Episode 2 The Great Sport Relief Bake Off

Welcome to this very special Great Sport Relief Bake Off.

With another place up for grabs in the final,

which of these bakers will bake their way to glory?

'There are just two heats remaining in the Great Sport Relief Bake Off.'

Oh!

This year, Sports Relief is all about going that extra mile

and for me, this is like going an extra thousand miles.

'Each heat sees four well known personalities tackle three

'classic Bake Off challenges.'

Oh, no! It's only baking, but it's dead important.

'Last time...'

-Oh, oh my god!

-LAUGHTER

-'Actress Angela Griffin...'

-It's a beautiful thing.

-Is it?

-Yeah.

'..beat off stiff competition to reach the final.'

I can't believe I've got through my favourite programme on the TV!

'This time...'

Forward, side, back, side.

'Four more face the judges.'

That man is terrifying. He's terrifying.

He's got piercing blue eyes.

'But who's flan will be filled to perfection?'

It's coming out this time. Aargh.

-Gus, please be careful my love.

-God, we'll have a heart attack.

'Which baker will be technically challenged?'

You know, "Line loaf tin." I've never lined a loaf tin in my life.

'Whose layered cake will end in tears?'

Gloves are off for everybody, aren't they?

'And who will make it to the Great Sport Relief Bake Off final?'

Surely you have to put this in the oven?

'It's the second heat of the Great Sport Relief Bake Off...

Here we go!

'..and four more bakers are hoping to secure a place in the final.

'They are Arlene Phillips, renowned choreographer, dancer and dance contest judge.'

I don't think anyone understands what a big challenge it is for me to bake.

I've got rhythm in my body and rhythm in my feet,

but I haven't got the rhythm of baking.

'Cultural historian and presenter Dr Gus Casely-Hayford,

'whose passion for African arts has sent him all over the world.'

I have no plans when I enter a kitchen.

I see it as an art form and I just throw things into a bowl and I see what happens.

'Fi Glover, journalist and Radio 4 presenter.'

I'm not a very confident baker.

I'm going to try and give it just lots oomph.

'And entrepreneur and broadcaster Saira Khan,

'who first made her name on the Apprentice.'

I'm not the most experienced baker, but I am competitive and I will be peeping over

to see how the competitors are doing, so I'm going to go for it.

'Over the two days these bakers will face three increasingly complicated challenges,

'after which, one of them will go through to the final

'and have a chance to become a Great Sport Relief Bake Off champion.'

I'm ready on my mark.

Welcome, bakers, to the tent of dreams.

It's time for your first Great Sport Relief Bake Off challenge,

which is the signature bake.

Your chance to really impress the judges with a favourite home recipe

and today we're asking you, please, to bake a savoury flan.

Now, you've got two and a quarter hours to turn out

and present your flan to Paul and Mary, our hawkeyed judges.

So bakers, time to get FLANboyant.

On your marks, get set, bake!

'The signature bake is a chance for the bakers to impress

'with a tried and tested family favourite.'

If I could do it with my feet, I'd probably be a whole lot better off.

'Their savoury flans must have fresh complimentary flavours,

'a smooth egg custard filling and perfectly baked pastry cases,

'with no soggy bottoms.'

This is crazy.

I have practised it a few times,

but I don't think that on any one time I've got the desired results.

I've either got a really good base and the pastry's shrunk,

or the pastry hasn't shrunk, but the base is soggy.

'Saira is hoping that she'll finally be able to perfect her

'caramelised onion flan with mustard and cheese crust.'

I've fed it to my husband, who liked it, but I was sort of...

I said, "I know it tastes nice, but is the pastry firm?"

And he said, "It tastes nice."

'The best pastry for a savoury flan is shortcrust.

'It's made by combining flour, liquid and fat by hand.

Oh now I do know how to do this bit, because I actually do remember doing this at school.

'If the bakers overwork the pastry in the bowl,

'this elongates gluten strands that occur when water and flour mix,

'resulting in a tough, inedible pastry.'

-IMPERSONATES PAUL:

-Try not to overwork it. I don't want it to be overworked.

'They must feel for the moment when the dough just comes together before rolling it out.

'Only then will they produce a shortcrust pastry that

'crumbles in the mouth, but is still strong enough to hold a filling.'

Something's wrong here. Really wrong.

I've a feeling I didn't measure my butter out properly.

I think it's a bit of a disaster myself.

Oh, no! Look, there's cellophane in it. That would be horrible, wouldn't it?

'Arlene describes herself as a baking beginner.

'Her cheddar cheese, chive and tomato flan is one of the few

'homemade dishes her family are prepared to eat.'

-So you've had a tryout of this?

-I've had a tryout.

My youngest daughter is a faddy eater and when she tried my flan,

she ate half of it, and that is so rare,

and everyone was so proud of me in the family,

because I don't normally do this.

That seems a good pastry.

Ha ha! That's nice, coming from you.

'Shortcrust pastry should always be chilled before rolling.

'This relaxes the gluten and allows the fat to set.

