Episode 4 The Great Comic Relief Bake Off

The final four celebrity Comic Relief supporters

have made it here to baking central, with one aim -

to raise as much dough

as is humanly possible,

and hopefully inspire you to do the same.

Berry, in the tent, applying body lotion. Hollywood, putting in his

blue-steel contact lenses. Me, ready to eat.

And the seemingly innocent

lady on bench behind me, is actually my mother. (She's called Rosemary.)

Welcome to The Great Comic Relief Bake Off.

The final four Comic Relief bakers to enter the bake off tent are...

journalist and television presenter of BBC's Strictly Come Dancing shows, Claudia Winkleman.

What do the boys in the cricket team think of the dressing up?

They all dress up anyway.

This is to try and encourage people to do something funny for money.

Baking is just a lovely thing to do and if they can sell cakes

for Comic Relief, I think it's a good way to start it off.

Comedian and winner of the prestigious

Perrier Comedy Award, Ed Byrne.

We were quoted for a wedding 150 people were coming to.

we got quoted for invites, £1,700.

AUDIENCE GASPS

I love that sound.

I love the sound you just made.

I wish the guy was here now to hear you all make that sound.

Baking is bit of a mystery.

Baking I think is as close as we could get to witchcraft,

in that you you're combining these various different ingredients

and you put them altogether and they form sponge.

Journalist and presenter of

BBC Two's The Review Show, Martha Kearney.

When the Hayward Gallery announced its latest

exhibition was to feature invisible art, some people wondered

if the entire event was just a joke at the public's expense with

one wit threatening to pay his entrance fee with "invisible money".

(I've been baking cakes for maybe 30 years,

(but I've had several disasters on route and it makes me very nervous.)

And winner of Team GB's first-ever gold medal in the 2012 Olympics,

rower Helen Glover.

The only thing I've ever baked by myself is out of a packet.

I'm taking part in this because I just really want to help,

get people going down to bake sales,

making money for some of the amazing causes.

And Lorraine Pascale will be in Ghana discovering how

the money raised really can make a difference.

-It's beautiful.

-Thank you.

But who has what it takes to amaze Mary Berry?

Oh, that's scrummy, isn't it?

And Paul Hollywood.

That flavour is divine.

Who will claim the last title of Comic Relief's Star Baker?

Wooh!

(Oh, no!)

'Claudia, Helen, Martha and Ed are the last group of special

'Comic Relief bakers to face the Signature Challenge.'

Well, here we are. Will the judges being buttering you,

or will they be slicing you open, prodding you and saying...

-LIVERPUDLIAN ACCENT:

-.."That's overworked?"

We'll find out very soon,

because, my friends, you are about to start your Signature Challenge.

Now, Paul and Mary have decreed that you WILL bake 18 chocolate

biscuits or cookies. You can use any type of chocolate,

any accompanying flavours. You've got 1½ hours on the clock.

On your marks, get set, bake for Comic Relief.

'Chocolate biscuits are a British favourite.

'4.4 million chocolate digestives are eaten every year,

'so what better way to raise money than producing a fresh batch

'for a Comic Relief bake sale?'

First of all, they have to decide what they want.

Do they want a crunch,

or do they want a cookie that's all soft in the middle?

Once they've decided that and chosen their biscuit,

it's got to be true to type.

I want originality, I want innovative ideas, flavours

and something that strikes you and you think, "Wow, that's unusual."

I am making chocolate and pistachio biscotti.

At the moment, I'm weighing my flour.

It's a very technical procedure that involves scales and flour.

Ed's mum and wife are the bakers in his family,

so he's hoping to do them proud, baking for Comic Relief with

twice-baked Italian biscotti with chocolate chips and pistachio nuts.

This has been handed down to me by my fictitious Italian grandfather.

Is that Giuseppe?

-How did you know?

-I've met him.

Do you have a similar imaginary Italian ancestor?

He's got a bakery, just outside Rome. Great biscotti.

So, Ed, what is going to hold it together?

-I'm hoping...

-Is there some liquid in there?

..that the eggs in the flour will give it...

The eggs are in the bottom, are they?

They're in there and that will give it structural integrity.

-I love how it's all in the bowl together, dead easy.

-Exactly.

But there's a lot to happen after that.

-Good luck.

-I hope I don't let you down.

-Or Giuseppe.

Keep it down over there, I'm trying to bake!

Martha's lost her voice but not her passion for baking.

She's a self-confessed clumsy baker

but loves the outcome of a good bake.

(I want it to taste very rich and buttery as well,

(and very, very chocolatey.

(I love chocolate.)

Martha's dipped chocolate biscuits are high in fat,

which should result in a short, crumbly texture.

Now, you've lost your voice.

(I have lost my voice.)

Have you got a paper and pencil there?

