Whilst the Rio Olympics sweep the nation, you might know that Bake Off starts in just under 2 weeks time on Wednesday 24th August. On Twitter, @kuskus1 and @Rob_C_Allen are hosting the #GBBOTwitterBakeAlong where the Twitter baking community will be baking along with the new series. Currently we are doing a few pre-bakes and from…
Tag: GBBO
Neapolitan ‘Ice Cream’ Petit Fours and Neapolitan Cake
You might remember that I went to a filming of An Extra Slice back in September. You can read my account of the day by clicking here. I took a cake along to the filming and the week’s theme was Patisserie. I scream inside! How can I ever make something to match the skills of…
Giant Ben’s Cookies
You wouldn’t believe that I actually find making cookies, and getting that signature crisp outside and soft and chewy interior, quite daunting as all the recipes I’ve tried in the past have failed miserably with cookies that are too soft or just don’t deliver what they promise. All this changed on a trip to South…
Intensely Chocolate and Peanut Butter Cupcakes
My best friend recently celebrated his 18th birthday and I came up with this recipe for these Chocolate Peanut Butter Cupcakes. Having read quite a few cookbooks in my time, most peanut butter recipes always seem to end up using 2 jars of peanut butter and whilst it tastes brilliant, it can be quite rich…
Cheesy Sausage Rolls
Inspired by my travels to Hong Kong in the summer, I found a recipe to make these Sausage Buns, which are incredibly popular over there and can be found in most of the bakeries on the street and in the shopping centres. The dough itself is enriched with egg, milk and butter as well as…
My Thoughts on GBBO Final 2015
Nadiya Hussein is your Bake Off champion for 2015! She might have come last in the first technical and first in the last technical but you cannot doubt the huge amount of talent Nadiya had amongst the many facial contortions that have been gif’d to hell and back. I am very happy, not only did…
Ultimate Lemon Drizzle Traybake
I have a lot of favourite cakes but my Ultimate Lemon Drizzle Cake has to be up in the top 5. A sweet and sticky lemon sponge with a crunchy sugary topping, it is an absolute classic! This recipe is slightly revamped and has been tested 4 times and it’s come out perfect every single…
My Thoughts on Chocolate Week
The semi-finals saw the tension rise like the soufflés in the Technical Challenge and a collapsed showstopper as well as the wrong baker eliminated for me! But we have our three finalists, Nadiya, Tamal and Ian! The Signature was a Chocolate Tart. Sounds simple enough except the pressure was on and none of the bakers…
Behind the Scenes at ‘An Extra Slice’
I was lucky enough to attend the filming of The Great British Bake Off: An Extra Slice with some members of the Sunday Baking Club for Week 8, Patisserie Week. You can find my review of that week by clicking here. The date is Friday 11th September and the theme for Week 8 has been…
My Thoughts on Patisserie Week
What do you get if you have a drunken nun with coffee and cream horns? No not The Vicar of Dibley, it’s Patisserie Week of Bake Off and the week that saw Paul leave the tent. Not the judge (although we do wish that was the case sometimes) but Paul the baker. The Signature was…
My Thoughts on Victorian Week
This week the tent went back in time to the Victorian era and was the week that my favourite, Mat, had to leave the tent (my support has now shifted to Nadiya!) and the week that Tamal was finally crowned Star Baker; I wonder if he managed to wear Ian’s ladyfinger crown? The Signature was…
My Thoughts on Pastry Week
Pastry Week of Bake Off is always my favourite because I love making pastry and I always get inspired by their bakes. Despite some foul smelling spices and a few soggy bottoms, it was Mat’s turn to be Star Baker and the tent said goodbye to Alvin. The Signature Challenge was a Frangipane Tart, a…
My Thoughts on Free From Week
5 weeks in and one thing was on everyone’s lips. No it wasn’t those gluten-free pittas, it was Ian. Could anyone take Ian’s Star Baker crown away from him? And more importantly what the hell is psyllium?! Before we start going into detail, can I just say I love the contestants on the show, they’re…
GBBO Alternative Ingredient Week Challenge 5: Refined Sugar-Free Coconut Flapjacks
Week 5 and The Great British Bake Off has gone all Alternative Ingredient, that is to say free-from baking. I’m not the biggest fan of free-from baking because it often means sourcing strange flours from a store that is 12 miles away. So when I read the 3 challenges this week, I wasn’t sure which…
My Thoughts on Dessert Week
Dessert Week of Bake Off was full of wobble, French meringue, Swiss meringue and more wobble! There was enough wobble for Sandy to start wobbling out of the tent all the way back home and Ian to launch into unprecedented Bake Off heights as he stood on the apple and tarragon layer of his cheesecake…
Andrew in the Kitchen 