Desserts The Great British Bake Off

I'm so glad we get to film the show in the summer.

Well, at least we've got these big sun visors

-to protect us from all this sun.

-Yeah.

Oh, hang on. You've got a bit of summer on you.

Thank you.

-Welcome...

-BOTH: To The Great British Bake Off.

-Last time...

-They're looking like monsters.

..Paul's bread week proved too much of a challenge for Dorret...

It's raw.

..and Ian triumphed...

Nice little work of magic there.

..to win Star Baker for the second time in a row.

This is getting weird now.

Now...

-HE MIMICS TRUMPET

-Oh, yes.

..it's time for dessert...

The cake stand's hot.

..with a signature that sends everyone into a wobble...

The right wobble would be...that.

..a technical challenge of crumbling construction...

It's the most feminine version of plastering you could imagine.

..and a stackable Showstopper...

That's going to be a bit of a pain.

..that might just...

The challenge was souffles, yeah?

..end in tears.

What have I done?

THUNDER RUMBLES AND RAIN LASHES

-I'm cold.

-I'm wet

-I'm soggy.

-We're alone again.

I guess we've got our...

BOTH: Just desserts.

Over the next two days, the nine remaining bakers

will have to make a staggering 144 desserts,

after which - if they can still stand -

Mary and Paul will announce the next Star Baker

and who will have to leave the tent.

Morning, bakers. Lovely to see you all here.

Now, Signature Bake this morning.

Mary and Paul would love you, please,

to make 12 identical creme brulees.

Hm, finally a Signature Challenge

where it's OK to burn the living hell out of something.

Now, this can be any flavour that you like,

but Mary and Paul would like you to brulee them

in the traditional manner.

None of your fancy blowtorches,

these have got to be bruleed under a grill.

So, you've got two hours on your Signature Challenge, bakers.

-On you marks...

-Get set...

-BOTH: Bake.

I'd rather not be at the front.

I'd like to hide a bit more, do you know what I mean?

It's like at school. If you can hide at the back, fine.

Get away with a lot more at the back.

To make a brulee, it's a very deceptively difficult challenge.

For me, a brulee has to be just set.

If it's overset, it's probably going to split,

if it's under, then it pours out like soup,

so you're looking for that delicate little wobble.

The texture of the cooked creme should be beautifully smooth,

then you put the caramel topping and that sugar on top.

There weren't such things as blowtorches when I was young

and you did it under a grill and that was it.

It's tricky.

The bakers' first task is to make a basic custard,

by heating cream and adding it to a beaten mix of egg yolks and sugar.

-Good morning.

-Morning.

-Good morning.

-Morning, Mat.

-Good morning.

So, what kind of creme brulee are you going to make?

OK, so I'm making coconut and lime creme brulee.

It's quite refreshing.

I've tried a few and they were quite sweet and a bit sickly,

but I found this a bit lighter, really.

-Do you not think coconut's sweet, then?

-It is sweet, yeah, but...

I just found it quite light.

The custard for Mat's creme brulee

will be garnished with candied lime peel

and topped with desiccated coconut.

What do you think's going to be the tricky part of this?

I think, cos I've got reasonably large ramekins,

getting them cooked and cooled down in time,

cos they're quite deep.

It's not so much the depth,

it's all about the distance for the heat to penetrate to cook.

Yeah, I had a couple of issues

where they weren't as set as I'd like them to have been, so...

Yeah, obviously, leave them in the oven long enough

that I can get them cool again. I think that's my main issue.

OK. Thank you.

The flavours for Sandy's custard

are even less traditional than Mat's.

I'm using Pontefract cakes and lemon.

Well, a Pontefract cake is a little... It's a liquorice...

It's a little piece of liquorice like that.

It's really nice, I'm making them into a syrup.

Sandy's Pontefract cake syrup

will sit beneath her fresh lemon custard.

Why have you chosen those flavours?

I've grown up with liquorice

and, actually, the combination of the subtleness of liquorice

against the milkiness of the cream is absolutely sublime.

-Good luck. Thank you.

-Thanks.

Adding hot milk or cream to cold eggs

should be done slowly,

otherwise they may cook.

That's the ultimate danger,

not getting scrambled eggs from the mix you do.

It hasn't happened to me yet.

To get the perfect custard, you have to reach 80 degrees Celsius.

When your eggs are cool and you put hot cream into it,

the temperature from boiling goes down to a perfect 80.

Hopefully, it's not going to fail now.

You know what it is like, it's always better at home.

It always goes wrong in the tent.

Ugne's precisely heated custard

will be combined with a fruit flavour

that's a long way from home.

I'm putting marula fruit liqueur to flavour them.

Show us this unusual fruit.

It's marula fruit liqueur

which comes from marula fruit in Africa.

When it gets ripened on the tree, it gets...

Drunken fruit, literally.

-It's fairly...

-Ooh, that's very nice.

MARY: It smells like an Irish liqueur.

It's very similar to Irish liqueur,

but it has this little flavour which is a bit different.

Share the love, Paulie. Shall we all have a little...?

-Do you want some milk?

-Yes, please. Isn't that nice?

Nice? It's absolutely delicious.

Alvin has also put his ingredients through a taste test.

My consultant in the hospital is one of my official tasters.

She tasted them and she said to me I could step back a bit with the cream

cos it did taste like a baked double cream,

which you don't want, really.

Alvin's hospital colleagues

have given his vanilla and blackberry creme brulee

a clean bill of health.

Now, you're putting the blackberries in the base

and then the brulee mix on top of that.

Do you ever get any bleeding coming from the fruit into the brulee?

No, sir. That's why I did not cut them.

You're putting the creme brulees onto a plate...