Write down what you're going to do.

-Panic! I like that.

-Is that what you're making(?)

I'm glad that you've got cocoa in it as well as your chocolate.

A lot of people put drinking chocolate in

and, of course, that's got sugar and it isn't strong but cocoa

and the chocolate is going to make a good biscuit.

-(Oh, good, fingers crossed.)

-Good luck.

-(Thank you.)

So it's almond biscuits

and then at the end I'll cover it with chocolate.

The almonds are toasting...I need to check that they're toasting.

Helen says she's a novice baker but admits to being incredibly

competitive, so is hoping her brandy-and-almond biscuits topped

with chocolate, will have a "snap" that will impress Paul and Mary.

This is a bit different for you, isn't it?

Yeah, I'm actually a lot more nervous about doing this than

I was racing in the Olympics.

Can you tell us how you'll put the chocolate on the top?

So I'll just melt it, put it over a wire rack

and pour it on, cos I think that way it will kind of look nicest.

That's a nice idea. Are you putting any flaked almonds on top?

Yes, I am.

I'll leave some for decoration, for when I finish.

-Have you practised this before?

-I practised it last night for the first time.

-And they turned out OK.

-Did they?

-Yeah.

-Good luck, Helen.

-Thank you.

-Thank you.

I'm messy, very messy in the kitchen and easily distracted.

Come on, that's eggs and sugar, it's creaming.

Claudia's only been baking for four months

and has discovered a new passion.

Claudia's making her "It's the inside that counts"

chocolate-chip cookies with melted chocolate.

Hello, Claudia.

This is so exciting!

Are you excited? Just tell us first of all, you're doing chocolate cookies,

tell us how you're going about it.

Right, first of all, I've melted stuff in a "bon-marie".

-Bain-marie.

-Thank you.

When you see the dough, it's not really doughy, it's more of a soup.

Is it pouring consistency? Is it piping consistency?

It's broken all the laws of physics, it is both heavy...

wait, and light. It is both dense AND dry, boom!

We'll come back a bit later.

Thank you for the visit.

I love them. I think I scared them a little.

This is very therapeutic.

I call it cucumber-shaped - a pretty big cucumber.

The idea is you cook 'em in the oven like that for about half an hour,

and then you take it out and let it cool. and then you cut it

into biscuits and put them on a tray and dry them out.

That's basically what you have to do with biscotti.

Nothing we can do now but wait.

What's next? I've forgotten what I'm doing now.

-In the Olympic Village...

-MIXER RUMBLES

Ooh, hello, Martha. Martha's rumbling.

Doesn't sound very healthy.

When everyone's in the village, is it kind of party time?

Would a rower look at a runner and go, "Ooh."

Yeah, I think everyone's got their sport that they like.

I think a lot of the girls were looking at the water polo players.

-Really?

-Yeah, cos all of the girls on our team are quite tall

and were thinking, "What sports are sort of broad

"and tall?" so swimmers and water polo, they were popular.

SHE BANGS ROLLING PIN

Kearney's gone mad.

Martha!

She's lost it. She's lost it, gang.

The aggression is coming out.

-Remember, with a biscuit you can open the oven door, have a look.

-Can I?!

But you can't with cakes.

You're a genius.

I think... We're hoping that you're the genius.

No. All right, they're going in.

Right. I most fear Mary's disappointment.

Because Paul, you know he'll be grumpy.

I want to give him a cuddle, I want to make it better, I'm not sure I can.

I want them to be slightly golden.

It's not coming out yet.

It's not cooked and I'll just put it up a tiny bit.

Right, it's time to cut them into...

-Are you going in?

-Yeah.

-Is that right?

-HE LAUGHS

I'm sorry, Ed. Are they holding together? Is that all right?

Hmm.

I'm concerned that they might be underdone now.

Don't worry, they'll go back in, you'll be fine.

Let's hope!

I am flabbergasted by how much I want this to turn out right.

They are called "It's the inside that counts" cookies,

because they are physically repellent.

But I think they taste good.

(They're too small. Normally they spread a bit more than this.

(I think I need them slightly larger,

(so I'll have to do another batch, I think.

(I'm worried they won't have time to cool and time for me to dip them.

(This might be a bit silly.)

(Martha, don't speak.

(Mega-stressed. Oh, I know.)

SHE LAUGHS

Always the diplomat, Martha. I do apologise.

-(See you later.)

-(See you later.)

Comic Relief bakers, you've got half an hour left on your clock.

-Martha...

-SHE MOUTHS

(Help!)

They're looking better than they were a few minutes ago,

so I'm glad I put the heat up. I'll leave it a little bit

and then put the chocolate on.

(OK, these are definitely a better size.)