'Without this crucial cooling process, the pastry will be too sticky to work with.'

I get a feeling that you've done quite a bit of baking.

Well, do you know what, I have cooked, I would say,

every day of my life for 20 years

-and I find it's very therapeutic.

-Yes.

But baking is not my forte at all.

'Fi is attempting a cayenne pepper infused pastry

'for her chilli and Monterey Jack cheese flan.'

-So who does bake at home?

-It would be my partner, Rick.

He is, do you know what, he's very good.

-The cake tin cupboard is absolutely, it's his man cupboard.

-His domain.

Will it annoy him that you're baking?

Do you know what? It will surprise him if I do well.

'Once rested, the pastry is rolled and pressed into a case.'

I want to get this rolled out before the judges come round.

I don't want to have to be fitting it into the dish whilst

they're watching, because that is just too much pressure.

'The pastry should be rolled thin enough to ensure that it

'doesn't dominate the filling,

'but not over rolled as that can toughen its texture.'

Brute force is what I usually use in the kitchen

and I'm having to try and slightly finesse myself.

'And handling it too much will re-melt the fat,

'making it sticky and unworkable.'

Something's gone radically wrong, because now all of this

is lifting up, so I'm going to pretend that it's all right.

Oh, gosh. My gosh.

Oh, gosh, come on! Let me think.

It's stuck solid!

This can't happen! Look how tragic that is!

Even I have to admit it's completely tragic.

I have practised this a few times; enough for my family now

to be scared when they see me going into the kitchen.

"Not again, not again."

'Gus is the only baker attempting wholemeal pastry

'for his daughter's favourite,

'a ricotta, spinach, mushroom and sundried tomato flan.'

-We've caught you at a tricky moment?

-You have, haven't you?

It was perfectly timed to watch my humiliation

as I try and get this into here.

-It's tricky with wholemeal flour.

-It is, it is.

Why have you used wholemeal,

it's very dense and it's quite brittle?

I think it makes the pastry more interesting.

Now it's very difficult to handle.

You're going to have to be very careful here

to make quite sure that it is well moulded in...

I will do, yes.

..because you don't want it to leak through.

-There's nothing worse than being greeted, as you go to the oven, with a pool outside of custard.

-Yes.

'Once in the tin, the pastry should be pricked to prevent

'air bubbles from lifting the base.

'Lining with greaseproof paper

'and adding a weight like baking beans, prevents pastry from bubbling and rising up during blind baking.'

Oh, don't do that!

I've just told my pastry not to shrink.

'The crucial process that ensures the pastry is properly baked before adding the wet filling.'

I think they hold it down so it doesn't fly away.

I'm not really sure, other than that, what they're for, but they look nice, don't they?

This is the first time I'm using baking beans, but I'm not sure I've got enough in there.

Am I supposed to put the whole pot in? I'm not very convinced now.

'Gus is so unconvinced by them, he's decided not to use any.'

God, that is strong. Blimey!

'The bakers can now turn their full attention to their fillings.'

I want the onions to be quite small, but perhaps not this small.

Perhaps they're looking for sliced onions in an onion tart.

She has chopped up her onions so finely.

It should be hand sliced.

I know what she's trying to do and I'm sure it'll be OK,

but you know sometimes I like to have that bit of onion in there.

She's going to have lots of flavour with no bite.

'But Saira's not the only one with filling worries.'

I'm not very good with lots of eggy taste,

so I've just tried to put in lots and lots of quite big flavours.

So there are four chillies in it. But don't worry that's not all chillies.

There's red pepper in there, just to take it down a bit.

-It's finding that balance of your personal choice of how much chilli to put in there...

-Yes.

-..and how much you expect people to like.

-Yep.

-I think it's going to be lively.

-It's quite bold.

-It's going to be lively and bold.

-Good luck.

-Yes thank you, thank you.

That man is terrifying. He's terrifying.

He's got piercing blue eyes.

He's not as big as I thought he was going to be, though.

Smaller in the flesh. Mary seems bigger.

Bakers, you've had one a quarter hours and you've got one hour to go.

Oh! I forgot to set it up. Sorry, sorry, that's a bit of an exaggeration.

OK.

Sorry. You see the thing is about this competition,

if you psyche the others out, that's a good tactic.

Getting them a bit nervous, you know.

I've chopped my herbs, peppers are ready to go,

blind bake finishing off in the oven.

Voomph, voomph, voomph, voomph!

Oh hello, that looks good.

-No, no, I forgot to put the beans in, so...

-Is that a problem?

-..the base has slightly risen.

-OK.

Oh, no, my pastry's broke! Oh, no, it's broken!

It's so not fair, I'm telling you!

Arlene's had a bit of an issue

because she's actually put the baking beans

straight on top of the flan with no lining

and therefore they've stuck slightly to the base

and the walls of the flan have started to collapse in.

It looks like the walls of Jericho.

There's gotta be an easier way than one at a time.

Don't give up, don't give up, don't give up,

don't give up, don't give up.

'Filling a flan is all about judgment.'

I'm happy with this. This is fine.