Decorated with some fresh berries on top.

I'm still waiting for the edible pansies to come,

but if it doesn't it will work, I'm sure.

-Edible pants?

-Edible pansies.

Oh, pansies! Sorry, I thought you said edible pants.

They are little pieces, but I left them on the train yesterday.

Don't leave your edible pansies on the train, Alvin. Never do that.

Good luck, Alvin.

-Thank you.

-See you.

The bakers who have chosen to add fruit,

caramel or liquorice to the base of their brulees

need to make sure it's cooled before adding the custard.

I've tried this recipe on the family and my neighbours

and it got a thumbs up from them,

so let's hope they agree with Paul and Mary.

Ian's pomegranate two ways creme brulees

feature seeds in his custard

and molasses in the base.

Pomegranate molasses, I've never had that before.

It's quite a sharp taste, so it goes nicely against the caramel.

I think they literally just get the pomegranate juice

and boil it and boil it, and boil it,

-until you get a thick syrup.

-MEL: Amazing.

-Interesting.

-It's going to be fascinating to see

how those pomegranates work at the bottom.

Yeah. Just a little bit of fruitiness

to offset all the custard.

Nadiya's also putting fruit at the bottom.

It's something I have made before without success

and then not tried again.

Once I practised it, it was actually quite fun to do

and I realised the kids quite liked it, so that was good.

Her creme brulee is a blend of

English breakfast tea-flavoured custard

on top of a traditional English jam.

That's just a blackberry jam and it's got fresh mint chopped into it.

Did it set when it got in the bottom?

Well, I got it up to 105 degrees and it did...

-Wrinkle?

-It did wrinkle on the plate, so, yeah.

And the brulee - what are you using? What sugar?

Caster sugar.

But it'll be interesting to see what its like in the grill,

cos I'm used to the blowtorch method.

Well, not everybody's got a blowtorch.

Tamal's putting more than just fruit at the bottom.

A rhubarb compote and then little bits of stem ginger in there as well

and then maybe some rhubarb crisps -

but they haven't really worked out,

so I might not put them in, so don't tell anyone.

Tamal's doing everything to ensure his custard

complements his rhubarb and ginger base perfectly.

Now, tell us about your actual custard.

What's different about it?

The actual custard mix is a two-to-one mix

of double cream and creme fraiche

with some ginger syrup from the stem ginger in there as the sweetener.

I like the idea. I think the blend of the stem ginger

with the rhubarb should be beautiful,

but it's all down to the poaching, really.

It is down to the poaching.

-I want you to have brulees, not scrambled egg.

-Good luck.

-Cheers.

-See you.

-See you later.

I've practised a fair amount this week.

I was happy with the brulees from the beginning,

I did them another time, just to reassure myself,

so it shouldn't be too bad, actually.

As confident an exterior as I can give.

Paul is scattering flaked almonds on the top of his custard

and flavouring it with an almond liqueur.

Knock it back in one, Mary.

It's very strong, but it's definitely strong of almonds.

-It's lovely.

-I wanted the brulee to be more of an adult-themed brulee

with the almond liqueur in it.

It was nice and subtle and it was something

you could eat the whole pot without feeling it was too much, too rich.

-Right. We look forward to them.

-OK, thank you.

Before the bakers can top their brulees with a layer of caramel,

they need to cook the custard.

The traditional way is with a bain-marie.

Basically, it's a more gentle way of cooking them,

cos the water can only get to 100 degrees,

so it means the ramekins

are surrounded by a bath that's at 100 degrees -

so they can't get any hotter than that.

The time between it being undercooked and overcooked...

The window is really small.

The trick of gauging if the custard is cooked

is to give it a shake.

The wobble should be like my backside.

Too little time in the oven and it won't have set.

I got that wobble in the centre, which I'm looking for.

Too much time and it will turn into scrambled egg.

Definitely not set.

They're a bit overwobbly.

I've got to chill them right down now.

-HE MIMICS TRUMPET

-Oh, yes.

-How is your wobble?

-Hot, hot, hot.

Your brulees that is.

That's perfect.

Where are your brulees? Where are they?

-In the freezer, because I had to take drastic action.

-Why?

Because they were still wobbling.

Cos I was testing the wobble as to whether the wobble was like that.

What wobble you looking for?

Are you looking for a Kim Kardashian?

You looking for a Jessica Rabbit?

-What are you looking for?

-I was going for...

The right wobble would be...

that.

That's a brief wobble.

These have got to come out.

Not looking good, not looking good.

They've not worked.

Did you put them in there longer, then?

No, same time as I always do at home, but they've not done it.

Are you going to put them in for longer, then?

No, because it's just going to burn, then, isn't it?

Are they supposed to crack?

No. You can see the way they've gone, they've just not set at all.

Damn.

In Flora's oven there's more than just custard to worry about.

I'm tuilling.

I'm just about on track.

As long as these can cook

and dry out in time.

Flora's tuille biscuits

will accompany her rhubarb and custard creme brulees.

You do know this is a creme brulee challenge?

I'm doing tuilles as a creme brulee challenge

and I'm doing rhubarb crisps as the creme brulee challenge.

What are these, Flora?

Those are a very fine pair of spectacles.

Or cuffs?

-I like my food to have multiple...

-Just a minute, you may break them.

-If you break them, Mel...

-Are these being used for your thing?

-Yes!

-They were maybe going to be, but...

-I'm so sorry!

I thought they were just trial runs. I'm so sorry, Flora.

Bakers, you've got 15 minutes.

15 minutes, you un-brulee lot.

This is the bruleeing bit.

This makes them what they are,

otherwise they're just pots of creme.

