The Final The Great British Bake Off

Welcome to sunny Somerset. We're putting the final touches

to our summer party with the classic ingredients -

balloons, bunting, bandstands, bickering relatives,

and three of the finest amateur bakers in the land.

That's right, our lady finalists are about to battle it out to be

crowned winner of Great British Bake Off 2013.

BALLOON SQUEAKS

Ooh, gluten.

Welcome to the Great British Bake Off. Mild intolerance.

'Last time, it was French week.'

BOTH: Mwah and mwah and mwah!

'And the semi-finalists tackled three Gallic classics. Canape...'

You are bakery rock'n'roll, Frances.

'..Charlotte Royale...'

Mmm...slop.

'..and opera cake.'

It's beyond multi-tasking, isn't it?

-KIMBERLEY:

-Yeah. No, it's a new level.

Oh, God.

'It was Beca who fell at the final hurdle.'

I don't think I need to say how upset I am.

'Now, it's the final.'

Spoon, spoon, spoon.

-Oh, God

-What? What, what?

'But who will be crowned champion?'

The winner of the 2013 Great British Bake Off is...

-SUE:

-13,000 home bakers dreamt of making it to the Bake Off final.

Just three remain.

MEL: 'Ruby, the youngest baker this year,

'has sometimes struggled with the pressures in the tent.'

-Get a grip. Just get a grip, OK?

-Thank you.

'Despite not always planning her recipes...'

-Are you winging this one?

-Yeah, I am. I can't lie.

'..she's demonstrated an instinctive baking flair...'

That's a bit of all right.

'..that has seen her crowned Star Baker three times.'

APPLAUSE

'Ruby is the wild card of the Bake Off tent.'

'I've been feeling sick with nerves all week.

'I think my strategy for this weekend is just'

don't have an episode.

'Kimberley has made the steadiest progress through the Bake Off.

'Her stunning flavours...'

-PAUL:

-That is one of the nicest pies I've had for some years.

'..have won praise week after week.'

I have to say that that is absolutely beautiful.

'And her extensive technical knowledge has meant

'she's been unflustered by Mary and Paul's recipes.'

I'm quite happy with that. I think that looks really good.

'My family and friends are obviously massively biased.'

They're really pleased, really proud of me and their advice has mostly

been "crush the opposition", which I think is a little bit strong!

'Frances has proved to be the most creative baker ever to have

'set foot in the tent.'

-MARY:

-They're always very excited

when you do something totally original.

'Her incredible designs set the bar high.

'But her flavours have not always reached the same standards.'

-PAUL:

-I love your style, but please remember the substance.

'Now she must deliver on both.'

-FRANCES:

-'I need to bake my flipping socks off.

'The judges want it all.'

They want substance, they want style,

they want perfection.

Good morning, bakers, and welcome to the final.

-Congratulations.

-Yey!

So your first challenge, the Signature Challenge,

we'd like you to make a savoury picnic pie.

Shortcrust pastry, elaborate looking when you cut into it,

we'd like some kind of design inside.

Remember, it is for a picnic, so it should be presented out of the tin.

You've got three hours for this,

your final Signature Challenge ever.

-On your marks...

-Get set...

-BOTH: Bake!

-PAUL:

-The reason why we chose the savoury picnic pie in the final

is because we want to see the use of pastry again.

It's not easy.

-MARY:

-Some had it under-baked, some had soggy bottoms...

-PAUL:

-So this has given them the second bite of the cherry, to see

if they've learnt from before.

The filling should be in definite layers so, as you cut through it,

you get all the layers and they don't spill into each other.

-PAUL:

-You're looking for a nice, crispy shell that stands

all on its own, you're looking for a beautiful golden-brown colour.

-MARY:

-Good flavour, good texture, good appearance.

They've got to be perfect.

-FRANCES:

-So, my picnic pie, I was thinking,

British weather, what do we get?

We either get sunshine or showers.

And with sunshine and showers, what do you get?

Rainbows. Rainbows!

The rainbow inside Frances's pie will be made up of rice,

two types of trout and five different summer vegetables,

all encased in a decorative pastry picnic hamper.

So what flavours are you using throughout?

So, there's turmeric in the rice, with also some shallots and garlic

and some toasted pine nuts, and then we've got

the roasted red peppers, and then you've got the rainbow trout

and there's also a layer of smoked trout to pack a bit more flavour in.

And then we've got green beans and asparagus

that I'm doing in some lemon juice, mint, dill, parsley and lemon.

There's going to be so much going on in there.

So, listen, show me your hands.

There's a slight wobble. How are you feeling?

I am nervous, I am nervous.

It means the world to be here right now.

Frances grew up in Leicestershire,

and is the youngest of five children.

She always loved drawing and she did art right the way through school.

She started making little cakes, for friends and everything.

She'd always have a sort of quirky play with words,

so it wouldn't just be a plain cake, it would be something extra.

