Desserts The Great British Bake Off

Week three and we've no idea what our 11 bakers have in store for us.

Mainly cos they've issued injunctions.

More importantly, we don't know what Mary and Paul

have got in store for the bakers,

but it's bound to be blue-eyed and a little bit harsh.

Welcome to The Great British Bake Off.

Last time...

Love the dough.

..bread week saw Frances deliver on style yet again...

I think the box is fantastic.

..but lacked substance.

I could take a little bit more ginger.

Rob's usual precision...

No. Needs more.

..sank without trace.

It's a Paul the psychic octopus tribute loaf.

Of course it is.

Howard...

Paul would probably like a larger muffin.

..and Beca only just scraped through.

I am so NOT ready to go.

Ugh!

But Lucy's simple loaf was her last Bake Off bake...

That's the way the breadstick snaps.

..and Ruby shone as Star Baker.

I can't believe I did it.

Now the bakers face desserts...

It's like school dinners gone wrong.

HE GROANS

..a Signature Challenge that has layer upon layer of pressure...

Almost there. Come on, Ali.

..Mary's second and most delicate technical bake...

They're not really very ball-like, are they?

That's a bit knitty.

..a Showstopper featuring over 250 mini-mouthfuls of perfection...

I'm just doing as much stuff as I can

on the smallest cake in the world, basically.

..a decision that could change everything...

Will you lose one or two bakers today?

Wait and see.

..and for the first time in Bake Off history...

I can't do this.

..there is a baking burglary!

Where's my custard?

Oh, no!

HE WHISTLES NONCHALANTLY

So, they've done cakes, they've done bread...

This week, it's all about stressed.

Stressed?

"Desserts" backwards.

-Oh, very good. You know what Victoria sponge is backwards?

-No.

It's egnops airotciv, which is actually Latvian for Mary Berry.

Wow.

I love making desserts,

imaginative desserts, I'm quite excited about this week.

Last weekend's Star Baker. It's only going to go downhill.

Last weekend was a bit mental.

My friends and family have all been saying to me

this week that they are really proud and that I should just enjoy it.

Even me at my best, I'm worried I'm still not good enough

compared to everyone else.

I didn't know where I stand. I'm here.

I'm still here, and that's fantastic!

Morning, bakers, and welcome back to the Bake Off tent. Now...

this morning is a Signature Challenge.

Paul and Mary would really love you to make your favourite trifle.

It's all about the layers today, bakers.

We're talking sponge, biscuit, fruit, custard,

whatever you want, but Mary and Paul would like defined layers.

They're not TRIFLING with you.

So, bakers, on your marks...

-Get set...

-BOTH: Bake!

Trifle is a classic British dessert with a 400-year history.

This is tried and tested in the family over several years.

In the past few weeks I've probably made it about five or six times.

I think I've just got a really reliable recipe. It always works.

Although it sounds simple, this is the first time

in this year's competition that Paul and Mary have set a challenge

that tests the bakers' ability to multitask under huge time pressure.

So the first layer, it could be a cake, a biscuit, a sponge....

Once they've mastered that, they've got to think of fillings that go on top.

Each one of those things brings an inherent problem -

A, with technique, but, B, with timing.

A trifle has got to have compatible flavours.

If one is too strong, it'll overpower the other,

and also, textures - classically, a trifle is soft all the way through.

Some of them may be clever enough to put something crispy on top.

To put all those layers together

and let those levels be seen is extremely difficult.

The bakers have just three hours.

170 of caster sugar...

Most of them have gone for a traditional base of ladyfingers...

..biscuits made from strips of light, fatless sponge.

I was googling recipes of trifles

and ladyfingers popped up quite often.

I wanted to try and stay true

to an original English trifle.

While at university, Ali succeeded in raising

thousands of pounds for charity by selling his baking.

But his signature trifle never featured.

It's a coconut, raspberry and lemon meringue trifle

topped with macaroons.

I'm hoping if I add some technical elements, they'll be like,

"Wow! You've managed to fit all that in in three hours."

Before preparing for this challenge,

Ali had never made a trifle

or even tasted one.

90% of the stuff I've baked on the Bake Off

I've never baked before. Some I haven't even heard of before.

Glenn is no stranger to trifle...

I had got a minor blockage.

..but his ladyfingers look a little unfamiliar.

I'm piping them into rounds.

I'll put one on top of the other in the bowl

and it will hopefully give us nice distinct layers.

(Your normal cake's a lot easier.)

Glenn constantly challenges himself to bake things at home

that are more original than those he sees in shops or restaurants.

Give me five.

Good girl.

But he's going to work hard to top the original version of his trifle.

The best trifle I ever had was made by a friend who

made your raspberry and almond trifle from...

-I think she got it off Woman's Hour, or something.

-Creep.

So, I haven't pinched your recipe,

but I have pinched your flavour combination.

Just to make life a little bit harder for herself...

I do have some tricks up my sleeve.

..Ruby's trifle features ladyfingers and a jammy sponge base.

I'm going to be making a tropical trifle.

I've not really practised it in its entirety...well, I have,

but in a plastic mixing bowl, so

in a proper crystal dish it's going to be a completely different story.

Ruby is an inventive baker,

but studying for her first-year philosophy exams

has left her little time to practise.

Her desert island trifle is flavoured with rum, coconut

and cardamom, and filled with fresh bananas, strawberries and mangos.

I've got a genoise as well, that's going to form a palm tree silhouette

round the side of the bowl.

Wait a minute - you're having a palm tree and some fingers as well?

-Yes, in the bottom of the bowl.

-You've got a lot to do.

-I do, I do!

Some bakers have decided against the classic ladyfingers base.

It's a homemade ginger cake. It's got three different types of ginger in it

so it's got ground ginger, stem ginger and candied ginger.

