Episode 2 Junior Bake Off

Welcome to Junior Bake Off,

the show that whisks, kneads and sieves its way to find

Britain's best young baker.

'The Bake Off tent hosts the greatest baking battle.'

Come on, come on.

Pretty nerve-racking, yeah.

'32 of the country's finest bakers

'will be pushed to their limits.

'But who will rise...?'

I am really happy.

'..and who will crumble?'

Uh!

'The bakers will whisk, fold and ice their way through cakes,

'biscuits and bread.'

It's up to them to battle it out

as only one can be crowned Junior Bake Off Champion.

'Standing between them and the title'

are our Judges -

'Queen Of Cakes, Mary Berry...'

I think this competition will be very tough for them.

They need to grasp the nettle and get going.

'..and Master Baker, Paul Hollywood.'

I'm looking for the best of the best.

I'm expecting something that'll blow my mind away.

This may collapse. They'd best hurry.

Whoo!

'I'm Aaron Craze...'

Keep it fresh, that's what I say. Bless.

'..I support the bakers...'

There's three minutes to go.

I know.

'..as 32 are whittled down to just one.'

'In today's heat, four hopefuls face two tough challenges.

'They must impress with one of Paul's favourite recipes -

'Jammy Shortbread Biscuits.

'In the second they must prove their baking skills,

'creating a cake with the wow factor,

'inspired by...chocolate.'

It'll be tough as only one can make it through to the semifinal

but who will it be?

'Meet Millie from York...'

I'm bubbly,

talkative and... a little bit on the wild side.

I'd like to be an actress.

When I was younger I thought, "I want to be a cook, too."

So I thought, "I'll be an actress playing a cook."

'..Stanley from Brighton...'

I'm not a baker.

I'm the...crazy cook,

a MAD creator.

I'm just adventurous.

'..Sam from Cheshire...'

Em...creative,

imaginative and... a touch mad, possibly.

I love baking cos if you're slightly stressed or bored

you can find a recipe, go into the kitchen and make it.

I try to get everything, sort of precise.

'..and Saffron from Essex.'

To be crowned Britain's Junior Bake Off Champion

would mean everything to me

and I'd be really speechless.

I wouldn't be able to say anything - for a change!

'These four have made it through the selection process.

'The real work begins now.

'They'll make one of Paul's favourite recipes -

'Jammy Shortbread Biscuits.

'They have the same ingredients and time to bake,

'but their results could be very different.'

Right, bakers.

The shortbread will be judged on technique, taste and texture.

You've only one hour to make them and this really is your opportunity

to impress Mary and Paul and show them what you can do.

-Are you ready?

-CHILDREN: Yes.

On your marks, get set...

bake!

'These guys know their way around a kitchen.

'If you fancy baking always ask an adult.'

I've made shortbread, just not like this.

Yeah, it's just a bit dry.

I've never made this recipe before.

Only problem with shortbread, it's really crumbly.

I've made it once or twice before.

The only tricky bit is rolling it out to the right size...

which is pretty hard.

'11-year-old Saffron is off to a flying start.'

The right size is just between... Not too thick.

Thick is about that.

Thin literally breaks every time you pick it up.

'Sam's more relaxed.

'Back home in Cheshire,

'he uses baking to chill out after a hard day at school.'

I'm just cutting out

the top parts for my shortbreads.

It's more difficult than I thought it would be.

The key thing is to get the biscuits cut and on trays

as quickly as possible.

If you can do that, it stops that rush

and stops the panic and any mistakes.

'Millie loves acting in local pantomimes.

'She's used to performing for an audience,

'but, she's struggling with her mixture.'

It's too dry so when I try to stick one in it...

it kind of like...

..breaks.

'Stanley wrestles with his dough

'and it's becoming dry and harder to roll out.'

It crumbled a bit but it's OK. I'll use this bit...

later.

Just focus on this bit for now.

But it's...

nerve-racking, yeah.

'Saffron shares her kitchen with her mum, dad and two brothers,

'so she's learned to be quick round the kitchen.'

They're cooking nicely. At least they're rising, I know that.

And by looking, I think I'm doing it quickly.