Is that enough?

Taking part in a Bake Off has been a true family affair.

She's a great one for asking people's advice.

"Do you really taste the lavender in that?

"Are you sure? Because...

"Tell me, Dad, honestly, are you sure?"

-DEIRDRE:

-I'm not very helpful, cos I haven't got a sense of taste.

-Mum can't taste.

-It comes and goes.

I was kicked on the nose when I was 15.

"Oh, it's lovely, Fran." "What are you tasting?"

"Nothing." "Oh, that's great."

That's why there's no substance.

I remember getting these nerves before hundred-metre sprints.

I did once win the hundred-metre sprint and the hurdles,

so hopefully the same can happen today.

I've certainly hit some hurdles throughout this whole process.

'And it seems Frances isn't the only one.'

You're doing your lattice basketry.

-I am.

-Is Frances doing something similar?

-Unfortunately, yeah.

-Oh, man!

I know, I know. I'm up against Design Queen and here I am.

I just... I can't compete with Frances.

Ruby's picnic basket is a vegetarian pie filled with halloumi,

mozzarella, couscous,

sun-dried tomatoes, oregano and basil.

Is it a bit like appearing at a do

and you're both wearing the same dress?

Yeah, it's like wearing the same dress but the other person wearing

the dress is a 6'3" Brazilian supermodel, or something like that.

Just have to hope it goes all right.

-It's the battle of the baskets, isn't it?

-It is.

'Having done most of her baking practice at university,

'this week, Ruby has been preparing for the final back at her mum

'and dad's house in Southend-on-Sea.'

It's quite nice to be able to use a proper kitchen after

just being at uni and working... Basically, cooking in my bedroom.

It's been really lovely having Ruby at home, because we do miss her

when she's not here.

I am looking forward to being able

to get back in the kitchen.

She does tend to monopolise the kitchen.

She has improved, because although she works in chaos,

she does tidy up after herself. Before, she'd work in chaos

and then blissfully wander off, leaving the chaos behind her.

I've never done that in my life.

I've lived with Ruby for 20 years, and so I know she's never completely

happy with anything. She keeps at something until she perfects it.

If she was to get 98%, she'd want to know how she could get the extra 2%.

I think she finds the idea of winning quite daunting,

because she never feels that she's done as well as she can.

She doesn't believe in any way, shape or form

that that's possible.

I'm thinking that it doesn't look very good.

'The picnic pie pastry needs to be

'just short enough to crumble when eaten.'

It doesn't look the same as at home.

It's drier, but I put the same amount of everything in.

'But strong enough to support the weight of the filling,

'without being overworked and tough.'

This is a bit weird, cos obviously you have to be quite fragile

with pastry but at the same time,

I really need to get it fully in the corners of the tin.

I'm going to have to make some more. I've not got time for this.

'Kimberley has already prepared her pastry - all three varieties.'

So, you're doing a white pastry, a green pastry and...

-A pink one.

-A pink pastry?

MARY: Now, wait a minute. What are you doing with the pink pastry?

I'll be cutting out little pigs.

Pigs? Does it stay pink?

Yes, it's beetroot powder so it'll stay a little bit pink.

MEL: Kimberley's chicken and pig pie will be filled with chicken mousse,

pistachios, pancetta and pork tenderloin pate,

packed round a black pudding at the centre.

Practising for the pie's been fairly traumatic.

I had two and a half catastrophes.

So, if it works, it'll probably be the first one that does!

Kimberley grew up in East London with her mum and little sister.

We used to pretend we was doing a cooking show

when we were younger and we'd slice up the food really nicely

and pretend that we were being filmed.

Then take a little moment to be like,

"And now we're adding 100 grams of flour."

So it was a great laugh at home and I don't think

my mum found it really funny, cos then the kitchen would be a mess.

Now a psychologist, Kimberley's been juggling work

and practising recipes for Bake Off...

A lot of cake needs taste.

..which have all been tried by her boyfriend Giuseppe.

When she has good weeks in her baking,

there's nothing that can stop her.

She'll survive on two hours' sleep.

She definitely wants to win the Bake Off.

'She's worked so hard for it.'

-It's almost there.

-Almost there, just one more push.

SHE LAUGHS

-We're going to be latticing?

-We're striping, so that there'll be

stripes going up the outside of the pie.

Wowsers.

It did strike me, Kimberley -

our first ever winner on Bake Off was called Edd Kimber.

Kimber? Ley?

And also, my friend pointed out, the two winners after that,

both of their surnames start with a W.

Wheatley and Whaite.

-WHISPERS:

-Wilson.

'Tins lined with pastry,

'the finalists must prepare their fillings.'

'The biggest enemy will be moisture.'

Well, I don't want a soggy bottom.

'To avoid that, Ruby and Frances are cooking their fillings beforehand.'

That's all good.

Roasting the veg just brings out the flavour a bit, as well.