I'm trying to evenly spread the sugar, really,

so it caramelises properly.

I'm doing it, I think, quite a different way,

which is to caramelise the sugar, let it cool down

and then whizz it back up into sugar and then put that on top.

Then it only needs a short amount of time under the grill.

I want to put these on top.

My caramel - it's very cold in here, so it sets quite quick.

Please fit.

Yes! Oh, come on.

Under the grill, just seconds could be the difference

between a crisp caramel topping...

Burning flesh.

..and one that's burned.

Watch them like a hawk.

I feel like I'm sat here like David Attenborough.

"If we just sit very quietly here,

"we'll soon see the brulees coming out."

Oh, nearly, nearly, nearly.

All cooked through nicely.

Nice colour, so I'm happy with that.

I did not caramelise them.

I forgot to heat the grill.

-You what?

-I forgot to heat the grill.

-Oh.

Bakers, you've got two minutes left on your Signature Challenge.

Two minutes?

Don't be ridiculous.

Bit more.

All right, I've got to bring them out anyway.

Ah! Where am I going? Where am I going?

Be careful.

OK, bakers, that's it. Time is up.

Please stop tinkering with your brulees now

and move them to the end of your benches.

They've got a nice snap on the top.

-Looks a bit grainy inside with the sugar.

-Yeah.

The combination of flavours is very good indeed

and you should be delighted that

that fruit at the bottom is totally separate,

but the one fault is that it is a little bit separated, the custard.

The flavour's fantastic with the cinnamon.

HOLLOW TAPPING That is the right amount on top.

-Scrambled egg.

-As I suspected.

Boozy scrambled egg, but tasty.

PAUL COUGHS

-Too strong.

-Wow, that's probably been part of the problem.

The alcohol.

It's the first brulee that's ever given me a hangover.

For that, I commend you, sir.

How pretty they look.

The actual caramel on the top...

HOLLOW TAPPING ..sounds good.

And the rhubarb is down at the bottom.

Rhubarb's at the bottom.

I didn't think it had set.

It needed another... five minutes, perhaps?

When you got it out, did you give it a shake?

A bit too much of a wobble going on.

That's just about the right thickness.

That is just set

and there's not a bubble in sight.

I think the custard is absolutely perfect.

Good.

I think the caramel is perfect.

However...

I do have issues with the pomegranate.

You almost ruined it by putting them down at the bottom.

-Right, OK.

-Ian should stick to pomegranate one way.

-Yes.

-Or no way.

-No way!

-HE LAUGHS

I can't see the gloss and shine

from the caramel on top.

Did you put the caramel on top?

-I did, I tell you, I ran out of time.

-It needed longer in the oven.

-Yeah, I just ran out of time.

-And you have a liquid too.

-I do, yeah. I thought that would be the case.

-Bru-lake!

I think it's a huge mistake

to put desiccated coconut on top of the caramel.

It all comes down to the bake for me,

-and it's just not good enough.

-No. Absolutely. All right.

I think, overall, you have an issue with the graining of the...

Well, there's no caramel. It's just sugar on top of custard.

That is a set custard

and that's what we've been wanting.

Now, that holds its shape.

I think the flavour is delicious.

The custard is fantastic too.

SHE WHISPERS: Yeah!

I think my biggest issue, when you look at all of these,

-is the caramel.

-Yes.

-Needed longer.

I can see the blackberries.

One or two have perhaps bled a little.

What's actually happened is it's the water coming from the fruit

that breaks up the custard...

-Right.

-..and that's why it looks, in parts, like scrambled egg.

I can see...

..I might be wrong, but the actual custard is...

-Oh, dear.

-..hasn't set.

-Yep.

-That's soup.

-Bru-lake again.

How did you do that?

Well, they were in the oven for half an hour.

-Was it on?

-SHE LAUGHS

-Half an hour?

-Yeah.

When you stir the custard with the liquorice,

it over powers it for me.

I like the flavour, I like liquorice -

but it's a shame you didn't turn the oven on.

I think the rhubarb is delicious.

It's quite sharp.

Blends really well with the ginger.

So, overall, your flavour combinations are spot on.

The custard - it's kept its shape.

It's like velvet all the way through.

I think that's pretty good.

Lovely flavours.

HE LAUGHS

-Thank you very much.

-Thank you.

They really liked the flavours,

the custard was set just right - so, yeah, really pleased.

I've done 20 or 30 at home,

they didn't blow up like they did in the oven at home.

They were creamy and smooth and the flavour was fine.

So, what went wrong? I don't know.

It was on. The oven was on.

SHEEP BLEATS

The second dessert challenge is a mystery from Spain...

via Austria.

Welcome, bakers, to your fourth technical challenge.

A fiendish challenge set by Mary, no less.

Any words of advice?

Read the recipe thoroughly,

and then try and visualise EXACTLY what it should look like at the end.

She's gone very New Age, hasn't she?

I'm going to ask you to leave now

and attend that intergenerational foam party in Woking

I know you're gagging on going to.

-Have a good time, guys.

-Take it easy!

-Foam up!

Remember - loads of bubble, lots of trouble.

So, what they would like you to do today

is make Mary's version

of Spanische Windtorte.

That's right.

Sounds like something I went to the doctor for

when I was on holiday in Majorca.

Now, this is the mother ship

of the meringue cake.

Two types of meringue, cream,

strawberries and raspberries.

The other thing you need to know about this Spanische Windtorte

is it's Austrian.

You've got four hours on your bake.

-On your marks...

-Get set...

-Bake!

Never heard of this before at all.

It's just because I don't know how it looks like, really,

and how it's supposed to look like. I can only imagine.

The instructions are very vague.

