Botanical Week The Great British Bake Off


Botanical Week

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It's week six and we feel like Snow White because there are seven bakers

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-about to beaver away in that tent.

-We've got Flaky, Bakey,

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Little-bit-shaky, Achy, Cakey, Awful-lot-at-stakey.

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-And...

-And Andrew.

-Welcome to...

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-BOTH:

-The Great British Bake Off.

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Last time, it was pastry...

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That was meant to happen.

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I've only got 11 in there.

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That's left over.

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Oh, my word! The oven wasn't on.

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..and, after getting herself into a fine filo mess...

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This is why life is too short to make filo pastry. Buy it.

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This really does look more like shortcrust pastry

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than filo, I'm afraid.

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..it was Val who was sent home.

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I wasn't surprised, I reached my limit.

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Despite Rav's miraculous comeback...

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Beautifully proportioned, lovely and crispy.

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..and Jane's best efforts...

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-They taste amazing.

-It's absolutely delicious.

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..it was Candice's pair of perfect amuse-bouche...

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-Ten out of ten.

-Thank you very much.

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..that earned her Star Baker for the second time.

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Now, for the first time ever,

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Bake Off is turning to nature in Botanical week.

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A citrus meringue...

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Mine is so wet.

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..with a twist.

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Looks horrendous.

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A leafy bread Technical...

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I've never been so stressed about dough in my life.

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..and a blooming three-tiered Showstopper.

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This is a complete mess.

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I don't do pretty with my bakes.

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This is my week, because it's Botanical week.

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It could almost have been made for me. Because I'm a gardener!

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And it will be crushing if I actually fail.

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It's one of those things where you kind of have to be a neat baker

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and I'm not the neatest of bakers, so we'll see how things go today.

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Botanical week, for me, I think, means things that are aromatic.

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It's not just about plants. Anything that grows goes.

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Good morning, bakers.

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Congratulations for making it thus far, all the way to Botanicals week.

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So this morning Paul and Mary would love you to make a very large

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citrus meringue pie big enough for us all to tuck in to.

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Now, this impressive pie should have perfect pastry,

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melt in the mouth meringue, and a citrusy filling.

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You have two hours on this challenge.

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-On your marks.

-Get set.

-BOTH:

-Bake!

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Not feeling nervous about this challenge.

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I do like making meringue. I make it quite a bit.

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It's quite a humid day today, so we don't want it, like, deflating.

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We want it nice and stiff.

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Do you like my Botanical week top?

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Once every few years, this flower shirt comes out. This is the moment.

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Citrus meringue pie is something that, to me, is sheer heaven.

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Oranges, limes, lemons, grapefruit.

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They can use any of those flavours.

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I would like the meringue to be crisp.

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For me, the perfect way is to have it in the oven,

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you just set the top firm.

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It's about balancing sweetness in the meringue down

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with the sharpness from the actual curd -

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and carried in a beautifully crisp base.

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We're all familiar with a lemon meringue pie,

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but this challenge is a step up.

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The bakers can use anything that grows

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to put their twist on this classic.

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I've added some mandarin zest into the pastry

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because I'm having a mandarin curd for my citrus meringue pie.

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There's also going to be some tequila in there, as well!

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Most of the bakers are making a sweet shortcrust pastry.

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Some are even adding extra ingredients

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for maximum botanical taste.

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I just put some coconut flavouring in.

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So, this is stem ginger, and I'm putting it in my base.

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Sweet shortcrust pastry is made by rubbing together flour and butter

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until it resembles breadcrumbs,

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then adding eggs or water to bring the mixture together,

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and sugar for sweetness.

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Tom is trying something a little different.

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Not making a sweet pastry

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because I'm not a big fan of sweet pastry myself.

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So I've used pecans to give it

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an extra bit of savoury aromatic sweetness.

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The dough is then left to chill before rolling out.

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It rests, so the gluten relaxes, so it's not tough.

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You want it to be nice and short and crumbly.

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-Morning, Selasi.

-Morning.

-I love the botanical shirt.

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-Thank you very much.

-It's great.

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Tell us about your citrus Meringue.

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I'm making a grapefruit, orange and mint meringue pie.

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And French meringue on top.

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Selasi is using a combination of red grapefruit and orange flavours

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to achieve the perfect sharpness for his curd.

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And he'll then decorate with fresh fruit on top of his French meringue.

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-How are you going to put that meringue on?

-I'm piping it on top.

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I'm making sort of sharp edged kisses on top.

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-Sorry?

-Haven't you ever had a sharp edged kiss?

-What?

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Like a meringue kiss.

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I'm adding a bit of physalis.

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Not to say syphilis.

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-I call it phy-salis.

-What do you say, Bez?

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-Cape gooseberries.

-Cape gooseberries?

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Don't give too many sharp edged kisses, cos you will get physalis.

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HE LAUGHS

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Mary liked my shirt. I kind of like her top, actually, it's quite nice.

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Paul should have worn a floral shirt.

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Like one of those salsa dancer shirts.

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Whoa, whoa, whoa!

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Selasi's not the only baker using grapefruit.

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Funny enough, I used to really hate grapefruit -

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then I actually had a grapefruit meringue pie, without the ginger,

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and it was, like, really, really good. I think that converted me.

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Benjamina's adding ginger to spice up her pink,

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red and white grapefruit curd, topped with an Italian meringue.

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The meringue on the top, how are you going to be piping that?

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-Are you going to be dumping it?

-No dumping, I'm going to pipe it nicely

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with a nice nozzle, like little roses.

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And then give it a good old blowtorch.

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I can't believe you thought Benjamina would DUMP meringue, Paul.

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-She's not a dumper.

-She's not a dumper.

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-But good luck, Benjamina.

-Thank you.

-Thank you.

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My mum used to make a killer key lime pie. And I always remember

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the flavour from that. I enjoy a good citrus tang.

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Andrew's take on his mum's killer key lime pie

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will use the juice and zest of four limes

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and three different types of ginger,

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finished with piped Italian meringue.

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More ginger. Love the ginger.

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This one's going to go into my curd.

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Think it's time to roll.

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The perfect pastry must be rolled out thin enough

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so that it forms a light and crispy base...

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..but not so thin that it runs the risk of the curd leaking.

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I like a relatively thick pastry.

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This has got quite a substantial filling in it.

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-Approximately as thick as Selasi's, my pastry will be.

-Yeah.

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All of the bakers are blind baking their pastry.

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This ensures the base is evenly baked,

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giving them time to tackle their fillings.

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15 minutes that's going to blind bake for.

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-Good morning, Rav.

-Good morning, guys.

-Morning, Ravvers.

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Now, your pastry's still on there, not even in the oven yet.

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It is, it's going into the oven in less than a couple of minutes.

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Rav's flavoured his pastry with mandarin.

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It's filled with a tequila and mandarin curd,

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and he'll serve his finished pie

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with mandarin margaritas on the side.

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Tequila's going to be fascinating, to see how that comes through.

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-And on the top?

-On the top I'm going to be making an Italian Meringue.

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How are you going to be displaying that?

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I'm just going to be using a spatula to make some waving pattern,

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-then I'm going to be blowtorching.

-You're only blowtorching it?

-Yeah.

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So, I'm making a blood orange pumpkin Halloween pie.

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And it's inspired by my friend's Thanksgiving pumpkin pie.

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Tom's pie will be covered by a smooth dome of pecan meringue,

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and finished with a drizzle of blood orange syrup.

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Pumpkins can be very, very sweet,

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and actually quite a botanical sweetness.

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It's not like, sugar sweet -

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that's going to come from the meringue.

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-So, who's copied who?

-Well, I mean, it was my idea. Doing grapefruit.

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-What do you think he's been doing? Reading your e-mails?

-I think so.

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-Do you think he's outside your house?

-He's hacked into my...

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-Night-vision...

-..into my laptop.

-Night-vision goggles?

-I think so.

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Jane and Candice are also going head-to-head

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with their botanical flavours.

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I'm cooking a lime and coconut meringue pie.