They are drying out in there, which I need, cos otherwise

they'd release a lot of water into my pie, which I don't want.

'All of Kimberley's ingredients are going in raw.'

So, it's chicken, a little bit of double cream, some masala.

There's soaked mushrooms. It's flavours that work together.

So...hopefully I shouldn't be too far off.

That's one hour, bakers! One hour left on your pies before

we complete the picnic theme and send in the squadron of wasps.

'How the ingredients are layered is crucial.

'Once cut, the picnic pies should reveal an attractive design.'

So, what have you done with that? I can see it's grated.

That's going to... I put it in to cool, actually.

I might just quickly blast it in the microwave for a few seconds.

-Why not?

-Quickly, she's gone to the microwave.

-Doesn't need it, does she?

-I hope not.

That rocks. I've had about five pieces.

We're doing quite well. Do you like the mint?

Oh, I'm sure she won't miss it.

Lads, actually, we better be careful.

-RUBY:

-The atmosphere with the others is pretty laid back.

But I feel, like, on the verge

of a baking abyss.

FRANCES SIGHS

It's looking OK. Bit juicy.

Oh, Ruby, you clever sausage.

I think it's going to need wafting. Wafty-waft.

You waft the pie and I'll waft you.

OK, bakers, five minutes remaining on the picnic challenge!

I hope that doesn't HAMPER your progress.

I'll just be out the back.

I feel like it's all coming out.

So, you know it comes out, that's good.

In theory, you just tip it up.

Please be careful.

Oh, I will.

Uh-uh.

The words "cack" and "handed" come to mind.

Aw! Oh!

-Oh, God.

-What? What, what?

No, it's fine.

-It's completely brilliant.

-I don't think that's soggy.

It's flaked, it's flaked. It's gorgeous

It's a bit juicy.

What I might do, just pop it on a baking tray.

-You OK?

-Yeah.

Sh-sh-sh.

Stop looking at the other one.

Bakers, that's one more minute left.

No!

Bakers, your final Signature Challenge is over.

Step away from the piggies, Kimberley.

Oh, no. What a shame.

It's judgment time for the Signature picnic pies.

-PAUL:

-I think it looks impressive.

I like the lattice work on the top.

It's a very good bake underneath

and you've got crisp, sharp corners.

It's very heavy.

I'm curious to see what's going to happen when I cut this.

-FRANCES:

-So am I.

-Is it going to ooze? Is it not going to ooze?

We should have the layers of all the different vegetables to give

a slight rainbow effect.

MEL: Fingers crossed, sounds good.

Oh, my Lord! That's amazing!

Very, very neat layers.

It probably could have done

with a bit longer in the oven.

It's got a nice colour and I think if it was in there

for another five, maybe even ten minutes,

-it would have stabilised the walls of the pie, as well.

-Yeah.

The individual flavours taste very good.

You've cleverly seasoned it.

The pastry tastes great, but...

..the filling itself is fantastic.

-Oh!

-What's annoying is you were ten minutes from perfection.

-KIMBERLEY:

-You can lift it, I'm concerned.

Oh, it's gone.

-PAUL:

-The whole thing is...

The problem is, because the moisture's got inside the side,

it's weakened the structure of the pie.

That's a shame.

That's purely moisture coming from the meat

and coming from the pudding and everything else.

I think it looks good inside.

It's almost like a glue binding my mouth together.

SHE LAUGHS

-MARY:

-It's seasoned very well and the mousse with the pistachios is

very nice, but it's spoilt by the pastry.

Overall, the flavour's OK, but I think the texture's wrong

and, obviously, the outside was a big issue, as well.

-MARY:

-From here it looks just very, very special.

-I love the patchwork on the side, as well.

-RUBY:

-Yeah.

The uniformity of the lattice work is fantastic.

What are we expecting to see inside?

Hopefully some layers.

MEL LAUGHS

Can you sell it any more than that, Rubes?

That bake is beautiful and you've still got the crisscross all along.

Oh, there's layers in it!

Just look at that.

It never cut like that at home!

Don't tell me things like that, Ruby!

MEL LAUGHS

I think this is an excellent example of a vegetarian pie.

What a difficult thing to get right.

Sublime. I mean, well done, Ruby.

You've finally come up with something that actually looks...

-WHISPERS:

-..like Frances made it. Well done.

Thank you.

It's nice to start the weekend on a good bake.

I have spent the whole competition dreading being compared to Frances,

but, actually, it was favourable.

I think I'd probably be in silver right now.

-SUE:

-'One challenge down and just two remain in this year's Bake Off.'

Bakers, it's time for your last ever Technical Challenge.

Hooray! Unfurl the bunting, happy days.

Sadly, it is one of Paul's recipes.

-Oh.

-I'm so sorry, there was nothing we could do about that.

At all. Paul and Mary, with great respect, you might want to go...

-Goodbye!

-..frolic in the buttercups.

-Goodbye!

