Cake-
Good chocolate flavour, but lacking the flavour of the raspberries.

Illiyam’s “Flowers in a Vase” Illusion Cake –
Paul and Prue loved the flowers but weren’t keen on the vase. A well baked cake with amazing flavours, but the design was slightly flawed.

Who went home?

Actually nobody went home because Jeff was ill, but they were warned that two people could go home next week.

Star Baker

Thoughts….

A great start to the series, cake week is always a good one as we do get some great bakes. Not to brag but my two choices, John and Georgie won both the Technical and Star Baker! I think Christiaan and Hazel may be gone next week, but let’s hope they do better with biscuits.

Maybe not sending anyone home in the first programme could be established in future series, I know that I would probably need at least a week to settle in and get my nerves under control, they do this in Strictly and it gives everyone a chance for a little bit more practice.

Next Week:

Biscuit Week and it looks like carnage as we see two people fall to the ground…

Great British Bake Off, Reviews

The Great British Bake Off 2024

September 17, 2024 Bouncy Leave a comment

So here we go again, the new series of The Great British Bake Off when we all feel inspired to bake whilst sat on the sofa watching, but know in our heart-of-hearts that it won’t happen as we’re already thinking, “I can get that for £1 in Tescos!”

I will be reviewing episodes each week (I will be on holiday for a couple of weeks but will try to catch up!) – so let’s start with a meet and greet of the bakers!

44 years old and a car mechanic from Essex.

33 years old and a menswear designer from London.

Aged 20, a retail assistant from Buckinghamshire.

34 years, a Paediatric Nurse from Carmarthenshire.

A 53 year old senior category manager from Lancashire.

Aged 71, a former nail technician from Kent.

31 years old, a birth trauma specialist midwife from Norfolk.

Aged 67 and from West Yorkshire, a former university lecturer.

A directorate support manager, aged 37 and from the West Midlands.

Aged 29 and a farm manager from Wiltshire.

A palliative care assistant, aged 44 and from Dorset.

Aged 19, dentistry student from Lancashire.

I’m going to make a bold move and choose my top two just from reading the descriptions of each baker!!

Number Two Choice:

Georgie – she is a self proclaimed cannoli connoisseur and lives in a Welsh farmhouse with her husband, three children, ten chickens, two ducks, two dogs and a cat!

Number One Choice:

John – John learned to bake with his nan and now bakes to honour his nan’s memory, he loves classic bakes with a twist! His favourite bake is a classic lemon tart.

It’s great to see them all back again – I was a bit sceptical when Alison Hammond joined the team, but I was soon loving her comments and of course her infectious laugh!

I’m very excited for this new series and I can’t wait to see if there will be any cooking disasters, messy workstations and of course, soggy bottoms!

Great British Bake Off, Reviews

The Great British Bake Off – Week One: Cake Week

September 27, 2023 Bouncy Leave a comment

This blog contains spoilers, ie., who went out and who won Star Baker, so if you don’t want to know this, please stop reading now!

So now begins a brand new series of GBBO, where things have changed a little since the last season ending with the departure of Matt Lucas and Alison Hammond taking up the reins. This provoked a mixed reaction from the public to the news, but let’s not judge her until we’ve seen her in action!

Meanwhile let’s take a look at when she was a contestant and couldn’t find the oven door!

I did laugh at this photo posted on Twitter (X) by @alexr_241 which showed Noel and Alison as depicted by houses:

There was also another addition to the tent, Daryl, a BSL interpreter for one of the contestants. Refreshing to see him front and centre and not out of sight.

There are 12 contestants this series:

Signature Challenge

The bakers were asked to make a vertical layer cake with a perfectly baked sponge rolled with a filling so when sliced it will reveal neat vertical layers.

Rowan

Judge’s Remarks:

Prue: “Perfect example of a vertical cake. The buttercream is terrific. Well done Rowan.”
Paul: “I like it. It’s delicate, but the flavours are there. Just be aware of the strength of flavours that you’re putting in.”

Josh

Judge’s Remarks:

Prue: “The flavour is sensational.”
Paul: “The colours work, I think the cake looks amazing but I actually think you’ve over-baked your sponges.”

Amos

Judge’s Remarks:

Prue: “The chocolate dominates and not a lot of orange.”
Paul: “Obviously there’s been some issues with the drip effect. The layers just aren’t even enough.”

Cristy

Judge’s Remarks:

Prue: “I think it looks lovely. Beautiful lines. I mean, it’s delicious.”
Paul: “Good height to it, wow. I think the flavour, you are 60% there, don’t be afraid to punch us in the teeth with citrus flavours.”

Nicky

Judge’s Remarks:

Prue: “Yes, the layers are good. The flavour is very subtle and it is delicious.”
Paul: “It looks like a barrel, a bit like me actually, but I don’t think it’s terrible. I quite like the layers, they’re pretty even. It’s just not punchy enough.”
Nicky: “Perhaps the flavours will grow on you?”
Paul: “Yes, like a fungus!”