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And the inspiration really comes from Harry Nilsson's song

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called Coconut. My husband, when I met him,

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it would be one of those things,

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if you talk about lime or about coconut, we both go into

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"put the lime in the coconut," so it just seemed an obvious choice.

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Jane's striving for top spot by putting the lime in the filling,

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and the coconut in the pastry,

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and she'll finish with a coconut meringue.

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-You're using Italian meringue or conventional?

-I'm doing Swiss.

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-It's a Swiss one.

-Oh, right.

-It just crisps nicely in the oven.

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-Which I like them in the oven.

-Well, good luck anyway, Jane.

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Thank you.

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Swiss meringue's quite stable,

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and I wanted to then bake mine so it was crispy,

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and Swiss meringue you can do that with.

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Mine's got to be good to beat Candice.

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I know where my rival is. She's right behind me today.

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So, my bake is my lime and coconut meringue pie.

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I'm using a little bit of... I've got some lemon grass and some sugar,

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so hopefully it just gives it a sort of a real, sort of, background

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that kind of goes together.

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Candice is making sweet vanilla pastry

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filled with a lime and lemon grass curd.

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Her coconut meringue will be piped with a decorative twist.

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I'm going to strip my piping bag with some green,

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so you've got sort of a green swirl going through some of the roses.

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It's a nice look, when you paint the inside of your bag and then pipe it.

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-How are you finishing the meringue, In the oven?

-Yeah, going to finish

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it in the oven. I have got a blowtorch. If there's not enough

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colour on the white bits I might do, but I'm happy with the oven bake.

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-Thank you, Candice.

-Thank you.

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The thing that I'm not too happy about

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is they're nearly all using blowtorches. And, to me,

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meringue topping is best

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put in the oven to get a crunchiness.

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And not many of them have got that method.

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I want that slight crack, you just drop your fork in there.

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-It's delicious.

-Let's hope we get it.

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Botanical bakers, you have an hour left on your citrus meringue.

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My curd's looking quite nice. Had a little taste. It's really tart.

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Which is good. Makes you go...

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Getting the right consistency of their fillings is crucial.

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It's taking so long to thicken.

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Too thin and it won't set.

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It's a bit slow, going to put some cornflour in there. We'll see.

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Too thick and the curd could end up lumpy and solid.

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I just need to be careful not to curdle it.

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I can feel it thickening nicely, actually. You get this nice

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silky, smooth, flavoured curd, but without all the bits.

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It is beginning up now, so it's good. It's just, you've got to wait,

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you've just got to wait for these things, can't rush it.

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Take that off the heat for a minute. Just while I check the bottom.

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I'm just taking it off for the blind bake.

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Not quite as brown as I'd have liked, but...

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I think I rolled it out slightly thicker than I normally do.

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Just wait for it to go down a little bit.

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Soggy bottom would ruin the whole thing.

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This is now going back in.

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While some have decided to bake their fillings...

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Going into the fridge.

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..Rav and Andrew are just chilling.

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-Just going to dump this in the fridge.

-Yeah, do it.

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-Bloomin' good.

-I'm chilling the pie because I want the curd to be set.

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If it's not set, once you cut into it, it'll just be a gloopy mess

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and I don't want that to happen when Mary and Paul cut into it.

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45 minutes remaining.

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Just got to crack on with my meringue.

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To create the perfect meringue,

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the bakers must whisk the egg whites and sugar into soft peaks.

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So I'm just going to add in my sugar, bit by bit,

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so it doesn't collapse on me.

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If the meringue isn't robust enough, it won't hold its shape when piped.

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It's not quite there,

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so I'm just going to allow it to whisk some more.

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I'm not happy. It needs to be nice and thick.

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I wanted to get stiff peaks.

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The bowl should be cold, and it's just a wee bit warm,

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so I'll give it another minute.

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Coming out.

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Delighted with it. It's set really nicely.

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Happy with that, looks good. We'll get some meringue on it.

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I guess I would have liked it to be a bit stiffer.

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It's not how it's intended to be.

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I think I've under-whipped it.

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I'm not hugely happy with how stiff my meringue is.

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I've got two layers of meringue going on.

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I've mixed coconut in the bottom layer

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cos I didn't want to pipe this cos it's hard to pipe.

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The coconut's got stuck in the nozzle. So I think the coconut's

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just a little bit bigger than what it was at home.

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It all got stuck, so I've just swirled it altogether.

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It just looks horrendous.

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OK, you beautiful bouquet of bakers,

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you've got ten minutes left on the citrus meringue challenge.

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I'm making the blood orange syrup in the pan.

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It's going in the oven for about five minutes.

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I want a brown, but not blowtorched look on the meringue.

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Are you blowtorching?

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I think it just looks better, you can control where you brown it.

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Are you saying the blowtorch could be the difference

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-between you and Selasi?

-I think it could be.

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-What's going on?

-It's horrendous.

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Give it a bit of blowtorchery and then do a bit of zhuzh-ery,

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then you'll be absolutely fine.

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Bakers, you've got one minute left on this.

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Mine is so wet.

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I've put in a little bit of egg white, and then caster sugar on,

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to frost my mint leaves for my decoration,

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to try and make it not look as absolutely horrendous as it does.

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All done.

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There's nothing I can do.

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OK, botanical bakers, the bake is over.

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Is your meringue OK?

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-Mine's awful.

-I couldn't get it to whip up.

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THUNDER RUMBLES

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Paul and Mary are looking for a large citrus meringue pie

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with a well-baked pastry base, a zesty citrus filling,

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topped with a layer of meringue.

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The overall appearance is lovely.

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It's a difficult flavour, grapefruit,

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it's difficult to get any strength in it.

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It'll be interesting to see how we've got on.

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Ooh, that went straight through.

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We've got a lovely proportion of pastry, filling and topping.

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The grapefruit comes through beautifully.

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Absolutely smashed that out of the park, the curd.

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It is sharp. The grapefruit complements the topping.

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-I think you've actually done a very, very good job.

-Thank you.

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You've got good meringue, good piping, your pastry's a good colour.

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-Looks good to me.

-Thank you.

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Wow, that's really holding, isn't it?

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No movement in that whatsoever.

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The flavour is stunning, but it's the curd that's the problem on that,

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-it's too dry.

-The filling, for me, is too stiff and cloying.

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Too much thickening.

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I wanted more volume from it,

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a bit more height. It's falling down the sides.

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It didn't whip up as much as I would have liked it to.

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-No.

-But that's a little bit too soft.

-Yeah.

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You can't even see the curd in there at all.

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I'm just looking at the pastry underneath, if I can find it.

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-Good luck with that, Mary.

-It looks good.

-Yeah, looks good.

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The pastry tastes good and I like the little bit of mandarin

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in the pastry, that was good.

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I am getting a hint of tequila right at the end.

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But the flavour's not strong enough.

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OK.

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Pastry looks a good colour,

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we can see that you've piped your meringue.

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We didn't quite get the volume,

0:17:120:17:13

and you ran out of meringue when you got to the middle.

0:17:130:17:16

-That is very thick. That's nearly the same thickness as your curd.

-Mm.

0:17:160:17:20

That curd is absolutely beautiful.

0:17:220:17:26

You've got it right.

0:17:260:17:27

Sharp underneath, which we expect from the curd,

0:17:270:17:30

sweet on top, which is the meringue.

0:17:300:17:32

Pastry too thick, not quite done in the middle.

0:17:320:17:36

-OK.

-Thank you.

-Thank you.

0:17:360:17:37

What I'm concerned about is that line there.

0:17:450:17:48

That's underdone pastry.

0:17:480:17:50

The meringue is hugely sweet and it's very, very soft.

0:17:500:17:54

The pumpkin is sweet, the topping is sweet.

0:17:540:17:57

Tasting that, I wouldn't know citrus was there at all.

0:17:570:18:00

I like the idea of the coconut being on the top,

0:18:070:18:09

it does look quite attractive.

0:18:090:18:11

I'm fascinated to see what this base is going to be like, though.

0:18:110:18:13

And you've done it in the oven, and that's how I like my meringue done.

