Guest Post: Christmas Panettone by Paul Roughan

For my next Christmas Guest Post, I’ve invited Paul from beerandbaking.net to bake something sweet and sticky for the blog. Like myself, Paul is a food blogger and shares his adventures in baking on his blog. I met Paul on Twitter through BakeChat and I’ve seen many of his fantastic bakes, including a Nutella Star…

Guest Post: Bûche de Noël by Luca Marchiori

I’ve got another one of my Guest Posts from a fellow food blogger, Luca Marchiori for the 2nd post in my Bumper December. I met Luca on Twitter, as seems to be the case all too often these days, and when he started tweeting these amazing bakes I discovered his blog. Then I had the…

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…

GBBO 14 Episode 7 Review: Pastry Week

Mary and Paul had one of the toughest decisions in the history of Bake Off yet, having to choose between one to go in the best batch of bakers after facing Signature Savoury Parcels, a technical Kouign Amman (pronounced “Queen Amann”) and showstopping Eclairs. Eliminated: Kate My Elimination Prediction: Martha (see the rest of them here) Star…

GBBO 14 Episode 6 Review: European Cakes Week

Thanks to a huge selection of European accents, a phenomenal amount of sugar work in the showstopper and Mel and Sue being on top form, this has to be my favourite week thus far. But who went in this tricky and tense week Eliminated: Nobody My Elimination Prediction: Kate (see the rest of them here) Star Baker:…

GBBO 14 Episode 5 Review: Pies and Tarts Week

Pies and Tarts Week had some of the oddest challenges ever seen on Bake Off but 6 bakers managed to scrape through. Eliminated: Diana (by default) and Norman My Elimination Prediction: Norman and Kate (see the rest of them here) Star Baker: Kate (deservedly!) Good: Nancy Bad: Richard, Martha Best Bake: Kate’s Rhubarb, Prune and Apple Pies Well Norman has finally…

Cornflake Crumble Cake

American coffee cakes, many of which do not actually contain coffee but are meant to be served with a cup of coffee, have always been my guilty pleasure. They have a rich buttery streusel topping and filling which is sandwiched between the raw cake mixture and gets baked in between. The cakes are always incredibly…

GBBO 14 Episode 4 Review: Desserts Week

Well wasn’t that a bit eventful? The tent heated up in more ways than one this week, after facing signature self-saucing puddings, a technical Tiramisu cake and showstopping Baked Alaskas in 25 degree heat! That was never really going to work was it, come on Bake Off producers! Eliminated: Iain My Elimination Prediction: Richard (how…

GBBO 14 Episode 3 Review: Bread Week

I know I’ve already said it but Bread Week could be crucial in predicting who wins the competition. Historically, the person who finishes first in the Technical Challenge, which this week was Paul’s ciabatta, has gone on to win the series. However the bakers also had to face 2 other challenges this week, including their…