Abbi

Judge’s Remarks:

Prue: “I like that informal cornucopia look. Very nice vertical stripes. It’s delicious. The balance of the texture of the cake and the buttercream is beautiful.”
Paul: “This is the wild poppy, isn’t it? (Yeah) I think the flavours come through, they’re nice and punchy.”

Dana

Judge’s Remarks:

Prue: “Well those are pretty good stripes. I must say, the flavour is lovely, not too salty.”
Paul: “It’s a bit messy, the piping is not particularly good.”

Saku

Judge’s Remarks:

Prue: “Don’t make a face like that. It is a bit wobbly. The stripes are there. What I think the real achievement is to get the flavour out of the blueberries which they are not the easiest fruit to make taste great.”
Paul: “I like the colours, let’s have a look at this wobbly tower. Oh, I got the sharpness from the outside which brings that sour and the sweet together. I love the flavours.”

Matty

Judge’s Remarks:

Prue: “It certainly is strong. That’s a muscular cake. It’s very nice.”
Paul: “That would wake you up in the morning. That coffee level is perfect.“

Dan

Judge’s Remarks:

Prue: “That is the cutest little cake. Beautiful stripes Dan, well done. That is rhubarb and custard. It’s a beautiful cake, it’s very light.”
Paul: “It looks like a circus tent. With the crème pat and the rhubarb, it’s quite moreish, good job.”

Keith

Judge’s Remarks:

Prue: “It looks so dramatic and the colours are so strong contrast and it looks so wonderful. It’s delicious, absolutely delicious. I could happily eat all of that.”
Paul: “Oh my god. The cream is so light against the density of the chocolate and then that orange liqueur, it is absolutely delicious.”

Tasha

Judge’s Remarks:

Prue: “But you know what, its flavour might save it. Well, you’ve certainly got the stripes. I think you’ve got too much filling to cake though. That is very unusual and rather delicious.”
Paul: “Did you sit on it? If you had used less of the filling and more of the sponge, that would have been absolutely brilliant. I think it looks terrible, but I love the flavours and the texture of it.”

There were ups and downs in the tent – I think Saku’s ‘up’ was definitely the hug she received from Paul and Matty’s ‘down’ was not getting his buttercream to behave!

Technical Challenge

To make the Great British Bake Off chocolate cake, the one with the missing raspberry which appears in the opening titles with two layers of moist chocolate sponge covered and filled with a silky smooth chocolate ganache topped with fresh raspberries. Time: 2 hours.

The mystery of the raspberry was solved: Noel has it in a box, ready to sell on eBay when he reitres!

This challenge should be bread and butter to the bakers, but there is pressure to get it perfect as it will be tasted by Paul and Prue.

The big debate in the tent was raspberry on or off the cake?

The ganache seemed to be the main focus of attention, whether it had a shiny or matt finish.

The bakers were ranked from 12th to first position:

12th – Dana
11th – Tasha
10th – Nicky
9th – Rowan
8th – Josh
7th – Matty
6th – Cristy
5th – Saku
4th – Keith
3rd – Abbi
2nd – Amos
1st – Dan

Showstopper Challenge

Make a cake shaped and decorated in the form of an animal of your choosing. Time: 4 hours.

Cristy

The judges loved the colours, loved the isomalt lake. Gorgeous and raspberries taste tart which cut through the flavour of it.

Keith

Judges commented there was the right amount of flavour running through the layers – not oversweet, full of flavour.

Matty

Paul said it looked like it had been run over. Nice flavour. Never seen a spaniel that colour.

Rowan

Very impressive. Delicious flavours.

Saku

Astonishing to look at. Beautiful. Tasted quite stodgy, overbaked, style over substance.

Dan

Adorable. Very moreish. Done Bruno proud.

Josh

Charming. A lot of buttercream.

Dana

A bit flat on the back. Strong peanut flavour.

Abbi

Look great. Great character to his face. Rhubarb jam excellent. Really good job.

Amos

Everything slipped slightly. Cake a bit doughy, tough as old boots. Bone dry. Stodgy and oversweet.

Nicky

Sorry – couldn’t resist – Bake Off innuendo at its best.

Beautiful. Heavy on the fondant. Overbaked sponge.

Tasha

Incredible, sensational. Robin with personality. Delicious. Paul didn’t like it …. he loved it.

Star Baker

Congratulations Dan – our first Star Baker of the series! #GBBO pic.twitter.com/zkNuvo9EVz
— British Bake Off (@BritishBakeOff) September 26, 2023

Going home …

It’s always sad to see someone go home, but especially on the first week – perhaps the powers that be should take a leaf out of Strictly’s book and everyone stays the first week and the competition begins for real on the second week!