Hoping to add more flavour by opting for a cake-based trifle...

It's funny - the three of us at the back here are doing ginger

with a fruit combination.

Peach, almond and ginger was something that I just had in mind

and I didn't have the opportunity to make until...now.

And Deborah is straying even further from tradition.

I'm doing lemon swiss roll with my own curd.

It looks really pretty and the flavours work really well.

Deborah lives in Peterborough with her husband David and son Jeremy.

When she bakes for them,

what starts out as traditional often ends up with a very modern twist.

Her trifle is flavoured with orange, lemon and mango,

and infused with orange liqueur, deployed with a secret weapon.

-I'm going to spray it onto the sponge.

-How do you spray it?

-With a garden sprayer? Oh, good!

-Like this and then.

-Oh, clever!

-Let's have a look. What's in there?

-Cointreau...

-I can't believe you just did that!

-Here.

Oh, that's lovely!

Oh, it's delicious.

-Isn't it?

-That's it now, she's gone.

I like the idea of the lemon swiss roll.

I obviously slice it

so you can see the spirals through the glass, hopefully.

THEY ALL LAUGH

-Thank you very much.

-OK.

Two hours remaining.

Got to get these in.

Baking a trifle base presents a unique challenge.

Boudoir biscuits in.

As it's traditionally soaked in alcohol afterwards, it needs

to be just firm enough to absorb the liquid without disintegrating.

-Not quite.

-Knowing you, you've got 500 things going on.

I've got a million things going on

and I forget what I'm meant to be focusing on.

-The biscuits are in - that's good.

-That's something, yeah.

Trifle tradition now gives way to heated controversy.

I've got a mixture of Bramley and dessert apples

and then cinnamon sugar.

Should the next layer be jam...

500g of raspberries, 500g of sugar.

In about 15 minutes, at a steady boil, that will turn into jam.

..or jelly?

I am making my own jelly from peach nectar and gelatine sheets,

so they're soaking here.

I am not a great fan of jelly.

It's just not my cup of tea.

Oh! I'm sorry, you can't have trifle without jelly.

I am using fresh oranges to make the jelly,

it's really refreshing, actually,

and it's a nice combination, with the ginger.

For Beca, baking is all about family,

as she was taught by her two grandmothers and her mum.

Nice! Oh!

Her orange and ginger trifle is a recipe that Beca inherited,

and has adapted for Bake Off.

I was brought up on trifle,

it's a staple in West Wales - trifle.

After your Sunday roast, which you get nearly every day of the week,

you have trifle.

My jam is nearly there...

a couple of seconds...

I've been practising this at home for a couple of weeks,

but we're all trifled out at home.

Christine has been married to Rob for 31 years

and when they aren't working together at their

engraving business, he helps her perfect her baking.

Christine's pina colada trifle with mango jam, coconut custard

and rum syrup is one of Rob's personal favourites.

My husband is really enjoying me being on the Bake Off

because he just loves his food.

Shall I just try that?

Shall I just try another one, make sure it's OK?

OK, bakers, one hour to go. One hour left.

Argh! I just got ingredients everywhere. This is chaos, kids.

This is why you organise your space better.

They're fine. Five minutes in the tin. Go.

Oops. That was close.

Nearly lost the lot.

Caught a little bit at the edges, but I think it's OK.

Little bit of a dip in the middle. Not too worried.

I've had a worst dip!

While their bases cool, the bakers make creme anglaise -

or custard - from scratch.

Is custard the scary layer?

For me, yeah. It's always been difficult for me,

but I've been shown this week how to do it and I practised

-and practised it...

-Foolproof!

Mark has only had to nip out to the back garden

to get the eggs for his custard practice,

and his ginger, mango and passion fruit trifle

features custard flavoured with dark rum.

-What have you got in here?

-Egg yolks and caster sugar.

-And you've whisked it?

-To blend.

To blend, with a bit of cornflour.

-Ah, you've got cornflour in there.

-Yeah.

-OK.

What's the problem?

-That's not the method I would do. Put it that way.

-OK.

-OK.

Perfect creme anglaise is a mixture of egg yolk and sugar

carefully combined with warm milk and infused with vanilla.

It needs to be quite sort of thick, not too sloppy.

The heat from the milk should be enough to thicken the custard

without the need for cornflour.

I'm making a custard out of coconut milk.

It needs the cornflour to thicken it

because I can't afford to have a runny custard.

But too much heat and the mixture will split into a useless mess.

This needs to be done again.

This is an ex-custard.

It's like school dinners gone wrong.

HE GROANS

-What custard are you doing?

-Just vanilla.

-Yeah.

-It's taking ages.

-It is, isn't it?

I'm getting impatient.

I got loads to do yet.

I've got to make that into proper custard,

I've got two types of caramel to make...

so...yeah.

HE WHIMPERS

Howard is a keen jogger when he's not baking.

He spent weeks perfecting a caramel and apple trifle,

topped with macadamia nuts.

You are doing the true creme anglaise with just egg yolk.

-That's right.

-So, no cornflour?

-No cornflour.

So, you're being the bravest of everybody here, and I wish you good luck.

I've curdled it again!

I've got scrambled eggs.

HE SIGHS

Actually, I might be overreacting. I think it might be fine.

It was just thickening unevenly.

While their custard is cooling in the fridge...

I wouldn't normally put biscuits on top but...

..some bakers have chosen to use the time to make

toppings for their trifle.

Going in!

I'm making amaretti biscuits

and they will go on top of the trifle.

Kimberley's drive to perfect original baking recipes

has to compete with her passion for salsa dancing.

The amaretti biscuits decorating her peach, almond and ginger trifle

also have competition.

Either something has melted or that's honeycomb.

-That's honeycomb.