I don't know if I'm doing it too quick or quick enough.

OK, bakers, you've got 20 minutes left.

'By now the bakers should be getting their biscuits in the oven.

'Stanley's still attacking his poor dough,

'but Saffron's so far ahead, she's decided to give herself

'a well-earned break.'

I'm doing well for time, cos when these are out

I've got about 15 minutes to put jam on them,

then put them together, and that won't take long.

'Moving warm shortbread is a delicate operation.

'It's vital that the bakers stay cool and don't rush.'

A big danger is if they bring that biscuit off too early

and put the jam on, it'll crumble and break.

'Whoa! Take your time there, Saffron.'

Uh!

'Disaster, Saffron's biscuit has crumbled.

'The clock ticking, she's no choice. She has to make another biscuit.'

-Hi, Saffron.

-Hi.

-You're rolling out another biscuit.

-Yep.

-You've got a broken one.

-I know...

Will this change things?

-I don't think it will.

-No?

-Nope.

-It all depends on how quick this'll bake.

-Yeah.

If it'll bake quickly or not.

'Saffron's slip gives the others a chance to catch up.

'Stanley's shortbread is finally in the oven.'

I knew everyone else was getting theirs in and I was like..."Ah!"

Sam's almost finished, so... I am worried

but I think I can do it, get it done.

OK, guys. The final push. Ten minutes left.

Hopefully, come on, come on.

'Saffron's only got minutes to make another biscuit

'but the pressure's starting to show.'

I'm going to do this. Oh, no I'm not!

'With the clock ticking, she needs to get it in the oven.

'Her stress levels are rising faster than her biscuits.

'She can only watch as the others catch up.

'Everyone's biscuits are out of the oven...'

(Beautiful!)

'..except Saffron's.'

(Oh, I don't want to break this biscuit!)

'Saffron's just had the longest nine minutes of her life.'

CLOCK BEEPS

'Now all she has to do is get the biscuit on the plate.'

SHE SIGHS

-Saffron, there's three minutes to go.

-I know.

-OK? Good luck.

It's too soft, now.

'It's kicking off in the kitchen, except in Sam's calm corner.'

OK, guys. You've got one minute left, one minute now.

I've finished now, actually. I think they look good.

Just putting a few splodges of jam...

to make it look nice and fancy.

Aw, just put that over the top.

OK, bakers, your time is up. Please step away from your worktops.

Well, let's just...hope now.

'There's no more that these four can do.

'Their biscuits will be judged by two of the country's best bakers.

'Mary and Paul are looking for six delicious golden-brown biscuits,

'which are perfectly round, with star shapes cut out of the lids.

'The results will help decide

'who books a place in the semifinal

'and gets a step closer

'to winning the title of Junior Bake Off Champion.'

I think you've all done really well.

MARY: I'm very impressed.

'Stanley's up first. Will his jammy presentation be enough

'to cover the cracks in his biscuits?'

You've had issues with the dough.

-I know...

-Yeah.

-..you had a problem with the paste.

-I shouldn't have added as much flour as I did.

-Mmm.

Mmm.

The flavour is spot-on.

You've had a bit of a disaster which you've tried to cover up.

Nice trick but I'll always find it.

'Saffron had a broken biscuit battle...but has she won?'

Now, you went like an express train.

I've never seen someone move so quickly.

You've broken that one... but the others seem OK.

Well done, it melts

and that's what you're looking for in a good shortbread.

I liked your technique and you got the hang of it quite quickly.

You're very quick, but maybe too quick sometimes.

'Sam was silent and steady,

'but has his method paid off?'

They look absolutely perfect. You've kept the shape of the biscuit.

-PAUL:

-Oh, yeah.

-They're evenly baked.

-The appearance of those, you could sell in a shop.

You worked away at the back there,

quite quietly without any fuss and what a beautiful result.

'Millie's mixture was dry

'but will it affect the flavour of her shortbread?'

You've got a lovely, even bake.

You've got lots of jam, a lovely flavour.

I'm getting a bit rubbery in the mouth, but it tastes fantastic.

-MARY: Well done.

-Thank you.

Take everything on board from these guys, they're legends.