Next week is Biscuit Week!

Great British Bake Off, Reviews, Uncategorized

Week Three – Bread Week

October 8, 2021 Bouncy Leave a comment

Warning: there are spoilers in this blog - who won star baker, who left the show, who received a handshake from Paul, what necklace was Prue wearing, things along those lines.

Am I the only one who didn’t understand the opening this week? Maybe it’s because I didn’t understand what the fish was saying?

Anyway, it’s Bread Week…

Signature Dish: Focaccia Bread

Any flavour and any style, crispy crust and an open and irregular crumb structure: two hours, 45 minutes.

Breadmaking advice from Lucius Malfoy from Harry Potter

George’s Greek Inspired Focaccia:
Packed and busy. Lovely. Good bake, good blend of flavours, but needed more water to open it up a little bit more.

Maggie’s Classic Focaccia:
Attractive, filling wasn’t pushed down into the tray, stretchy, soft texture, soft on top, but good flavour. A decent focaccia.

Freya’s Mexican Fajita Focaccia:
Smells great, nice texture, well baked.

Rochica’s Roasted Garlic Focaccia with Tomato, Feta & Pesto:
Lovely design, strong garlic taste, okay texture, try to keep flavour throughout the bread.

Amanda’s Chasing Grainbows Focaccia:
Overbaked, filling in lines, Prue recommended scattered so you get a taste of everything in one bite,

Chig’s Spanish Cheesy Meaty Focaccia:
Overbaked, lovely powerful flavours, delicious.

Crystelle’s Feta and Grape Focaccia with Fennel & Walnut:
Open structure, needed to be much thicker. Beautiful taste, great flavour combination, fresh.

Lizzie’s Final Furlong Focaccia:
Nice top, filled the tin nicely, good flavour, nice and soft and crispy on the outside, could have been proved longer, a great focaccia.

Jürgen’s Kipper-caccia Focaccia:
Slightly overbaked, more proving and less baking, quite tight inside needed more mixing, more cake-like than bread-like, Prue wasn’t mad about the flavours, could have been a little bit better!

Giuseppe’s Breakfast in Gaeta Focaccia:
Soft with focaccia structure, beautifully light focaccia, mouthful of everything in every bite. Paul said it was beautiful and he was rewarded with the first Hollywood Handshake of the series!

The first Hollywood Handshake
of the series!!

Technical Challenge set by Paul – A batch of 15 olive and cheese ciabatta breadsticks

Words of advice from Paul – “It’s a fairly complicated recipe, but be careful how you add the filling.”

We can see you Noel!

Position in Technical Challenge:

1st – Giuseppe
2nd – Lizzie
3rd – Amanda
4th – Freya
5th – Jürgen
6th – Chigs
7th – George
8th – Maggie
9th – Crystelle
10th – Rochica

Those in trouble before going into the Showstopper Round:
Jürgen
Maggie
Rochica

Those in line for Star Baker:
Giuseppe
Lizzie

Showstopper Challenge – Themed Display Using Milk Bread

Three dimensional, shape and decoration to reflect chosen theme.

Probably one of the best bread showstoppers – Paul’s lion!

George’s The Very Hungry Koala:
Adorable, bread a bit heavy, milk bread can’t carry weight of an upright sculpture. Clever design.

Lizzie’s Pig Banquet:
Some caught in the oven, clever design. Nice texture, light.

Chigs’ Honey Milk Bread Picnic Basket:
Beautifully done, well proved. Really well made. Hint of flavour. Colours consistent, good design.

Maggie’s Things You’d Find In A Rockpool:
Abstract, rustic, under-proved, no flavour, very cake-like, could be a bit lighter.

Jürgen’s The Baby:
Clever use of flavours in different breads, design is simple, lovely flavour, sweetness level just right, slightly underproved.

Crystelle’s Bready for Sunday Roast:
Very clever, longer in the oven would have created more of a darkness, great flavours, fantastic citrus kick, lovely texture.

Giuseppe’s Your Five-A-Day:
Incredible design, amazing job, beautiful execution, very clever, absolutely delicious and lovely texture.

Amanda’s I Just Fish We Had More Time:
Overall, a really good job, clever and highly effective, delightful, lovely flavour, sweetness just the right side of sweetness. Spot on texture, but a massive air pocket just underneath.

Rochica’s Bird Cage:
Over-proved, tight, sweetness level is right, too dense. Tastes delicious but the texture is not right – not sure it was four hours work.

Freya’s Under The Sea Milk Bread Display:
Amusing, very neat, nice milk bread, light structure, holds its bake, sweetness levels just right, tastes great.

Star Baker and Who’s Going Home:

Thoughts

I have to agree with the judges on both counts, Giuseppe had an amazing week and Rochica did struggle with bread week. Lizzie pulled herself up in the ranks and I loved George’s Koala bear this week.