I'm going to try and use a bit of melted chocolate just drizzled

over the biscuits, to distract from the fact that I think

the biscuits might have been slightly underdone on their initial cooking.

Turning the oven up, ever so slightly.

It's never a good sign.

Doof!

I won't add anything to this chocolate.

I think I'll just put it on as it is so, keep it nice and simple.

Anything to be done in the next three minutes? To de-horse.

-Nothing a time machine wouldn't solve.

-OK!

(I'm going to dip these biscuits. I think it's too late,

(they won't set in time, but I'll give it a go anyway.

(I'm used to doing things, as you can see, right up to the deadline.

Comic Relief bakers, you have one minute left.

One minute to go.

Comic Relief bakers, step away now. Step well away.

I thought they were an absolute disaster,

whereas they're only a minor disaster.

Presentation isn't everything.

Biscotti should be crispy on the outside,

crispy all the way through, almost like a cracker.

They were supposed to be a little bit firmer

when they came out.

I like the squidge in the middle, it's different.

And we won't break our teeth on them.

-Exactly.

-I think you've got a fantastic taste coming through,

but it's not biscotti.

That first bake was under-baked.

He said, "It's not a biscotti."

I think you could call them "biscotti-style" biscuits,

then we'd get away with it.

-"Bis-cookies?"

-Yeah.

-The orange zest really comes through in...

-They're delicious.

-They're delicious.

Thanks very much, Ed, lovely.

You've got two sets of them, why?

(This is my first batch and I panicked.

(I wondered whether they were too small.

(So I then went and did a second batch.)

They are still quite small, aren't they?

I don't think there's anything wrong with having small biscuits,

-they're all uniform.

-Lovely.

They do have the consistency of shortbread.

They also have a lovely chocolate flavour.

Martha, I think you've made some really lovely biscuits.

It is like a chocolate shortbread.

You will have inspired, for Comic Relief, children to make these.

You know, they love rolling little balls, dipping them in chocolate.

What a great thing to have, if you're having a sale.

Thank you very much, Martha.

Are you expecting a crunch? A bite?

-Well, I was expecting them to be quite hard.

-HE CRUNCHES

They've certainly got a bit of crunch in there, by the sound of it.

They're beautifully crisp, just a few moments less in the oven.

They are very, very crisp on your teeth.

How are you finding them?

I can't hear anything. Just a big crunch in my head.

But the flavour is lovely. It's a very good biscuit.

-Do you know what Helen? I love them.

-Really?!

Yeah, you're the only one to get a really crispy biscuit

and a good snap because that is a great dunking biscuit.

-Thanks, Helen.

-Thank you.

Are we expecting it to snap?

Or be cookie-like?

I would love it if I had the answer to that. It's risky.

-That's good.

-Is that good? I think that's too heavy.

That's like a dog's tail.

-Oh.

-What do you think?

-It's a cookie.

It's a cookie.

It's got a great texture and that flavour is divine.

-Is it?!

-Yeah.

-I'm literally going to lick your face.

-Oh, that's scrummy, isn't it? Very good.

-Thank you!

-Delicious.

-Mm.

Paul Hollywood, soon to be Paul Winkleman,

said that it was "divine". How is that possible? How?

(It's so different when you're not in your own...

(comfort of your own kitchen.

(So when they said they liked the taste, I was like,

("Oh, thank goodness for that.")

They were really kind. I didn't expect those comments, cos I thought they would slate me.

The worst criticism is the criticism that you inside know is true

and that's why Paul's remarks hurt.

They were slightly soft and therefore technically not biscotti.

If you're planning on baking a biscuit or two for Comic Relief,

this is one of the many projects that you could be helping.

Can you hear that noise?

It's the sound of African killer bees making this - honey.

And even though they're called killer bees, in Northern Ghana

they're actually saving lives.

'Farmers in this dry and arid region depend on the success

'of their agricultural crops to survive.

'But drought can mean many lose their lives.

'But the project Tree Aid, with Comic Relief's help, is helping

'people here harvest honey, so they can sell it during the dry months.

'In the dry season, Kolpola, a widow with five children to feed,

'was forced to work on the dangerous gold mines but with the help

'of Comic Relief, she has been farming bees in her back garden.'

So, this is a working hive?

IN TRANSLATION:

An African bee sting can be very painful,

so the protective suits, which Comic Relief money helps to pay for,

are crucial to enable these farmers to extract the honey safely.

Having left the honeycombs to drain overnight,

Kolpola bottles it up for sale.

It's really rich and creamy

and this gorgeous sort of caramelly flavour to it. It's beautiful.

Thank you.

Armed with her fresh honey, Kolpola heads off to market to sell it.

Yeah, keep building.

The honey business here is crucial to many families

in their battle against hunger.

To help make sure more families can make enough money

to keep their kids safe, please text the word BAKE to 70005.