'There should be enough fresh ingredients to add texture

'and enough egg custard to hold it all together.

'But too much and the mixture will spill over in the oven, sticking the flan to the tin.'

That looks very neat!

It's got everything in it! It's all gone in!

'Too little and the pastry left exposed will burn.'

Don't spill, Fi. Don't spill.

'But filling isn't an issue for Arlene.

'With time running out she's having to attempt another blind bake.

You're all cooking, my pastry is still sadly sitting there,

trying to get brown and this hasn't gone in.

-Do you know what?

-I think you're going to have to go with it.

-Ta-da!

-Woo-hoo!

-It's gone in.

Wow. Go Arlene, go Arlene, go Arlene.

'There are just 40 minutes remaining in the signature bake.

'One in four people in this country will be affected

'by mental health issues at some point in their life,

'so it's a lot more common than you would think.

'I heard about a charity that is using the power of baking

'to help rehabilitate people.

'I couldn't resist, so I went along to have a peek.

'One of the best places to sample some brilliant homemade bakes

'is a classic British cafe.'

I've heard about this place in Oxford, which does a little bit more than that.

It's a community run project and not only does it serve delicious cakes

to its customers, it also provides a support network for its staff.

'The cafe was opened three and a half years ago

'and is part of Restore, a project supported by Sport Relief.

'It helps people with mental health problems

'by giving them work placements in a social environment,

'boosting their confidence and teambuilding skills.'

-Hello, Jeremy. What are you making?

-My shortbread.

'Jeremy has been baking since he was 15

'and has a signature shortbread recipe.'

What flavours are you putting in there?

-Lavender and sometimes cardamom.

-Oh, nice.

-Am I right in thinking that your name is Jeremy Lavender?

-Yeah, it is, yeah.

-Is that the reason you like working with lavender?

-Yes, yes.

-Is this one of your favourite things to bake?

-Yeah.

-I can see the bits of lavender.

-Yes, they're quite plain.

What is it that you like about baking, Jeremy?

The end product, I think, and feeling you achieve something.

-Yeah, yes. I love shortbread, Jeremy.

-Do you?

Yeah. I've got my eye on your shortbread.

'Out of the oven, the cafe is filled with the smell of Jeremy's

'lavender shortbread and it flies off the shelves.'

Any chance I can sample your shortbread?

-Of course you can. I'll cut you a slice.

-Oh, lovely.

Oh!

-Nice? Can you taste the lavender?

-Yes.

-OK.

-I very much can taste the lavender.

-Will you be doing any yourself?

-I've never made it actually, but this will inspire me

and I want some more, thanks very much.

'Michael is renowned for his seedy flapjacks.'

Are you well known for your flapjacks, Michael?

I have feedback saying they're really nice and one customer

once said that you make better flapjack than Harrods, so.

That's fantastic. You must have been very chuffed when you heard that.

Yes, I think we all were.

The cafe seems to strike a brilliant balance.

The people that work there seem to get loads out of it

and I've eaten some of the most delicious baked goods that I've had in a long time.

Up to the gills. Perfect.

'If you'd like to find out how your baking could support

'projects like the Restore cafe, go to bbc.co.uk/sportrelief.

Sport Relief bakers, you've got ten minutes left on the clock. Ten minutes to go.

'Oven timing is now critical.

'The filling should be firm and the pastry golden and crisp.

'One minute too short will result in a claggy, soggy texture,

'too long and it'll be dry and eggy.'

It's just not quite brown enough, so I've just put it back in for another three minutes.

I don't know whether that's the right thing to do!

Cutting it pretty close now, we've go about, I don't know, seven,

eight minutes left and I think it needs eight, nine minutes.

It's going to be OK, it's going to be OK.

-It's peely-wally.

-You don't want your pastry to go dark.

-I don't want...

-No, exactly.

Come on!

Whack the oven up a bit more? No, that might kill it.

-Check it out.

-She's a beauty. Look at that.

It's bubbling nicely. Don't fall.

I don't want it to be overly cooked in the middle.

Bakers, you've got three minutes to turn out and present

your flans to the judges.

I like it as it is in the...

Turn it out, Gus. Turn out your flan.

Honestly...he's so naughty.

Oh, my God, you see this... Oh, that's scary.

It doesn't want to come out. It really doesn't.

y hands are starting to shake because I'm getting so nervous.

Now, come on. Come on.

No!

I don't know what to suggest really, Gus. Prayer?

No, it's coming out this time. Aargh!

Gus, please be careful, my love.

Oh, I'm going to have a heart attack.

Come on!

-Forceps, nurse.

-Is it a boy or a girl?

Oh.

Aaah.

Oh, no!

Oh, yes!

-Oh, dear.

-That was more tense than the birth of a child, Gus.

'It's judgment time for the Sport Relief bakers' signature flans.

'The first of this heat's three bakes.'

-Hello, Fi.

-Judges.

You've got a good filling in there. It's up to the top.

Erm...the bake looks all right, actually. It looks pretty good.

It's got a soggy bottom, unfortunately.

Yes. What did I do?