Next week is Dessert Week – let’s hope their skills don’t dessert them and they don’t crumble to the pressure!

One last thing, Prue’s necklace, I’m sure I’ve seen it somewhere else!

Great British Bake Off, Reviews

Week Two – Biscuit Week

September 29, 2021 Bouncy Leave a comment

Warning: there are spoilers in this blog - who won star baker, who left the show, who received a handshake from Paul, what necklace was Prue wearing, things along those lines.

First of all, can I apologise for Xing out Tom, but I couldn’t think of a better way to do it. But unfortunately this will befall all our bakers, except for one of them of course!

Signature Dish: 24 Brandy Snaps

Perfectly baked lace biscuits, identical and have to have a good snap! Any shape but have to be coated, dipped or filled – two hour baking time.

Lizzie’s dog, Pru, has her own Instagram account and seemingly doing quite well with 1,779 followers. When Matt asked Lizzie if she had practiced in the tent yesterday, she admitted that she didn’t but watched Harry Potter instead!

Baking, I wouldn’t say it was rocket science, but…

Jürgen went to University in Germany and gained a Masters Degree in Physics

Freya’s “Brandy Snapuccinos”:
Scrumptious, look quite dark, nice lace and a good snap, too strong coffee flavour. Overall a decent job.

Amanda’s “Open Sesame” Brandy Snaps: Very thin so falling apart. Delicious flavour,

Jairzeno’s “Chocolate, Passion Fruit & Pineapple Brandy Snaps:
Messy. Flavours too strong. Not well executed.

Rochica’s Coffee Brandy Snaps:
Massive variety in size, delicious flavour.

George’s Cypriot Brandy Snaps:
Irregular in size, flavours work well together, but looks a mess. Original and sensational.

Crystelle’s “Apple of my P-eye” Brandy Snaps:
Lovely snap, beautiful flavour combination, done well with the textures.

Lizzie’s, Fast-Food Apple Pie Brandy Snaps:
Very little lace, delicious, nice creme diplomat, lovely mouthful.

Guiseppe’s Gianduja Snaps:
Really pretty, elegant and uniform in colour, nice lace, delicious, crisp, nicely flavoured. Chocolate doesn’t come through very much.

Chigs’ “Espresso Martini” Brandy Snaps:
Nice and lacey, chocolate comes through well, nice snap, right amount of sweetness, coffee flavour a bit weak.

Maggie’s Blackcurrant Brandy Snaps:
Very small and could have a bit more colour, not quite baked enough so are really chewy, but delicious.

Jürgen’s “A Cup of Chai” Brandy Snaps:
Overall look pretty good, nice and even, lovely and thin, blend of spices work beautifully well. Texture-wise done well. Creme pat perfect.

Jürgen received a handshake from Matt Lucas, which Matt admitted that it meant nothing getting a handshake from him.

Technical Challenge set by Paul – Sandwiched Jammie Biscuit

Words of advice from Paul: “This is pretty straight forward, but read your recipe, we want perfection.”

I wonder how many takes they had to redo when Jammie Dodgers was said instead of Jammie Biscuits!

Position in Technical Challenge:

1st – Jürgen
2nd – Guiseppe
3rd – Freya
4th – Amanda
5th – Maggie
6th – Lizzie
7th – Chig
8th – George
9th – Jairzeno
10th – Crystelle
11th – Rochica

Jürgen, the Baking Terminator as named by Guiseppe! Hasta La Biscuit baby!

Picture pinched from Twitter!

Those in trouble before going into the Showstopper Round:
Jairzeno
Maggie

Those in line for Star Baker:
Jürgen
Guiseppe
Chig

Showstopper Challenge – 3D Biscuit Replica of Favourite Childhood Toy

It has to be delicious but also have an interactive element.

George’s “Paul and Prue Airlines”:
Interactive: airplane flies around in a circle
Great design. Not too hard, but very crisp. Well done.

Rochica’s Gingerbread Pinball Game:
Interactive: moving parts
Delicate and thin, texture spot on.

Guiseppe’s Reversi Board Game:
Interactive: you can play the game
Classic gingerbread. Properly engineered. Beautiful.

Chigs’ Snooker Table:
Interactive: you can play snooker
Very clever, a little bit cakey, but if it’s thick you don’t want it to be too hard. Perfect.

Lizzie’s “Paint a Truck”:
Interactive: you can paint the car
Interesting concept. Gingerbread and chocolate together – too strong. Tones down with icing and is delicious.

Jürgen’s “Grandpa’s Windmill”:
Interactive: sails go around
Very good, looks beautiful. Lovely flavour in the mouth, great job again.

Crystelle’s Vanity Playset:
Interactive: you can play with jewellery
Lovely flavour, beautiful, very clever design, flavours spot on.

Freya’s “Winne”:
Interactive: rocking horse
Beautiful, structurally sound.