You've got one more challenge to go and everything to bake for.

I don't really have a main competitor

but Sam's biscuits looked like a perfect picture.

I'm hoping that my chocolate cake

will look like an even perfecter picture this round!

No offence, Sam!

I'm just looking forward to all of it. I'm a cool cucumber.

I'm looking at the positive side, cos...

there's no point looking at the negative side, cos...

I think I did well.

I'm looking forward to the next round. I'm confident about it.

I reckon I'll do well.

The next challenge is all to play for. I'll give it everything.

Come on!

Bakers, this is your second test.

Your task is to come up with a lovely cake,

inspired by today's theme which is...chocolate!

Mary and Paul are looking for clever ideas, intricate decorating

but most of all,

it's got to taste fantastic.

This is your last chance to show them what you've got.

Are you ready?

CHILDREN: Yeah!

On your marks, get set...

bake!

'They have just an hour and a half to complete the cakes

'they've been practising at home.

'This is a chance for them to show the judges

'they've got the baking skills they seek.

'Saffron raced ahead in the last challenge

'but too much rushing left her with a broken biscuit.

'Will she learn from her mistakes as after only ten minutes

'she's already greased her tins and made her sponge mix?'

I need to be quite fast on certain things

because I've got quite a bit to do.

What's happening, rude girl?

-How's it going?

-Nothing much, rude boy!

-You know that.

-Strawberries, raspberries, blueberries...

-Yeah.

..and Maltesers going on.

What will it look like? I can't picture it.

It is a three-tier take,

-cake, sorry, not take.

-Three-tier.

-So you've got to make how many sponges?

-Three.

And round the edges there's going to be a ganache.

-That's posh, what's that?

-It's like a frosting.

You are fast. Will that give you an extra mile?

-Yeah, yeah, yeah.

-You reckon?

I'm going to leave. Nuff respect to the Summer Chocolate Surprise.

-Step paw!

-Bless!

'In the last round,

'Paul said Sam's shortbread was good enough to sell in a shop.

'Now he's trying to impress with an animal of a chocolate sponge cake

'filled with buttercream icing.'

Sam the man. Here he is.

-Hello.

-The silent assassin himself.

-Thank you.

Sneaked up in that last round, didn't you? Done very well indeed.

-So, what are you cooking here?

-I'm doing my Hedgehog Cake.

It's my nan's recipe.

She used to do a lot of these for my dad when he was younger.

-So, what have we got in there? A bit of chocolate?

-Yeah.

This, in here, which is my frosting, which isn't going exactly to plan.

What's happened?

I don't know. It's just gone a bit odd.

It's all going to plan at the moment,

so, just hope it stays...

..to plan. Yeah, stayed.

'Stanley's shortbread crumbled under pressure.

'This time, he needs to keep his nerves under control.'

The name of my cake is called

Stanley's Super Sour Cherry Surprise -

tongue twister and a half.

I like to invent and I've put a few surprises in it.

What have you got? Why are you going to win?

-Cos I've got ginger.

-What?

-This is my surprise.

-Shhh.

Don't say it too loud because behind us is Saffron

-and you know what she's like.

-I know.

-Right, mate, keep it real. See you in a bit.

-See you in a bit.

'Sam's icing is still looking odd.'

I think it split - when it doesn't quite mix together properly.

-What's happened, Sam?

-It's split, which doesn't usually happen.

Pass me a whisk.

See if we can't bring this back to life.

Ah, thanks.

-Thank you a lot.

-Pleasure.

I'm extremely grateful. Without him, I would probably...

Well, it would probably still be a disaster.

-Hello, Mille.

-Hi.

-How's it going, love? You all right?

-Yeah, it's going great.

-What we baking here?

We are baking, like a Millionaires' Shortbread,

-just a Millionaires' Chocolate Cake.

-Oh, right.

What has this Millionaires' Shortbread Cake got

that these guys haven't got? Why will you win this?

I thought it has to be a cake.

Why not take a really nice shortbread

and try and make it into a cake?

Well, I tell you what, that is definitely inventive.

-Keep it fresh, that's what I say. See you soon.

-Thanks.

1 tbsp of milk.

I'm feeling very positive.