You needed another ten minutes, maybe more, on the blind bake,

before the filling was added.

That would have given you the nice crispy base,

which is what you want on this sort of thing.

-That's delicious.

-Oh!

It's spicy, it's warm, but I love the flavour.

The way you've done it to the top, that's what you should do,

so you get the lovely thin pastry

-and a really good amount of filling.

-Thank you.

I'll take that with me. Thank you.

I love the presentation with the onions, lest we should forget,

your filling is not quite enough to come to the top of your pastry.

I'm going to have a look here.

It's not baked enough underneath so the onions have gone to the bottom.

-If you had bigger pieces of onion it would float more in the eggy mixture.

-OK.

Onion, lovely and soft,

but I'd like a little bit more shape of the onion.

I like the taste, it's just a shame about the filling and the bake.

-Gus.

-Hello, Gus.

-Hi.

-The midwives have arrived.

I thought it was never going to come out, but you just did it.

And what's happened with the wholemeal in there,

any holes, it'll find as it bakes, and the liquids begin to pour out

and that's why it's stuck, essentially.

Well, it's well filled, isn't it? It's not done though, is it?

It's not baked underneath.

There's not a huge flavour because the base isn't baked.

-It's a nice filling, but it feels a bit worthy to me.

-A bit worthy?

Where it ought to be doing me good. But the pastry lets you down.

It's just really the total bake that's wrong with the pastry.

Yeah.

It's actually got a nice colour.

I'm curious to see how it's baked underneath.

-It's baked.

-Oh, yes.

-That is really well baked.

-Sort of crumbly and...

-And you can pick it up.

It's a surprisingly good pastry.

Considering it's had such a life, it's survived very well.

That is a great base.

It certainly doesn't lack flavour. It's good.

It's very cheesy, the chives are good with it.

Technically, on the side, it's a mess.

The problem with that is all about its posture.

Absolutely bang on!

When Paul said that was a great base,

I nearly fell off my stool backwards.

I couldn't believe something I'd created

in the baking world was great.

I think the judges were completely fair.

I'm going to take it on the chin.

I will return to the kitchen and onwards and upwards.

Paul said it was delicious and Mary said it was scrummy

and, you know, that's manna from heaven, isn't it?

I'm thrilled and delighted.

I feel gutted because I thought mine was perfect.

'After the individual creativity of the signature bake,

'the second challenge is tightly controlled

'and the bakers have no idea what they'll be asked to produce.'

Bakers, it's time now for your second bake,

known as the infamous technical challenge.

This bake is judged blind so, Paul and Mary, with the greatest respect,

please leave us.

With one and a quarter hours on the clock,

we're asking you to please make a banana and chocolate chip loaf

with piped chocolate icing.

I should also say that it's Mary Berry's recipe.

Oh, no.

So, everybody, good luck. On your marks, get set, bake.

'Each baker has been given identical ingredients

and a basic recipe with some details missing.'

Surely you have to put this in the oven.

'They must use their baking instincts to fill in the gaps.'

This bit of the bake off is the thing that's really petrified me.

Looking at it, I mean, the actual stages,

it's something that is going to be a bit of a challenge for me.

Right, banana loaf, one of my favourites.

There it is. Just a small, simple banana loaf.

Oh, yes.

Banana instantly.

It's well baked, golden brown, it's got a lovely rise,

a nice beautiful dome on the top.

If they mix it properly and finally a good bake,

a good finish with chocolate,

they'll end up with something as beautiful as that.

"Line loaf tin."

I've never lined a loaf tin in my life.

Why do you...you know... what am I supposed to do?

"..the chips out individually and wash them."

'Once lined, the tins are filled with what should be a simple mix

'of flour, butter, eggs, sugar, chocolate chips,

'milk and mashed banana.'

This is a Mary Berry recipe

so I want to prove to her that her recipes can be done by anyone.

Right, four ounces of ripe banana mash.

I can hear other people are mashing faster.

Look, there's lots of mashing sounds going on.

You seen her biceps? That's lots of baking.

She's a professional baker.

You don't get biceps like that being on Radio 4, do you?

'Mary's banana and chocolate loaf recipe contains no yeast.'

Right, half a teaspoon.

'Baking powder is the only rising agent

'and it must be added carefully, using a measuring spoon.

'Add too much, and the loaf will rise and then sink.'

Level half a teaspoon.

'Confuse a teaspoon with a table spoon

-'and you're in even more trouble.'

-In you go.

Sport Relief bakers, you have one hour left

for this technical challenge.

One egg.

I'll just do a dessert spoon and a bit

and pretend that's a tablespoon.

It just says, beat until combined.

I guess the art is in making it a bit, kind of, lighter and fluffier.

I have no idea what this is supposed to look like,

but I have a sneaky feeling that I shouldn't be doing it by hand,

but I'm afraid that if I try the electric whisking method,

it might do this.

Now, I've got to put in dark chocolate chips,

but is it ready to put the chips in?

Oh, God, I've left... Oh, wonder.

Disast...!

Still, hopefully it's rescuable.