Amanda’s Carousel Rocking Horse:
Interactive: structure had broken
Wouldn’t have chosen that type of biscuit to use as it’s so delicate.

Maggie’s Beach Playset:
Interactive: you can play with it
Basic, needs to be more elaborate. Should be a bit thinner. School report would say, “Needs to try harder.”

Jairzeno’s Tall Ship:
Interactive: Not sure
Rough and ready. Lovely blend, tastes delicious.

Freya and Amanda’s Rocking Horses – they had varying success!

Star Baker and Who Is Going Home…

Jürgen was able to tell his family this week!

Thoughts:

I think Jairzeno was the right choice to go home this week, personally I think he should have gone last week. Maggie didn’t have such a good week as she did last week, but I thought Lizzie and George had much better weeks.

Next week is Bread Week – who will rise to the top and who will knead to improve their baking skills? #sorrynotsorry

Cooking and Baking, Great British Bake Off

Week One – Cake Week

September 22, 2021 Bouncy Leave a comment

Warning: there are spoilers in this blog - who won star baker, who left the show, who received a handshake from Paul, what necklace was Prue wearing, things along those lines.

I can’t believe that the last time I reviewed the GBBO was two years ago! It was back on our TVs last night, kicking off with Cake Week; let’s do this!

The new series kicked off with the GBBO Band and their interpretation of Achy Breaky Heart with lyrics such as:

“But don’t bake my tart, my flaky pastry tart…. You’ll overbake my tart, and that will break my heart and then you’ll never get to shake my hand.”

I love this Tweet by Specsavers:

Signature Dish : 12 Decorative Mini Rolls

Flavours, sponge and filling entirely up to bakers with a two hour time limit.

A highlight for me whilst the bakers were creating their mini rolls was Matt Lucas’s rendition to Jürgen of The Flintstones in German, especially the ending shouting, “Wilhomena!”

There were comments made by Paul about the similarities between Prue and Maggie, I think it’s the glasses! 🤣

George forgot to close the oven door, putting him behind with his bake, so he earned the first BLEEP of the season, plus Lizzie was also behind time, stating she was just a slow person.

Chigs put us all to shame during lockdown, he learned how to bake, played the guitar, did rock climbing, decorated his house and cooked with his mum…

Maggie’s “Knit & Natter” Mini Rolls:
Rough and ready chocolate, nice swirl, excellent sponge, lovely texture, great flavour, but couldn’t eat a lot as it is very rich.

Jairzeno’s Lime & Passion Fruit Mini Rolls:
More like a fold than a swirl, passion fruit flavour delicious, worth the calories!

Amanda’s “Cherry Solider” Mini Rolls:
Uneven, not a swirl but a blob, cherry flavour not strong enough, Prue liked the booze!

Tom’s Black Forest Mini Rolls:
Not really a mini roll, a bit of a swirl, texture of the cake lovely, not enough cherry coming through.

Crystelle’s “Chai and Chai Again” Mini Rolls:
Neat, not much of a swirl, delicious, great blend of the spices, touch too much jaggery.

George’s Chocolate & Hazelnut Mini Rolls:
Tasted like pudding, still warm and so it’s collapsed.

Rochica’s Colin Rolls:
Fairly good swirl, lovely flavours, a little stodgy, overmixed.

Jürgen’s Schwarzwald Mini Rolls:
Nice swirl, over-sweetened the filling, very, very good comment.

Freya’s Vegan Lemon & Raspberry Mini Rolls:
Nice tart flavour of raspberries, cake is a bit hefty.

Chigs’ Strawberry & Cream Mini Rolls:
Lovely swirl, fresh strawberries delicious.

Lizzie’s Zoo Mini Rolls:
Not the best looking mini rolls, flavours all wrong.

Giuseppe’s Easter Mini Rolls:
As neat as a pin, beautiful, elegant, perfect swirl, delicate and well balanced flavours, a triumph.

Technical Challenge set by Prue – The Malt Loaf

Words of advice from Prue: “This is a really old fashioned recipe and those of you who are under 35 may never have heard of it, don’t panic, just read the recipe.”

One of the easier technical challenges, perhaps it’s because it’s the first episode, but nice to see all the bakers not having too much of a disaster!

Position in Technical Challenge:

1st – Maggie
2nd – Freya
3rd – George
4th – Lizzie
5th – Tom
6th – Jürgen
7th- Rochica
8th – Crystelle
9th – Jairzeno
10th – Guiseppe
11th – Chigs
12th – Amanda

Due to popular demand… we’ve giffed up THAT Prue and Paul moment. #GBBO pic.twitter.com/3o02vFa7tU
— British Bake Off (@BritishBakeOff) September 21, 2021

That moment when Paul said to Prue, “You’ll have to take your teeth out and clean them later.”