0:18:130:18:17

-Oh, yes.

-Holding well on the knife.

-Oh, yes.

0:18:170:18:21

There is just the right amount of lime with that.

0:18:230:18:28

And the coconut's coming through.

0:18:280:18:29

-I like it.

-Oh, thank you.

0:18:290:18:32

Overall, I'm not very happy with the appearance.

0:18:360:18:39

The colour looks a bit odd and more height would be good.

0:18:390:18:41

The pastry base looks all right, I'm just wondering about these wilted

0:18:410:18:44

leaves sort of sitting on the side.

0:18:440:18:46

It's a very wet meringue, that, isn't it, as well?

0:18:460:18:49

The actual curd itself is very good flavour.

0:18:520:18:55

-Thank you. Tart.

-It's delicious.

0:18:550:18:58

-It's excellent.

-Meringue tastes OK, just looks awful.

0:18:580:19:01

OK!

0:19:010:19:03

Wasn't supposed to be that green.

0:19:030:19:05

But it was very green. But close your eyes, it tastes really good,

0:19:050:19:09

actually, and I'm really happy with how it tastes.

0:19:090:19:11

I think some of the comments they made are absolutely fair.

0:19:110:19:14

But I think that was a citrus pie.

0:19:140:19:16

My curd came out quite well. And his, it's not even funny,

0:19:160:19:21

his came out a bit too thick after all that.

0:19:210:19:24

That didn't go that well. Makes me a bit anxious going back into the tent

0:19:260:19:30

to deal with the Technical. The pressure's kind of on a bit.

0:19:300:19:33

OK, bakers, it's time for your botanical Technical,

0:19:420:19:46

which today is set for you by the whimsical, yet maniacal uncle Paul.

0:19:460:19:51

Paul, any words of wisdom for the gang?

0:19:510:19:55

Be patient and remember the shaping.

0:19:550:19:57

A bit of a catchphrase, that, for Paul.

0:19:570:19:59

-Enigmatic. Paul and Mary, we don't need you for this bit.

-No.

0:19:590:20:03

Because you will be judging blind, so off you go, into the garden.

0:20:030:20:06

There are some messy bushes that need trimming.

0:20:060:20:08

Right, now they have disappeared, I can announce your Technical.

0:20:080:20:12

Of course, botanicals aren't just about citrus flavourings,

0:20:120:20:15

they're about herbal flavourings.

0:20:150:20:17

Paul would like you to make a French classic -

0:20:170:20:22

two herb fougasse.

0:20:220:20:25

You've got two hours on your Technical Challenge, bakers.

0:20:250:20:27

-On your marks.

-Get set.

-BOTH:

-Bake.

0:20:270:20:29

I've heard of it but never made it before, so...

0:20:340:20:37

Yeah, we'll see.

0:20:370:20:39

I know what a fougasse should look like, I've eaten fougasse.

0:20:400:20:43

So that's a plus.

0:20:430:20:45

I've never made one before, that's the only thing.

0:20:450:20:47

Paul, why have you chosen fougasse as the Technical Challenge?

0:20:480:20:51

Because it's botanical week, fougasse is leaf-shaped in its cut.

0:20:510:20:56

Now, they have to be quite careful with this.

0:20:560:20:58

Just use your fingers, stretch it out

0:20:580:21:01

and then make two slashes down the middle and six diagonal slashes

0:21:010:21:05

on both sides, so it looks like a leaf,

0:21:050:21:08

so we're going to break this off... You can hear that straightaway.

0:21:080:21:12

Immediately you pick that up, it smells of those herbs

0:21:120:21:16

and using fresh herbs makes all the difference, doesn't it?

0:21:160:21:20

It's got that lovely crunchy outside

0:21:200:21:21

and as soon as you get in the middle,

0:21:210:21:23

-there's a little bit of spring.

-That's it.

0:21:230:21:25

That's a fougasse. If they're good, Mary,

0:21:250:21:27

and they're careful and they follow the recipe,

0:21:270:21:29

we should end up with 14 spectacular, flawless fougasse.

0:21:290:21:34

No problem.

0:21:340:21:35

So, the first line says, "Make the dough by mixing the flour, salt,

0:21:360:21:40

"yeast and oil and three quarters of the water."

0:21:400:21:43

I think that's pretty straightforward.

0:21:430:21:45

"As the dough starts to come together,

0:21:450:21:47

"slowly add the remaining water." Which I'm doing.

0:21:470:21:50

I don't know if it's supposed to be, like, super wet or not.

0:21:500:21:54

I'm just trying to knead it in a bit at a time.

0:21:570:22:00

I love fougasse, it's one of my favourite things.

0:22:000:22:02

It's actually my cinema snack.

0:22:020:22:04

And I like bread.

0:22:040:22:05

Bread makes me feel happy and comfortable.

0:22:050:22:08

I don't think it needs much working.

0:22:080:22:10

I've just stopped adding the water cos I think it will make it too wet.

0:22:100:22:14

It looks like a standard white bread recipe.

0:22:140:22:17

It says, "As the dough starts to come together, then add the herbs."

0:22:170:22:20

So, we've got two teaspoons of sage, two teaspoons of thyme,

0:22:200:22:24

and two teaspoons of rosemary.

0:22:240:22:26

Just doing this at speed, so we can get a nice prove on the dough.

0:22:270:22:32

I'm just going to leave it nice and wet -

0:22:340:22:36

because there wasn't a step that was like, "Knead the dough."

0:22:360:22:39

It's actually quite a nice-feeling dough.

0:22:430:22:47

It's coming together.

0:22:480:22:50

Yeah, that passes the window pane test. I'm going to get that in.

0:22:500:22:53

It says "prove".

0:22:540:22:56

Doesn't list how long we're supposed to prove it for.

0:22:560:22:59

I guess we have to kind of use our own baking instincts.

0:22:590:23:02

I just put my dough in my proving draw.

0:23:020:23:04

I'm going to leave it there for 40 minutes and then we'll take a view.

0:23:060:23:09

I can leave it for an hour.

0:23:090:23:10

I'm going to prove it for 45 minutes.

0:23:110:23:14

Don't want to over prove it.

0:23:140:23:16

So now we just wait.

0:23:160:23:17

Two leaf-shaped fougasse.

0:23:220:23:23

So...

0:23:240:23:26

It just says, "Slash each fougasse,

0:23:280:23:30

"with two consecutive cuts down the middle and six on either side."

0:23:300:23:33

Six on either side. One, two, three, four, five, six.

0:23:330:23:37

Consecutive could mean one, two.

0:23:370:23:39

Or it could mean one, two.

0:23:390:23:41

I'm from an engineering background, consecutive is one after the other.

0:23:420:23:46

It's supposed to look like a leaf

0:23:460:23:48

and I'm now erring towards one on top of the other.

0:23:480:23:52

Yeah.

0:23:520:23:54

OK, my rootin', tootin' gluten-shootin' bakers,

0:23:550:23:58

you've got one hour, that's it, one hour left.

0:23:580:24:01

Ooh! We've got a good rise.

0:24:010:24:03

It's doubled in size.

0:24:070:24:08

Probably tripled in size, actually.

0:24:080:24:10

It says, "Divide in half and shape into two leaf-shaped fougasse."

0:24:110:24:16

My, my. That's sticky.

0:24:160:24:18

Leaf, like that.

0:24:200:24:22

I'm just slashing my fougasse.

0:24:260:24:30

I've gone for the one after the other...

0:24:330:24:35

and I've committed now.

0:24:350:24:36

This is starting to look like what I've eaten. To be honest with you,

0:24:360:24:40

I can't remember exactly if the slits were in the middle like that.

0:24:400:24:43

My consecutive lines are one on top of the other.

0:24:430:24:46

I think two on either side wouldn't have given me much space

0:24:460:24:49

to do the slits on the side.

0:24:490:24:51

I've cut the lines in the middle, which doesn't look right.

0:24:550:24:59

I don't know. It'll be nice.

0:24:590:25:01

Let's not forget that in bread week, who was Star Baker?