-That's honeycomb.

Oh, that looks gorgeous.

That's quite good, actually.

Readers, I married her! That's amazing.

With his first ever trifle recipe...

Ah, they're about the same size.

..Ali is hoping to go one better.

No-one likes a soggy macaroon.

His trifle will be topped with lemon macaroons.

If that doesn't impress them, I don't know what will.

So this is my attempt to be a contender.

OK, bakers, time to start getting those ladyfingers in a bowl.

Each layer in the bakers' Signature trifle must be distinct.

I hate trying to put square things into round things.

I'm as surprised as anyone else that this is actually working.

Key to the trifle's success is creating an attractive design

against the sides of the glass bowl before adding the custard.

Where is my custard?

Oh, no!

I'm so sorry, Howard.

What's happened?

I used Howard's custard by error. We were both in the same fridge

and I forgot what my bowl was, and I've used his.

-I haven't used it all, but I am really upset.

-Howard, this is...

It's like a recurring nightmare...

So, now that you've taken possession of Deborah's custard.

-And his own. I'm really sorry.

-I've got some of my own.

It's either a terrible error or the most incredible case of

-baking espionage I've ever seen.

-I'm really sorry.

I'm sure that one custard is as good as another.

One love, one custard.

OK, bakers, get those ladyfingers soggy. It's just five minutes...

Oh, no!

I'm happy, cos they were my biggest worry.

I just want some crushed meringue around the edge

and a bit in the middle.

Almost there. Come on, Ali.

(Where's the spoon when you need one?)

What are you looking for, Howard?

-A spoon.

-What sort? A dessertspoon? I will get you one.

-Thank you.

-Spoons?

-There are no spoons in there.

Right. Will a knife do? A palette knife?

Thank you.

This is the first time I've ever used a blowtorch. Oh, wow!

This is fun!

Triflers, that is it.

Please stop trifling around now.

The bake's over, step away.

All the signature trifles will now be judged by Mary and Paul.

I love what you've done to these palm trees.

You can actually see the sand. It's set up almost like a scene.

I can taste the coconut. And the sponge has kept its texture.

I love the flavour a lot. The coconut, the sponge.

I think a shallower dish spread out a bit more,

and then you get a bit of every flavour.

OK, we've got some layers going on.

Could you have got any more in there(?)

I did wonder, when I saw the dish, how I was going to

maintain my reputation of doing truly massive bakes.

-You have.

-You have. I don't think anyone could beat that.

I actually heard suction then.

Actually, there was. It was extraordinary.

It nearly took his arm off.

I think the creme pat is good. It is holding well.

And you have just got the right amount of soaking of the sponge.

The definition, actually, in the layers are very good.

I love the idea of the top.

Those little almond biscuits and honeycomb.

-I wouldn't have thought of it myself but it goes very well.

-Thank you.

To me, the custard layer is rather thick.

All I'm getting is the orange liqueur

and the orange, rather than the rhubarb.

-It takes some doing, overpowering rhubarb.

-Yes, but you managed to do it!

Probably a thinner layer of the cake underneath.

That's really sort of cake with fruit on top, on custard.

The custard is very slack, it needs to be thicker.

I think it's probably slightly over decorated.

The crunch on the top, maybe even just a line of it

inside the cream, would have been nicer, rather than on the top.

A little bit less custard, a little bit less cream - perfect.

You were clever to think of doing the jelly in two different tins.

The jelly is lovely.

The problem is the custard is quite slack,

so what you've technically got is a ginger cake with a bit of jelly.

Quite ambitious to make those macaroons on the top.

You've sort of done traditional but a bit of a twist with it.

I'm finding something to have a go at.

You've just over-filled it.

The macaroon's got chewiness to it.

The sponges at the bottom are beautifully soaked,

they are nice and soft. The cream is excellent.

There's sharpness coming from the lemon and the raspberry...

-That's a nice trifle.

-That's good.

-Thank you.

It looks most pleasing and attractive, doesn't it? And fun.

That's a pina colada, for sure. Even the little taste of Malibu

as well, just the right amount,

but the flavour of the sponge as well, the flavours of the fruit...

the overall flavour and look of it is superb.

I ended up using Howard's custard.

That's a great custard.

So, your custard, if I remember, you had a little cornflour.

-I did.

-..whereas Howard did his... and no cornflour.

We'll taste it first and then I want to taste

the custard separate as well...

-The custard's good, Howard.

-Well done, Howard.

-Overall, the flavours are fantastic.

-Thank you.

If the swiss roll hadn't been quite as soaked,

it would have held together.

So we're now moving on to Howard and we'll just see how your custard

-tastes compared with Howard's.

-Thank you.

-The definition is not there in the layers, that's for sure.

-OK.

OK, I can see an issue immediately.

This is more liquid, I think.

The custard is definitely more liquid.

SHE SIGHS

All the flavours blend really well together.

I do not like the skin on the apple.

Shall we get Deborah over to account for her custard?

Do you want to come over, Deborah?

What do you make of the custard?

The custard is far too slack. Yours was a better custard, Howard.

Yours needed cooking out more

-but I think you'd still have a problem with the layers, to be honest.

-Yeah.

At some stage during The Great British Bake Off,

I might actually do a whole thing

that is good, as opposed to just elements.

I'd just like to get one uneventful bake out of the way.

Each time I get good feedback,

it just proves to me that I am not idiot.

Paul said he was trying to find fault in it

and the only fault he could find was that there was too much of it.

More is more, when it's trifle.

The humble trifle may be one of Britain's most popular puddings.

It wasn't always the way.

It used to be the exclusive preserve of the aristocracy,

until one woman pioneered trifle for the masses.

The Georgian era was a time of rapid economic growth, which brought

with it an upwardly mobile middle class.