I didn't add the sugar.

Do you know what?

I've made what is technically called at Radio 4, a balls up.

-What's happened?

-Because... I've mis-measured my chocolate chips

so I've put too many chocolate chips in.

Is that going to affect how the loaf turns out?

It'll be quite chocolaty.

Look, it'll be...yes, exactly.

'The bakers need to schedule not only enough oven time,

'but also time for cooling and icing.'

'But all they can do now is pray the loaves will rise.'

An essential ingredient of any great cake is a raising agent,

to help give it its volume and lovely light texture.

Nowadays, of course, a simple dash of baking powder will do the trick,

but, before its invention,

our bakers had to be a lot more resourceful.

'Up until the mid-18th century,

'making a case rise was an exhausting process,

'beating the eggs for hours until light and airy, before adding the other ingredients.

'In the 1780s, scientists discovered that by mixing an acid with an alkaline substance

'bubbles of carbon dioxide were produced.

'When added to a cake mix, these helped it rise.

'But these early raising agents were a bit unusual.'

This is potassium carbonate, which is pearl ash.

-You put it on plants.

-Yes.

The problem with pearl ash is that potash or pearl ash

is derived from wood ash

and when you add wood ash or lye to fat, you get soap.

When you add this to your cake with your butter in,

-there is a risk that you will get a soapy flavour.

-Soap cake.

'Early raising agents didn't just taste odd,

'some were produced from some pretty unusual sources.'

This one is ammonium carbonate,

or, in its day, it would have been hartshorn.

-Hartshorn being what?

-The horn of a deer.

Literally the horn of a hart.

'Hartshorn was also used at the time for smelling salts.'

How on earth would people have come up with the idea

that deer's horn could raise a cake?

Some of it's just experimentation.

With smelling salts, the hartshorn, it's quite obvious,

if you're passing them under your nose, that they fizz.

-You might try putting them in a cake.

-Can I taste?

-Go ahead.

Let's have a little taste of that.

Horrid. Absolutely horrid.

'There's only one way to truly test these early raising agents

'and that's to bake them in some cakes

'and taste them in the grounds of stately homes where they would originally have been served.'

I'll start with the deer horn raising agent.

Oh, shall we have a little...?

There's a dishwater taste going on in here.

I can't put my finger on it. It's slightly rancid water.

OK, let's go for the pearl ash now.

-Shall we have a little taste?

-Let's try it.

Oh, bonfire night.

I'm getting a bonfire night, slighting burning, bit of a weird aftertaste.

Bit of a strange coating on the teeth as well.

'For decades, scientists tried to crack this cake conundrum

'and, in 1843, a new raising agent was finally invented

'that could raise a cake without a nasty aftertaste - baking powder.'

Normally, we attribute the invention of baking powder to Alfred Bird of Bird's Custard.

-Him of the custard.

-He was a scientist who had a wife with a lot of food allergies.

Wasn't very good with yeast, so baking powder came in partly as a substitute for yeast.

What were the ingredients of Alfred Bird's baking powder?

Bicarbonate of soda and cream of tartar.

'Bird quickly realised that baking powder not only replaced the yeast in bread,

'but worked wonders with raising cakes.'

Bird, we salute you.

Things are happening and I hope for some of the right things.

It's one of those things, you know,

when, if you open the oven, it sinks,

so I'm afraid to open the oven.

It's sort of beginning to look a bit like a cake.

While we've got the time, Arlene, can you teach me a dance move?

I've been wanting to ask you all day.

Something simple, upper body?

There's always the rolling the shoulders with a plie,

-with the weight on one leg...

-Yes.

..rolling the shoulders forward, up, back and round.

Is this an old Hot Gossip manoeuvre?

There was lots of that in Hot Gossip.

And there was forward, side, back, side.

-Forward...

-Back.

Yeah. And then you could use your hands.

Cross, back...

This is too complicated for me now.

She's putting all the moves together.

You've gone a bit Rocky Horror.

Steady on, steady on.

Sport Relief bakers, you've got 25 minutes left.

25 minutes left and that's a quick box step and that.

Thanks very much.

'All the loaves must be decorated with a piped zigzag of melted dark chocolate.

'Melting it slowly over water is the only way to ensure

'the chocolate doesn't harden into unusable lumps.'

This is the only way I ever melt chocolate.

Once I tried doing it in a microwave and it turned out like cement.

Maybe if I put a bit of boiling water in. So now, I'm just experimenting.

Technical? Forget it!

I'm just adding hot water to see

if it will go back more to the chocolate, rather than...

Otherwise, I'm not going to be able to pipe it.

'Adding water to melted chocolate causes it to seize, forming a solid concrete texture.'

That's it! That's what's going in my piping bag! That's not right, is it?

This is not fair. I can't even get my chocolate down to the end of the bag.

I was going to do the greatest zigzags in the world.

Two, one.

Here we go. It's ridiculous. Look at that.

It's not supposed to have a well in the middle, is it?

Bakers, you've got three minutes to release your loaves

from their tins, ice it, present it, get on the slab.