What we'd like you to make is something

never before seen on Bake Off.

Pretzels. Six savoury, six sweet.

What we're looking for is a deep, glossy coat.

Think Labrador at Crufts. And a dense, chewy interior.

We'd like them tied into a classic pretzel knot.

Yeah, for sure, we all know what that is.

And you've got two and half hours in which to bake them.

-On your marks...

-Get set...

Bake!

I love pretzels, but I've never, ever made them before.

I've only eaten one, like, once and, obviously, I've never made it.

Who makes a pretzel?

I've made bread similar to a pretzel before. I know what the process is.

-PAUL:

-Pretzels, Mary. The final Technical Challenge.

They look absolutely amazing. And I love the deep shine.

When you break it...

..if you look inside the pretzel,

you see the crumb structure is very, very tight.

Don't be tempted to add too much liquid and slacken

the dough off, that's the first thing.

Secondly, they've got to shape them properly,

so it looks like a pretzel.

And then, finally, don't under-bake it.

I want a nice, rich, dark colour. That's what a pretzel is.

It's crispy.

I'm just going to concentrate on making the dough at the moment.

MEL: 'Paul's instructions are minimal.'

"Add the flour, salt, yeast

"and butter to a bowl, warm the milk."

It's an enriched dough, cos obviously we've got the milk.

I'm just going to add the malt extract to it.

I'm going to let it cool for a second.

I think it might be a tiny bit hot.

If it's too hot, it'll deactivate the yeast

and you won't get a rise at all.

-RUBY:

-It says mix and knead.

I'm just going to knead it till it looks how I would

usually expect something to look. That's the only thing I can go on.

Paul encourages you to use your hands

and this is the final,

so it does show more skill.

It's quite a dry dough,

drier than I would usually do.

But I think that's because

it wants to be close textured.

You want to get the dough working as much as possible, to get the gluten

to...kind of develop.

-FRANCES:

-People say I've got quite strong hands.

I often give friends massages and stuff,

so I'm hoping the same will help

this kneading of the bread.

That is a good, fast action you've got there, Kimberley.

Were you a bit frustrated with how it went this morning?

-Maybe.

-Yeah?

Taking out the frustration on the old...

KIMBERLEY LAUGHS

Minimal chat, just a lot of...

This has to be split in half.

'Paul has asked for six savoury and six sweet pretzels.'

Making sure I've got equal halves. Beautiful.

I need to add to one half the zest of two oranges and the poppy seeds.

I'm just going to pop

the dough in to prove.

Finalists, you've got one hour left for your pretzels.

"One hour left on your pretzels."

WHISPERS: It's New York.

'Once proved, the dough is shaped.'

I can't remember what a pretzel looks like.

Yeah, you and me both.

Take hold of the ends, lift it into a U shape.

Right, this is the crucial test.

In one movement, flip the centre,

so that it forms a double twist.

Double twist?

It's basically dough gymnastics, isn't it?

Propel and twist.

That's normally a pretzel shape, isn't it?

Is it? Is that complicated enough to be a pretzel?

That's better.

I can't...

Yeah, yeah, yeah, that's double.

-Is it?

-Is that double?

Could've been anything, that's a quadruple twist.

I don't know what that is. That's just a baguette now.

FRANCES SIGHS

Was that a subtle look over your shoulder?

I am. I'm trying to see what other people are doing.

There's only one way to find out if they'll hold.

'The knotted dough is next dropped in a mixture of boiling water

'and bicarbonate of soda.'

Please, please. Please work.

'This helps develop a pretzel's unique brown crust.'

This just seems insane, dropping these in here.

I'm just wondering how long to leave them in for.

-RUBY:

-26, 27, 28...

'The pretzels only need seconds in the solution.'

Hey, they've been in a while.

They've had a minute in total, now.

They've sort of...expanded.

They've ballooned.

This is not looking good.

These are not looking like the pretzels I like to enjoy.

I can't remember which needs... two slashes or one.

But I've started with one, so...

'Paul's recipe does suggest slashing the dough to help control

'the pretzel's rise in the oven...

'but doesn't reveal how long they should be in the oven for.'

There's nothing more I can do about the actual pretzels now.

Except hope.

Pray to the baking gods.

Half an hour to go. Half an hour to go on ze pretzels.

They're looking OK.

I was worried that the little arms would fling open.

'Whilst they're in the oven...'

This size looks good, they're very even.

They're the better ones. You can't see the monsters.

'..the finalists need to prepare two toppings for their sweet pretzels.'

I'm making the orange glaze that basically goes on the poppy seed

and orange pretzels when they're baked.

I made candied peel in suet pudding week, so...

The short way is just to boil it very quickly in some sugar syrup

and then dust it with some more caster sugar.

They just don't look like pretzels.

They're like pretzelsaurus.

-RUBY:

-Those ones look almost like pretzels.

The ones in the oven are monstrous.