These social climbers were eager to emulate the opulent lifestyle

of the aristocracy, especially when it came to fine dining.

It took one pioneering cookery writer to rescue these

aspirational middle classes,

and her name was Hannah Glass.

Hannah was born into a wealthy family,

but ran away aged 16 to marry a soldier.

Living in reduced circumstances, she wanted to re-create

the tastes of the aristocracy.

Using all the money she had, she wrote a recipe book that

revolutionised dining for the middle classes.

So, Lucy, why do you think The Art Of Cookery was such a huge success?

Lots of early recipe books were written by

quite grand male chefs.

The recipes were a jumble, and she wanted very, very clear sizes

and measurements, whether it was using as much thyme,

-the herb, that would sit on a sixpence...

-Oh, sweet.

..or using a piece of butter as big as a walnut.

So, if you had a servant girl, you could have educated her

quite quickly on how to prepare a relatively complicated dish.

You could put on a very a good show from Hannah's book,

which I think, given the circumstances of her own life,

coming from quite a good background,

that would have been a pre-occupation for her

as well as many thousands of women in London at the time -

how to appear richer than you are, essentially.

The most popular pages of the book were those devoted to

her spectacular trifle.

Now, trifle was already popular in Georgian Britain,

but in 1760, Hannah took it to another level

by introducing a revolutionary new, extra element - jelly.

Difficult to make, jelly had been enjoyed

exclusively by the upper classes

and required an ingredient that may seem rather unappealing to

modern taste buds.

Out of the corner of my eye, Jean, I'm spotting a hoof.

It's a calf foot.

I think she was the first that actually made a dessert using

-cows' feet as jelly.

-And is it one foot per one trifle?

Hannah Glass says four.

-Four feet?!

-Yes, four feet.

I mean, that would be a caldron full.

Making calf's foot jelly involved many stages

and would have been a challenge for an uneducated servant,

but Hannah demystified the process with clear and concise instructions.

Look at the spoon going in there!

So, that would have been the consistency...

of the jelly in the trifle.

Yes, it's not quite what we're used to these days, is it?

There's quite a calf-y smell coming off there, Jean,

-I'm not going to lie to you.

-Yes, but it doesn't taste that bad.

It doesn't taste that meaty.

Hannah instructs her ambitious readers to build up the layers of

the trifle as high as possible until it is fit to go on the king's table.

So, the moment of truth - would you like to try some?

I can't get over in my mind that I'm about to eat a calf's foot.

-I think you'll find it tastes quite nice.

-OK.

JEAN LAUGHS

That's delicious, Jean.

You can lick the plate, if you like.

I'd put on a lot of weight in Georgian times, I'm telling you.

For their second challenge,

the bakers have no idea which dessert they'll be asked to make.

Here we all are, technical challenge time.

Just to let you know, this is one of Mary's recipes.

We don't want them to find out what you're doing,

so, Paul and Mary, please leave.

So, for today's challenge, we would like you to make

iles flottantes, or floating islands,

which are, of course, little tiny poached meringues,

light and fluffy, in a sea of creme anglaise

and topped with spun sugar.

You have an hour-and-a-half to make these, so on your marks...

-Get set...

-Bake!

Iles flottantes are often referred to as "snow eggs"...

Why would you even float a meringue on custard?

..due to the colour of the dessert's fluffy meringues

and their distinctive shapes.

I haven't made it before, but I know what it should

look like, which is always helpful.

So, Paul, floating islands.

I think you should have a taste.

They really look so delicate.

The actual meringue itself - cooked right through, evenly.

For me, it's all about textures.

You've got that creamy creme anglaise,

you've got almost marshmallow-like meringue

that just melts in the mouth

and then you hit that little bit of crunch coming from

the sugar-work on the top.

It really is a difficult technical bake.

I think they'll have trouble with that meringue.

I am going to be fascinated to see what they're going to come up with.

Never made floating islands before.

I heard of it before and I've eaten one before. I really love them.

Mary's recipe only contains very basic instructions.

(Make the meringue...)

I've made them before, I've eaten them before.

I'm feeling quite lucky.

The key to a good meringue is

not to over-whip the whites in the first place,

so they just hold their shape. Not overdone.

Oh, I've split the egg. No, I haven't.

I think one of the shells has just poked into one of the yolks

because I got egg yolk on my hands and one of them has split.

So, start again. Schoolboy error.

You want to make sure that all the sugar is properly incorporated

and that's it gets a chance to break down and

if you add it all too quickly, you can deflate the meringue.

That way you get a nice, shiny...

stiff meringue, which it has to be

to do these, because you want a shape.

If the French meringue isn't stiff...

Nice and firm.

..when it's poached, it will disintegrate.

Do I dare?

That's a firm meringue.

The meringue then needs to be shaped...

I don't want to do the first one.

I'm going to wait until someone else does it, see how they do it.

..using a delicate technique called quenelling.

They are meant to look like three-sided spoon shapes.

Three of them together.

I think they ought to be a bit stiffer than this,

but I will have to work with it.

I think the reason this is looking so ugly is

because I am trying to make it too big.

Is that big enough?

Cos it says to make six.

But that's the size of the spoon.

I'm seeing Beca do it.

She has quite big ones...

Uh, big quenelles.

One hour remaining.

It just says here....

SHE MUMBLES

Poach in the milk.

Poach in the milk.

Mary hasn't specified a pan size,

cooking temperature or duration.

Everyone seems to be using either this pan...

..or this pan. No-one is using that pan.

Hmm.

I've changed the pan and I've gone for the wider one,

and I've put the lid on it and

although I don't want the milk and cream to boil,

I'm hoping there will be enough heat to cook the top of the meringue.

I think I'll have it on quite a moderate heat myself,

because you'd normally do meringues in the oven at quite a low heat.