Sort of, "make this" and "make that",

so you have to know how to make it.

Mary, what were you thinking setting this as a technical challenge?

Those poor bakers!

We are testing them on their meringue skills.

Cos they've got to make the French meringue and the Swiss meringue

and be able to build this construction

so it supports itself

and looks elegant

and beautifully decorated with violets.

Oh, yes. Let's see what sort of cut I get in this.

You've got that lovely crunch as you put the knife through

and then the lovely softness of the cream in the middle.

It's just a meringue fest, isn't it?

Two different textures,

that soft marshmallowy

with the outer crust coming from the Swiss meringue

and that beautiful crunchy French meringue.

It's very rewarding.

I just hope they've read the recipe thoroughly.

I haven't done many Austrian desserts.

Is Angel Delight Austrian?

What's familiar is the meringue,

so I'm going to start from there.

Mary's recipe asks for the French meringue

to form the structure of the Windtorte.

I've just got to get this whisked up so it's pipeable,

so at least I know it's got to be pretty thick.

A classic mix of egg whites and sugar whisked until stiff.

So, we've got to make two meringue discs to start with.

The caster sugar should be added a spoon at a time

to form a thick, glossy structure.

HE WHISTLES

The layers must be evenly piped if they're to stack neatly.

It doesn't say anything about

how tall your rings should be,

which is a bit worrying,

but I want them to be fairly tall.

Timing and temperature are critical.

Overbaked meringue will crack and lose its white sheen.

I'm totally praying every time I put something in.

Every time I put something in, I'm fully praying.

It just says, "make violets". 13 violets.

Violet, violet, violet...

I'm trying to remember what a violet looks like.

The last couple of days, I've been looking into edible flowers.

Not a violet, unfortunately.

Have you ever seen a violet?

I think it's a flower.

They're crumbling.

It's probably cracked a bit more than I thought. It just gets messy.

Put two meringue rings, one by one, on top of this.

So, these have got to stack on top of that with extra meringue on it.

That's going to be a bit of a pain.

The Windtorte's fragile foundations

should be cemented and coated

with the remaining French meringue.

It's the most feminine version of plastering

you could imagine, isn't it?

"Bake the shell and the remaining meringue disc again."

It doesn't say, "Take it off the cake stand."

Each time it goes in the oven,

the risk of a ruined meringue is increased.

Following the instructions, I'm making...

..Swiss meringue for the decoration.

I'm going to just whisk it over the hot water.

Swiss meringue must be heated gently as it's mixed

to give it its distinctive marshmallowy middle.

Well, I've whisked up the egg whites and the sugar over a bain-marie.

It's got to reach 70 degrees centigrade.

You've got to have a good consistency,

but you've got to make sure the sugar's dissolved.

Once it's got to 70 degrees, you take it off and then,

I think, as far as I know,

you keep whisking it until it's really cooled down quite a lot.

I'm trying to get it quite thick and glossy, I guess.

Just like a Labrador.

Bakers, you've got one hour left on the clock.

The cake stand's hot!

SHE LAUGHS

"Pipe a decorative border around the base, middle

"and top of the meringue shell

"and around the edge and middle of the remaining disc."

Right.

When it comes to piping, it's all about precision.

Mary and Paul will be looking for a neat, ornate finish.

I'm making the lid.

If I decorate that up,

then I just lift it up

and it should be slightly...

SHE EXHALES SHARPLY

Argh!

OK, bakers, gale force warning.

Windtorte in 30 minutes, thank you.

Windtorte in 30.

SHE MIMICS TRUMPET NOTE

OK, it's soft.

-Still...

-OK. Keep it shut, keep it shut. Let's leave it in there.

I want to see happy Alvin.

I'm going to bring it up to 150.

Is that wise?

Let's be brave.

Look at that.

Setting aside their meringues to cool...

-These are piddly little strawberries, aren't they?

-Yeah.

..the bakers still have to whip up a cream and fruit filling,

being careful not to let it curdle.

So, now I've gone and over-beaten the cream.

A pretty simple step in the process.

Burned it a little bit, but there you go.

SHE MIMICS BELL RINGING Meringue, my lord?

You've got two minutes to go, bakers.

Two minutes to go.

Does it say "V?"

No, it says, "Fill the meringue case with a shell,

"top with the meringue disc."

It doesn't say HOW.

Well, a disc tends to be a flat disc.

Very shaky.

-IN FAUX AUSTRIAN ACCENT:

-The Spanische Windtorte challenge is over, my darlings.

Please bring up your delicious meringues

and pop them behind the photos of yourself. Well done.

Well done, guys.

Mary and Paul are looking for

crisp rings of French meringue stacked high,

neatly piped Swiss meringue decoration

and delicate fondant violets.

These Windtortes should be an extravaganza of beautiful meringue,

decorated with delicate little violets.

OK, shall we start from this side, Mary?

Interesting lid.

Not that easy to cut into this.

It tastes very good

and there are very good, crisp layers of the French meringue.

-The Swiss meringue is a little bit too sticky...

-It's tacky.

..but it's got a great shine to it, though.

The violets are a little bit clumsy.

This one looks quite neat, doesn't it? Uniform. Very pretty.

I would say the violets were different, but they're all even.

-It does taste very, very good.

-It tastes lovely.

I do like the French meringue.

That's delicious.

Now, this is a real giant

and this is the first one that we've got slightly more delicate violets.

There's a lot of layers in this as well.

Tastes great.

The French meringue is beautifully crisp.

Both meringues are delicious.

Moving on...a bit of contemporary art there, Mary.

It's got a good height to it as well and it is fairly even.

Both meringues are very, very good. They taste great.

It looks the part.

Now, this one looks more like something my nan makes.

