The Great British Bake Off/Baking Show – Week 7 – Dessert 2024

And then there were six to tackle dessert week.

Signature challenge: 8 meringue nests with at least two fillings in 2 hours and 15 minutes.

There is a Nelly-sized hole in my heart this week. I, however, managed to get through the episode without bursting into tears.

We have over 100 online recipes for meringue nests in our Library should you wish to experiment. Prue stated that the meringue nests need to be stable and able to hold the fillings. The secret was to bake them low and slow to remove any moisture from the nests. The bakers also reminded us to take it slow when removing them from the oven – as a sudden change in temperature could cause even more cracking.

Dylan was the only one who used a mold for his nests – he made an incredible coconut illusion desert that looked like a filled coconut. His nests were deemed spectacular looking and earned a Paul Hollywood handshake.

Georgie started to remake her meringues as she was not thrilled with them but decided that the ones in the oven were working. Christiaan made the mistake of using rosewater in his meringue and in his Chantilly cream and was told that it tasted like soap. Gill used canned peaches for her peach custard and was dinged for same. Sumayah’s nests were beautiful but Paul said she had far too much going on with so many flavours competing – although Prue liked them. Over all, lots of cracking going on with the meringues and some good and bad efforts.

Darcie: Most of the bakers chose French meringues for their nests, which are more prone to cracking than the Swiss meringue that Christiaan used. With a Swiss meringue, the whites get heated prior to baking and the resultant meringue is silkier and more flexible. The downside, however, is that it is less airy and light than the French meringue. It was unclear what type of meringue Dylan used to get his to come out of the mold without cracking or breaking. That was quite the trick and his trompe l’oeil coconut meringues were deserving of the coveted Paul handshake.

Technical challenge: Spotted dick and custard set by Prue Leith in 2 hours and 15 minutes.

There were giggles galore when this steamed pudding was announced. Most of the bakers did okay with their puddings except Sumayah realized that she forgot to put the sugar in the pudding mixture and had to add it in last moment. Her pudding was stodgy and came out in a mess and was raw in the middle. There were overall problems with making the caramel and Gill had an issue with her custard becoming scrambled eggs.

Sumayah made me laugh in her interview after the challenge. She said something to the effect that how many people after a delicious meal say “You know what sounds good – some spotted dick”? She ventured that no one ever uttered those words.

Darcie: There is no room for a do-over in a technical challenge like this, so you are stuck with less than perfect results. Steamed pudding isn’t popular here in the States so I was in no position to know what the texture was supposed to be. If I had to guess at how long to steam it I would have been screwed, and to be honest, this does not look like something I’d want to eat. Creme anglaise, however, I could eat by the bowlful and it was a shame to see Gill’s overcooked custard. She was just happy to not be in last place.

Judging: Sumayah was last, followed by Illiyin, then Gill. Third went to Christiaan, second to Georgie and Dylan got first!

Showstopper challenge: Tiramisu in 4 hours and 30 minutes.

We have almost 700 online recipes for ladyfingers in our Library and over 500 online recipes for tiramisu.

Georgie made an old family recipe with the addition of hazelnut praline and like Sumayah she piped her ladyfingers into round circles. The judges loved Georgie’s beautiful chocolate collar and the taste of her tiramisu.

Dylan brilliantly used cured egg yolks for his mascarpone cream. He stated he cures his egg yolks in a mixture of 1:1 salt and sugar for a few days. His tiramisu was going to be layered into a tempered chocolate box. The judges thought the cured eggs tasted like salted caramel.

Gill, hater of coffee, relied on her husband to help her with the right coffee soaking for her Charlotte-like coconut coffee tiramisu to rave reviews. She was pleased with the judges’ comments and stated that kind of help keeps her husband from being buried under the patio.

Illiyin made a “strong black coffee” soaked tiramisu – to which she stated “strong and black like me”. She made a chocolate jewelry box to encase her dessert and included a cherry layer which the judges liked.

Christiaan, not having learned his lesson, added rosewater to his strawberries for his tiramisu. But the judges liked his design and flavours.

Sumayah made a lemon coffee curd for her tiramisu and it was very sharp and had a strong taste of lemon and coffee. Her colourful joconde sponge which she wrapped her tiramisu in was patched in and received criticism. When she walked back to her bench, she knew her number was up.

Darcie: Tiramisu is one of my all-time favorite desserts so I really enjoyed this challenge. From star baker to being sent home, Sumayah was a case study in how quickly things can change in the tent. She went with bold flavors that were a little too brash for the judges. I’m trying to imagine lemon and coffee working well together and it is a struggle as both are quite sharp – you could see Prue’s face pucker as she tasted the tiramisu.

Until the judges praised her coconut latte flavors, Gill seemed poised to be sent home so she got a last minute reprieve. Her charlotte looked fantastic and like Paul said, you could easily imagine that being in a bakery display case. Overall, the showstoppers looked good and we are getting to the point when tiny flaws will get you sent home.

Star baker went to Dylan and Sumayah was sent home.

Jane’s translation service: Noel made fun of Alison for her Brummie accent – a Brummie is someone from Birmingham in the English West Midlands.

Noel said Dylan was like Frank Spencer and Dylan (so young) had no idea who that was. Frank Spencer was a character in the British TV sitcom ‘Some Mothers Do ‘Ave ‘Em. Played by Michael Crawford, Frank is disaster-prone but lovable.

There was one bit I could not work out what was said so if any Northerner could help, please chime in. When Prue says that Gill’s raspberries are the biggest she has seen, Gill says they are “dob for raspberries”, or at least that’s what the subtitle read as. That didn’t make sense to me but then neither did dogger or dobber raspberries which is what it sounded like. A dobber is a fishing float – could she have meant that?