The Great British Bake Off/Baking Show – Week 8 – 1970’s Theme 2024

And then there were five! Can you believe the quarterfinals are already in play with this week’s theme being the 1970s. Gill stated that she was the only baker remaining that was alive in the 70s which may or may not have been a blessing. Having experience with a bake didn’t help her with the Sticky vegan parkin in Week 6. In the 70s, I was just a baby – if you believe that I have some bridge property in New York available for you. So let’s travel back in time to the age of bell bottoms, hot pants, tie-dye, vibrant colors and disco fever. Burn baby burn….disco inferno.

With any job there can be pitfalls and Alison proved that this week. She stole the show with her pivotal dance move that had her falling off the counter. Luckily, her face broke her fall as she lay there in shame repeating “leave me! leave me!”. That is what I would do – I have fallen many times and requested that my husband throw a blanket or tarp over me. I would hate to injure an entire fire department’s backs in an effort to pick me up. Just let me die. Noel said it was the best thing he ever saw. Perhaps the harbinger of things to come occurred in the opening when she was riding the bouncy ball shouting “ride the pony” – and fell off.

Signature challenge: Profiteroles, in at least a stack of 30, with 1970s flavours in 2 hours and 30 minutes.

We have over 100 online profiterole recipes and over 50 online pate choux recipes in our Library.

Dylan stating that he was born in 2004, the same year as my youngest son, made me feel my age. How can he be so talented at such a young age or perhaps how can I be so untalented at such an old age?

Paul gave some pointers that the pate choux should be dropping consistency and slightly larger than a walnut because if they are too large the filling tends to make them soften.

Christiaan made a Black Forest with namelaka, Kirsch and cherries. The Epicurious article I linked explains that namelaka, which translates as “smooth” or “creamy” in Japanese, is basically a velvety, slightly firm style of ganache – which falls between ganache, pastry cream and mousse. We have a few online recipes for namelaka and I added one for a pistachio namelaka – apparently you can create many flavors of this confection. Unfortunately, Christiaan’s pate choux were flat and he had to start a second batch – and when he opened his oven to billowing smoke I sang “Burn baby burn” to myself. His end result was impressive but quite boozy.

Georgie made a tribute to Queen with a white chocolate silhouette of Freddie Mercury that consisted of white chocolate, coconut, dark chocolate and caramel. She received good comments as to the stability and flavours of her tower. Illiyin created an ode to the afro with vibrant colors and two flavours of profiteroles – one with white chocolate diplomat and raspberry and the second with brown sugar caramel with hazelnut amaretto diplomat. Her tower was leaning but the colors were amazing and flavours delicious. Gill’s 1970s Christmas tree that her parents gifted her was honored with chocolate hazelnut patisserie and red and green craquelin. Paul said Gill’s tower was simple but effective and needed more color. Dylan created a sci-fi themed tower as a nod to Star Wars and received a handshake (again) for his impressive bake. That whippersnapper!

Darcie: I was also just a babe in the 1970s and I remember it being a decade of bold colors, bell bottoms, and blockbuster movies. Paul and Prue’s first challenge brought back memories, because profiteroles made frequent appearances in our home. My mom was a choux wizard and I’m…not. Maybe it skips a generation. Georgie’s Queen tribute looked great and honored one of the best voices of the 70s, Freddie Mercury. Christiaan said his first batch of choux had too much egg, but it also looked like his craquelin was too thick. I love the camaraderie amongst the contestants – everyone was asking Christiaan if he needed help as he rushed to finish his choux tower. That kind of support is so satisfying and one of the reasons this show continues to be a hit.

Technical challenge: Set by Paul Hollywood – Banoffee pie with a buttery crust, caramel, banana slices and piped Chantilly cream in 2 hours and 30 minutes.

We have 85 online recipes for Banoffee pie.

The judging had Gill in last place, followed by Illiyin, then Dylan, Christiaan took second place and Georgie made first!

Darcie: I love all of the components in banoffee pie but I’ve never made one. This was a tough challenge because the bakers didn’t receive any instructions, just the list of ingredient weights. The results featured some ying/yang as Gill was too timid in mixing her pastry because it didn’t hold together, while Dylan over worked his and it was tough. Paul and Prue thought Gill’s caramel was overcooked and too “treacly” while Christiaan’s needed to cook more. It looked like the cream was overbeaten on most of the pies as the texture appeared pebbly.

Showstopper challenge: a two tier Gateau with fillings and decorations in 4 hours.

What is the difference between a gateau and a cake? Gateau (French for cake – gateaux is the plural form) often include heavy cream giving them a rich and velvety texture. Cakes typically don’t include heavy cream. Gateaux are known for their intricate fillings and layers and are often made for special occasions because of their ornate decorations and rich flavor. Cakes can be enjoyed more casually and can last longer than gateaux.

Gill and Georgie made Black Forest inspired showstoppers and both received praise. Christiaan’s hazelnut and apricot curd cake was based a Dutch “snow star” or Sneeuwster* but his flavours were off. Illiyin’s gateau was dense but the flavour was good – however it had fallen in the refrigerator and was a mess.

A Sneeuwster is a Christmas dessert has a light sponge cake filled with a layer of sweet whipped cream, and a generous layer of advocaat, the Dutch spiked eggnog. The upper layer of cake is split in eight portions, marking a star, and dusted with powdered sugar, hence the name: sneeuwster, or snow star. I added an online recipe to our Library: Snow star cake (Sneeuwster) with Advocaat cream.

Darcie: How boozy does a cake have to be to be too boozy for Prue Leith? Apparently a whole bottle of kirsch will do it, or as Paul said about Christiaan’s cake “3 liters of alcohol”. This is the first time I’ve seen both judges say two different cakes had too much booze. Illiyin was in tears when she took her toppled cake out of the refrigerator and everyone rallied around her in support, which helped her maintain her composure. The cakes were all garish, which was a perfect expression of the 70s aesthetic. Dylan’s cake seemed too basic and the flavors were unbalanced – it was a risk to go with the peppermint and it didn’t pay off for him. Also, he just used a buttercream instead of a softer filling so it didn’t adhere to the brief. Gill redeemed herself and squeaked by to make the semifinals. I thought the “shag carpet” texture on her gateau was a nice touch.

Final judgment: Georgie received star baker and Illiyin was sent home.