0:25:030:25:06

I don't know, I can't remember.

0:25:060:25:08

-No, it was me.

-Tom!

0:25:080:25:10

-Yeah.

-So this is good territory for you.

0:25:100:25:12

-Yeah. I'm feeling that's quite pretty.

-Yeah, it looks lovely.

0:25:120:25:15

Are you going to prove those again now?

0:25:150:25:17

-Yeah.

-So these are your little proving sheaths.

0:25:170:25:21

-Yes, exactly!

-And you just leave them in there, do you?

0:25:210:25:24

Yeah, I think I'm going to prove these at room temperature...

0:25:240:25:26

-OK, love.

-..just because I won't get two of them in the proving drawer.

0:25:260:25:29

Get as much air as possible in there, and then it can go...

0:25:290:25:33

Start its second prove.

0:25:340:25:35

I'll give it 20 minutes' prove.

0:25:350:25:37

I'm probably just going to prove it on the side.

0:25:370:25:39

I won't stick it in the drawer.

0:25:390:25:41

I'm going to prove that for 25 minutes, maybe.

0:25:410:25:44

I'm going to probably prove it for...

0:25:440:25:46

..another 30 minutes or so.

0:25:480:25:50

Fingers crossed.

0:25:500:25:51

Oh, God! I've never been so stressed about dough in my life.

0:25:520:25:57

OK, bakers, 30 minutes till we need to see your fougasse-ious material

0:26:000:26:04

on the table.

0:26:040:26:07

Do you know what? I think I'm going to go in.

0:26:070:26:09

Proving is finished. It's not risen much.

0:26:090:26:12

All right, I'm going to go for it.

0:26:130:26:16

So I'm brushing it with olive oil

0:26:160:26:17

and then I'll sprinkle some oregano on -

0:26:170:26:20

that's what the instructions say.

0:26:200:26:22

I'm going to put it in for ten minutes.

0:26:260:26:28

They're both going in.

0:26:280:26:29

He said, "Be patient," didn't he?

0:26:320:26:34

I think Selasi thinks we've got more time than we do.

0:26:360:26:40

Because it's got to bake and it's got to cool.

0:26:400:26:42

I'm just going to take my time

0:26:420:26:44

and just do it the right time and not rush it.

0:26:440:26:46

20 minutes remaining.

0:26:480:26:50

Most French ovens are steam injected ovens, so it's a French bread,

0:27:020:27:06

my thought process goes, put some steam in there.

0:27:060:27:08

-Did you go for steam?

-No. Because I thought...

0:27:120:27:16

I mean, I know it's not a focaccia, but it feels like a focaccia.

0:27:160:27:19

And I wouldn't put steam in my focaccia.

0:27:190:27:21

-Mm.

-But I don't know.

0:27:210:27:23

OK, bakers, 15 minutes and we're all going to need fou-gastric bands

0:27:250:27:29

because they'll be so delicious.

0:27:290:27:31

OK, I'm running out of time now. Time to bake it.

0:27:310:27:34

Cook, cook, cook.

0:27:370:27:39

It's rising, which is good.

0:27:420:27:43

It's looking like I would expect a fougasse to...

0:27:440:27:47

I would buy this fougasse.

0:27:470:27:49

Doesn't look good. I think it might be underbaked...

0:27:500:27:54

-..which I don't want.

-You are so Zen.

0:27:560:27:59

It's looking really puffed up,

0:27:590:28:00

so maybe I should've stretched it out more.

0:28:000:28:02

Bakers, that's five minutes remaining on your bakes.

0:28:040:28:09

I mean, it feels hollow.

0:28:160:28:19

One minute for good luck.

0:28:190:28:21

Hopefully OK. It's supposed to be quite flat.

0:28:210:28:23

-Yeah. Good.

-I've got one more minute left in the oven

0:28:230:28:25

-and we've got three minutes left.

-So, two minutes for cooling.

0:28:250:28:28

Two minutes for cooling.

0:28:280:28:29

I think it's done. It's better than having it in the oven

0:28:310:28:34

and being worried that they're not.

0:28:340:28:36

That feels right to me.

0:28:410:28:43

A thing of beauty!

0:28:430:28:45

I get so excited by bread.

0:28:450:28:47

Happy with that.

0:28:490:28:50

That is not cooked.

0:28:520:28:54

I don't understand that.

0:28:540:28:56

I'm going to spend my remaining one minute wafting like a maniac.

0:28:560:28:59

I've got... Just got pale portions in the middle.

0:29:020:29:04

Damn it! Maybe I shouldn't have steamed.

0:29:040:29:07

Coming out.

0:29:080:29:09

It looks underbaked.

0:29:150:29:16

OK, bakers, time is up on the fougasse.

0:29:210:29:25

Please bring them up.

0:29:250:29:26

Paul and Mary are looking for 14 leaf-shaped herb fougasse.

0:29:270:29:31

As they're judging blind, they have no idea whose bread is whose.

0:29:320:29:36

Start from this side, Mary.

0:29:360:29:37

Now, the idea of a fougasse, when you cut the diagonal lines,

0:29:370:29:41

it's to make it look like a leaf.

0:29:410:29:43

The lines are meant to go one, two.

0:29:430:29:46

It's not a bad bake, actually. You can see the herbs on the top.

0:29:460:29:49

They look nice.

0:29:490:29:50

Nice and crisp on the outside and soft in the middle.

0:29:530:29:57

This is exactly how I wanted to see it.

0:29:570:30:01

Two down the middle. Six, each side.

0:30:010:30:03

That's a nice one, that one.

0:30:030:30:04

-Nice flavour.

-It is baked.

0:30:070:30:10

That's the key thing, it is baked, and it does taste good.

0:30:100:30:13

This is a little bit smaller and the cuts are in the wrong place again.

0:30:130:30:15

It's very spongy, isn't it, in the middle?

0:30:160:30:19

Could have flattened that one out a bit.

0:30:190:30:20

It's a bit small. You can fill the tray right to the edge.

0:30:200:30:23

The bake's good, though. This one needed a bit more in the oven.

0:30:230:30:26

See by the colour underneath, how pale that is?

0:30:260:30:29

-You want it to be crispy.

-It's spongy, isn't it?

0:30:290:30:32

Yeah. More like a flowery bap.

0:30:320:30:34

The cuts are wrong.

0:30:350:30:37

-It isn't crisp at all.

-No.

0:30:370:30:39

Moving on, again, cuts in the wrong place.

0:30:390:30:41

Should've been more leaf-like.

0:30:410:30:43

But they are opened up a bit more, so it's filled the tray.

0:30:430:30:46

Needed a little bit longer.

0:30:460:30:48

Again, it's not crisp on the outside.

0:30:510:30:54

That's not bad. It just needed longer in the oven.

0:30:540:30:57

It's got a stronger bake. You can see the brown underneath.

0:30:570:31:00

It's crispy all the way round, which I like.

0:31:020:31:06

-Mmm, it's good.

-With a bit of cheese.

0:31:060:31:08

-Cheese.

-Ooh, cheese.

-Wine.

0:31:080:31:10

-Wine!

-That's nice.

0:31:100:31:12

Moving on to the last one, cuts in the right place.

0:31:130:31:15

Could've done with another five minutes in the oven.

0:31:160:31:19

It's a bit soft here and crispy on the outside.

0:31:190:31:21

Your flavour's there. The bake isn't.

0:31:230:31:25

Mary and Paul will now reveal whose herb fougasse

0:31:270:31:31

is technically perfect.

0:31:310:31:32

In seventh place is this one, Selasi.

0:31:320:31:36

Too soft. Cuts in the wrong place.

0:31:360:31:38

In sixth place, this one was slightly underbaked.

0:31:380:31:42

In fifth place is this one.

0:31:420:31:45

The cuts are in the wrong place and, actually,

0:31:450:31:47

-could've done with a little bit longer, as well.

-In fourth place...

0:31:470:31:51

The cuts aren't in the right place.

0:31:510:31:54

In third place is this one.

0:31:540:31:56

You could've done with opening those up a bit,

0:31:560:31:58

but the crispiness of that was delicious. Well done.