Texts cost £5 plus your standard network message charge

and £5 per text goes to Comic Relief.

You must be 16 or over and please ask the bill payer's permission.

For full terms and conditions and more information,

go to bbc.co.uk/rednoseday.

The next challenge gives the bakers nothing to hide behind.

They don't know what they will be baking and have to use

all their knowledge and skill to follow the recipe to a T.

I can sense the excitement.

It is, of course, the Technical Challenge.

Paul and Mary judge this blind to give you all an even

playing field, so Paul and Mary, off you go.

Mary, you'll just about make it for your pole-dancing class

if you hurry. You've got two minutes. OK.

We'd like you please to bake and present...

..a lemon meringue pie.

-You are joking.

-I'm not joking, Ed.

-Are you joking?

-I'm not joking.

It's Mary Berry's recipe.

Oh, God.

You've got two and a half hours, Comic Relief bakers.

On your marks, get set, bake for Comic Relief.

When am I allowed to cry?

There's just flour and sugar and egg.

There has to be more to it than that!

Mary, you've chosen one of my favourites, a lemon meringue pie.

I think that this will worry them a little when they see the recipe

and all the stages that go with it, but when they stop and follow it

very carefully, they should end up with a result

that they're very proud of.

So we're looking for a crispy base, golden brown,

a nice thick lemon curd inside that's set,

and a beautiful, ivory, well-baked, peaked meringue on the top.

I think it's essential to have it thin

and there's no sign of a soggy bottom there.

That lemon inside is delicious.

It's so tart,

but the balance with the meringue on the top is delicious.

Can you get any more in your mouth at one go?

-MUFFLED:

-No!

The first step when making a lemon meringue pie

is to make the thin, sweet, short-crust pastry base.

It's like combining three different things, the meringue

and the lemon and the pastry that I've got to get right.

(I've mixed in the egg and the icing sugar

(and then I like adding, like, the water a little bit at a time,

(cos you don't want it to be too wet.)

I don't think mine can be rolled out like this, it's like liquid.

Mine's not even close... Mine looks like cereal.

I'm just adding a little bit more flour because it's supposed

to form a ball and it wasn't forming a ball. And now, look, it's a ball.

(Mel said Mary likes it very thin but I'm a bit worried

(if it goes too thin, I'll end up with a lot of holes in it.)

(Right, I'll let it rest a bit.)

This is not right.

I seem to remember people saying,

"You don't want to play with pastry."

Somebody call me a cab.

It's all just sticking to the table.

-How am I supposed to get that...

-I don't know.

-..in there?

This is so much harder than it looks.

This is the only way.

I can't even tell you what I'm doing, I'm so illegal.

(Tell no-one!)

-Look.

-Yours looks really good.

They're not going to see this bit and then you just muddle through.

Yeah, I'm doing that. That looks all right, I'm doing it.

It's fine.

It's... Honestly, it's watching my mother and my grandmother, you know,

making pastry.

I just remember seeing them sprinkling flour on everything.

The bakers are blind baking the pastry before they put

the filling in.

The ceramic beans ensure an even distribution of heat.

(15 minutes and then you take the beans out

(and the parchment, then bake it for a bit more to avoid a soggy bottom.)

The pie's filling, made with lemon, eggs, caster sugar and cornflour,

needs to be of a thick consistency

if it's to hold the meringue topping.

Stir...

-SHE GASPS

-It's beginning to thicken.

-Nothing's ever thickened before.

-Have you gone a bit grey?

Look, go like that, go like that. There's a little bit of...

-Actually, it's flour.

-What is it?

-No, it's just flour.

-That looks glossy.

-Yes.

-Viscous.

-Yes!

-There's...

Yep, she's gone. She's actually gone.

Let me just make you a bit comfy. Let's just put that on there.

She's all right, she's fine.

This may be a little bit runny.

But hopefully if it cools down,

it might solidify a little bit. It seems to be all right.

Comic Relief bakers, half an hour on the clock.

30 minutes.

There's cracking here and it's not going gold either.

I'll take it out, it's been in for way over the time.

(It's shrunk here, which is a bit worrying.

(Because when I put the mixture in, the mixture may come out.

(In fact, a little bit more surgery.)

That looks so disgusting.

I'm now going to put the lemon into the pie,

so hopefully it won't pour through.

I'm just going to keep it still to make sure that it doesn't spread out

anywhere and I'm just getting the whites from six different eggs now.

The last element to tackle is the tricky art of a perfect meringue.

This is the only thing I remember from cookery class

at school, was how to separate an egg.

So it's coming in handy.

So, at the moment, this is just the eggs

and I'm going to add caster sugar to it slowly,

until it's freestanding.

I don't think it's quite as stiff as Martha's.

Maybe it needs to be a bit stiffer.