It's been in the oven a little bit too long and turned it ivory.

And the little violets are a little bit different.

They are almost indistinguishable

between the French and Swiss meringues.

You don't really notice a difference, do you?

It's been dried out a little too much.

This is very neat, isn't it?

It's a very good height

and a very good attempt of the little flowers.

Both meringues are good.

I'm not convinced about the French meringue.

I think it's a little on the chewy side,

but the whole effect is very good.

It's very skilfully done.

Right, I like this one. Quite neat.

Very elegant too.

It's only showing us one style of piping.

The French meringue is firm

and the Swiss meringue is a little bit soft.

Mm. Yeah, they are.

This is a little bit of a mess.

The French meringue is crisp,

but it's a little bit chewy in the middle.

The Swiss meringue is very, very sticky.

It needed longer in the oven.

The thing that lets it down is the Swiss meringue.

It's the mixing of it and the piping of it. It doesn't look very good.

The last one.

Nice and straight.

The flowers are all different sizes.

They've had a problem with the Swiss meringue.

See the way it's mixed and split again? It looks rough.

It is dry.

The French meringue is marshmallowy in the middle, like a pavlova,

not quite dried out enough,

and the Swiss meringue is done beautifully -

apart from maybe a little bit overmixed.

But whose Windtorte has blown Mary and Paul away?

In ninth place is this one.

A little overbaked and too dried out.

Eighth place is this one.

It needed longer in the oven.

It's very, very sticky inside. Cream was slightly overwhipped.

Mat is seventh,

Sandy sixth,

Tamal fifth

and Ian is fourth.

And, in third place, this one.

Very good height here and we had lovely flowers.

In second place is...

..this one, well done.

The French meringue is good, the Swiss meringue's not bad at all.

And in first place...

APPLAUSE Well done.

This was a good height,

you made a good attempt at the flowers,

there's a good flavour.

We enjoyed it. Well done.

Thank you.

First. Complete shock.

Stroke of luck.

Technicals have been really good so far, actually.

I've had two seconds and a third, so that's...

And a sixth, but we won't talk about that.

I produced what they wanted, just the ugly version.

The pressure gets to you in there and you kind of forget.

Slow down, and it still has to look pretty.

So, yeah, I'm learning every week.

I've got one more challenge for tomorrow,

but it needs to be absolutely perfect,

I think, tomorrow for me not to exit.

One dessert challenge remaining.

At the end of two challenges,

who do you think's looking good?

I think Ian is having a strong week.

Off the back of being Star Baker twice,

he's doing really well this week too.

He doesn't get fazed, it seems.

I think Tamal had a good day.

His Signature was very good.

Ugne, I think she did very well.

-Who is in trouble?

-Mat.

Although his custard was different with the coconut,

I didn't like the coconut on top.

And Sandy...

Well, you could pour her custard. It was pouring custard.

-I did. I poured it into my mouth.

-It certainly hadn't set so...

Alvin was ninth in the technical.

Bit of a shock, because Alvin's normally on it

and he didn't bake very well on his Signature, his brulee.

Nadiya really did go from top to bottom and bottom to top.

Nadiya, in her Signature, the bake was pretty good

and then, in the technical, she came eighth.

Paul and his brulee, scrambled egg inside -

and yet, in the technical, he came first.

It all seems a bit muddly,

-as if anything could happen to anyone. Is that right?

-Yes.

For today's Showstopper challenge,

Paul and Mary would very much like you

to bake a towering tin-ferno of baked cheesecakes.

Now, they are expecting at least three tiers,

decorate them any which way you like,

they can be any shape you want,

but they should be sweet, not savoury, please.

And you've got four-and-a-half hours, so on your marks...

-Get set...

-Bake.

With cheesecakes, lots of things can go wrong.

I like cheesecakes, but baked ones I've never really dabbled into.

There's a lot more processes to do with a baked cheesecake.

You have a lot more watching in the oven, a lot more time,

whereas a cold set one is in the fridge overnight

and ready the next day whenever you need it.

I don't think I put down on my list

of what temperature to put the oven on.

Most of the bakers are making a biscuit base

by mixing flour, butter and sugar.

There's different types of bases

they can choose on a cheesecake, really.

You've got pastry and you've got biscuit.

I don't mind any of them as long as it's good and even and consistent.

So, we're really throwing it at them this time.

Three different cheesecakes,

three different sizes,

three different baking times.

Quite difficult.

Today, I'm making a trio of spicy and herby cheesecakes.

So, some...

I don't know, maybe some slightly risque flavours.

Ian's trio of cheesecakes will include

Sichuan peppercorns, rosemary and tarragon.

-Good morning, Ian.

-Morning, morning.

Interesting. Apple and tarragon?

It's one that surprised me.

I mean bananas and basil go quite well together.

-OK.

-There are a few things which can go, fruits and herbs.

It's a bit of alchemy going on today in these three bakes.

That's quite adventurous.

Yeah.

Ian isn't alone in his adventure with herbs.

I'm doing honey and rosemary. I can't remember what he...

He's not doing just plain rosemary, it's with something else.

So, hopefully they'll be different enough

that they won't be making direct comparisons.

Tamal's rosemary and honey cheesecake

will be stacked under layers of hazelnut praline and mango,

but it's not a challenge

he's particularly been looking forward to.

For you, what is the most difficult part of this?

The bake on the mango cheesecake has been quite tricky.

The mix has got quite a lot of egg in it,

but getting the set just right has been a little bit tricky,

-so that's the one I'm...

-So, we'll watch out for that one.

-Shouldn't have told you that, should I?

-Shouldn't.

-Eagle eyes.

-Damn.