0:31:580:32:00

In second place, a very nice bake.

0:32:000:32:03

Lovely and crispy.

0:32:030:32:04

So, first place, this one.

0:32:040:32:06

Brilliant.

0:32:060:32:08

THEY CLAP

0:32:080:32:09

That's a good fougasse, Tom.

0:32:090:32:11

-Well done.

-Yes!

0:32:110:32:13

I think that's the closest I've come to crying in the tent, yet,

0:32:140:32:17

out of just sheer relief and joy.

0:32:170:32:19

Sometimes things don't go your way,

0:32:190:32:21

so I need to pull something out of the bag again.

0:32:210:32:23

Out of the hat? Bag?

0:32:230:32:26

I want, tomorrow, to have an absolutely amazing cake,

0:32:260:32:30

and I want them to go, "Wow, now that's what I call a Showstopper."

0:32:300:32:36

If tomorrow's average or worse, I could be going home.

0:32:360:32:40

The bakers have one final botanical challenge to impress Mary and Paul -

0:32:470:32:51

the Showstopper. One more chance to keep their place in the tent.

0:32:510:32:55

Now, Mary and Paul, it seems to me that this weekend,

0:32:550:32:58

we're seeing the triumph of girls and the slow wilting of the boys.

0:32:580:33:02

The girls are coming through with flying colours

0:33:020:33:04

-and the boys are sinking back.

-Mmm. A little like the meringues.

0:33:040:33:08

Let's start at the top.

0:33:080:33:09

Benjamina's had a good weekend so far, hasn't she?

0:33:090:33:11

Benjamina's flown away.

0:33:110:33:13

I mean, she's been consistent, actually, over the weeks, now.

0:33:130:33:15

Doing pretty well, we've got Candice.

0:33:150:33:18

A good tasting meringue.

0:33:180:33:20

Oh, it was a beautiful curd, and good pastry.

0:33:200:33:23

I mean, Jane is strong again.

0:33:230:33:25

And she had made a very good meringue and she was one of the few

0:33:250:33:28

that, when she piped it, it kept its shape.

0:33:280:33:31

Andrew, up to now, has been, sort of, pretty consistent, hasn't he?

0:33:310:33:35

Should we be worrying about him now?

0:33:350:33:37

I think Selasi and Andrew and, dare I say it, Rav.

0:33:370:33:40

-Oh, dear.

-I need to bring Tom in, as well.

0:33:400:33:42

The pumpkin, it didn't taste very good.

0:33:420:33:43

Very stodgy. He did come first in technical.

0:33:430:33:46

-Yeah.

-But that was quite tight, anyway, in technical,

0:33:460:33:48

so I wouldn't discount Tom at this stage.

0:33:480:33:50

I would say, at the moment,

0:33:500:33:52

all the lads are in trouble coming into the Showstopper.

0:33:520:33:55

-Every single male baker is in trouble?

-Yes.

0:33:550:33:59

Welcome back, bakers, to your botanical Showstopper day.

0:34:090:34:13

Now, Paul and Mary would love you, please,

0:34:130:34:15

to make a spectacular floral cake,

0:34:150:34:19

and here is the floral dance to go with that cake.

0:34:190:34:22

I can hear her hips when they move.

0:34:220:34:24

Good. They'd like it, please, to have at least three tiers.

0:34:240:34:27

You can use flowers in it.

0:34:270:34:29

You can use flowers on it, in the icing.

0:34:290:34:31

You can decorate with flowers. You can fill with flowers.

0:34:310:34:34

You've got four hours, so...

0:34:340:34:36

-On your marks...

-Get set... BOTH:

-Bake.

0:34:360:34:38

I think everyone's, kind of, on edge a bit,

0:34:410:34:43

because there's a lot riding on the Showstopper.

0:34:430:34:45

And I certainly don't want to go home yet!

0:34:450:34:47

I'm just really nervous.

0:34:500:34:51

I have got quite a lot going on today.

0:34:520:34:54

However, they are all cakes that I enjoy making, so, hopefully,

0:34:540:34:59

as long as I can get them in the oven,

0:34:590:35:02

then let the decorating commence.

0:35:020:35:05

I'm worried that the judges might think

0:35:050:35:07

it's just not got enough of a wow factor,

0:35:070:35:10

so I'm going to try and make it look as beautiful

0:35:100:35:13

and finessed as possible.

0:35:130:35:15

We've asked them to make a three-tier floral cake.

0:35:180:35:21

I think of roses, elderflower, lavender...

0:35:210:35:25

To get that light, floral flavour coming through is very tricky,

0:35:250:35:29

and, in some cases, can be very overpowering.

0:35:290:35:32

-They'll have to be careful.

-The other thing, of course,

0:35:320:35:35

is all about the decoration. It's got to look exceptional.

0:35:350:35:37

I hope they're inspired to do something very special.

0:35:370:35:40

I'm doing, erm, a Mary classic in that I am doing all-in-ones, so,

0:35:420:35:46

basically, you don't cream the butter and the sugar separately.

0:35:460:35:49

For speed, you just shove it all in.

0:35:490:35:51

-Good morning, Andrew.

-Morning!

-Tell us about your floral cake.

0:35:520:35:55

So, I'm making a fruity spring elderflower cake.

0:35:550:35:58

So, on my base layer, I'm going to have a cherry and almond sponge,

0:35:580:36:02

my middle one is going to be a lemon and elderflower drizzle,

0:36:020:36:04

and then the top is going to be a hidden strawberry vanilla cake.

0:36:040:36:08

Andrew's floral Showstopper will use fresh strawberries,

0:36:080:36:11

chopped glace cherries and Kirsch liqueur.

0:36:110:36:13

He'll then decorate his three tiers of sponge with real flowers.

0:36:130:36:16

What are you covering the whole thing with?

0:36:170:36:19

So, I'm making a Swiss buttercream,

0:36:190:36:21

which I'm going to flavour with a bit of elderflower cordial

0:36:210:36:23

and mainly this elderflower extract,

0:36:230:36:25

-which is very strong, so I'll use it sparingly...

-Sparingly.

0:36:250:36:27

..just give it a nice fragrant... But not overpower it.

0:36:270:36:30

-Get a good...

-Good luck, Andrew.

-OK.

-Thank you.

-Cheers. Thank you.

0:36:300:36:33

I'm not much of a floral guy at all, if I'm honest with you,

0:36:360:36:39

so the fact that I've chosen to pipe my own buttercream flowers,

0:36:390:36:44

I've really set myself a challenge here today.

0:36:440:36:47

Hiding beneath Rav's piped flowers will be three tiers

0:36:470:36:49

of orange blossom, almond and vanilla flavour sponge,

0:36:490:36:52

covered in a Swiss meringue buttercream.

0:36:520:36:55

I've only gone for one flavour for all three of my tiers,

0:36:550:36:57

because I thought that would, kind of, make it slightly easier

0:36:570:37:00

than worrying about having to make different flavours for each tier.

0:37:000:37:04

These are camomile flowers

0:37:040:37:07

which I'm just crushing up into a fine powder,

0:37:070:37:10

and I'm going to steep in the hot butter

0:37:100:37:13

to go into the genoise sponge.

0:37:130:37:15

As soon as I heard that we were making a floral cake,

0:37:150:37:18

I immediately started thinking about, like, floral teas.

0:37:180:37:20

I really like jasmine tea, camomile tea, all those sorts of things.

0:37:200:37:25

Tom is piping elderflower buttercream rosettes

0:37:250:37:28

to entirely cover his trio

0:37:280:37:29

of tea-infused genoise sponges.

0:37:290:37:31

What worries me is some of the flavours you've come up with

0:37:310:37:34

have been out there, and is tea really going to blow our mind

0:37:340:37:38

-in a Showstopper, in a sponge?

-It does come through, you know.

0:37:380:37:40

It doesn't just taste like it's not there.

0:37:400:37:42

I'm hoping to convince you that tea in a dessert actually works.

0:37:420:37:45

-Good on you.

-Well, we'll see.