They're desperately, desperately overdone.

I put them in the water for way too long.

60 seconds of "pretzel fun, come on". 60 seconds left.

Lost the accent a bit.

They're not looking like pretzels. At all.

Kim's look really good.

I think the shaping's definitely better the further you go along,

but I'm happy that they've

all kept the double twist.

These aren't looking good.

I've got to be honest, I don't care how I display these,

it will make no difference.

OK, this knotty challenge is over!

It's finished! Step away from the pretzel.

'Paul and Mary will be looking for a perfect knot,

'crisped, deep brown skin and a dense, chewy texture.'

We'll start with this one over here.

Looking at the shape,

there's a sort of pretzel look about it on that one,

although it's been in the water too long. See how wet it's got?

It's lost its colour.

Quite a tight structure.

There's not much snap to it, though.

-MARY:

-No.

-It's quite soft in places.

Flavour's OK.

Let's have a look at the sweet one.

That's a lovely orange flavour.

It's got a nice, crisp outside and it's lovely

and spongy in the middle.

These look like they've been in the water again too long.

Not really a pretzel shape, if I'm honest.

It looks more like a roll.

The texture's nice and tight.

A little bit more salt on that would have been nice.

A little bit more colour, as well. They're quite pale.

Let's have a look at the sweet one.

Again, beautifully shaped roll, not a pretzel.

We'll move on to the last one.

There's a sort of shape of a pretzel here.

It's got a nicer colour

because you're looking for that rich, dark brown colour,

Let's just see what the crisp is like.

Good break.

It's got a beautiful bake, top and bottom. Mmm. Really crisp.

Let's try the sweet ones. They look good. They're nice and dark.

You can see the poppy seed, you can see the orange.

Both of them have a good bake, don't they? A good colour.

Good break on it, as well.

It's a lovely texture in there

-and a good flavour too.

-Totally agree.

MEL: 'But who has triumphed in the final Technical Bake?'

In third place...

..is this one. Whose is this?

Frances, they are rolls not pretzels.

And in second place...

..is this one.

The colour is good, the shape's getting there

and the orange ones were particularly good.

So, first place. Well done, Kimberley.

Well done, Kimberley.

It's the closest thing to a pretzel, but don't clap.

'I think I've done a little bit to redeem myself.'

Had I come second or third, I think I would

'have been feeling pretty much out of the game.'

'That wasn't as bad as I thought.'

It has gone better today than I thought it would.

'Wasn't the best Technical Bake.'

I'm still in it. I'm still in it.

BIRDSONG

INDISTINCT CHATTER

-SUE:

-'There's just one challenge remaining in this year's Bake Off.'

Ten weeks ago, we were going into our first one.

So, who would've thought when we begun this process

that, nine weeks later, it would be so close to call?

What's your view of the challenges so far?

For me, Ruby tipped the scales and probably just slightly took it,

for the picnic pie, for her display, the flavour I thought was great.

The actual finish and the skill with which she got that crisp pastry.

And then she came second in the Technical Challenge.

I think it puts her slightly ahead.

I expected much, much better from Kimberley.

It really didn't work out, that pie, and it was very disappointing

because we know that she could have done it.

However, she then won the Technical Challenge.

I think it lifted her up.

Frances really put paid to the idea that she can't flavour.

She did really well with her pie and she did beautiful presentation.

I did say she was ten minutes away from perfection.

She came last in the Technical Challenge.

Which is why Kimberley and Frances are sort of like that

and Ruby's just that LITTLE step in front.

Good morning, bakers. Welcome to this,

your final challenge of the Great British Bake Off 2013.

It's got to be a Showstopper to end all Showstoppers.

Bakers, today we're asking you

to bake the most celebrated of cakes.

It should be full of love, possibly a bit of stress

and some tears, but only three "tears", please -

it's a three-tiered wedding cake.

Now, it can be any size or any shape, but do bear in mind

if it's too small it will disappoint the bride.

We are looking for immaculate designs,

we are looking for an incredible finish.

This is your very last bake,

make it count. Very best of luck.

-You've got six hours. On your marks...

-Get set... BOTH:

-Bake!

Six hours to do a three-tiered wedding cake is quite a push.

Sometimes people spend six days. But no, not here.

You do want something that has a bit of impact on the inside

as well as on the outside.

Because you want the cake to be as memorable as possible.

It's not really a very formal cake

but it's just the sort of things I'd want if I ever got married.

'When you're making a wedding cake,

'you've got to think of the flavour combination, the decoration,'

you've got to think of what you're going to cover that cake with.

'All three tiers have got to be in proportion,'

every single layer has got to be perfect

'and there'll be no covering up of overcooked cakes.'

'The reason why we've set it is because'

you expect it to be the best of the best.

It's more ambitious of anything I've ever done before. Yeah, it's tight.