I feel like I am in meringue no-man's-land right now...

Oh, dear. He's gone wrong.

Well, I'm not sure that I'm meant to turn them.

I think, they should just cook through.

Agh! I can't turn it over.

I might be all wrong here, but I don't really want to flip them over.

These are one giant mass.

I have to do some more, surely.

No, yours are the right size. Trust me.

I've got to redo that one.

I'm concerned about getting them cooked, but

I don't want it to be rubbery if I overcook it.

I feel that they're firm and that they feel firm throughout.

I don't think that's cooked.

Now, you've gone for, I think,

a metaphor for climate change.

Maybe they weren't poached long enough or...

-That custard is now boiling, isn't it?

-Yeah.

-All I know about custard is that's not a good thing, is it?

-No.

Oh, my God, this is genius.

I am now...

..sculpting my quenelle so it's the right size.

I'm starting again cos I'm not happy with those.

I am not sure how confident I feel about being able to finish it.

While all the other bakers' quenelles cool,

they should make a creme anglaise from the poaching milk

and leftover egg yolks.

That's just milk and cream strained. I've taken the meringue pieces out.

Hi, Deborah. I suppose the big question is, is this your custard

or is it Howard's custard?

Or have you just gone off piste now

and just, I don't know, gone for Rob's custard?

-Whoever is doing the best!

-No-one is safe around you.

OK, bakers, 15 minutes of floating languidly until you come ashore.

They are definitely better.

Make spun sugar.

I'm heating the sugar so it sticks to the back of the spoon.

I don't know what I do with it.

I don't know what temperature it's to be at.

It's got to get to the stage where it's forming strings

as it drops off the spoon.

And then with a bit of luck...

-Do you know what temperature it's supposed to be?

-Absolutely not.

It's getting there. It's getting longer.

No, that's not right.

-That's one strand.

-That's spun sugar - what you talking about?!

The key to spun sugar is to work fast.

I'm just seeing if it'll...no.

It's working, isn't it?

Before it cools and hardens, the sugar should be flicked

back and forth across a greaseproof surface.

I'm just going to have to make do with flat spun sugar.

I'm going to try the "wiggly between two dangly things" technique.

-Oh, is that a technical term(?)

-That's the approved technique.

Oh, look, I've got four strands - count them, four strands!

OK, bakers, whatever you've done -

Shetland, Hebrides, Outer Hebrides, Lundy. It doesn't matter.

-Just get them floating. You've got five minutes.

-Come on...

Living dangerously here cos I've got two things on probably higher than

they ought to be, both the sugar for the spun sugar, and this custard.

That's burnt, isn't it?

We need to reach a ribbon.

Look at the wee droplets.

Ooh!

Make it into a ball.

You're a clever sausage! Now, just five more of those, please.

They are not really very ball-like, are they?

That's a bit knitty.

Oh!

OK, you spin doctors, time is up.

So, if you'd like to bring your iles flottantes

and pop them behind the photograph of yourself,

then the judging can commence.

Mary and Paul are looking for light, perfectly poached meringues,

silky creme anglaise and, finally, spun sugar.

They all look quite different.

And they'll have no idea whose they are judging.

Just start down here. I don't think it looks very good at all.

They have lost their shape and they're not ovals.

The spun sugar has gone down into the custard and made it sweeter.

It is very glutinous as well.

(Shocking.)

Nice spun sugar on the top here. They're a good oval shape.

Custard looks a good colour.

That's a good effort, isn't it?

That meringue is beautiful, it melts in the mouth.

That meringue itself, that needed more beating until it was shiny.

I think it needed more sugar-work as well.

The sauce anglaise is not too bad. It's pretty much there.

It tastes very nice.

The spun sugar hasn't really appeared.

It's got six little pieces of spun sugar on top.

They've either over or under-whipped this meringue.

It's burnt, this sugar. See how dark that is?

The meringue, when you're cutting it, is holding its shape

and it's a better texture.

The custard is about right, really.

They are quite smooth. It's lost a bit of the height, hasn't it?

-The sauce is all over it.

-Little bit split.

It is split. It's a bold meringue, though. It's nice and smooth.

A different interpretation here of the spun sugar.

It's not finely spun, but it looks quite attractive.

The anglaise looks all right, actually.

-The texture's good.

-Mm-hm.

The spun sugar's gone down.

It's a good custard, but the consistency looks just about right.

-These are huge.

-They are massive, aren't they?

-That custard's just a bit too thin.

-Yeah.

Let's see how the texture is.

They just needed longer poaching.

It's not a smooth meringue.

These are...

-..pancakes.

-And these meringues are actually weeping.

The volume is coming out of them.

It's collapsed and it isn't a perfect shape.

Actually, I don't like the flavour on that one either.

This one has got a beautifully shaped quenelle.

Custard...looks all right as well, actually.

Nice spun sugar on here.

-Mmm. That's good.

-I like that one.

Paul and Mary will now rank the iles flottantes

from worst to best.

In 11th place...

-this one here.

-That would be me.

-You know where you went wrong.

-I do now.

In 10th place...is this one.

What happened to these huge bombs of meringues?

-I did use the spoons we were given.

-Were the spoons this big?

No, I promise you, I am feeding an army.

Number nine - sauce a little bit sort of all gluey.

Frances is eighth, Howard seventh, Kimberley sixth,

and Ali is ranked fifth.

-Four is this one.

-Me.

-The sugar-work I like, actually.

The taste of that custard was good as well.

Number three right here. The custard was a little on the thick side,

but beautiful shapes and the texture was good.

Number two is this one.

-That's me.

-Nice one, Rob. Neat, tidy.

The custard was nice as well.

And number one - well done.

ALL: Well done, Glenn.