-Thank you, Tom.

0:37:450:37:48

OK, that's one out.

0:37:520:37:54

I am making a four-tier...

0:37:570:38:00

..changing of the seasons...

0:38:000:38:03

..floral cake.

0:38:050:38:06

The seasons are all very, very different, so I'm, kind of,

0:38:060:38:09

going for showing that through cake form.

0:38:090:38:12

Candice's four seasons cake

0:38:120:38:13

begins with a chocolate and orange blossom

0:38:130:38:15

layer for spring, a lemon, raspberry and rose for summer,

0:38:150:38:18

spiced carrot for autumn, and a fruitcake for winter.

0:38:180:38:22

I'm going for all different sizes, all different shapes.

0:38:220:38:24

-Wow.

-And my top tier, which I'm just finishing off,

0:38:240:38:27

is my nan's boiled fruitcake, and the only...

0:38:270:38:32

-That is it.

-Is that your nan's writing?

0:38:320:38:34

-That is my nan's writing.

-That makes me so very happy.

0:38:340:38:37

That is what baking is all about.

0:38:370:38:38

-Yeah.

-Just in one little, tiny sheet of paper.

0:38:380:38:40

-Yeah.

-You've got a mammoth task ahead of you.

0:38:400:38:43

-OK. Good luck.

-Thank you so much.

-Thank you, Candice.

0:38:430:38:48

I'm not using any real flowers, which, actually, in hindsight,

0:38:480:38:51

possibly is an error, because it would be so much quicker.

0:38:510:38:54

So, there's a lot to get done,

0:38:540:38:55

but I think I've got my timings in my head.

0:38:550:38:57

Garden designer Jane is going all out with her floral decoration,

0:38:570:39:01

making her own sugar-paste flowers and floral chocolate collars

0:39:010:39:04

to wrap around each of her three tiers of orange-flavoured sponges.

0:39:040:39:08

To go down a floral challenge and do a floral decoration

0:39:080:39:13

-rather than flavours is...

-Rather than floral flavours?

0:39:130:39:16

-Yeah.

-I thought, I'll do a lovely orange,

0:39:160:39:19

which is a flowery flavour anyway,

0:39:190:39:21

and just shove as much flower on the outside as I can.

0:39:210:39:24

Let's hope that your flowers on the top excel.

0:39:240:39:27

I hope so. I've practised them an awful lot.

0:39:270:39:30

You've got to gamble a bit at this, week six of Bake Off.

0:39:300:39:34

I just hope I haven't made a wrong choice, really, today.

0:39:340:39:38

This is the cherry and almond. I'm happy with the consistency.

0:39:380:39:40

I think I've got my cherries dispersed pretty evenly

0:39:400:39:43

throughout the mix.

0:39:430:39:44

20 minutes, that's going in for.

0:39:460:39:48

-Good.

-Speed, to me, today, is huge, because I'm doing chocolate collars

0:39:500:39:54

and a chocolate ganache underneath.

0:39:540:39:57

It's all got to be dead cold, so getting these in and chilled

0:39:570:40:02

is really, really important.

0:40:020:40:04

I'm on cake number two, now - the lemon and strawberry layer cake.

0:40:040:40:09

I'm making a three-tiered cake and they're going to be stacked up

0:40:090:40:13

and I'll be piping round it to the top,

0:40:130:40:15

add some glitter and some flowers.

0:40:150:40:17

Selasi is making three tiers of different flavoured sponge -

0:40:180:40:21

carrot,

0:40:210:40:22

strawberry and vanilla, and lemon and poppy seed.

0:40:220:40:25

He'll decorate each layer with pink and white piped rosettes.

0:40:250:40:28

The girls have definitely been very, very strong,

0:40:280:40:30

whereas the guys are almost going through...

0:40:300:40:33

I'm going to represent the boys, the flag for the lads.

0:40:340:40:39

Three...

0:40:420:40:44

I'm doing a camomile, honey and poppy seed cake for two of my tiers,

0:40:440:40:48

and I'm just infusing my milk with some dried camomile flowers,

0:40:480:40:53

and then a little bit of honey. So, it's very floral.

0:40:530:40:56

Benjamina is sandwiching an orange blossom and almond cake

0:40:560:40:59

between two camomile-infused sponges,

0:40:590:41:01

which she'll only partially cover in frosting.

0:41:010:41:04

It's going to be, like, semi-naked iced.

0:41:040:41:07

-Semi-naked?

-Yeah.

0:41:070:41:08

So it's not completely frosted.

0:41:080:41:10

I've never heard that... I've never heard those terms.

0:41:100:41:12

So you see a bit of the cake peeping through.

0:41:120:41:14

And then I've just got some fresh flowers. It's quite simple.

0:41:140:41:17

-Good luck. Thank you, Benjamina.

-Thank you.

0:41:170:41:20

Six tablespoons of poppy seeds.

0:41:210:41:25

A little bit too much mix.

0:41:250:41:27

It may take a bit long to bake, but, you know, too late now.

0:41:270:41:30

I'm just worried about the timing.

0:41:300:41:32

Ideally would've liked this to have been in the oven

0:41:320:41:35

within half an hour of us starting - so, way behind time.

0:41:350:41:39

Bakers, two hours gone, two hours to go.

0:41:430:41:47

I'm going to put them in now.

0:41:470:41:48

All right, I'm going into the oven.

0:41:510:41:53

This is browning very quickly, actually - I don't know why.

0:42:000:42:02

The mixture doesn't look right.

0:42:020:42:04

The oven looks as though it was a bit too hot, so rather than risk it,

0:42:040:42:07

I'm going to take it out and chuck it away.

0:42:070:42:09

It's probably put me 20 minutes where I didn't want to be.

0:42:110:42:14

I'm really pleased with my chocolate cake, actually.

0:42:170:42:20

It's looking quite nice.

0:42:200:42:22

I've just put my second lot in. We shall see.

0:42:270:42:29

All right, that's me done.

0:42:320:42:34

All done. All seem good.

0:42:340:42:37

That smells of elderflower.

0:42:370:42:39

That smells of camomile.

0:42:390:42:41

That smells of jasmine. I'm happy.

0:42:410:42:43

Grr!

0:42:430:42:45

This one's a tad overdone.

0:42:450:42:48

I don't know why it's still so moist in the middle.

0:42:480:42:51

It's just that's the leftover elderflower cordial.

0:42:510:42:53

With three tiers to bake...

0:42:560:42:58

It's not cooked, man.

0:42:580:43:01

..and decorate, timing is crucial.

0:43:020:43:05

Ideally, I'd wait until this was totally cool before cutting it.

0:43:050:43:08

I'm going to give myself an hour for icing and decorating.

0:43:080:43:11

Because I'll be piping a lot of roses outside,

0:43:110:43:13

I need to make a lot of mix.

0:43:130:43:15

I need to start making flowers.

0:43:170:43:19

I've just put some food colouring into my buttercream,

0:43:190:43:22

which is going to be used to pipe my buttercream flowers.

0:43:220:43:24

It tastes like elderflowers.

0:43:240:43:27

I just can't tell any more.

0:43:270:43:28

Oh. Oh. I got it that time.

0:43:320:43:34

Because I haven't got flowers in my cake,

0:43:360:43:39

my decoration is absolutely crucial.

0:43:390:43:42

I don't know why I've chosen to pipe my own flowers.

0:43:420:43:45

It's good. It shows a skill.

0:43:450:43:46

-I hope so.

-Do you like doing this sort of careful...

0:43:460:43:49

-I hate it.

-Oh.

0:43:490:43:51

-Oh, Rav.

-I know that this cake has to look good,

0:43:510:43:54

and I don't do pretty with my bakes, so I'm really, really worried.

0:43:540:43:58

It's cooked. Yeah. Fortunately.

0:44:030:44:05

OK, they caught on the side, though. It'll have to do.

0:44:050:44:09

Oh, that looks good. Look at that.

0:44:090:44:10

That was supposed to be done half an hour ago.

0:44:100:44:13

I think I just put, probably, a bit too much mix, but...