Looks good. Looks good.

Nice colour.

I think I put too much chocolate in, so it's just seeping out of the bottom.

I can't even get mine off the paper.

Bakers, that's one minute to go. Sixty seconds on the clock.

SHE LAUGHS

Quick! Get it off!

-Oh!

-It's a kind of Jackson Pollock.

Bakers, the technical challenge is over. Your time is up.

HE LAUGHS

'The technical challenge is judged blind.

'Paul and Mary will have no idea whose loaf is whose.'

LAUGHTER

Don't laugh!

Which end shall we begin? Nice bit of drizzle on the top of that one.

-It's not baked at all, is it?

-It's not baked, it's not done.

-Baking powder?

-Baking powder.

We're struggling here! Let's move on to the next one.

The chocolate's dropped straight down to the bottom.

The baking on this one isn't bad, but there's far too much baking powder in there.

-The banana's coming through well in that.

-Baking powder again.

-Baking powder.

This one here, just not baked long enough.

It's just not baked.

There is a real problem with baking powder.

Everybody has put too much raising agent in it.

When you put too much baking powder in, it will rise, be full of air and it'll collapse.

'Paul and Mary must now rank the loaves from worst to...least worst.'

Baking powder. It's sort of...

If you're on to the bake, it's that one. Then that one.

That one, then that one.

-Shall we start from the bottom?

-Who's number four?

-Arlene.

-This one is under baked. It has too much baking powder in it.

It shows by the chocolate dropping to the bottom

and it just needed longer baking too.

In third place is this one.

Whose is this one? This one started to get a structure together and you've made some attempt

at putting the chocolate on the top, but it is raw, essentially.

Here we come to number two. Who's number two?

Now, that's nicely baked, but over baking powdered. Again, the chocolate's at the bottom.

The zigzagging was under full control, but we could have had more.

In first place is this one.

I'm not that proud!

The bake on this is actually all right. The baking powder is way too high,

but of all four, that's the sort of consistency we're looking for.

Again, like all of them, with too much raising agent,

it's gone up in the oven

and it's come down with the excess raising agent.

I feel really happy that my bake was the top of the disaster bakes.

Bittersweet victory, there.

I feel quite upset with myself.

I'll try and take in what happened today, but I've only got about 12 hours to go and practise,

so it's a little nerve-wracking.

When Paul and Mary walked in, all of us realised how badly we had done

and tomorrow, I will come back with renewed vigour and spirit.

I'll approach it with the most positive spirit I can muster.

The thing to do in life is to learn from your mistakes.

It was miserable, but I will... Tomorrow I'll do better.

They have been piping, whisking, primping, rolling,

slicing and dicing, all to support Sport Relief 2012.

So, go on, get involved.

Find out how you can do that at the BBC website.

Roll up your sleeves, hold a bake sale,

make a bit of bread for Sport Relief.

'It's day two of the second heat and the Sport Relief bakers

'have just one challenge left in which to wow the judges.

'At the end of today, only one will be chosen to go through to the final.'

-They're half way through, let's start with Fi.

-Fi's flan was very good.

The combination of flavours really worked.

-But there was a problem with the base.

-That soggy bottom.

-Soggy bottom!

Saira's onion flan, the mistake she made was to puree the onion.

-They were blitzed to within an inch of their life.

-It tasted good though.

-And onto Gus.

He was using all whole-wheat flour. That's heavy.

-And the surprise card was Arlene.

-Everything went wrong,

but luck was on her side and her pastry was the best.

She had a bit of a slide into banana loafsville.

It was very disappointing. There wasn't one good one.

Fi and Saira technically are better than the other two.

But having said that, it's still an open playing field.

Sport Relief bakers, this is it, the big momma of them all, it's the Showstopper Challenge.

We're asking you to bake us a layered cake.

This cake should have at least three layers

and decorated in any way that you wish.

It should least resemble your banana loaves, if that's at all possible!

So with three and a quarter hours on the clock, for the final time,

on your marks, get set, bake!

'The Showstopper Challenge is a chance for the bakers to step up a gear.

'Yesterday's technical bake proved disastrous for all four bakers.'

This is going to be difficult. Not only do they have to get a minimum of three layers

of sponge exactly matching, their fillings have got to complement each other and if there's an icing too,

that's got to complement the fillings and the cake.

And we want a very classy finish.

After our banana loaf disasters, today I just feel

like I ought to just raise my game a bit, try and do a bit better.

At 4:00am, I was bolt upright, thinking...

I've got to try and do better today.

I want to find a way of disciplining myself. Time was the main thing.

'The layers of their cake must be sponge.

'The basic ingredients of which are egg, fat, sugar and flour.

'To avoid a repeat of yesterday's sunken loaf, Saira is using the simplest technique -

'mixing all the ingredients together in one go.'

I'm using an all-in-one method. These cakes are going to rise today.

And they're not going to sink.

I'm not on a ship that's sinking today.

'She's making a rose flavoured cake

'filled and topped with a buttercream icing.'

