Great British Bake Off – Week One and Two Recaps

The Great British Bake Off is off to a great start. As you know, Netflix is airing the series in the USA three days after the original episode airs in the UK. Last week, I highlighted a few of my favorite pans which were purchased after a sighting on the show. This week I will share a recap of the first two episodes as well as a few more gadgets/pans that will have you turning out treats like Mary Berry. Do we miss Mary? I do, but Prue has grown on me. Sue and Mel were lovely and I do miss them as well but Noel and Sandy have wormed their way into my heart. What do you think?

Spoiler alert!

You may not wish to continue if you haven’t been watching the episodes.

The photo above depicts the original 13 contestants. Yes, there are a baker’s dozen this season which means two contestants could go home in one week when Prue and Paul deem fit. This twist adds even more stress to the amateur bakers to do their best.

A brief bio of our bakers:

• Henry, a student, is 20 years old and the youngest baker.
• Phil is the eldest baker at age 56 and a truck driver.
• Rosie is a 28-year-old veterinarian.
• Alice, a geography teacher, is another 28-year-old baker.
• Michael is a 26-year-old theatre manager and fitness instructor.
• Priya is a 34-year-old marketing consultant.
• Helena, our Halloween fanatic is a 40-year-old online project manager.
• David is an international health adviser and is 36.
• 35-year-old Michelle is a print shop manager
• Amelia is a 24-year-old fashion designer.
• Jamie is a 20-year-old identical twin and a part-time waiter.
• Man-bun Dan is a 32-year-old support worker.
• Steph is a 28-year-old shop assistant.

From the listed ages, you can see that it is a relatively young group in the tent this year.

Week One: Cake

Signature Bake: Fruit cake, decorated

Overall, the cakes were made of the same dark bits – raisins, currants, dried fruit – with a few creations leaving the judges impressed. They had to decorate the fruit cakes which seems to me to be a bit like putting lipstick on a pig but that is just me? Must be my memories of those canned fruit cakes that were recycled, regifted or used as doorstops.

I was most impressed by Michael who manages to cut himself numerous times and had three fingers on one hand bandaged before presenting to the judges. Several contestants had tasty cakes and others were less than appetizing. Man-bun Dan’s fruit cake was raw. Note to bakers – you must actually allow time for baking.

Technical: Angel slices

Prue set the technical – angel slices, a tri-colored angel cake with genoise sponge with buttercream and feathered icing. The deep multi-size cake pan tin (UK link) is perfect for this technical. I am always amazed that there are always numerous bakers who don’t know what the technical bakes are. I’m not British, I’m not a professional baker, I am a devout cookbook devourer so I do know what most of them look like and have actually made a few. After much self-doubting, the results have Jamie, Helena, and two-fingered Michael in the bottom three, while Rosie, Henry, and Steph claim the top spots.

Showstopper Challenge: Childhood dream birthday cakes

The Showstopper Challenge asked the bakers recreate the birthday cake of their childhood dreams. There were snakes, ice cream cones, carousels, and a rocket ship. While Phil was molding his rocket nose and whispering “This is a tiny little thing so I’ve got to be careful with it really”, I was crying imaging Jo Brand on An Extra Slice with that footage. (Please powers-that-be, bring An Extra Slice to Netflix for us to enjoy!)

Prue raved about Michelle’s carrot cake and asked her for the recipe which made Week One’s Star Baker beam. In the end, Man-bun Dan went home but I, personally, thought it should be Jamie for his simple stacked cake decorated like his dog.

Week Two: Biscuits

Signature Bake: Chocolate covered biscuits

Twelve bakers return to the tent for Biscuit Week and set off making a dozen chocolate enrobed biscuits. Many contestants used a mold to make multi-layered biscuits like this one made by Silikomart which I have and love. Another must for any baker is a Thermapen (I use mine all the time) and a Temperature Gun for caramel and chocolate work.

The bakers really wowed with some stellar creations and certain contestants who finished with minutes to spare all pitched in and help the others who were struggling (cough, cough: Jamie). Michelle impressed again with her Bakewell bars, Alice’s peanut honeycomb biscuits, and Rosie’s mojito biscuits — and I waited on the edge of my couch for the Hollywood handshake which never came.

Technical: Fig rolls

It was Paul’s turn for the technical and he chooses his father’s favorite, Fig rolls. Jamie made the mistake of egg washing his rolls and suffered Paul’s wrath with “sausage roll” comments. The comical highlight came when Helena who somehow only made eleven fig rolls and in truly gruesome fashion drew a twelfth chalk fig roll outline on her slate platter with an arrow pointing out “dead”. I live for the laughs. Most bakers didn’t allow enough time to bake (aaaarrrggghhhh). The end had Alice, David, and Phil in the top three.

Showstopper Challenge: Biscuit sculpture

A biscuit sculpture was the task for the showstopper challenge. After four grueling hours, Rosie, the vet, created an incredible chicken feathered with over 212 tuile cookies. Alice crafted an adorable lamb. Helena, Noel’s goth twin, made an artistically creepy spider. In the bottom were Phil with an underbaked florentine turtle, Jamie and his simple guitar and Amelia and Michael. Alice was Week Two’s Star Baker and Jamie finally got his marching papers. The best news of all, Michael still has all his fingers.

Who are you pulling for, or are you like me, pulling for them all?

Photos credit: Channel 4