Those in trouble before going into the Showstopper round:
Amanda
George
Tom

Those in line for Star Baker:
Guiseppe
Jürgen
Maggie

Showstopper – Anti-gravity Illusion Cake

Must be appear to defy gravity and in a way that represents a precious memory.

Chigs
The mug fell off the cake in front of the judges, good layers, delicious, beautifully moist.

George’s Greek Table:
Could be neater, nice flavours, concentrate on finesse.

Magggie’s Ice Cream Cornet:
Looks more like a plant pot than an ice cream, Victoria sandwich delicious, but not much flavour in it.

Jairzeno’s “Kick the Can” Cake:
Didn’t look like what was envisioned, perfect sponge, flavourful.

Amanda’s Elderflower & Lemon Surf Explosion:
Lovely dolphins, lovely colour and concept, not sure if gravity defying as that part is the rice crispy part, slightly overbaked sponge, touch too much liquor. The cake collapses on the bench. (Not sure if that’s to do with Paul cutting the cake where he did?)

Lizzie’s Nana’s Peaches & Cream:
Simplistic, a bit messy, nice flavour,.

Freya’s “Flower Potty”:
Incredible flowers, lovely, very boozy, delicious, nice kick from the alcohol, great job.

Crystelle’s “Bouq-cake” of Flowers:
Elegant, beautiful pipework, beautifully flavoured, lovely, remarkable.

Rochica’s Apple Cake:
More detail, lovely flavours, more honed skills.

Tom’s Classically Spectacular Showstopper:
Disappointing gravity defying element.

Giuseppe’s “Jack and The Beanstalk”:
Beautiful, sponge a little dry, good flavour, maybe do three layers instead of two.

Jürgen’s “Night Time Reading”:
Elegant, clean and simple and beautifully done, well engineered, rose flavour absolutely right, perfect bake.

My favourite showstopper was Crystelle’s Bouq-cake of Flowers!

Star Baker and Who is Going Home…

Poor old Jürgen tried to phone his family, but no-one answered his phone….

Thoughts:

I’m not really sure if the right decision was made for Tom to leave the show, I thought that it might have been Jairzeno as his showstopper was terrible. I think the favourites at the moment are Jürgen and Guiseppe with Maggie and Crystelle also in the running. But this is Bake Off, all it takes is a disastrous week and you are phoning for an Uber!

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Week 10 – The Final

October 30, 2019 Bouncy 1 Comment

This blog contains spoiler of who won the Great British Bake Off 2019.

So this is it, the final of the Great British Bake Off. The odds on favourite must be Steph (won Star Baker four times), followed by Alice (won Star Baker twice) and lastly David (not a recipient of the Star Baker award).

Signature Dish

The final Signature Dish was the “Ultimate Chocolate Cake,” something that my husband was invested in as he loves chocolate cake, me, I don’t like it at all. I do like chocolate mousse and chocolate bars, but not chocolate cake nor chocolate ice cream, I know, weird, right?

steph-cake — Steph’s Black Forest Gateau

David’s cake has a lovely mirror shine, but it’s too boozy, the Armagnac flavour overpowers it.

Alice’s cake looks wobbly and clumsy and Paul says that the cake lacks the full chocolate flavour.

Steph’s Black Forest Gateau has a 70’s feel, according to Prue, but it is “a very nice cake,” although slightly overbaked.

Technical Challenge

This final challenge was set by Paul and it was six twice baked Stilton souffles with a biscuit on the side. This is where “the baking fairies” seemed to desert Steph as she makes an error with her baine-marie, using cold water instead of boiling resulting in souffles which collapsed as they hit the baking tray. Alice doesn’t know how to make a roux, much to Sandi’s surprise and David carries on in his normal calm manner.

Technical Positions

3rd – Steph (Egg whites beaten to death, biscuits too thick).

2nd – Alice (Bit raw, uneven, pale biscuits)

1st – David (Not a bad effort, thin biscuits).

Showstopper

It’s all down to the Showstopper and this week it’s illusion baking, you know, when a cake looks like a pie, but tastes like a cake! Mind blowing!

To start off with, Alice has received some bad news, her mum and dad might not be able to make it as their flight from Ireland has been cancelled, so she starts her showstopper a little teary eyed.

Once again, Steph has problems, each of her elements for the illusion picnic basket isn’t going well, even the electric whisk decides to attack her. “I’ve saved the worst ’til last, maybe it was a week too many,” she says despondantly. Perhaps she should have taken a time out and had a go on the helter skelter!

Alice’s End-of-the-School Year Celebration picnic was “A good effort,” and the scotch eggs were a highlight.

David’s picnic illusion was a hit, with Paul calling it “Exceptional,” and Prue giving him a “Bravo.”

From Steph’s picnic basket made out of nougat to her lemon cake, everything had an issue, so much so that Paul went over and gave her a hug saying, “Never mind, Steph.”

