Baking the Bake Off

For the last four years I’ve baked along the Bake Off (if you consider 2017 baking along though). I made round-ups for 2016 and 2015 (links to the posts, pictures are at the end of this post). I didn’t share a round-up for the last year and neither for 2017 (after they moved to Channel 4). I’m going to share them today, as a new series will start and that, despite going to Oxford, I’m planning to try the weekly challenges this year as well.

Considering that I will not have time to try the recipes more than once, I will make the recipes after the show has aired, unlike the previous years when I was baking before the show. This should make my life so much easier. I will share all the recipes on my food blog, CookStyle. Also, you can see what amazing prize I won last year with my baking: The Bakery Boss. Last year I joined because I love baking and being challenged, but I’m still not impressed with the move to Channel 4. For me the show is not as good as it was at BBC. Also, this year I’ve participated in the BlogOn Bake Off and I won 2nd place! Funnily enough, with a cake I’ve baked before the GBBO, the 2016’s final showstopper.

These are my bakes from last year. The show had 10 weeks and I baked every week, but I did try more than a recipe if I thought this is something I’d like to try.

The bakes start from top left to bottom right, by week. The challenges are Signature – Technical – Showstopper:
Biscuits – Week 1 – Regional Biscuits – Wagon Wheels – 3D Biscuit Self-Portrait. I made grape biscuits, not regional, but still delicious. I’ve also baked Cornish fairings, but not that week.

Cakes – Week 2 – Traybakes – Le Gâteau Vert – Chocolate Collar Cake. I made the technical and it was amazing! I loved that cake, it was so good. It is expensive, but it is worth it.

Bread – Week 3 – Chelsea Buns – Naan Breads – Korovai. As I was intrigued by Chelsea buns, I made this recipe, with mango puree and coconut.

Desserts – Week 4 – Meringue Roulade – Blancmange with 12 Langues du Chat biscuits – Melting Chocolate Ball Dessert. I did the technical again, it turned out lovely.

Spice – Week 5 – Ginger Cake – Ma’amoul – Spiced Biscuit Chandelier. I love spices, so for that week I baked all three challenges. The ginger cake was amazing. Maamoul were so good that I bought special moulds for them and I made these a few times. As it coincided with a get together we had at the stately home I’m volunteering, I’ve made a chandelier. I took most of the biscuits with me to share them with my colleagues. They were very popular.

Pastry – Week 6 – Samosas – Puits d’amour – Shaped Banquet Pie. As you can see from the picture, I picked the showstopper and made a beautiful (I loved how it turned out) caravan pie. The filling was amazing as well and we were thinking of our camping holidays, so it made sense. The taste was fabulous.

Vegan – Week 7 – Vegan Tartlets – Tropical Fruit Pavlova – Vegan Celebratory Cake. I made Pavlova with aquafaba. It was a challenge and it could have been better. With the amount of sugar it needs, this is not a recipe I’m trying too often, so I can’t say I improved.

Danish – Week 8 – Smørrebrød – Æbleskiver – Kagekone. I made the signature and this is another recipe from the Bake Off that I made again and again. It is something my husband and I enjoy eating while on holiday. It is so easy to make while camping, but it is very fancy and so delicious. Smorrebrod is an open sandwich with lots of filling.

Pâtisserie – Week 9 – Madeleines – Torta Setteveli – Parisian Pâtisserie Window. I made madeleines, for the first time, and it was lovely. Now I realize I haven’t made madeleines again and that I should. They are very easy to make.

Final – Week 10 – Iced Doughnuts – Campfire Pita Breads – Landscape Dessert. Of course I had to pick the showstopper. This is what I did in the previous years. I made a gorgeous Cornish coast landscape dessert. I made the cliffs out of cake, the sea was biscuit, covered in different shades of blue icing. I made eclair rocks and, appropriately, Cornish fairings rocks as well. I crumbled a bit of biscuit for the sand and put a bit of whipped cream as sea foam.

My bakes from 2017. Like before, the bakes start from top left to bottom right, by week. The challenges are Signature – Technical – Showstopper:

Cakes – Week 1 – Fruity Cake – Chocolate Mini Rolls – Illusion Cake. I made Upsidedown Pear Cake with Port and dark chocolate sauce.

Biscuits – Week 2 – Sandwich Biscuits – Fortune Cookies – Biscuit Board Games. I didn’t bake that week.
Bread – Week 3 – Teacakes – Cottage Loaf – Multicoloured Bread Sculpture. Again, I didn’t bake anything. I was too upset with the change to be interested in baking along.

Caramel – Week 4 – Millionaire Shortbreads – Stroopwafels – Caramel Cake. I made Sticky Toffee Pudding.

These next few weeks I didn’t bake along:
Puddings – Week 5 – Steamed School Pudding – Molten Chocolate Puddings – Ornamental Trifle Terrine.
Pastry – Week 6 – Shortcrust Savoury Pies – Pastéis de Nata – Hand-Raised Pie. I made lots of Broccoli Mini Quiche, for that year’s get together.
Italian – Week 7 – Cannoli – Pizza margherita – sfogliatelle
Forgotten bakes – Week 8 – Bedfordshire Clangers – Cumberland Rum Nicky – Victorian Savoy Cake

Pâtisserie – Week 9 – Choux Buns – Les Misérables Slices – Meringue Centrepiece. Banoffee Eclair Cake, a very interesting bake.

Final – Week 10 – Small Loaves – Ginger Biscuits – Large Entremet. I didn’t bake. I wasn’t keen on the new format and I’m still not keen on it. The jokes aren’t as funny as the presenters think they are. For me, the show was a let down that year and I was not keen on baking. I’ve had some other projects (baking related) at that time.

My bakes from 2016: Coconut Drizzle Cake; Viennese whirls; Five different flours to create a huge showstopper centrepiece (showstopper asked for 3); Savoury Filled Yorkshire Puddings; Bakewell Tart; Citrus Meringue Pie and Fougasse and Matcha & rose cake; Roulade; Tudor pie; Savarin and Coffee Fondant Fancies; Sausage Rolls with Puff Pastry, Quiche, Fruit Tarts, Savoury Scones, Chocolate cake and Meringue crown.

My bakes from 2015: Madeira cake; Biscotti; Baguettes and Soda bread; Creme brulee and Three flowers cheesecakes; Sugar free scones and Gluten free pittas; Frangipane tart; Christmas fruit cake; Religieuse a l’ancienne; Dark chocolate with hazelnuts and White chocolate tart and Souffles; Carrot cake.