APPLAUSE

These are a beautiful shape, excellent custard,

good spun sugar - it can be done.

I am feeling absolutely fantastic.

I didn't know, really, what I was doing and I thought

if I'm bottom or second to bottom, I'll have done well,

so to come fourth, I'm still stunned.

I was happy with my spun sugar.

That's one positive.

And I wasn't 11th.

I don't know how to spin sugar, I can't make creme anglaise

and I've never poached a meringue in my life.

DUCKS QUACK

One dessert challenge remaining,

one more chance to secure a place in the next Bake Off

and one last opportunity to claim Star Baker.

It's nice to see Glenn up at the top end.

He's been sort of mid-range for a while now.

-He has pulled away slightly.

-Ruby as well.

I thought her trifle was excellent, third in the technical.

Christine, great pina colada trifle as well.

Such an original idea and it really, really worked, all those flavours.

-Will you lose one or two bakers today?

-Wait and see.

Oh, that put me in my place! But who do you think is in real danger?

Definitely, I'm afraid, Mark. His trifle wasn't that good

and he was last in the technical.

Beca, because of the disaster with the trifle.

Deborah, I thought she was lucky to have Howard's custard.

You know there's a penalty for taking someone's creme anglaise?

You can be taken into CUSTODY.

Oh, dear me...I thought...

THEY LAUGH

You are a fool. Well done.

Bakers, today Mary and Paul would love you to

come up with some petits fours.

We're actually looking for petit 24, in fact.

12 biscuit based, 12 sponge based.

You can do what you like within that.

You can make them with chocolate, you can add sugar-work,

whatever you like but they must be bite-sized.

I know Paul looks like a silverback -

mouth of a pixie.

OK, so, you have got three hours in which to do this.

-On your marks...

-Get set...

-Bake!

I'm juggling it with a strict order today so that if I do this first,

then that, then that, and I'm really trying to stick to it.

I think the secret is keep your basic bake easy.

Whatever you're going to add to it, whether it be flavours or toppings,

go to town on that, but make sure your proper bake is perfect.

There are so many elements to do for both, and time is really tight.

It's the most difficult challenge yet.

Lots of different icings, lots of different fillings.

They've all got to be precise. It's absolutely pushing them.

It just feels a really frenzied bake, generally.

Three hours is not a huge amount of time,

but broken down, it's easy to attain the perfect petit four.

Everything I have made so far

has being too big, too deep, too wide, too broad,

and it's petit four day...

so I have to make them small!

Glenn is making bouchees of sea salt,

caramelised billionaire shortbread,

and orange financiers topped with kumquat and Italian butter cream.

I'm cooling my beurre noisette - nutty butter, basically.

Traditionally, French financiers start with a batter

made with ground almonds and beurre noisette.

It's basically butter that you boil a bit

until the milk solids separate, go the colour of a hazelnut -

that's what "noisette" means in French - and somehow,

the butter's nuttiness just really works with the almonds.

This is the Sachertorte, which is nearly ready to go into the oven.

It should be quite rich. With a small mouthful, you can take rich

and beautiful and sickly and all those things.

Christine's amaretto parcels will be joined by her brandy snap 99-ers,

filled with raspberries, mascarpone cream and pistachios.

So, what are you using as a mould?

I have two little tools here, so when they come out of the oven,

while they are still soft, they mould round the bottom of the cone

and make tiny little...

-Now, what's that?

-My husband made it for me.

Your husband made that.

I said to him I just want a little thing that makes tiny little cones.

-I'm actually speechless.

-He should be mentioned in dispatches.

These are my canaille style chocolate cakes.

A canaille is a very, very soft cake with a crunchy exterior.

What's really pretty is you get the fluting which the mould provides.

Deborah's cake will be topped with crystallised pansies

and, to continue the floral theme, her biscuits are designed to look

and taste like tiny red roses.

SHE GASPS

Shoot. Sorry, I just burned my hand.

I have so much stuff to remember at the movement.

I have to keep an eye on my jam, I got a sponge in the oven,

I'm whipping some meringue, so it's all a bit intense.

Ruby's petits fours feature lemon shortbread

and white chocolate seashells filled with raspberry curd

and a miniature layered cake, which is a bit of a work in progress.

Tell us about your cake.

-It's just chocolate and blackberry cake.

-Yeah.

So, how are you decorating it?

Well, I shall see when I come to it.

You don't know? Are you winging this one?

I'm winging it a bit, yeah, I am. I can't lie.

She's had exams, Paul, she's doing a philosophy degree.

Good luck, Ruby.

With their first batches in the oven, the bakers multitasking now

becomes even more complicated.

Trying to systematically cross stuff off my list.

They have to ensure their cakes are evenly baked...

A little bit longer.

..whilst at the same time perfecting the biscuit dough.

I'm doing my petits fours inspired by Tchaikovsky's The Nutcracker ballet.

So, I am doing ginger nut crackers and then I'm going to be

presenting them all on, like, a vinyl record on top of a cake stand

with, like, the nutcracker ballet bites written in the middle.

Her ginger nut crackers will be sandwiched with cardamom-flavoured

white chocolate ganache

and they will partner sugar-plum fairy cakes topped with

French meringue butter cream.

The thing with petits fours is they want each one the same,

so I'm weighing each one out to about five grams.

It shouldn't take too long to do this. Famous last words.

Howard is the only baker making a savoury biscuit.

The theme running across both his petits fours is designed to

fit with exactly when they are supposed to be eaten.

I'm doing two petits fours that are

based on something you might have at the end of a meal,

so I'm doing a black coffee one, which is the cake,

and then I am doing one which is based on cheese and biscuits.

It's essentially like a cheesy biscuit.

-Oh, right.