Perfect.

Now, our bakers seem to be making the most amazing chocolate cakes

and we all love chocolate.

So much so, that we eat over 500,000 tons of the stuff

every, single year.

Now, that's the same weight as 71,579 London buses.

Whether it's white, milk or dark chocolate,

I want to find out which is the best one to bake with.

'I've found a chocolate factory

'where the owner's actually called Willie.

'He seems like the perfect person

'to tell me about cooking with chocolate.'

You can use any chocolate - milk, dark, white.

But use the best chocolate.

Your cake is only going to be as good as your ingredients.

'Chocolate doesn't start in bars. It actually comes from cacao beans.

'Willie grows his own on a farm in Venezuela.'

I can't believe that's chocolate.

And it grows on trees. Why don't you taste one?

Nutty, isn't it? Bitter.

'Willie roasts his beans to enhance the flavour.'

They're almost on fire.

They're really warm and when you break them up,

they're just melted and all the butter's coming out.

Look at that. It smells so strong.

'I could just eat them right now,

'but Willie insists on taking the skins off first.'

So, this is the heart of the grinder.

You've got two granite stones, milling the cocoa

into a river of chocolate. Here it comes!

'This is 100 % pure chocolate and it smells awesome.

'The chocolate is poured into the moulds,

'ready to be baked with or just eaten.'

So fruity and pure, isn't it?

It's real chocolate. It's all about the quality of the bean.

The best beans make the best bakes.

'How are the bakers getting on using chocolate to make cakes

'that'll knock the judges' socks off?'

I am the messy chef.

Got my cake made and it's in the oven.

'These cakes hold the key to the bakers' future in the contest

'and Mary and Paul are watching every move they make.'

-So, this is the icing?

-Yeah, this is the caramel.

It's very important to stir all the time.

Don't let it catch.

'Sam's cut his sponge in half and covered it with icing

'to make his hedgehog's body.'

I'm feeling quite confident at the moment.

I'm not sure whether it's about to fall over or not,

so, I think I might open it up and add a bit more buttercream inside.

It seems to be... Hmmmm.

'Uh-oh, someone call a vet!

'Sam's hedgehog is in danger of coming unstuck.'

OK, bakers, 30 minutes to go.

'When there's dancing in the kitchen it's a sign things are going well.

'But Mary's expert nose has sniffed out a potential problem.'

Now, Stanley, this is made with self-raising flour

and you have added bicarbonate of soda, too,

and I can get a slight smell of bicarb from here.

Yes.

Yeah.

'You don't need to add bicarb if you're using self-raising flour -

'it can leave a bitter flavour.'

I'll be interested whether I'll taste that when it's finished.

I've not got a name for this hedgehog yet.

I was thinking maybe Barry.

'Barry looks like he's about to topple over.'

How much vanilla extract?

-Hello, Saffron.

-Hello.

-How are you getting on?

-Pretty good.

You've got chocolate sponge and you'll pour ganache over the top?

I've got three tiers, so, two gaps -

buttercream on one, ganache on the other.

Round the edges and on top, there'll be ganache

and it'll be piled up with fruit.

-You'll get it done in time?

-Yeah.

'If she can bake it as quick as she says, she's onto a winner.

'But with a cake that tricky, there's no room for error.'

OK, bakers, there's 10 minutes left.

It seems to be leaning, which is worrying.

-Thanks.

-You've got one minute left. One minute, now.

'There's time for a last-ditch attempt

'to get Barry the hedgehog to stand up straight.'

I am really happy. This cake is most certainly

everything I wanted it to be. It's going to be delicious.

Do you reckon the sponge is going to be able to take that?

-It does at home. Hopefully, it'll do it here.

-Fantastic.

There you go. That's all I'm doing.

I think this will collapse. They'd better hurry up.

There we go.

And now, my cake is done.

I think everybody's cakes look brilliant.

Let's bung them out and give the judges a wowing.

OK, dudes, your time is up.

I'm afraid you'll have to step away from the cakes.

'For three of these bakers, this is the last time

'they'll face the judges.

'Their cakes will be judged on their ideas,

'presentation and taste.'

Stanley, you're up first.