My final tweet of the week is from Richard Osman:

And the Winner of The Great British Bake Off is….

So we come to the result, all the past contestants and families have congregated to hear the verdict and we learn that this year’s winner is …… DAVID!

I think David thoroughly deserved this, he was always consistent, being second in the Technicals for an number of times and he is no longer the bridesmaid…

Well done David! And I will point out that he was one of my picks as the winner from the start!

(And by the way, Alice’s parents made it!)

I have thoroughly enjoyed writing these reviews and am amazed at how many views they have received. Don’t forget I am still doing reviews for Strictly, but if you have any suggestions for new programmes that I could review, please let me know by commenting.

See you next year – Keep Baking!

Great British Bake Off

Week 9 – Patisserie Week – SEMI FINAL

October 23, 2019 Bouncy Leave a comment

This blog contains spoilers of who has left, who won Star Baker, who received a Hollywood Handshake and what necklace Prue was wearing…

Firstly can I pay tribute to the bakers and Sandi wearing ties in memory of Henry who left last week…. but the bakers didn’t wear them for very long as it was too hot in the tent.

Joke Alert: Two silk worms got in a fight, it ended in a tie.

Signature Dish

As this week is the semi-final, you can be sure that Paul and Prue haven’t set easy baking challenges this week, and you’d be right, the Signature Dish this week is eight domed tartlettes.

David makes an Italian Spritz tart which Prue thinks is lovely. Paul suggests that the nuts that are around the bottom should be smaller.

Rosie’s tartlettes are gin, lemon and raspberry which the judges remark are a lovely colour and the perfect size but the creme pat is too soft, it should have been cooked longer.

Steph chooses lemon, raspberry and white chocolate, Paul says that the tartlettes aren’t up to her usual standards as they’re not very neat. She is a bit despondent saying that her’s look like boobs…

Alice’s ingredients are mocha, orange and hazelnut and Paul tells her that he loves hazelnuts and chocolate, has he never heard of Nutella? The only thing that lets Alice’s tartlettes down is her piping, but she’ll take that, as she says later.

Technical Challenge

This week set by Prue and it’s called, gateau St-Honore, who happens to be the French patron saint of bakers. So no pressure then.

Rosie has the nightmare of all nightmares, and it’s not even Halloween yet, she redoes three of the five elements and after muttering, “I’m going home,” yet again, she manages to pick herself up and somehow, even if she did place her choux buns on upside down, manages to win this challenge!

Technical Challenge Positions

4th – Alice (burnt caramel); 3rd – Steph (untidy, too much caramel); 2nd – David (not bad, chantilly cream is like scrambled eggs); 1st – Rosie (perfect, although choux buns upside down).

During the advert break, we discover that there is soon going to be a Junior Bake Off competiton, would Jamie be eligible to enter for this I wonder?

Showstopper

This Showstopper seems like a monstrous task, make a sugar glass display case with an edible depiction of something they hold dear…

There was a lot of fuss on social media about Alice and her chocolate starfish, but I think i’ll just leave it there…

Steph’s Night At The Opera – The glass was pretty clear, the Opera Cake under the glass was neat and pretty, “Very Steph, a good job,” was Paul’s verdict.

David’s Greenhouse – Neat, clear glass, but the cake wasn’t very delicate and wasn’t level.

Rosie’s Time With The Family – Paul described it as a simplistic concept and the cakes were very dry and boring.

Alice’s Save Our Oceans – the glass wasn’t completely clear, but the cake had lovely flavours.

I am always amazed at how much the bakers get done when the last minute is called, I think this Tweet from Meanwhile, Darren sums it up:

So the nail biting results are here, but first Star Baker, which this weeks goes to Alice, perhaps she’s timing her run to the final to perfection? And the person who leaves is Rosie.

I will miss the conversations between Rosie and Noel, but look forward to their new spin-off show called The Baking Vets….

So this is it, next week is THE FINAL, my choice David is still there, but who will win?

See you next week for the final time…

Great British Bake Off

WEEK 8 – Pastry Week

October 16, 2019 Bouncy 2 Comments

This blog contains spoilers of who has left, who won Star Baker, who received a Hollywood Handshake and what necklace Prue was wearing…

Signature Dish

This week we have the Tarte Tatin (named after the hotel which first served it as its signature dish created in 1989) which is usually a fruit based dish, but our bakers have to make a savoury version.

So for this dish, it’s “All about the lamination,” as David put it and we also have a soggy bottom alert!

Henry reinforces this saying that, “No-one wants a soggy tart.”

Henry does a crab tarte tatin, which Paul says needs more caramelization, but it did have a nice colour and good lamination.

Steph decides on the more traditional pairing of cheese and shallots. Paul didn’t like the fact that the cheese was just plonked on top of the tarte tatin, but it was agreed that it had a nice flavour.