-Thank you very much, indeed.

So, with this one, what I'm aiming for...

Why I'm doing everything by hand is...

When I hold it together, if I prod it,

it should sort of collapse.

If it's too loose it means I need to add some more butter.

On top of Alvin's crumbly bases

will be blueberry, mixed berry

and lemon meringue cheesecakes.

What was your inspiration for all of this?

They're the cheesecakes that my family love.

This one's for my son - the blueberry one, he loves it.

He's two-and-a-half, but he'll take a slice, he'll have a go at it.

The lemon has got to be for my wife, cos she loves anything with lemon,

and the middle one's for my daughter, who is fond of berries.

Are you going to be all right for time?

I'm hoping so, that's why I really want to go in now and go in there.

OK, because it's all about getting the toppings on cool and...

Yes, absolutely, and I'm having trouble with times lately, so...

OK. Yes, you have.

Paul, Ugne, Sandy and Nadiya

are all baking pastry bases.

I tried a biscuit base,

where you make the biscuits, crush them and stick them in.

In terms of flavour, I think they took away

from the actual cheesecakes themselves.

Nadiya has taken inspiration from her kids' parties

in the creation of her fizzy pop cheesecakes,

flavouring them with ginger beer,

lemonade and cream soda.

Cream soda cheesecake - how are you achieving that flavour?

I've got some syrups that I've taken litres of pop

and reduced them down for about ten hours, 12 hours.

You boiled down these three fizzy pops to create syrups?

Yep, and so I'm going to use the syrups on top.

-Can I smell one?

-Yeah, go ahead.

Clever. Very, very clever.

What made you think of this idea?

I just wanted to do something a little bit fun.

And then I'm going to create the illusion of

a can of pop levitating above it

with Italian meringue pop that will kind of fizz down,

and then it'll have...

..crystallised ginger and lemon, and white chocolate...

You do know this is only a four-and-a-half hour challenge?

-I know.

-You've got to go and work.

-Good luck.

-Thank you.

-Thank you.

I do like making pastry, yeah.

It's very therapeutic.

You can sit here and watch the world go by.

You don't have to look at it,

you just keep rubbing away until you get your breadcrumbs.

Paul's filling the shortcrust pastry bases

of his berry cheesecake tower

with blackberries, blueberries

and raspberries.

He's also adding a nip of his

home-made blackberry liqueur.

I like the idea of your liqueur going into it.

Did you make that like sloe gin with a bit less sugar?

It's just blackberries condensed down with sugar.

So, you cooked the blackberries?

Cooked the blackberries with the sugar

to get some of the bitterness out of it,

then mix in brandy and vodka...

Party time.

I'm out on the lash now.

When I make cheesecakes, for me,

to keep cheesecake shape

it's better when they have sides as well as a bottom.

In true Ugne style,

she's covering her lime, coconut and hazelnut cheesecakes

with an adventurous

multicoloured cream cheese frosting.

I don't want to go over the top with the decoration.

-I have something in mind.

-Right.

I want to do ombre-style frosting.

-A what, sorry?

-Ombre? Is that, sort of, Mexican?

I've never heard of ombre, have you?

I think women have more heard of ombre hair dye,

which goes shades lighter on the hair, so it's kind of...

Yeah, you know that one, Mary.

-Careful.

-How dare you!

That's all real.

Every bit.

-Thank you.

-Thank you.

Blind baking the bases first

should help prevent the cheese mix leaking later.

When you're at competition level

you've got to get it right.

I don't want Mary and Paul saying I haven't tried.

I want them to say, "This base is so beautifully crisp and buttery."

Sandy's making two different shortbread pastry bases

and three individually flavoured cheesecake fillings.

All the cheesecakes are a different recipe.

There is ricotta in the cassata for authenticity,

there is sour cream in the apple pie one

and there is double cream...

You don't think... You're going for different bases,

-different fillings, different toppings.

-I have a theme.

Do you? What's the theme -

how to make things really complicated for yourself?

It's a take on New York

and the Italians and Irishmen...

So, this is a meditation on immigration?

I like that.

-I'll eat it.

-Good.

A basic cheesecake mix is made of cheese, sugar and eggs.

I'm adding one egg at a time

and making sure that everything is incorporated properly.

While Sandy is making life complicated,

Flora is keeping things simple.

Today, I am making elderflower cheesecake,

which I'm a bit concerned about,

because I'm the only one that's only doing one flavour.

All three of Flora's cheesecakes

will have the same base

and will all be flavoured with her home-made elderflower cordial.

-Can I confirm something?

-Yeah.

You've done all your cheesecakes.

I have done all my cheesecakes.

I sense you're feeling a bit deflated?

Are you now worried you're just doing one flavour?

I am very concerned that everybody's going all out, so...

It's all down to a good bake, a good cheesecake,

good density, good finish.

Yeah, not a lot really(!) That's fine, yeah, that's easy(!)

Whilst Flora's cheesecakes are already in the oven,

everyone else's bases are only just coming out.

Couple of minutes more.

I'm trying to think if I can make it any more exciting or...

..jazz it up a bit. I don't know if I can.

It is a bit simple.

I wonder if I could do any white chocolate work or...

do anything to go on the top. I don't really know.

I feel like there should be something else I can do.

My mixes are ready to go into their base.

I've just got to make sure I get the right mix in the wrong... Right base.

"Right mix in the wrong base!"

Mat is using flavours of his favourite chocolate bars

to create his cheesecake stack,

including peanut butter, coconut and honeycomb.

So, I've got a peanut butter and chocolate, a coconut

and the end one is a honeycomb.

This is your honeycomb. It looks very good too.

And you've made that, and what are you going to do with it?