Yeah, I think that's stiff enough, to be honest.

It's not falling back down again.

Create a swirl.

It's got, you know, like fronds. Woo-hoo!

Winkleman's peaks. Nice peaks.

-Right.

-In it goes.

(It's in the lap of the gods. The baking gods.)

Mmm...

Going to give it about 30 more seconds then whip it out.

(Oh God, I'm going to drop it.)

I don't really have time to muck about any more.

-Bugger!

-Take them out, yeah. Take it out.

I'm going to make a bit more meringue, put it on top.

-I'd tell you that was a terrible idea.

-Why is that a terrible idea?

The new meringue you'll put on won't have cooked as much

as the rest of the meringue that's been in there for 10 to 15 minutes.

That's true. I'm going again, I'm going again.

No, don't over... You're going to over-egg.

-We need to do this.

-Are you sure?

I've never been more sure of anything... God, let go of that!

-I'm just a bit...

-I'm not talking to you, Mel.

Ah, what are we going to do with you?

We've got along fine until now. I've nowhere to put this.

-Thank you so much.

-I'm so grateful(!)

'The final hurdle to be faced,

'is removing the pie cleanly from the tin.'

Get on the plate! Bah!

Oof!

I'm just going to have to push it off and...

Yes, exactly. And now start the joinery.

The lemon's running out and it's basically water.

(My pastry was too thin, had too many holes in it.)

(It's just all fallen apart. I'm very disappointed.)

Ah!

Really? Really?

SHE GASPS

Hot! Hot curd, hot lemon.

I think Claudia has... has done herself no favours.

-Come on! Hot curd. Burn-y hands.

-Boom!

All righty.

Technical Challenge is over.

Time, please, to bring up your offerings.

Well, we have four lemon meringue pies.

Obviously, there's been some major issues with this.

GIGGLING AND LAUGHING

-I bet it'll taste good, and that's very important.

-It is.

The colour on this one is not too bad, is it?

But I can guarantee, we cut into this,

this is just going to flood everywhere.

-Just... Don't! Just be gentle with it.

-I am being gentle with it!

You could've put your hand to one side as you went through.

Oh yes, it held together well. Will you say sorry?

Will you say sorry? You said it was going to ooze everywhere.

I apologise. It did hold together quite well.

Lovely, crispy pastry on the outside there.

That's actually quite delicious.

It's not quite delicious, it's very delicious.

Whoever's made that has made it well and if it's the first effort,

they should be very, very proud.

The only thing I would say, because we're still seeking perfection,

the meringue was a little bit on the sloppy side

and you couldn't really get peaks from it, whoever made that.

Now this one, it's er...

The base seems under-baked.

There you are, it's coming out in one piece.

She's intact.

It's quite wet underneath, if I'm honest.

The lemon is full of flavour, though it did need a little bit more

cooking through with the cornflour at the beginning.

The meringue actually tastes OK. The pastry is slightly

underdone, you needed to blind bake it for longer in the oven.

And I think if that was served after Sunday lunch, they'd perhaps

leave the edge of the pastry but they'd still enjoy the rest of it.

I wouldn't even bother with a knife on this one.

ED LAUGHS

Obviously it's had a few issues with the pastry.

HE SIGHS

That's terrible!

It's just had a few problems.

It looks like two different types of meringue has been lumped on the top.

-It looks as though an accident happened and...

-It's been dropped.

I've struck a bit of lovely, crispy meringue.

The meringue's gone "ping" and they've knocked up another one

to cover up the cracked bits in the top.

It's been through a journey, this one.

The pastry on this looks wafer thin.

Well done for wafer-thin pastry, I like thin pastry.

Because it's been so wafer thin,

it's got a problem either bringing it out or putting

the filling in and it's been knocked again and cracked.

The meringue's good, the lemon's good and the base is good.

This pastry and the best top

and you could just get it in the piece onto the plate.

Paul and Mary must now decide whose lemon meringue pie has come out top.

Right, we've marked them, and the person in last place is this one.

Claudia, what happened?

Well, it almost slipped. Half of it flew off.

Mel saved the day.

In third place...

is this one.

Little bit of a problem with the meringue and pastry not quite done.

And in second place, is this one.

It's actually not a bad meringue there,

but you obviously had an issue with it either putting it onto this or...

The meringue, the lemon and the base were very good. Well done.

And then who's beaten the girls, as number one?

Mr Ed.

-Mr Ed.

-Are you proud?

Unbelievably proud. I did not think I would care this much.

And I care so much.

-He's brimming.

-I'm so happy about this.

-He's moistening up.

Well, well done all of you. We are very proud of you.

A very difficult challenge and you've done remarkably well.

The unexpected has just happened.

I don't think anybody, including myself,

thought that I was going to end up winning the technical bake.

