We’re three bakers down, and back for another week in the Bake Off tent. This week was another first for the Bake Off; dairy week! Who would rise as the cream of the crop, and who would curdle in the wake of the challenges? Let’s find out!
Signature challenge: Dairy cake
Image source: The Great British Bake Off
The bakers’ first challenge was to create a dairy cake. The cake mixture needed to contain a cultured dairy product, such as buttermilk or yoghurt. The aim was to create a moist sponge, though as Sandi reminded us they needed to be careful. Too much moisture and the cake would become prone to tearing.
Paul’s top tip: This week we want them to celebrate dairy. More to the point we want to bring in a cultured milk; buttermilk, a yoghurt. Where they’ve got to be careful is by adding cultures they may over bake it; it might dry the cake out and it will almost be like cardboard.
Unfortunately Michael’s cake tore as he tried to remove it from the mould. He tried to rescue it, but it didn’t go unnoticed by the judges. Phil was the only other baker to be in trouble at the end of the first challenge, after Paul said his cake lacked flavour.
Technical challenge: 12 maids of honour
Image source: The Great British Bake Off
Prue set the bakers the unusual challenge of recreating a favourite treat of Henry VIII; 12 maids of honour. They needed to have a flaky rough puff pastry case, one layer of lemon curd, a silky smooth well-risen cheese curd filling and topped with a Tudor rose.
Prue’s top tip: I want to see the layers of pastry. And you don’t need to bake it blind or you’ll get a soggy bottom!
The technical proved to be disastrous for most of our bakers. Helena made the wrong pastry, Priya encountered several issues, but it all became apparent when the judges appeared and commented that none of them were up to the standard they had expected.
Steph came first with David in second, and Priya came last. At the end of the technical, it looked like Michael and Priya were in trouble.
Show stopper challenge: Mishti
Image source: The Great British Bake Off
After the first two challenges, there was a lot riding on the show stopper to rescue our bakers. Their final challenge was to create a stunning display of milk-based Indian sweets known as mishti. Their display needed to contain three different types of mishti, with twelve portions of each type.
Paul’s top tip: This show stopper is going to be fascinating. The Indian sweets are all about vibrancy, it’s about colour. They are used at birthdays, weddings predominantly, and we want that vibrancy; it’s that sense of celebration.
A lot of the bakers went all out in an attempt to impress. Priya was determined to save herself after the disastrous technical challenge, as was Michael. Henry proved to be too ambitious, as his ice cream-based treat didn’t set in time. It was so close between who would be next to leave the Bake Off tent, with Paul and Prue hinting that two bakers could be up for the chop.
Steph pipped David to the post to be crowned star baker, and in the end it was time for Phil to leave the tent, which came as a shock to us as well as him. Paul and Prue decided that his show stopper was pretty basic in comparison to everyone else’s, which meant that Michael and Priya were safe to bake another day!
Next week…
Next week, the bakers face a celebration of the roaring twenties. What interesting bakes will we see? Let us know what you thought of dairy week over on our Facebook page!