We were all transfixed to The Great British Bake Off when Mary set them the challenge of making 12 Jaffa cakes. Whether it was making sure the cakes weren’t stuck to the tin or putting on the jelly the right way up, there were a lot of hurdles to overcome. But I’m giving it a go,…
Tag: mary berry
Salted Caramel White Chocolate and Lemon Savarins
Inspired by the Savarin Technical Challenge in Patisserie Week of Bake Off, I decided to put my own spin on the savarin and I created my Salted Caramel White Chocolate and Lemon Savarins which are a perfect treat to have in front of the fire this winter or Bonfire Night! This sticky enriched dough is…
Making a Gingerbread Oven Showstopper
Inspired by The Great British Bake Off’s Biscuit Week Showstopper in which the bakers made a 3D gingerbread story containing at least 8 characters or objects, I decided to have a go at the challenge myself, by making an oven completely out of gingerbread. My Gingerbread Oven is currently baking 10 gingerbread diamond biscuits and…
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…
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…
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…
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…
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…
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…
Andrew in the Kitchen 