-Almost like a jammy dodger, where

you've got the quince paste sandwiched with biscuit ether side

and a little bit of pear on top.

I think that can work because a quince paste is not wet.

-No.

-So, the biscuit will stay crisp.

And white Stilton. It's not like a blue Stilton

where it brings a strong flavour,

it's just a quite subtle flavour.

HE WHISTLES

Mark's going for something a little sweeter.

Apart from taste, petits fours are all about presentation.

I've got to make sure the presentation is bang on.

He's making rose and pistachio flavoured macaroons to go with

his chocolate raspberry delights flavoured with raspberry liqueur.

The macaroons, where are they at the moment. Are they in the fridge?

-No, I'm just about to lay them out now.

-You haven't piped them yet.

No, I'm about to. There should be an hour and a quarter left, isn't there?

-Yes.

-All right.

-How long are you resting them before you bake them?

-Half an hour.

-Is that long enough?

-Yes.

-Good lad.

Bakers, you've got one hour left of petit four fun.

Paul and Mary will demand absolute uniformity.

Bomb site at the desk.

And even if they do manage to bake their cakes evenly...

They're out.

..the bakers still face the harder task of ensuring

their miniature biscuits and macaroons emerge from the oven

with identical colour and texture.

These aren't the actual petits fours. These are just for decoration.

Whoops.

One more minute.

Beca's miniature macaroons will top her Limoncello

and blueberry bursts, and ganache topped millionaire shortbreads will

be filled with freshly made apricot jam flavoured with amaretto.

I don't know why I thought this would be a good idea,

but I'm happy with how they look.

They look really cute. They've got blueberry jam in the middle.

So, it's really intense.

I am just doing as much stuff as I can

on the smallest cake in the world, basically. That's my plan today.

Deborah's cakes aren't quite small enough.

I can't do this...

I'm actually really worried that I can't get them out.

I just don't know why I have such difficulty.

It may be the fluting, I don't know, but last time I made them

they were OK, but I have a bit of a worry today.

Oh, they are breaking.

HE LAUGHS

Oh, dear.

The macaroons aren't very good. Either they haven't rested for

long enough and haven't formed a skin or I haven't mixed them enough.

What I could do with is a really narrow cutter.

What kind of cutter?

You're nicking stuff from Howard's bench again.

It's your natural port of call, isn't it? Howard watch out!

You need razor wire here!

Do you know, I had this down to time?

I cannot even begin to get my head around it

-and I am so bloody mad.

-Have you used these before?

-About half a dozen times.

It'll just neaten it off slightly.

They look beautiful, like little mounds, which is sweet.

But I've lost my fluting.

Let's hope they like the biscuits.

You've got 15 minutes left on the old petits fours challenge.

I'm just getting them so that they hold into their shapes,

but it's jolly hot.

I'm making sherbet.

It's just going to go as a decoration around

my lemon and blueberry cake.

So, Mark, this is bodyshop time. You done the panel beating,

-now it's just a respray and then you're good to go.

-Yeah.

Are you pleased with them?

No, I'm not brilliant with small.

What are you going to do about the macaroons? Or is there no escape?

There is no escape. Really?

-There is no disguising the macaroons.

-You can't, can you?

Well, I been exposed as winging it today, so that's a worry,

so they'll be extra eagle-eyed looking out for shoddy finishing.

Nasty, messy chocolate...oh, no!

I need a plate.

Bakers, that is literally it. Please step away from the petits fours.

The Challenge is over.

Paul and Mary will now judge all of the petits fours.

I got more gold leaf on my fingers

than I managed to get on any of them...

Gold leaf floating gently away with my chances of being Star Baker.

I don't get the contrast in sizes between those two at all.

They are more like truffles than biscuits, really.

-It's not a brilliant shortbread underneath.

-Right.

I love it, I love the flavour.

You couldn't put it on top, the Italian butter cream? Delicious.

-Thank you.

-Really, really good.

My brandy snap cones could be a little soft.

It was a little bit wet. Well, not wet.

It just wasn't as firm as it should have been.

They look tempting. They look different and very tricky to make

those brandy snaps in a cone.

Gosh, that's scrummy.

The crunch is still there, It works. Well thought out.

They are delicious as well. Good sachertorte. Well baked.

The ganache is good. Good shine on it as well.

All I am hearing now in my ears is "Mmm!"

Something is weird in that tent that just makes it so difficult to bake.

I know how to do macaroons, but today not so much.

-Macaroon is not good.

-No.

You need to rest them for more than 20 minutes, let me put it that way.

It's a good flavour. I like it, it's just that they look hideous.

Yes, they look like little brains.

The cakes are very thick pieces, aren't they?

The Genoese is very close textured.

They are just not polished enough.

As a petit four, if someone gave me that,

I'd send it back to the kitchen for sure and ask for the chef.

It is just a shortbread biscuit with a bit of decoration on.

I would have liked something sharp in it. It's too sweet.

I think the look of it is too bland.

You've done very well to keep those crisp all the way through.

Creamy as well, the flavours are coming through strong.

A very good chocolate cake - it's not improved by the topping.

They look remarkably professional.

They're delicious. The texture of that sponge is perfect.

The macaroons haven't got a shiny top.

I expected precision because that's what you do.

I've got an awful feeling that having put the thin slices of pear

on top of the biscuits

that they look a little bit like onion rings.

I would have liked a little more white Stilton in there.

I think you could have done with that blue.

It's very bitter

and the actual cake itself is more like a crumb biscuit.

I think they look absolutely lovely.

-Thank you, Mary.

-You've chosen a scene.

They are bite-size.

The flavours that you've got going through there are delicious.

The French butter cream as well is lovely.

It melts.

-Ginger nut crackers.

-They look enchanting!

I think those are lovely and they complement each other.