MEL: 'The bottom tier of Frances's Midsummer Night's Dream

'wedding cake is flavoured with rhubarb and ginger,

'the middle is a lemon Victoria sponge

'filled with raspberries and cream,

'and on top is a carrot, apricot and orange cake.

'All three will be decorated with an edible take on a wedding staple.'

So I'm doing falling confetti. So I'm sort of putting

the beetroot hearts, and also mango and sweet potato, and then I'm making

dried pineapple flowers, so it's all using natural fruits and flavours.

Are there going to be fairies? Fairies on the cake?

- No fairies. A few bumblebees. - Aw!

I'm doing the polka dots for my first cake.

They need to be cooked first before I add them to the batter

for the base tier.

This is a cake pop mould. It's for little novelty cakes as lollipops.

It also obviously makes perfect spheres.

'Kimberley's raspberry-flavoured cake pops

'will be hidden inside a chocolate fudge cake.

'The middle layer is an orange and pistachio checkerboard sponge.

'And crowning it all

'is a lemon and elderflower cake with poppy seed buttercream.

'It'll be decorated with the word "love" in 28 languages.'

Your decorations - are you going to be covering it in sugar paste?

I'm making some fondant for the top tier,

and sugar paste for some of the exterior decorations.

-Detail?

-Yeah.

-The detail.

As you make a cake like this, Kimberley,

do you have somebody in mind that you're baking it for?

Do you know what I mean? A wedding cake

is quite a sort of emotional thing.

I haven't got somebody in mind in particular.

The bottom tier is my boyfriend's favourite flavour,

-but the top two are mine.

-Good.

I'm just adding the eggs to the butter mixture

with a handful of the flour to stop it curdling.

A couple of squiffy ones, but mostly pops.

-SUE:

-'Combined, the finalists' three-tiered Showstoppers require

'the perfect baking of 21 separate layers of cake.'

I've just put a layer of the raspberry cake pops

and some fresh raspberries with the chocolate cake mix.

I can't remember exactly how long this one takes to cook

and I didn't write my cooking times on my recipe for some reason.

I don't know why.

So that's all done.

'For the insides of their cakes,

'they're preparing ten different fillings from scratch.'

So this is the cream cheese frosting filling

that's going in between the ginger cake.

And some poppy seeds.

It's going to be quite a crunchy texture

which is going to be unusual, hopefully not too unusual.

I'm just making the passion fruit curd and the lemon curd.

It's an easy way to get flavour into something

without having to use loads of buttercream.

'Ruby's passion fruit curd will fill the delicate Victoria sponge

'that will top her wedding cake.

'The middle will be filled with fresh raspberry and mascarpone cream,

'and on the bottom, a lemon Victoria sponge filled with lemon curd -

'all decorated to represent sunset on a warm summer's evening.'

If you were getting married, what sort of cake would you like?

Quite often, weddings are just an exercise in narcissism.

I can't...I can't be bothered.

That's not to say I hate romance, I'm not that much of a cynic.

So, if you made a wedding cake it would just say things like

-"this'll never last"...

-Yeah, probably.

..or "one in two marriages end in divorce", piped lovingly?

BEES BUZZING

OK, bakers, that's half-time. You should be one-and-a-half tiers

through your three-tier challenge. Halfway through.

Not...yet.

I'm coming out.

This is my middle tier - that's done.

The top tier will be done in two minutes.

Not yet.

It's light and fluffy but it's just a little bit fragile.

Hmm...

There's just one left in there, then they're all cakes baked.

So I'm just cutting out what will be the checkerboards.

Cut out the middle, and then you cut out the middle of those...

..and then, you do this.

-Boom.

-Are you pleased with the way the bakes are going?

Yes, I think I'm on track.

It's a bit of a difficult one to gauge because it is so long.

How will you feel if I announce your name as the winner?

I don't know.

I'm going to go in the oven.

Are you trying to avoid my eye?

Yes.

It means a lot.

They look good. They've come up loads, which is fantastic,

but they're not cooked yet.

BAND PLAYS SWING MUSIC

'Everything the finalists bake

'will be served to family and friends at a very special

'Great British Bake Off garden party.

'Which also features one or two familiar faces.'

'It's awesome to be back, and I'm back as a fan.

'I feel like I'm a proper'

Bake Off groupie - I'm a Bake Off nerd.

'I don't think I can call it.'

It's going to be extremely close, I would hate to be judging it myself.

For me, I think Kimberley, because she's been cool head,

steady, consistent.

And then you've got Frances, who I love to bits

and is just so creative.

I've got a feeling it's going to be Ruby.

'Ruby's sponges are finally out of the oven.'

Have we got three Showstoppers

worthy of the Great British Bake Off 2013 final?

Oops. Nothing that a bit of buttercream can't hide.

We've got three totally different wedding cakes

and original wedding cakes.

Frances is strong on her stylings. You know that cake,

regardless of what the interior is going to taste like,

the outside is going to be amazing - you just know that.

