I love cheesecake. There’s something about the combination of a buttery biscuit base and a sweet creamy filling that works every single time. This recipe is a recipe which I’ve used ever since I first made it and I’d like to feel that I’ve perfected it. Now the challenge on Bake Off is making a…
Tag: GBBO
Banana and Dark Chocolate Chunk Loaf Cake
Take those blackened overripe bananas and make this delicious Banana and Chocolate Chunk Loaf. Banana cakes are so simple to make and everyone seems to love them. They make use of those bananas you didn’t think could be eaten and are a great way to get your children in the kitchen. Whilst I’ve used chocolate…
My Thoughts on Bread Week
Bread Week was the best in Bake Off history; better than 8-strand plait in Series Three and even better than Paul the Psychic Octopus tribute loaf in Series Four. This week had one of the best Signatures by the cast and the single most impressive showstopper EVER. Let’s start with the (for me) controversial Signature…
GBBO Bread Week Challenge 3: Quick Chocolate Dough-Knots
The quick bread challenge is a fun one and I should expect it may encourage many at home to try their hand at bread making. The first thing I thought about was soda bread but I wanted to try something different, a sweet bread. I wracked my brain and came up with these Quick Chocolate…
My Thoughts on Biscuit Week
Biscuit Week was full of ups, downs, Mary and Paul’s teeth scattered across the tent with the crunchy biscotti, collapsed biscuit boxes and the remaining pastry crumbs from the arlettes. Yep that’s a pastry in Biscuit Week. But more controversy later… The signature challenge this week is Biscotti, a twice baked Italian biscuit. The bakers…
GBBO Biscuit Week Challenge 2: Chocolate and Nut Biscotti
Biscotti are these dry twice-baked Italian biscuits, in fact the name itself originates from a word meaning “twice cooked/baked”. You’ll often see biscotti in coffee shops alongside an espresso or even as a dessert with vin santo, a Tuscan fortified wine. Some recipes for biscotti will make a very firm dough but this recipe is…
White Chocolate Crumble Cake
This delectable cake would be fit for any afternoon tea. My White Chocolate Crumble Cake composes of a crumbly and delicate white chocolate cake with an equally buttery crumble topping. This cake, despite containing white chocolate, is not sweet and I serve it with some Chantilly cream for that extra moisture as it is very…
My Thoughts on Cake Week
Back from Hong Kong and I’ve caught up with Week One of GBBO and what a way to launch the series. The signature challenge was a Madeira cake and this simple yet delicious cake managed to challenge a few of the bakers. A distinctive crack and dome was the quality that the judges were looking…
Cornflake and Almond Tart
I managed to get myself, somehow, hired to make a couple of new twists on some old classic desserts. I took the opportunity to widen my baking repertoire and delve into the world of 1980s school dinner desserts. I came across a cornflake tart which I’d never heard of before. As I read the recipe,…
Guest Post: Ginger and Fudge Cupcakes by Rebecca Herd
Unlike my last guest post, you will not have heard of the author of this guest post. Rebecca Herd is a true foodie like me, as you’ll discover below. I met her on Twitter through Bakechat, a Twitter discussion organised by the 2013 bakers from GBBO in which we, as a baking community, asked (and…
Guest Post: Brunch Pies by Deborah Manger (of GBBO fame)
Anyone who has watched The Great British Bake Off will know the writer of this guest post. Let’s say that she was heavily involved in ‘Custardgate’ so much so that she even stole the custard. I contacted Deborah Manger, a former contestant on the show, about the possibility of writing a guest post for me…
All Butter Almond Cookies
There’s something about the smell of freshly baked biscuits and toasted nuts that makes these biscuits to die for. They are ridiculously simple to make and you’ll be surprised that such a small quantity of dough will make a huge batch of biscuits, so these are great for parties or giving as gifts for friends’…
GBBO 14 Episode 10 Review: The Final Week
So there we have it, Nancy Birtwhistle is the Champion of The Great British Bake Off. Best Bake: Nancy’s Red Windmill and Luis’ Village in Chocolate Signature Challenge: 24 Viennoiserie The traditional Danish pastries, which consist of either an enriched brioche-style bread dough or a laminated pastry, were the bakers’ first challenge of the Final. Taking normally…
GBBO 14 Episode 9 Review: Patisserie Week
What an amazing semi-final this week. Some of the trickiest challenges to date saw off one of the Bake Off’s flavour powerhouses in history. They faced Signature Baklavas (however you pronounce it), a Technical Schichttorte (a grilled German cake) and 24 Showstopping Entremets. Was there any favouritism from the judges this week however… find out…
GBBO 14 Episode 8 Review: Advanced Dough Week
The quarterfinal of the show did not disappoint with the bakers being tested with all manners of tricky enriched doughs. Chetna and Richard both had firsts ever on this week’s show and Nancy once again mesmerised with her use of technology. Find out my thoughts below. Eliminated: Martha My Elimination Prediction: Luis (see the rest of them…
Andrew in the Kitchen 