My layered cake has been inspired by a Mary Berry recipe.

It's a very simple Victorian sponge, but with a twist.

-I'm going to put rose extract in the buttercream.

-That's it.

-That's right.

-OK.

I want it to be simple. I want the rose extract to come through.

Simple is often good, if it's done to perfection.

-I'm putting myself under pressure!

-We'll see.

-Good luck, Saira.

-Thank you.

'Unlike Saira, Gus is hoping to impress with something a little less straightforward.'

-This is Amarula.

-Ama-what?

-Amarula.

-The whole thing?

-Go for it.

This is made by the Zulus.

It's a kind of... Imagine it might be made in Ireland or something.

-It's like a cream liqueur.

-I was going to say. Surely...

I'm actually starting to see double!

'The South African liqueur is one of the key flavours of his almond and ginger layer cake,

'filled and decorated with a lemon and stem ginger icing.'

This is a recipe that I know fairly well.

So I'm feeling a lot more confident than I was yesterday.

I really love this stage, when the chemistry begins

and it starts to turn into something that looks quite unpleasant

and then gradually it begins to look like cake mixture.

Hopefully.

'Once the basic cake mix is ready,

'the other bakers also start to flavour their sponge.'

You can see I'm just not used to doing this.

I got extremely nervous about baking and thought I couldn't do it,

so I put on a Women's Institute dress from the '50s, where every woman baked,

and hoped that it would somehow invoke the baking.

'Arlene is choreographing a show stopping extravaganza.

'A gingerbread layered cake with three flavoured fillings,

'topped with a decorative display of dried fruits and nuts.'

I'm planning to do what I call a mega mix icing

because every good show, at the end of it, has this fun thing called a mega mix,

where you kind of show off all the different steps in the show.

So my icing is one layer coffee, one layer of chocolate,

topped with mega mix of blueberries and cranberries and nuts.

Do you think it'll work? You've got chocolate, coffee, cranberry...

-I'm thinking, is there going to be too much going on?

-I'm sure it is. I'm absolutely convinced it is!

'A good sponge cake mix should have a dropping consistency

'and fall easily from a spoon or a bowl under its own weight.

'Arlene's special dress doesn't appear to be helping.'

Ah, gosh! No rest for the wicked, is there?

It's an utter disaster.

I've totally blanked on the consistency it should be.

There's more on my fingers and hair than there is in the bowl.

I'm going to put it back and add some milk and hope it will spread it out.

Oh, God, no!

That's not... Oh, that's too much. You can't laugh!

It's not funny!

'Once the cakes are in the oven,

'the bakers can start preparing their fillings.'

They've got to have interesting fillings. They can do different fillings and icings.

It's up to them, but they've got to be creative and they've got to taste superb.

I think it's quite stiff competition today. The gloves are off for everybody.

'Fi's bidding for a place in the final with her dark chocolate

'layered cake which contains two ambitious fillings.'

-What have we got in these bowls?

-We've got some strawberries

and they are having a rest in some sherry

and the icing is a combination of mascarpone, cream cheese and cream.

-I'm putting caramel in.

-When you say caramel, are you making it?

-I'm making the caramel.

So you will mix all the creams together and have a thread.

-Hopefully a bit of a swirl for the top, yes.

-Very brave.

-A bit too brave.

-You've got caramel on all the layers?

-Yes, with strawberries.

-Good luck.

'Fi's caramel sauce involves melting sugar until it's a liquid amber.

'It's extremely easy to burn, so it requires constant vigilance.'

It's one of those things that I'd never in a million years

have attempted if I hadn't entered a baking competition.

I'm keeping a very, very careful eye on it.

'With three sponges in the oven at the same time,

'ensuring all of them are baked evenly requires rotating.'

I'm a bit scared. Does it...?

I think it should be in the oven a little bit longer.

'But opening the door for too long and too often

'will reduce the oven temperature and stop any rise in its tracks.'

Is that bad to keep opening the oven door? It is, isn't it?

Very nearly.

Looks sort of cake-like! Thank God!

Very pleased with those.

I don't understand why these cakes sink. I have no idea.

In business, if you follow the process, you end up with the sale.

Here you follow the process

and you end up with a cake that's sinking. Now, I'm worried.

This is your final countdown, bakers. You've got ten minutes.

Ten minutes left on that little old clock.

That's the first of my fillings, which is chocolate.

Coming up is layer two.

And this has a coffee butter icing.

I'm happy with the my icing.

I wanted it to be a light pink, instead of a bright pink. I'm very happy with that.

Do you know what? I'm really thrilled.

It's never come out looking as good as this!

I want it to look pretty on the outside and then to be killer on the inside.

I'm going to decorate this cake with roses on the side.

I'm done. With time to spare!

Four, three, two, one and that's the cut off point. Time up.

Bakers, move away from your layer cakes, please. Time is very much up.

-Yay!

-Woo-hoo!

'For three of these bakers,

'this is the last time they will face Paul and Mary.

'Only one of them can secure an all-important place in the final.'

Gus, you first, my love.

-Wowzers!