Having said that, when you talk about Ruby,

what she did with the allotment cake, and what she did with

-the picnic pie...

-It was beautiful, wasn't it?

-..was incredible. So she can do it as well.

-Yeah.

When it came to Kimberley's,

I think her flavours have generally been very good.

I hope this is the time that

she just raises the game and goes, "Bang, there you go."

I'm slightly concerned.

Ruby said that she's never used doweling before.

-Rod of doom?

-Yes.

She is 21. Very young.

And she's never made a wedding cake before.

But she's always winged it a bit.

Oh, I hate this bit.

Ooh, it's on there.

OK.

Oh...

-WHISPERS:

-Beautiful, beautiful, beautiful.

They're too high. Oh, God.

Do you reckon I can just seal a gap?

I'm just prepping my fruit ready to start making the confetti out of,

so we've got mango, beetroot, sweet potato and rhubarb, as well.

The skin for the rhubarb, when they're dry in the oven,

you get that lovely, shrivelled, pink effect

that gives the idea of a rose petal.

-WHISPERS:

-Sugar...

It's like a printworks here, isn't it?

These are all your different words for "love"?

I had that made up.

Oh, my gosh! Look at that!

MEL READS FROM PRINTING STAMP

I don't know if the accent's right, obviously.

KIMBERLEY LAUGHS

I'm going to do a bit of a silhouette of different shapes

made out of bits of fondant.

I am having to improvise a bit.

Bakers, I'm getting married in 30 minutes.

Ding-dong, my guts are going to groan.

It's taking a bit longer than I need it to.

I'm doing the fringe of vegetation.

How are the hands?

Quite shaky.

God, it's tense as ever.

I'm not looking round, I'm just... This is race day.

I've still got to put this strip on, put the letters on top

and, ideally, try and get some quilting in.

But I think there'll be a little bit of compromising going on now.

Oh, look...

MEL: Baker finalists, you've got ten minutes.

God, there's loads of it still!

I think it will work. I think it will stay. I hope it does.

WHISPERS: I've got to do a bee. I've got to do a bee.

KIMBERLEY SIGHS

One more minute left of Bake Off 2013.

I'm not...going...to finish.

Oh, the pressure gauge has hit three tiers high.

I feel so ill.

That's not going to work, is it?

OK, that's it!

We're done. Step away from your cakes.

The final challenge of Bake Off 2013 is over.

THEY SIGH AND GIGGLE

FRANCES: Oh, my goodness me.

Ruby, do you want to bring your final Showstopper up?

RUBY: 'I thought it'd be kind of frustrating,

'it being out of my hands now,'

but, actually, it's a relief. I've spent ten weeks

'intensively baking and now it's up to Paul and Mary.'

I'm not sure that the whole colour of the cake works

because it's not uniform enough, it needs to unify around something.

You've come through with techniques and skills that you've built up

over the weeks, and I think we've only seen moulding.

If we saw one or two other things, the cake would look smarter.

Right, we'll start with the top one, which is the passion fruit.

Looks good, Mary, doesn't it?

It does taste absolutely scrumptious.

It's the sort of cake

that you could serve as the luxury pudding at a wedding,

perhaps with fresh strawberries.

-And this one is the raspberry.

-Yeah.

Looking at the colour there, it looks quite dark.

-Your cake's too dry.

-Mm-hm.

-I think it's over-baked.

The filling is lovely,

but you can't go wrong with mascarpone and fresh raspberries.

And the bottom one?

That's just lemon.

There's a nice amount in there

but I would like it just a little bit more lemony.

I mean, you can taste the lemon, the flavour's not bad.

Cream in the middle lightens it up

but it's down to the sponge again, it's over-baked.

I know where your skills lie in baking.

But I think, on this particular one,

your flavours are good

but your cakes are over-baked and the icing is just wrong.

Oh... I've gone numb. I've gone absolutely numb.

'I just so wanted the last bake to go well.'

Come on, push those guns. You can do it, big boy.

That's a heavy cake.

'This whole process,'

I've learnt so much

and I think all those elements came together today.

Well, it's certainly very original.

That is so pretty, it's so effective,

every little bit is edible. But I'm round the back here

and there's absolutely nothing round here.

I think we should have had our confetti swirling around.

It's got a strong contemporary feel, I think it's attractive.

I'm dying to look into the top. So what is in the top one again?

So it's carrot and orange with pistachios and apricots inside.

You've got all the spices right. The icing -

I could have done with a little bit more sharpness. It's very sweet.

-What's in this?

-So this is a Victoria lemon sponge.

It's moist, it's well baked,

very nice with the raspberries and cream.

The cut, it looks most attractive, and it tastes very good.

It does taste very good, the bake on it is very good.

And now we come to your rhubarb one?

Ginger and rhubarb, Mary, yes.

Ginger and rhubarb. This looks interesting.

