The Great British Bake Off/Baking Show – Chocolate Week 5 – 2025

It is messy chocolate week in the tent. The dread cursed week. This was the first year in several where hot weather was not an issue.

Signature challenge: Six high decorative edible cups of chocolate mousse which must also include a baked element in 2 1/2 hours.

Toby’s chocolate and orange cups cracked, but the judges loved his flavors (Prue “especially liked the booze”). Jasmine’s hazelnut and dark chocolate mousse also had good flavor but it was too soft. The judges also criticized Nataliia for having a soft texture but complimented her berry compote’s flavor. Lesley’s cups were deemed too busy, and the judges thought Nadia’s textures were all too soft. Tom received an elusive Hollywood handshake for his ‘tiramoussooo’ cups.

Darcie: Several of the bakers went with a coffee/tiramisu theme, making the cups look like takeout coffee cups, right down to the lids. I thought they were all adorable and now I want to make some. The risk with choosing a similar flavor profile to another baker is that if theirs is better, yours will suffer by comparison even if it was good on its own. That’s what happened to Aaron, whose flavors were excellent but whose soft mousse was downgraded while Tom received the handshake.

Iain went for an elaborate goblet with his cups, which meant that he ran out of time for his Chantilly cream. Paul liked the cups, which he said were “medieval” looking.

Technical challenge: White chocolate tart by Paul Hollywood. They were to make the tart without a recipe. The bakers had five minutes to choose their ingredients from ‘the gingham pantry” so they could customize their tarts with additional flavors and textures.

Paul told the bakers to “choose wisely” and felt some bakers would choose too many flavors which would overwhelm the white chocolate ganache.

Darcie: The tarts were all over the place in designs and flavors. The judges thought several tart bases were too thick, too tough, or underbaked. Prue said Nadia’s crust was like “fortification for a castle” and Paul didn’t like the colors or textures. Iain’s tart disintegrated as he was transferring it to the cake stand. The various fillings generally received good marks, but Prue said Tom’s basil flavor was “interesting but it’s not delicious”.

Results: Nadia finished last, followed by Iain and Nataliia. Aaron was third, Jasmine was second, and Lesley came in first.

Showstopper challenger: A fondue display with edible dipping pot and a baked element.

The bakers had wildly different displays, with a few masterpieces plus a couple of disasters. For once, hot weather did not cause any of the issues. The judges loved Nataliia’s Mount Vesuvius, which looked amazing and also tasted great. Tom’s structures were solid but his eclair fillings overwhelmed the fondue. Lesley’s decorations looked amazing and her biscuits were perfect, but her cake was deemed too dry and the buttercream gritty. Aaron’s grand piano was elegant and the judges loved his chocolate biscuit and fondue flavors. Iain likewise had a stunning showpiece with a waterfall that Paul said looked like something from Lord of the Rings and both judges enjoyed the biscuits and punchy fondue. Jasmine received a Hollywood handshake for her tiered display that had wonderful textures and flavors. Nadia had great flavors and good tempering on her chocolate, but did not have enough time to put it all together. Toby’s cake, biscuits, and churros disappointed the judges in both flavor and texture.

Darcie: While Aaron’s piano and Iain’s waterfall did look fantastic, I felt they did less than the other bakers who had cakes for their base and/or more complicated items for dipping. I think that drives home the KISS (keep it simple, stupid) theory for bakers in the tent. Don’t try to do too much because it rarely works out – just ask Toby and Nadia. It looked like Jasmine might have a three-peat for star baker, but she did not quite hit the mark.

Aaron was crowned star baker and Nadia fell victim to the chocolate week curse.