Some of that's going to go through this one.

So, I'll chop it quite finely.

It's quite weird when it bakes, it almost explodes a little bit

as you bake it, but you still get the flavour.

Now, Mary, she's a bit nervous about coconut.

I love coconut. I think coconut's amazing.

There's nothing to be scared of, Mary.

I've grown to like coconut.

I think refreshing is the wrong thing to say for a cheesecake,

but it's quite light, it's not heavy.

Like, the peanut butter one is quite dense, obviously,

cos that's what I've went for but, yeah, the coconut lifts it up.

Now we're going in the oven.

Once these are baked and cooled,

I will slice the tops off.

That will hopefully neaten the edges,

making them a little bit prettier.

I think I'm the only one doing this, but...

I've just always made cheesecakes in a bain-marie.

It's doing it for the same reason really

that I did it with the creme brulee,

is you're supposed to get a gentler cook.

With cheesecakes in the ovens,

the bakers can concentrate

on showstopping decorations.

I am showing off a little bit with the leaves.

Just a finishing touch on the top with the berries. Nice combination.

This is Italian meringue.

I'm trying to create the fizz that comes out of the pop can.

That's going to be the main decoration on my tiered cheesecakes.

I'm skewering these hazelnuts

and then they're going to be dipped in caramel

and left to hang, so the caramel drips off in shards.

These are going to be my crystallised

ginger and lemon bubbles.

I'm going to have them cascading down the side

of my Italian meringue foam out of my levitating...

-SHE LAUGHS

-..candy.

Oh, my God. What have I done?!

Flora is still worried she hasn't quite done enough.

I was just a bit scared to give myself too much to do.

She's decided to decorate her simple elderflower cheesecakes

with macarons.

I've never done this to time,

so I think I maybe overestimated how long it would take.

I'm worried they are going to say,

"What have you done with four-and-a-half hours?"

Bakers, you've got one hour left on the clock

until we want to see 27 tiers.

On the benches,

not rolling down your cheeks, please.

I think the consistency's got to be just like a slight wobble

when you're bringing it out the oven,

but then it sets down in the fridge. That's the plan anyway.

Yep, definitely needs longer.

I think that looks pretty good.

I think it has a nice little wobble in the middle.

We're back to wobbles.

If it's not that...it's that.

We're all right with that.

So, one souffle.

That's what it was?

The challenge was souffles, yeah?

I'd like to leave them in there with the door open, but I can't.

The ideal situation is turn the oven off, have the door open

and leave them for at least another hour.

We haven't got that luxury.

But you are in danger of, obviously,

cooling them down too quick and getting the cracks on the top,

which I don't want.

If they are warm I can't stack them.

If they're warm the ganache won't set.

It's a bit tricky, cos I don't want to put the chocolate on

until they are all stacked,

but I don't want to stack them until they are cold.

So, it's a bit of a sort of catch 22, really.

OK.

It's all right so far. I like the look of them all right.

Oh!

I might just leave it to cool a little bit longer.

This is about to get tech.

It's just breaking.

What if you let go? Will that just splodge out?

Er, very possibly.

SHE GROANS

Five minutes, bakers.

Just five minutes.

I think it's OK.

SHE LAUGHS

Time is up. Step away from your bakes, please.

-This ain't going to do it.

-Hmm?

-This isn't going to do it.

-Why not?

It's just going to... No.

-OK.

-That's it.

INDISTINCT WHISPERING

It's judgment time.

-Ian, do you need a hand or are you OK?

-I should be OK.

It looks absolutely stunning.

It would be a centrepiece of the table.

You've got a very nice line round the outside here.

Just a gentle browning.

It's a beautiful flavour, it's lovely.

When have I ever had tarragon and apple?

And I like it.

The flavour of the pecan salted caramel

with the rosemary is exceptional.

That is sheer heaven on a plate.

Fantastic flavour.

I'm not getting the peppercorns, though.

These chocolate leaves are lovely.

Well done. Is that pastry or...?

It's pastry base all the way through, yes.

It's overbaked. The consistency is not creamy, it's quite dry.

All the moisture's been taken out of it during the baking.

You could have brought it out five or ten minutes earlier.

Is this the same or a totally different mixture?

It's the same cheese mixture.

It's always very difficult to put things like blackberries

into a mixture because this,

having had a long bake,

it is beginning to bleed into the actual cheesecake.

Right, let's get into the bottom. Same mixture again.

It's a shame, it's overbaked and quite dry.

Now, you've made the same one on each one, haven't you?

So, I might just go straight for the middle one.

It looks slightly overbaked.

It's quite dark on the outside.

-Your base is very thick.

-Yeah.

The elderflower comes through, it's quite a delicate flavour,

but it's a bit..

That had just a little bit too long cooking

and it hasn't got that creamy texture.

I don't think you utilised the time properly

and, when you did, you burnt it.

It is a bit of a mess. Was it still hot?

Warm, I think, but yes.

Which wouldn't help the meringue.

Your base has turned out a bit like bird seed.

It just all falls apart - it's very, very crumbly.

That is beautifully creamy.

It could have done with just a few more minutes in the oven.

Right in the middle,

it's a little bit soft.

A little bit clumsy, I think.

-Bad time management, we'd put that down to.

-Yeah.

I love to see your caramel work

and the hazelnuts with the lovely little tails going up.

Look at that.

Texture looks great.

The flavour is lovely.

The rosemary's coming through, the honey's coming through.

Love the rosemary, it's so delicate.

Right, next layer.

Hazelnut's hit me straight away and I love it.

You've got the texture right there.

It's a very nice flavour, a very nice consistency.

The last one.

That is fantastic.

I mean, really good.