'The judges are looking for a chocolate cake

'that's a delicious blend of amazing ideas and skilful baking.

'Confident Stanley has made a chocolate sponge cake

'filled with cream and topped with chocolate-dipped fruit.

'Will the judges taste his secret ingredient?'

You should feel very proud of yourself.

-It's a nice-looking chocolate cake.

-It's absolutely beautiful.

-That mystery ingredient?

-Yeah.

-Ginger.

-Yes.

Can you taste that hint of bicarb?

I think you've done rather well to put that ginger in.

'Next up, hoping to seal a place in the semi-final, is Millie

'with a Millionaires' Shortbread Cake -

'chocolate sponge and layers of caramel,

'smothered in chocolate icing.'

The idea is a very clever idea

because you've blended two ideas of cake

into one and you've got layers in there, as well.

It's impressive and you've invented it. It's good.

That is absolutely delicious.

You've got a very soft, moist chocolate cake.

It's very, very clever.

'With his quick thinking,

'Sam managed to save his cake from complete collapse.

'Will his hedgehog Barry with a sponge body,

'covered in buttercream icing and chocolate button spikes

'see him through to the semi-final?'

-It seems a bit sad to chop him up, really, doesn't it?

-Yeah.

That sponge is so light.

Even with the chocolate, it's stunning.

It's very creative. You've thought about this.

I love how you've got all these chocolate pieces on the top.

It's ingenious.

-It really is very, very clever.

-Thank you.

'Speedy Saffron's been super ambitious,

'with a three-tiered chocolate cake covered with ganache,

'topped with summer fruits.

'But will it stand up to the judges standards?'

This is a very professional-looking cake.

Are you happy with it?

If I had time, I would have let the cakes cool a bit more -

while I was putting the ganache on,

the buttercream was melting because of the heat of the cakes.

You're a clever girl, you know.

You've produced a cake that is absolutely sublime.

Thank you.

'Mary and Paul have a difficult decision to make.

'I'll find out what they're really thinking.'

Well, let's start here with Stanley's.

Technically, it's a nice cake. Aesthetically, it's quite pretty.

But he had that bicarb and for me, it spoiled it a bit.

I've done enough to get through to the next round.

I've pushed it really far.

That challenge was up my street. I was really in my zone, there.

'Will Millie's Millionaire Shortbread Cake

'hit the jackpot with the judges?'

The sponge is very good.

What we were wanting was something with a wow factor to it

and when you put that with the others,

it didn't quite have it.

-Something missing.

-It tasted good.

I have no idea if I'll get through or not

cos there are loads of lovely cakes

which are very fancy and it just depends what the judges say.

'In the first round, Saffron broke her biscuit

'but will her cake wow Mary and Paul?'

Fresh cake, with that much fruit on top -

not the best idea cos you've got the extra weight

on a cake which wants to collapse.

You've got a ganache, buttercream, and the sponge in there.

Well executed cake.

She had outstanding technical knowledge throughout.

I definitely think that I've done enough to at least come second.

If not first, I don't know.

'The judges loved Sam's shortbread.

'But can his hedgehog Barry seal the deal?'

If it was upright, it would've been nicer and probably,

if he'd had the time, put more flakes on

to look more like spikes.

I feel that Sam had created the whole of that himself

and I think he did very well with it.

It went OK. I had a bit of trouble with the icing.

It kind of tilted over and split in the middle slightly.

I'm still quite confident but not that happy with it.

'The judges have made up their minds

'and for these four, an unbearable wait is almost over.'

The person going through to the semi-finals is...

..Saffron! Well done!

I'm chuffed that I've got through. I just didn't believe that I would.

Saffron has gone through because she is a very good baker.

It was fantastic to see someone with that much passion.

It was like looking at a Mini-Me.

Saffron, in this competition, is a high benchmark.

Let's just hope in the other heats, that people reach that level.

At the moment, she's a class act.

It's just... It's... I'm speechless.

In the next Junior Bake Off heat, it's festival time.

It's going to have a bonfire on top of it.

Mistakes are made...

Did you put sugar in instead of self-raising flour?

-..and muffins pay the price.

-That is a problem.

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