It's moist, it's a nice ginger cake

but I don't think the rhubarb actually adds to it.

The flavour of the ginger cake is fantastic,

the bake's pretty good as well.

Mary's right, the rhubarb's useless.

What's it going to do with the ginger?

I think the bride would be very surprised and think that this was

a very different cake and it would be a lovely centrepiece.

Thank you very much, Frances.

SHE SIGHS

'I think dreams probably can come true.'

If you know what you want and you set out to get it,

I think there's always a good chance you can achieve that.

Otherwise, what's the point?

This is the centrepiece of the wedding,

it's the piece de resistance for the bride,

and I think that I'd like to have seen more skill there.

A little bit of piping,

more decoration that you've made yourself.

You know, you stand back from it

and I know what's inside and I can't wait to taste it.

But the actual finish,

I think, is not as interesting as I would like it to be.

-OK.

-We'll start with the top layer.

Now that DOES look tempting,

that lovely-looking poppy seed filling.

-Let's have a go.

-It looks good.

It really works well.

The whole thing tastes good, it's not too sweet either.

The poppy seed filling is very good and the sponge is light.

So can you tell us what the second layer is?

That's an orange and pistachio checkerboard, with any luck.

-Wow.

-MEL: Oh...

That certainly works, doesn't it? And it took a lot of skill.

It's well baked, nice and moist.

I'm beginning to feel that the outside doesn't reflect the inside.

Remind us of the bottom layer, please.

That's a chocolate fudge cake with raspberry spheres inside.

The chocolate cake is on the dry side.

The raspberries in there come through

and the chocolate's not too strong.

Overall, I think your flavours are very good.

I'm just a bit disappointed with the decoration.

CHEERING AND APPLAUSE

Unbelievable shot!

WHISTLING

APPLAUSE CONTINUES

'As the finalists join their friends and family

'at the garden party...

'..Paul and Mary have a decision to make.'

So the last ever Showstopper for 2013 is complete.

Judges, are you clear about who's going to win or...?

After the Technical Challenge,

we'd sort of had a structure in our mind

and it's been turned round slightly in the Showstopper.

When you look at Ruby, for instance - Ruby's been very strong

throughout the whole Bake Off, and has natural flair.

We'll always remember Ruby's wonderful picnic pie.

The skill and the precision she used on that basket,

she didn't use skill and precision on her cake.

Her downfall is pressure.

It's shown today that pressure did get to her.

And then Frances - she has, of the whole Bake Off,

been criticised by us for being all style over substance.

She actually concentrated on the interior, the substance.

The flavours of each level were very, very good.

The outside was nice, as well.

She was the nicest looking cake out of the three.

I think she's done extremely well.

She's listened and learnt and she's moved up and up.

When you look at Kimberley, she's all about taste and textures.

She's shown us she's a brilliant baker.

Checkerboard stood out and her poppy seed was absolutely delicious.

But unfortunately when you're looking at a wedding cake

it has to be a HUGE impact.

You eat with your eyes first, that's what they say.

Kimberley, who's been very consistent,

suddenly delivers a leaky pig pie.

She thought it out but it just didn't work.

Is it that time?

-I've got someone in mind already.

-Have you, Mary?

I have someone in mind.

Is it me?

-No.

-Sadly not.

-Every year! Every single year!

Maybe next year, mate.

-Might be Mel.

-Just don't! That makes it even worse!

CHEERING AND APPLAUSE

-Oh, it's so nice!

-Ahh...

Hee-hee!

Thank you so much, everybody, for coming and making this Bake Off 2013

final so brilliant. And what a lovely day in Somerset that we've had.

So, the time has come.

Finalists, if you'd like to step forward, please.

All right. It's a posse.

We know that only one can be crowned champion.

And the winner of the 2013 Great British Bake Off is...

..Frances.

CHEERING AND APPLAUSE

-Oh, well done.

-Well done, honey.

THEY CHUCKLE

You did it!

There you are. Great British Bake Off.

How are you feeling?

Oh, good God.

I hoped. You know, I dreamt it

but I don't think I ever truly, truly believed it.

Oh, darling. Congratulations!

Frances is a deserved winner. When it came to the Showstopper,

she just beat the other two guys hands down.

She not only gave us the style, she gave us the substance too.

And that cake, actually, each layer - superb.

Frances has many qualities.

She has attention to detail, she's got excellent flavours,

her baking improved as each week went by.

We're very proud of her.

KIMBERLEY: '2013 will be the year

'that I took part in this amazing programme'

and met some of the most amazing people.

Yeah, I just had a lot of fun in Somerset.

'This is something that I never would have done at one point

'and I just kind of took a leap and it's been amazing.'

Something to be proud of.

I'm so proud of you.

Oh, well done.

I'm just over the moon, absolutely. I don't think I'm going to

really realise exactly what's hit me for a few days.

But right now, I just feel on cloud nine.

Subtitles by Red Bee Media Ltd