Mango's such a mellow flavour,

but that, in there, is beautiful.

Absolutely spot on.

The texture's great

and then you've got that beautiful sugar work on the outside.

I think, overall,

the piping's a little bit of a mess.

I know.

It's beautifully creamy,

it's a lovely texture.

Delicious.

But let's check out the next layer.

I think the texture's OK,

but, for me, it's oversweet.

We'll try the last one,

we'll leave that where it is.

It's an absolutely beautiful texture,

it cuts like a knife, it holds its shape.

It's beautiful.

Lovely flavour. You must have rushed to get all of these three together.

You almost ruined it by putting the bits on the outside.

Sandy, my love, do you need a hand?

Yes, please the third tier's just not on top.

-Thank you.

-There we go.

-Well done, Sandy, my love.

-Thanks.

-There we go.

-Well done, my love.

Safe passage, Sandra.

You didn't manage to get this one on top.

I tried, but there was either

going to be a splodge of three

or just slide.

You've got that silky smooth, beautifully soft cheesecake

with these quite big clumps of the...

candied fruit - for want of a better word.

-It's raw underneath.

-Oh, dear.

-In the middle, it's not done and it's runny.

-Yeah.

And the last one has a raw base.

And it's not cooked in the middle.

MEL AND SUE: Nadiya.

THEY WHIMPER

That looks amazing.

-Very clever. Is that Italian meringue you've used?

-Yes.

Well, one thing's for sure.

If you've done it in a crust like this,

you know that your cheesecake isn't going to leek out, don't you?

It actually tastes like cream soda.

It is quite creamy, it's just a bit too dry,

cos it's been overbaked. The flavour you've got from it...

I didn't think you could get a flavour like cream soda

in a cheesecake before, that's a new one on me.

-What's the bright yellow one on top?

-That's the lemon ganache.

-It's great fun.

-Well done.

Great fun on the flavour.

The base on the bottom tier is nice and thin,

and a lovely ginger flavour is coming through.

-That's ingenious.

-Well done.

-Well done. Thank you, Nadiya.

I would be proud if I'd made that one.

Perfect texture throughout

and just the right amount of colour on the outside.

That tastes very, very good.

I can taste the honeycomb...

and I like it.

Let's try the next one.

The coconut going through there is delicious.

The consistency with the first and second are spot on.

I just hope we get it near in the third one.

Well, you've jolly well got to like peanut butter to have this one

and it's a very good flavour.

It's much more dense than the other one.

That is a fantastic trio of cheesecakes.

Texture, appearance and taste.

It's been an amazing Showstopper day, hasn't it?

We've seen real ingenuity,

both in flavours and also style, would you say?

Some people have saved themselves and some people

have put themselves into a bit of trouble.

Let's talk about school swot, Ian,

who has been Star Baker the last two weeks.

His flavour combinations were pretty extraordinary.

They were extraordinary, but blow me if they didn't work.

And, of course, when you actually looked at his,

he had three separate cheesecakes - they looked magnificent.

Who would think that tarragon and apple would go well together?

-Marvellous.

-They did.

MEL: So, Ian possibly in contention for Star Baker again, I'm guessing?

I think Ian, I think Tamal

and Nadiya's Showstopper was very unusual.

So, I mean, I think there are a few people up there,

but I think certainly in a bit of trouble,

you have Sandy, Paul, Alvin...

and I think Mat saved himself.

Well, news in,

the cows of the UK are now empty.

The entire dairy production of the UK

has just gone into Paul and Mary's stomach.

But the good news is you have four slices each,

-so you can take those away.

-There you go.

In fact, shall they have them now?

I think they should tuck in now.

Get a spoon. Stop being silly. Come on.

Bakers, who'd like a slice of baked cheesecake?

I've got 27 of them backstage.

I've got the lovely job, this time,

of telling you who Paul and Mary have decided

is this week's Star Baker.

Now, I like to think of this person...

tinkering away, experimenting,

in a sort of professor-type way -

possibly in their pantry -

creating all sorts of awesome flavour combinations.

This person is the Bake Off's very own

Ian-genuity self.

Ian, for the third time running, you are Star Baker.

APPLAUSE

Well done.

Well done, Ian.

So, Mel and I alternate this job

and this week, sadly, I have to deliver the bad news, and...

..with real sadness,

the person who is leaving us this week...

..is Sandy.

We're sorry to see you go, Sandy.

No, that's OK.

-Come on, let's cover her.

-Bring it in.

I do feel proud of what I've achieved

and I'm going to keep baking, yeah.

I might even improve.

SHE LAUGHS

I might even get better.

Sandy is a great baker.

You don't get in this tent by being a poor baker at all.

I think Sandy really stretched herself this week

and it just didn't quite work,

and I know she'll be kicking herself.

INDISTINCT CHAT AND LAUGHTER

There you have it, the train of Ian ploughs on.

Three Star Bakers on the bounce.

It's going to be fascinating to see what happens

with the other guys now, how they consider Ian in the future.

Is he the threat?

It's really irritating. Three weeks in a row - what?

I mean, Ian's a teacher's pet, really, so...

He's totally a teacher's pet.

He's inventive, he's fantastic on his flavours

and he certainly has panache.

I want to dance on the train and go,

"Yes, me! Humble me has suddenly done something rather amazing."

Next time,

the bakers wrestle with free-from baking.

-Look away.

-This is not a technical. I can look.

I'm doing whatever you're doing.

They flex their muscles with sugarless cakes...

That is one ugly looking cake.

..grapple with non-gluten bread...

It's really soft and it's really wet.

..and fight it out with dairy-free ice cream rolls.

There is another desert island.

Well...

He hasn't got that.