(I was amazed to get second place to be perfectly honest,

(because it didn't look like a pie

(and I would've thought that's pretty basic!)

It was hard but it was really fun, actually.

It was definitely the right order. It was...

Yeah. It was a small crash on a plate.

The final challenge that stands between Claudia, Helen,

Martha and Ed and the title of Comic Relief Star Baker, is the biggest.

The Showstopper.

Now, do you remember the Olympics Opening Ceremony?

Helen, I'm sure you do. It was quite good, wasn't it?

It was pretty good, yeah.

Chimneys coming up, Kenneth Branagh, lights, music, razzle dazzle.

That will be remembered as piffling, small fry

compared to the showstopper that Paul and Mary

would like you to produce today.

You have to dazzle them

with a birthday cake for Comic Relief's 25th birthday.

It should be at least two tiers, any decoration you like.

You have got three and a half hours

till the judges will be giving you the bumps.

On your marks, get set, bake for Comic Relief.

I've forgotten to turn the oven on.

It's got to look amazing but, more importantly,

it's got to represent Comic Relief and the flavours have got to

balance with the outside as well as the inside.

When we cut it, we want the layers to be even, the texture

of the cake itself has got to be good and it's got to be original.

I am making a Red Nose cake.

It's my daughter's favourite cake, but I'm not sure

whether my six-year-old should be our culinary guide,

because she always dresses as a mermaid

and she thinks that furniture has feelings.

Claudia's Red Nose cake is made of red velvet sponge,

a chocolate cake with red food dye to give it its distinctive colour.

It's sandwiched with cream cheese frosting

and topped with fondant red noses.

If that doesn't say "Happy Birthday, Comic Relief"...

Or an abattoir.

Thanks, snuggles(!)

No, this looks good. This is just going to be a massive Red Nose cake.

If I have time, I'm going to do this again, maybe go three tiered,

maybe four tiered. Ring-a-ding-ding.

Make sure in your mix that everything's blended in properly.

Does that not looked blended?

What you don't want is patches of brown and red.

He's just putting the wind up you, really.

This is dating for us. This is just getting to know each other.

Fantastic. Thanks, Claudia!

I'm making a carrot cake.

I had a chemistry set when I was a kid and following

the instructions to do the various experiments was always a lot of fun.

This is as close to that as I've gotten in my adult life.

Ed's three-tiered carrot cake is spiced with cinnamon and ginger

and will be adorned with a red nose and the number 25.

So, you're doing three layers?

Well, what I'm going to do is kind of like two and a half.

I'm doing two tiers and then the top tier -

this is going to blow your baking mind -

I'm going to cut the top tier into a two and a five

-and put that on the top.

-That's a nice idea.

It might work, it might not.

Winning the Technical Challenge yesterday has absolutely ruined me.

If I had lost that miserably,

I could come in here with nothing to lose and not caring.

But now you really want to win?

You've given me a shot.

Do you know, you are in with a chance?

You have done well so far.

-That's what kept me awake last night.

-Good luck, Ed.

-We'll just see.

-Thanks, buddy.

I'm trying to make a beehive cake.

So that's the idea. That's the biggest, then that one

and then that on the top.

This is honey from my own beehives and it'll go into the sponge mix

that I'm making, along with some lemon zest.

Martha has practised

her three-tiered honey sponge showstopper three times

to try and reach perfection

and her greatest fear is dropping it.

Basing it on the theme of Comic Relief,

-how are you going to Comic Relief it up, so to speak?

-Right, OK.

One, the work of Comic Relief,

because they support a number of projects

which work with beekeepers in poor countries,

and if you can get it to market,

you can actually make quite a lot of money,

so that's the sort of serious side,

and then I'm going to make bees to put on the outside of the cake

and I'm going to put little red noses on them.

You're a crafty cook.

I noticed in the bottom of that bowl,

-you've put a little disc of non-stick...

-Oh, yes, that.

Very wise, cos that's just where it would sit.

-Good luck.

-Well, good luck, Martha. Thank you.

-Thank you.

So I'm doing a lemon drizzle cake.

It's making my arm ache,

which you'd think would not be a problem being a rower,

but it's actually quite tiring.

Helen's lemon drizzle polka dot cake

will be covered in a blanket of ready-made fondant icing,

using the patriotic colours of red, white and blue.

So how many layers have you got?

Well, I was planning on making a cake with two layers

but I'm going to bake three, just so I've got a backup

and then if I want to make a third layer, I can.

And how are you going to be decorating it?

I'm going to try and make a bow on top and...

Like they've been wrapped sort of thing.

It's quite simple but I think, when it comes to taste and flavour,

that's going to be a winner. Good luck.

-Thanks.

-Thanks, Helen.

I'm just about to add the carrot and the walnuts.