0:44:130:44:16

Listen, you'll just have to slightly speed up.

0:44:160:44:18

OK.

0:44:180:44:19

Come on, bakers. We've not got all daisy!

0:44:210:44:23

Half an hour, in fact.

0:44:230:44:25

-Just half an hour left.

-Oh, no!

0:44:250:44:28

I was thinking, like, the pictures you see of Japanese blossom gardens.

0:44:380:44:42

I'm basically just wanting a really clean finish on it,

0:44:430:44:45

so I'm just crumb-coating each of these at the moment.

0:44:450:44:48

I hope they understand that seeing the cake come through a little bit

0:44:540:44:56

-is intentional.

-I'm trying to fill in all the holes.

0:44:560:44:59

I don't think I'm doing a very good job, though.

0:45:000:45:03

Personal taste, personal taste.

0:45:060:45:09

Looking at everybody else's, I've got no chance.

0:45:090:45:13

Look at Candice's in front of me.

0:45:140:45:17

Selasi has got some good decorations going on. Oh, God!

0:45:170:45:20

These are my chocolate wraps.

0:45:220:45:24

What I've done, is just melted white chocolate and coloured it up.

0:45:240:45:27

So, the positioning of the cake

0:45:270:45:29

is supposed to be a little bit higgledy-piggledy,

0:45:290:45:33

just like the seasons.

0:45:330:45:35

That's going to have to do. Next, putting on the flowers.

0:45:370:45:41

I wish I'd chosen fresh flowers now.

0:45:430:45:45

Just as well this is an abstract cake wrap.

0:45:450:45:49

Oh, gosh, they're all soft.

0:45:490:45:51

I'm going to have to put them in the freezer for a bit.

0:45:510:45:53

Chuck the flowers on.

0:45:550:45:57

I just want it to look very, kind of, clean and elegant,

0:45:570:46:00

and I'm going to have some tumbling down one side.

0:46:000:46:02

My piping skills are pretty good, actually.

0:46:040:46:06

I need it to be good enough and taste good enough, so, let's see.

0:46:060:46:11

You fill in the gaps and then, hopefully,

0:46:110:46:14

once it's all set and wrapped round the cake,

0:46:140:46:16

it'll cover a multitude of sins.

0:46:160:46:18

I've got the most difficult thing to do at the end,

0:46:210:46:24

which is to try and pipe some roses in the middle.

0:46:240:46:26

You've got five minutes left.

0:46:300:46:32

I'm just getting my chocolate wraps on.

0:46:330:46:36

I would normally not put them on quite so wet, but needs must...

0:46:360:46:41

That will have to do.

0:46:430:46:45

This is a complete mess.

0:46:500:46:54

That's looking a lot better than the practice one I made.

0:46:540:46:58

It's just piping on some...

0:47:000:47:02

some of my ganache.

0:47:020:47:04

OK, bakers, that's time.

0:47:100:47:12

So, bakers, to the end of your benches, please.

0:47:120:47:16

That looks absolutely terrible.

0:47:160:47:18

Paul and Mary are looking for three tiers of cake,

0:47:240:47:26

inspired by botanical flavours

0:47:260:47:28

and finished with elaborate floral decorations.

0:47:280:47:31

Candice, I'm amazed that you did those four tiers.

0:47:360:47:39

The overall appearance is fun.

0:47:390:47:41

-It's like you, isn't it?

-Yeah.

-You like to do things over the top.

0:47:410:47:45

Right, we'll start with your...

0:47:450:47:46

-Winter is coming!

-..Nan's boiled fruit.

0:47:460:47:50

-Nice flavour.

-Thank you.

0:47:520:47:54

-Well done, Gran.

-So, there's winter.

0:47:540:47:57

-Coming into autumn.

-This is autumn.

0:47:570:47:59

-The nut's come through.

-OK.

-The texture's OK.

0:48:000:48:02

-It's a little bit rubbery.

-OK.

-But the flavour is OK.

0:48:020:48:06

-OK.

-Right, moving onto the next one.

0:48:060:48:09

Summer's here.

0:48:090:48:11

Often, when you put rose in, it overpowers it.

0:48:130:48:16

-It doesn't. That's a good cake.

-Thank you.

-Lastly, with spring...

0:48:160:48:20

Chocolate orange and almond, and it's gluten-free, as well.

0:48:200:48:23

-It's a good chocolate cake.

-Thank you.

0:48:230:48:24

That's a good example because it's difficult to get a good cake

0:48:240:48:27

gluten-free, and it is good.

0:48:270:48:29

So, overall, I like your chocolate cake.

0:48:290:48:32

I like the fruitcake on the top. Summer was pretty good.

0:48:320:48:35

-Your carrot cake let you down a bit.

-OK.

0:48:350:48:37

I'd like to have seen a different decoration

0:48:470:48:49

other than just that you can pipe single blobs all the way around.

0:48:490:48:54

Right, so the top one is vanilla sponge.

0:48:540:48:56

Interesting strawberry in the middle.

0:48:560:48:58

And that's just cream, is it?

0:48:580:48:59

No, that's the elderflower Swiss buttercream.

0:48:590:49:03

I'm looking for the flavour. I can't...

0:49:030:49:04

It should be quite subtle. I didn't want it to...

0:49:040:49:07

-It's quite easy to go...

-It's so subtle, I can't find it.

0:49:070:49:10

Right, let's have a look at the next layer.

0:49:100:49:13

This is the lemon and elderflower drizzle.

0:49:130:49:16

It's over-baked, that one. It's dry as a bone.

0:49:190:49:22

-And this bottom one again?

-It is a cherry and almond.

0:49:220:49:25

They've all gathered in one little area.

0:49:250:49:27

Well, what's happened is the mixture was too slack.

0:49:270:49:31

The cake is quite dry, again. Quite close.

0:49:310:49:35

That's not good. That's a shame.

0:49:350:49:38

I like the look of the cake.

0:49:440:49:46

I... It just, for me, feels a bit unfinished.

0:49:460:49:48

OK. The bottom and the top one are the camomile-honey

0:49:480:49:51

and the middle one is orange.

0:49:510:49:53

It's not quite done.

0:49:560:49:58

-Mmm.

-There is a layer, here, of rather close mixture.

0:49:580:50:03

It was taken out of the oven a little bit too soon.

0:50:030:50:07

I can't get that tea coming through.

0:50:070:50:09

Let's go for the second layer.

0:50:090:50:11

The orange is coming through strongly and well.

0:50:130:50:16

That is absolutely spot on.

0:50:160:50:18

It's a shame about the top one and probably the bottom one.

0:50:180:50:21

Try the bottom one. It might be better.

0:50:210:50:23

Again, I can't taste the tea.

0:50:280:50:30

It's a bit of a mess when it comes to the icing.

0:50:380:50:40

When you go for a classic look, make sure it's really smooth.

0:50:400:50:42

The flowers, I think they could've been a bit bolder in their colour.

0:50:420:50:46

One, two, three.

0:50:470:50:49

I think it is slightly over-baked. That's a shame.

0:50:510:50:55

I think, really, that the cake itself is not very creative.

0:50:550:50:59

Same filling, same colouring.

0:50:590:51:01

It's just a bit samey.

0:51:010:51:03

Things didn't go completely to plan.

0:51:160:51:18

No, they didn't. I ran out of time at the end

0:51:180:51:20

and I had to take the acetates off quickly,

0:51:200:51:23

so I haven't got the lovely shine.

0:51:230:51:25

It does look a mess.

0:51:250:51:27

And it looks like mashed potato in between those cakes.

0:51:270:51:29

Some of the flowers look good but the rest of it...

0:51:290:51:31

-Yes, I was really dis...

-That's not up to your normal standards.

0:51:310:51:34

Sorry, I was really disappointed.

0:51:340:51:36

-It's over-baked.

-Oh, is it?

0:51:370:51:39

-Oh.

-Mmm.

-Only just over-baked.

0:51:390:51:41

I don't know why I had such trouble with cake today.

0:51:410:51:43

-I don't know why.