Alice uses leeks with an apple, but Paul suggests that the leeks needed more caramelisation and it was too wet, but it tasted delicious.

David is using carrots for his tarte tatin, his layers were excellent but it was a bit dry and not very attractivet to look at.

Rosie’s tarte tatin was accused of having too much garlic and it looked burnt and unfortunately it had a soggy bottom…

Technical Challenge

The challenge was set by Paul and it was a Morrocan Pie using Walker or Brick pastry; Henry had never heard of it and rather rashly said, “If anyone has heard of it, I will get naked,” cut to David, “I’ve actually heard of this, I’ve seen it on a travel programme.”

The process of making this pastry reduced Steff to tears and saying, “This was my worst fear, not being able to present anything in a challenge,” but with a few comforting words from Noel, she managed to finish.

And for some reason, Adam Hills, Australian comedian appears in a link with Noel, where he mistakes Adam for Sandi???

Henry’s collapses, Rosie’s collapses and Steph’s collapses – not a good Technical for Henry and Steph, coming 5th and last, but Rosie makes it to second place.

Technical Challenge Positions

5th – Henry; 4th – Steph; 3rd – Alice; 2nd – Rosie; and 1st – David!! At last, David’s won a technical!! Channel 4’s Tweet summed it up perfectly.

Showstopper

As everybody has had mixed results this week, as Paul put it, “A lot rests on the Showstopper.” This week it is a Vertical Pie, three pies stacked on top of each other.

Alice makes a Pie Treehouse, David is doing a nautical open pie, which Paul struggles with the concept of, Steph is making a carousel, Rosie’s has a dragon and Henry is making an upside down chandelier.

Tweet of the Week goes to Sam Atkins:

Rosie’s pie creation is described as bitty and dry; Alice’s doens’t have enough sweetness; David’s is a good design but Paul doesn’t like the exposed vegetables; Steph’s carousel is neat and organised and delicious; Henry’s upside down chandelier is dry and as Paul said, “Not executed to the best of his ability.”

So Steph is crowned Star Baker for the fourth time and the person who leaves is Henry. With David losing out again as Star Baker, will he be only the second person to win GBBO without having won this accolade?

So it is with a heavy heart that I cross out Henry from my contestant photo, I still have David in the running, but with the loss of Michael and Henry these past two weeks, the line-up seems quieter and more studious.

We head on to the semi-final, with next week being Patisserie Week, I wonder who’s going to make it to the final?

I will leave the last word with Henry…

Great British Bake Off

Week 7 – Festival Week

October 12, 2019 Bouncy 1 Comment

This blog contains spoilers of who has left, who won star baker, who received a Hollywood Handshake and what necklace Prue was wearing…

I wasn’t sure what to expect from Festival Week – they had the tent, perhaps they were going to Mary Glaston-Berry…. sorry! But no, it wasn’t that kind of festival at all.

Signature Dish

This week it was to bake 24 yeasted buns. Steph, Michael and Alice go for the hot cross buns, with Michael mixing Christmas with Easter. David is going Bulgrarian with a kozunak, Henry is doin a kardemummabullar, a word that Henry quite likes and Rosie is visiting Finland with a lakiaspullar.

Top of the class this week for their signature dishes was David, Steph and Henry, with Henry and Steph receiving the Hollywood Handshake.

Henry is in shock and tells Paul to, “Shut up,” with Prue replying, “I don’t think you should say, ‘Shut up’ to the judge.”

Rosie’s are described as ‘squat’, Alice’s as ‘irregular’ and Michael’s are uneven because of the volume of fruit he’s put in them.

Technical Challenge

12 Sicilian cassatelle is Paul’s request for the Technical. This involves using a deep fat frier, much to Michael’s dismay, he didn’t get on well with the frier last time.

Technical Challenge positions:

6th – Alice; 5th – Michael; 4th – Steph; 3rd – Henry; 2nd – David; 1st – Rosie. David once again is second, that’s five times in seven weeks.

Sandi remarks that David has, “Very nice buns,” and Henry says he is, “Covering my cracks with leaves,” so the double endres are back with a vengence this episode.

Showstopper

This time it’s Kek Lapis, the Sarawak celebratory cake, basically a Battenburg but with a lot more layers. This cake is different because instead of baking the layers, they are grilled, both Rosie and David manage to burn their layers, resulting in David producing a very small cake.

My Tweet of the Week from Jamie90:

Steph does a good job, Rosie’s is described as messy, Michael’s is rubbery, Henry does a pretty good job, David’s is interesting and Alice’s is extremely neat and clever.

This week Henry is crowned Star Baker and the person who leaves is Michael. So my choices of Henry and David are still there, though I suspect Steph is the favourite to win this series.

So six become five and next week is the quarter finals and it is Pastry Week – I’m pleased that it’s a classic episode, but who will be flaky and whose bake will be pie in the sky?

Keep baking!

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