-That's a very even bake you've got there.

The actual cake is very good, very moist.

-I really like it, Gus.

-Oh, thank you!

You've got a nice balance of flavour with the ginger and fruit,

buttercream works, a little tartness coming through. I'd have another piece! It's very good.

That's made my day.

It came together in the end, didn't it?

The butter icing isn't thick because I'm not a fan of butter icing.

Big thick lumps of it.

It might just be a touch heavy.

I wouldn't say it was so much heavy. It's a little dry.

The ginger is delicious. It's over baked, essentially.

You can tell by the colour. I wouldn't have put the layers in.

-I don't think the cranberry topping works.

-Other than that, it it's fine.

-It's a great flavour.

The overall appearance is great.

I like the ribbon. It's very clever.

It does look a cake for a special occasion.

You've been generous with the filling. You need to be when each layer is well risen.

That caramel has come through the cream very well.

It is a difficult thing to achieve,

to get the caramel liquid enough to go into the cream.

The cake itself is moist, it's good, it's a good chocolate cake.

The strawberries work with the chocolate.

My question is does the caramel work with the strawberries and the chocolate?

-I'm not sure whether it does. But that's a well baked and well structured cake.

-Thank you.

It's a very light, delicate colour, which is nice.

You've got a slightly lopsided cake.

That's down to the buttercream and the sponge.

It looks lovely and moist. That's a very good bake.

Just the right amount of icing to cake.

The rose flavour is delicately coming through.

I think the cake's delicious.

It works, the rosewater, the cream, but I also think it needs something like raspberry,

something tart, just to break through that rosewater and sponge

-because you've got a great bake there. Well done.

-Thank you.

Overall, a good bake, good icing. I'm happy.

I think I'm possible the loser today. However, I've done my best.

I really have done my best.

Paul actually said he'd have another slice! It can't get much better.

That makes me feel like I'm a winner already.

Really pleased with what I managed to achieve today.

But I'm not thinking, "Oof, that's in the bag!"

'Paul and Mary will now look back over all three bakes

'and decide on just one winning baker to put through to the final.'

There has been a massive improvement between what we're seeing today and what we had yesterday.

-These are all edible. So who stood out for you, Paul?

-I felt Gus's was pretty good.

The bake was good. It was moist, there was ginger.

The way the cream was topped, it looks great.

-He had a slightly disastrous day yesterday.

-Yes, it's his patchwork that essentially let him down.

-I didn't like the flavours.

-Let's move on to Arlene's showstopper.

I was surprised. It looked really exciting.

But when you cut into it, oh dear. It was more a biscuit than a cake.

That bottom layer really should come with a health warning!

You can hardly get your teeth through it.

The overall taste of the ginger sponge was excellent.

-And Fi's showstopper.

-I thought the chocolate sponge was lovely.

The strawberries worked well with the chocolate.

It's a nice tasting sponge. My question is whether that caramel could have been stronger.

That would have made a good cake fantastic.

What did you feel about Saira's cake?

Saira's cake was a very good Victoria sandwich.

It was very well baked, lovely texture.

Rose cream just in the right proportion,

but what it lacked was a finish.

It didn't seem to me a show stopper.

I talked about her onion thing - you need more finesse to finish it

and exactly the same thing happened today.

I'm going to leave it with you to decide who you think is going through to the final.

Good luck.

Bakers, it's been a very eventful 48 hours in your company.

You've all worked incredibly hard for this special

Great Sport Relief Bake Off, so thank you very much for that.

As you all know, there is only one little space in that final.

So bakers,

our winning baker, coming with us into the final

of the Great Sport Relief Bake Off is...

-..Fi.

-Yes!

Brilliant! Well done! Well done!

It's brilliant!

I am really delighted, but I am also quite shocked. I am quite shocked.

And erm... I feel a bit overwhelmed.

And I know it's only a cake and a flan and we can't mention

the banana loaf, but I do feel a bit overwhelmed by it.

I've had a wonderful two days.

I didn't expect to win and I'm going home,

not to say goodbye to baking, but to say hello baking, here I come!

I feel a little bit gutted.

But I've had a fantastic time and I would do it all over again.

I didn't deserve to win.

Not in any shape or form, but in a way,

I am sad to be going home cos I've enjoyed the experience so much.

I think tonight, I'll go home and lie down with a copy of Mary Berry's book attached to my face

and hopefully, all that information will flood into me.

I've got to work really hard now.

'Next time, it's heat three

'and four new Sport Relief bakers cook up a storm.'

-That looks like a pair of underpants.

-At this stage, you've got to take risks.

'Tackling Mary Berry's technical challenge, her classic coffee and walnut cake.'

This is so far out of my comfort zone, it's not true.

'And creating 24 show stopping miniature sweet tarts.'

No soggy bottoms here.

-'Whose baking is about to crumble?'

-Oh, dear.

'And who will rise above the rest?'

..Baker joining us in the Great Sport Relief Bake Off final is...'

Feeling inspired to bake to raise money for Sport Relief,

got to the website to find out how you can do your bit to help.

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