-Now, this is a totally different mix.

0:51:430:51:45

-Yeah.

-Now, the bottom one's a little bit better.

0:51:450:51:47

-Yeah, I don't know.

-Not much, though.

-I'm so sorry.

-So am I.

-Yeah.

0:51:480:51:52

-It's certainly a Showstopper.

-That is impressive.

0:52:040:52:06

You've shown us that you're a very good at piping buttercream.

0:52:060:52:09

And, underneath that, I know you've got three different flavours.

0:52:090:52:13

-Yes.

-We'll start from the top, and this is the lemon.

-Yeah.

0:52:130:52:17

It's baked well. Still got a bit of moisture in there, which is good.

0:52:200:52:23

-Thank you.

-Right, next one.

0:52:230:52:25

-And this one is...

-Carrot cake.

0:52:250:52:28

It's very, very moist.

0:52:300:52:32

-It's good.

-The texture of the cake is good.

0:52:320:52:35

And our bottom layer is...

0:52:350:52:36

Vanilla and strawberry.

0:52:360:52:38

It's a nice-looking cake, too.

0:52:380:52:40

I like the flavour and that sponge is baked beautifully.

0:52:400:52:44

-Thank you.

-You've done every single layer perfect.

0:52:440:52:48

The icing's been good. Well done, Selasi.

0:52:480:52:50

-Makes him even more lovable. Look at him.

-Thank you.

-Well done.

0:52:500:52:54

You've done a very simple finish,

0:52:570:52:59

but it does look very neat.

0:52:590:53:00

-Let's try this top one.

-The top one is an elderflower tea.

0:53:000:53:03

Looking at it, you've got a good genoise.

0:53:030:53:07

I am definitely getting elderflower,

0:53:070:53:09

and it is coming through in the cake, as well.

0:53:090:53:11

Quite tricky to do. Well done.

0:53:110:53:13

This is the camomile.

0:53:130:53:14

Again, you've got a very good sponge.

0:53:150:53:18

-And what have we got on the bottom?

-This is a green tea and jasmine.

0:53:180:53:21

It's very moist. And I'm getting a very pleasant flavour.

0:53:240:53:27

I'm really impressed that you've managed to get those flavours

0:53:270:53:30

through, especially the jasmine. It's beautiful. Really good.

0:53:300:53:32

-Thank you.

-You've absolutely cracked it with brilliant genoise sponges.

0:53:320:53:37

-Thank you, Tom.

-Well done, Tom.

0:53:370:53:38

I'm just disappointed with the appearance of it,

0:53:430:53:45

because I think it was very important.

0:53:450:53:47

Particularly now, in week six, things need to look good.

0:53:470:53:49

It's a bit of a disaster.

0:53:490:53:50

I didn't think the cakes would be that bad.

0:53:520:53:54

It was pretty damning on all angles.

0:53:560:54:00

Yeah, I really want to stay. I really do want to stay. Oh!

0:54:000:54:05

This has been the hardest judging that we've ever had.

0:54:090:54:12

-It's so hard.

-I think at the moment

0:54:120:54:13

-we're looking for the people in trouble.

-Yeah.

-Yeah.

0:54:130:54:16

-I think, for me, it's Rav.

-It was just a little bit boring.

0:54:160:54:20

And I also have to bring Andrew into that, as well.

0:54:200:54:23

It was very, very simple, and he only showed us one lot of piping.

0:54:230:54:28

Jane, maybe, didn't have so much success today.

0:54:280:54:30

What a sadness with Jane.

0:54:300:54:32

She was the only person that moulded flowers herself.

0:54:320:54:35

She's got the skill - but she had an off day.

0:54:350:54:38

And who is in line for Star Baker?

0:54:380:54:40

Selasi was last in technical.

0:54:400:54:42

Just based on that cake, I've got to put him into the fold,

0:54:420:54:44

because that was very special.

0:54:440:54:46

And he got the flavours inside perfectly.

0:54:460:54:48

I would say Candice was up there, as well.

0:54:480:54:50

We got four different flavours. That's one more than everybody else.

0:54:500:54:54

Could Tom inch into Star Baker?

0:54:540:54:56

Possibly. I think he's had two good challenges, and, today,

0:54:560:54:59

he should feel very proud of himself because that is very, very good.

0:54:590:55:03

Can I just say? Before we leave the table,

0:55:030:55:04

I will need to cover Benjamina's cake,

0:55:040:55:06

because we are pre-watershed and that is semi-nude.

0:55:060:55:10

That doesn't need to be seen.

0:55:100:55:12

-Not on British television.

-If you'd like to see it,

0:55:120:55:14

press the red button now.

0:55:140:55:17

Paul and Mary have decided that the award for Star Baker

0:55:270:55:31

goes to a person who, it's fair to say, didn't start off very well,

0:55:310:55:36

but who came back with real grit.

0:55:360:55:39

They put their foot hard on the fougasse pedal,

0:55:390:55:42

and on Showstopper day, it was all about the tea.

0:55:420:55:46

Star Baker is Mr Tea.

0:55:460:55:48

He is Tom Baker.

0:55:500:55:51

-He is Star Baker. Tom, well done.

-APPLAUSE

0:55:510:55:55

Well done, mate. I'm bad cop.

0:55:570:56:00

This week's was a very, very hard-fought

0:56:000:56:02

and difficult, difficult decision.

0:56:020:56:05

And so, with a very heavy heart, the person leaving us this week is...

0:56:050:56:09

..Rav.

0:56:140:56:16

-Yeah.

-Just, I want to lean into you and then never leave.

0:56:160:56:19

-I'll miss your face, Rav.

-I'm going to miss you all, too.

0:56:210:56:24

I'm really, really proud of myself

0:56:240:56:26

and I'm glad that I've made it this far.

0:56:260:56:27

Week six, I mean, that's an achievement for me.

0:56:270:56:29

I'm leaving here with a smile on my face and I couldn't be happier.

0:56:290:56:33

-Well done, Rav.

-Thank you. Thank you so much, Paul.

0:56:330:56:35

Rav's a great baker, but I think, at the end of the day,

0:56:350:56:38

Andrew did better than Rav in the Showstopper,

0:56:380:56:40

and, unfortunately, Rav had to go.

0:56:400:56:42

I can't believe it. I'm a lucky duck.

0:56:440:56:47

I've got to really show them what I'm made of next week,

0:56:470:56:50

and put awful botanicals behind us.

0:56:500:56:52

Well done, Tom.

0:56:520:56:54

Tom was a bit of a wild one, wasn't he, this week?

0:56:540:56:56

He started really badly,

0:56:560:56:58

but to get those flavours of the tea to come through

0:56:580:57:00

at just the right level, proper Star Baker.

0:57:000:57:03

You've pulled it right back.

0:57:030:57:05

Now, carry that through into the next week.

0:57:050:57:07

Tom surprised us all. He did brilliantly.

0:57:070:57:09

Yes, yes, yes!

0:57:100:57:13

I am very surprised.

0:57:130:57:15

Not a brilliant first day, and to come back and be Star Baker,

0:57:150:57:18

it makes me feel like I'm supposed to be here.

0:57:180:57:21

Next time, it's desserts.

0:57:210:57:24

This is week seven of Bake Off.

0:57:240:57:25

Good enough is not good enough any more.

0:57:250:57:28

As we roll out...

0:57:280:57:29

Damn it. Damn it!

0:57:290:57:31

..a cracking signature...

0:57:310:57:33

Oh, it's cracked. It's cracked.

0:57:330:57:34

A technical that's driving the bakers nuts...

0:57:340:57:37

It's just crystallised.

0:57:370:57:39

Start again.

0:57:390:57:40

Argh!

0:57:400:57:41

..and a mini Showstopper...

0:57:410:57:43

They're going to collapse.

0:57:430:57:45

..with massive expectations.

0:57:450:57:47

They are just sliding everywhere.

0:57:470:57:49

-Oh, no.

-Will you ever ride a big dipper again after this, Andrew?

0:57:510:57:55

-Probably not.

-OK. Good man.

0:57:550:57:56

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