I'm slightly concerned about exactly how much mixture I've got, to be honest.

I don't know that I do have enough for three tiers.

Yep, I'm just going to have to make more mixture, that's all there is to it.

I'm going to knock up a quick third tier.

Everyone's gone tier mad.

So I'm tiering it up. I'm making a third tier.

Why not, eh? Why not? Come on! There we go.

Oh, no!

Disaster.

Oh, God, that's very bad news,

because I've dropped one of my cakes not once, but twice.

And that's the middle layer that kind of holds it all together.

I suppose the only thing I could think about doing

is doing that layer again.

Now, this is where I'm likely to go wrong,

because I'm beginning to panic.

OK, I reckon they need a little bit longer.

Yeah, that's a red nose right there.

The third tier is in the oven.

Which, actually, hopefully, will be the bottom tier.

So while that's cooking, I am going to make the icing.

I'm actually going to make some circles

so it's all ready for when the cake comes out.

Helen, I'm multitasking.

I'm rowing and doing the backward moon walk.

-I hope you're impressed.

-I'm very impressed.

Helen, I love your medal.

-Thank you. It goes with your outfit.

-I know.

Have you secretly worn it at home

and looked at yourself in the mirror, a bit pleased?

-I haven't done that yet.

-Come on! Helen!

-No, I honestly haven't.

-We all would, wouldn't we? Wouldn't we? Just me.

-I haven't.

Ah, how did it feel when the anthem was playing, though?

That was the most emotional bit. Everyone started singing along

-and we realised, "This is the first time they've played the anthem..."

-Wowzers.

..and so it was a really nice moment for everyone watching as well.

-MEL HUMS: "God Save The Queen"

-I'm taking you back there. Amazing.

Yeah, no, it was really good.

Oooh. Look at you, you little baby.

I still don't think that's done.

Comic Relief bakers, half an hour to go.

Half an hour on your showstopper.

That's not enough time.

OK, I think that's all right.

Doing the old poking thing? Without even thinking?

I'm panicking now we've got half an hour.

The thing is, if I'm rowing, I know what I'm doing.

I've got no idea what I'm doing.

Fives are hard. Why couldn't it have been...11?

I'm running out of time because I had to redo the second layer,

so I'm behind on my bees.

I need to forget about the bees for the time being

and just make some butter icing, so at least I can cover it.

Three tiers, you say. (Three tiers.)

Third layer time. I've never done this before.

Eee.

SHE GASPS

That looks wonky.

Ten minutes to go on your bake. Ten minutes.

Ten minutes? Oh, my God. OK, now I'm stressed.

I'm just going to try and put it on.

If it doesn't work, just "chuck it on" technique.

The bit I'm dreading most, which is the piping,

I'm doing at the very last minute completely against the clock,

which is not what I wanted to do at all.

All the difference.

Time check?

Bakers, five minutes.

Five minutes.

-My heart rate's gone up.

-SHE LAUGHS

25 red noses...circling.

Or do they look weird?

-I think they're stylish.

-Do you?

-Yeah.

How does this compare to three high-level politicians

-in the world at one studio?

-Far, far worse.

Bakers, two minutes.

Oooh, Ed, be careful of the numbers!

A sprinkling of walnut.

Comic Relief bakers, that's it, step away.

Whoo!

Paul and Mary, maybe you should blow the candles out?

-(Save them for next year, save them for next year.)

-Oh, yes.

I actually quite like the look of it.

I think it's got a very attractive look to it.

Take a cut out of the middle.

Does that feel nice, Paul?

Yeah, it does.

-Oh, that looks good.

-Oh, hello.

-It really does look good.

-Yeah.

I think the overall image is fantastic.

It's very pretty. But not a lot of flavour.

It needs maybe a bit of citrus in there,

maybe a bit of orange, or something to lift it up.

I was impressed that you got all three layers the same.

It looks a lovely texture.

The actual mixture's a little on the dry side

but because you've made this lovely moist filling,

-the two together go very well.

-Thank you, Claudia.

Thank you. Do I curtsey?

Helen, that looks really smart. You're good at tying bows as well.

That fell through.

Ooh.

Well, you had difficulty before in perhaps slightly over-baking.

Nice.

It's...um...under-baked.

-Is it?

-Yeah.

It's a little close textured.

But the flavour is good, actually.

Thank you.

-But she won gold at the Olympics.

-I know.

You can't take that away from her.

I call this "What's Up, Doc?".

Because it's a carrot cake and also because when you look at it,

there appears to be something up.

There certainly appears to be something up!

I like it cos it's informal.

-You know, sometimes informal...

-Informal! That's the word.

No, seriously, this is not perfection,

it just looks as fresh as a daisy,

done in a short time, and we know you haven't had any help.