Very good bake. What more could we ask?

I'm not particularly happy with either of them.

They actually looked better than they did at home,

so that's something at least.

They taste lovely.

That's a bit of all right. I like it.

The chocolate works well.

The raspberry, the shortbread is nice and short.

I'm not sure about the look of the cake...

..but it is delicious.

Winging it is OK.

I didn't mean to.

I think you just put something together. And it works

because the flavours are good and it's been baked well.

Deborah, please come forward.

At home I would have screamed,

thrown them in the bin and started again.

If they don't send me home, I will be gob-smacked.

It does look a bit of a mess, if I'm going to be brutally honest.

-These cakes...well, you know about those.

-Yes, yes, yes.

The biscuits, for me, that is just a little bit bright...

They taste of rose.

-And that's it.

-OK.

-That's bone dry...

Beautiful flavour. It's lovely with the cherry as well.

The flavour of the chocolate is very good, even though it's not even.

They are lovely if you don't look at them too closely.

Thank you. I'll take my glasses off then.

Everything went to plan. Yay!

I really like how they look, so now it's down to taste.

That's the most frustrating thing, not knowing how it tastes.

I don't want to go!

They do look very special.

How you've made those weenie perfect macaroons - I don't know.

They've got a shine on top. Technically perfect.

Mm, there's a lovely surprise in the middle there. Beautifully lemony.

-I like that.

-I love that.

-Yay!

-I love that. I love the flavours.

Beautiful flavours. Marzipan as well especially works extremely well.

And you've got a beautiful shine on the ganache at the top

and a pretty decoration.

-Perfect, yes. They are very very good.

-Good.

I'm sensing it's going to be hard to choose a Star Baker this week.

You could put Ruby up there. I liked her cake. I loved the flavours.

I loved the shortbread with the white chocolate, that raspberry inside there.

-It was so good.

-And she was third in technical.

-Who else is up?

-Christine really pushed the boat out with

the petits fours. It's so unusual to do those little cornets.

It seems to me this challenge was great for Frances as well.

One of your criticisms of her has been style over substance.

I thought the flavours and the whole presentation, precision.

It was all there. Tick tick tick.

At the bottom, who would you see being in serious danger

following this last Showstopper challenge?

I think, initially, Mark.

We are looking for finesse and precision.

He slipped away badly this week.

There were question marks hanging over Beca.

Do you think she's done enough to redeem herself?

-Oh, yes.

-Those little tiny macaroons on the top.

And those macaroons were quite exceptional.

Howard didn't do so well, did he?

His technical was a bit disappointing.

We also had Deborah's custard.

I think Deborah was certainly capable of doing so much better.

So, there seems to be a little cluster of bakers around the bottom.

Could it be that we see two leave today?

-We will have to decide.

-If we marry up...

Really, that's a whole different show, Paul, but I'm happy.

That's the spin-off.

-We could officiate. This is the most exciting thing that's happened to Bake Off...

-Will you?

Unbelievable.

But will two be going?

-I don't know.

-They never say!

Inscrutable, the pair of you.

We will leave you two lovebirds to make your decision.

I never saw it. Did you? So good at hiding it.

The chemistry has always been there.

Bakers, I am the lucky one this week. I've got the joyful task

of telling you who this week's Star Baker is going to be.

Paul and Mary decided that this person's

incredibly cool, steady hand, with execution,

with technique and, above all, with absolutely superlative flavours.

This week's Star Baker is...

..Christine.

Well done!

APPLAUSE

Now, this week I have the slightly onerous task, in fact,

incredibly onerous.

Every single week we have to lose one person

and this week...

Paul and Mary have decided...

..that two people will be leaving.

Oh, my God!

The first person who will not be joining us

in the tent next week is...

..Mark.

Fair cop.

And the second person is...

..Deborah. We will miss you both.

Come on. Mel and Sue sandwich - in we go...

A bigger filling!

Thank you.

When you take the three challenges overall, it had to be Deborah.

Likewise when you take the three challenges overall,

it had to be Mark.

If he had chosen anyone else I would almost have stood up and said, "No, no."

I went out to people who were fundamentally better.

Deborah had huge potential, but she's had a bad two days, really.

It kicked off with the wrong custard

and I think from that point on it just kind of...

Yeah. A cascade of misery!

We're going to be separated, love!

It's sad. We don't like it to be two,

but when you're in a situation like that, when all the others

are beginning to pull away, it had to be two people leaving today.

-I'm really going to miss you, matey.

-Thank you so much.

Great time. I've met some lovely people.

Everyone's been so nice...

Oh, you're going to do well.

'It's just that everybody says that. Don't they?

'Because everybody is so nice and I have met some great people

'and made some great new friends.'

It's been the most fantastic

and most stressful thing I have ever done in my life.

-Come on.

-Yay!

Mam is going to be very proud and so is my husband and my dad.

Thank you...

Afterwards, Paul came up to me and said you nailed it. Well done.

So, hearing that, I'm just bursting.

Your husband is going to be so chuffed with you.

Just got Star Baker!

SHE LAUGHS

'Next time...'

I think that brown stuff is burned.

'It's pies.'

'The terror of a soggy bottom has been keeping me up all night.'

'And tarts.'

Definitely not my weekend.

'With signature double-crusted fruit pies...'

Sounds like it needs planning permission.

'Technical custard tart perfection...'

This is going to be a problem.

'..and Showstopping filo pastry pies.'

Is anybody up there, the god of crisp?

'But who will be heading for stardom?'

That's all right.

'And who will be heading home?'

-Hang on, hang on.

-Oh, dear.

-Hang on.

(I can't watch this.)

-Slowly.

-We're in there.

-Easy.

-Are we going to the plate?

-Easy now.

-To the plate!

-Easy!

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