Hello and welcome to week four! We’re on dessert week and it’s set to be the most stressful week on the Bake-Off ever for one contestant…
First up is a self-saucing pudding, and timing is everything! Mary runs through her specifications for a perfect pudding, and Martha is making a chocolate peanut butter fondant – oh my goodness! What do you think of Martha? Some people have said to me that they think Martha is too young to win but I think she’s super talented! And why shouldn’t she win just because she’s young?
Educational interlude! We learn about the Paignton Pudding, which is a traditional syrup pudding which caused a riot with people trying to get a taste of it. Gosh we British do love our cakes!
Bake to the tent, and Kate’s puddings are overflowing like an angry volcano. Judging time, and Richard’s pudding is excellent – another great week for Richard by the look of it! Next up is Chetna, whose strawberry sponge looks beautiful, but needs more sauce. Martha’s fondant looks delicious but Paul and Mary find it a bit too claggy and messy! I can’t say that’s a complaint that I would have!
Luis’s puddings haven’t turned out great – too claggy again, while Nancy’s cakes are overbaked, and the sauce inside is no longer a sauce. Iain’s chocolate raspberry fondants look delicious and taste good too.
Finally, Kate’s salted caramel and nut puddings look amazing, with a nice oozy sauce, and Norman’s sticky toffee puddings taste good but are a bit untidy.
Technical challenge! The contestants are making Mary’s tiramisu cake with very little guidance, just the ingredients. Both Richard and Iain have sponge fails and have to start again – eek!
Luis has done a fabulous diagram so he can remember how to layer his tiramisu cake! Sponge/cream/sponge/cream – Mel calls him out on it and it’s hilarious!
Crunch time now and the contestants are quite stressed out as they bring their cakes together…. the tent is very hot and everything is melting…
The moment of truth for the bakers! I find these segments really interesting as Paul and Mary outline why it’s so important that the layers are even and consistent. Martha, Luis and Chetna come out on top while Iain and Norman do poorly…. oooh! Well done Martha!
Showstopper time and the contestants are tasked to make a Baked Alaska on the hottest day of the year…. Oh dear.
Diana is making a swan shaped baked alaska. I fear this may be far too ambitious… we shall see! Iain’s involves black sesame seed ice cream… Mary’s face betrays her lack her faith in this idea… Martha’s is a key lime alaska, whilst Chetna’s is mango and raspberry on a coconut sponge. Yum! Richard is making a tiramisu baked alaska which sounds absolutely delicious although he is worried that it might be too similar to the tiramisu cake.
Temperatures are rising in the tent as some of the contestants baked alaska’s refuse to set in the tent… as the bakers constantly open and shut the fridge…. and someone takes Iain’s Baked alaska out of the freezer. It completely melts and Iain walks out of the tent…….. GASP! That is seriously Diana’s fault… I can’t believe how horrible she is!
Judging time, and Nancy and Norman do well, although Norman is criticised for playing it safe.. I hope he pulls out some creative flair soon! Diana is up next with her swan meringue which does look very pretty… but surely the judges are going to get wind of her sabotage?!
Chetna, Kate and Marsha also do excellently despite Chetna’s appearance looking quite untidy. Richard and Luis also do excellently, and you can tell that the judges are going easier on the contestants because of the very hot day.
Iain is called last and he brings the bin to the judges and explains what happened…. The judges deliberate and Richard is once again star baker! Iain, inevitably goes home. But why didn’t he mention WHO took his alaska out?
Diana, I’ve got my eyes on you….
See you next week for tarts, pies, and plumbing issues!
Recipes from This Week’s Bake-Off
x Kerry
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Who knew baking could be so dramatic! That’s amazing! 😮
I KNOW! Do you have the bake off in Aus? Apparently there’s an american and mexican bake off!
I can’t believe no one was reprimanded for taking Iain’s Alaska out the freezer and forgetting it!
I’d have been raging!
rachel Vagabond Baker recently posted…Cheat Almond Pastries
Me too but I fear that selective editing has made this whole situation appear way worse than it necessarily was, in order to create a stir 🙁 It makes me sad
I read the article last night, poor Diana! Bake Off isn’t supposed to be underhand and sneaky, poor show editors, poor show!
It’s not Punch and Judy!
Completely agree! The blame is totally at the feet of the editors – highly unethical behaviour