You have some raw carrot cake.

-What we have is a range of textures.

-PAUL LAUGHS

It is a bit under-baked, particularly the bottom one,

but I think it would give a lot of pleasure to this birthday party.

-The bake is very poor but the flavour's good.

-Thank you.

I think your decoration on that is fantastic.

It's a work of art. Well done.

-Thank you.

-It just looks the part. And those bees, red noses,

almost smiling bees, and I like that.

-I've just realised it's almonds that they've got...

-The wings.

..as their wings. Little flaked almonds.

That was my mum's idea.

-Martha, that's delicious.

-Oh, my God.

It's light, it's fluffy,

a nice bit of lemon coming through there,

the aftertaste of honey.

Very clever to put the lemon with the honey.

The lemon just sharpens it up. It just tastes so good.

Well done, Martha.

I can't believe it. OK.

It was very nerve-wracking when they cut into it

cos it was still warm when I iced it

and I was very worried that that would have actually collapsed.

But Mary really liked the taste of it

and so I couldn't be happier, to be honest.

I wish I could show you all the cake that was in my head.

But, alas, I have instead shown you

the cake of my nightmares.

I think I did rubbish in that. I did way worse than I thought I was going to do, actually.

And it was under-baked, and so that was the most annoying thing.

I do think there's no chance of me winning Star Baker.

I've not done enough to impress them, no.

When the lemon meringue pie flew off my spatula yesterday,

that was curtains.

Claudia's Red Nose three-tiered velvety cake.

It looks the part but then when you taste it,

-the flavour just isn't there.

-Her cookies, however,

-were bursting with flavour, weren't they?

-Oh, gosh.

They were delicious, those cookies.

Those cookies were actually the best ones of all four.

Lemon meringue pie?

Lemon meringue pie - you can't really keep a straight face

talking about her lemon meringue pie.

It was a little bit of a disaster, but, after all,

if the taste is good, we'll remember it.

Helen's showstopper? The old bow, red, white and blue.

She did get the sugar paste very thin, which is good.

Although it looks, when you first cut into it, the bake is all right,

but when we got down to the middle, there's some under-bake there.

-She made a cracking batch of biscuits, though.

-Oh, good.

-Didn't do so well in the technical, she came third.

-Yeah.

-Now, on to Ed.

-Well, he's obviously a natural at baking.

The 25, I saw him putting the icing on with his fingers -

that cracked me up. So there's a little bit of "comic relief" for me as well.

But the actual flavour of that cake is very, very good.

The biscotti were so delicious.

They weren't biscotti, but they were very, very good.

-Yeah.

-And guess who was first in the lemon meringue pie?

-He was.

-Is he still in contention, do you think?

-I would put him up there, yeah.

-Let's have a look at Martha's.

Martha has showed skill. It was just stunning.

-And the flavours - weren't they good?

-Mmm.

-And she came second, of course, in...

-The lemon meringue pie.

-Precisely. So I think we do have our top two.

-Mm-hm.

Ed and Martha.

Exactly.

As always, up to you two.

Comic Relief bakers, you have been epic from start to finish.

Signature bake was biscuit KEARNAGE.

Technical bake, you CLAUDIA-ED back.

You made some GLOVERLY showstoppers.

And all the way through, you allowed nothing to BYRNE.

-Oh!

-Paul and Mary have made their decision.

So Comic Relief Star Baker is awarded to...

..Martha Kearney.

Well done.

Thanks very much.

-There you go, my dear.

-Thanks.

It honestly feels amazing. I never...

Seriously, I never thought this would happen.

I can't quite believe it. I'm really happy.

-Back to work. I'm not going to take it off.

-You wear it.

'The best woman won.'

A good day for baking and a good day for justice.

I hope that people watching Comic Relief Bake Off

have been inspired to make their own bakes

and raise money for a worthy cause.

If you do bake to raise money for Comic Relief, which is good,

if it doesn't...

if, like me, it's not always edible, then, yeah, Frisbee.

So two days ago, if I was going to a party,

I'd bring along crisps and drinks

and now I think I'd be confident and I'd make a cake instead.

We've all had such a laugh doing this together

and I hope that this will inspire people

to donate some money to Comic Relief.

Anyone, if they put their mind to it can bake something for Comic Relief.

The general spirit has been great,

and they've all given up their time for Comic Relief

and the results have been amazing.

And you can be a star baker too and get your very own apron of honour.

These gorgeous Comic Relief aprons are available online and in store

with all profits going to Comic Relief

and they are selling like... hot cakes.

If we've inspired you to get baking,

why not go out and buy the beautiful Great Comic Relief Bake Off Booklet.

It's full of recipes that you can make for your very own bake sale.

Details are all on the website.

Where's that man with the apron?

Subtitles by Red Bee Media Ltd