This Sunday, The Great British Bake Off for Stand Up to Cancer was back again, with a fresh batch of celebs taking on 3 culinary challenges in a chance to win the coveted Star Baker Apron. Our fifth round of celebrities saw Sara Cox (Radio DJ and Broadcaster), Reverand Richard Coles (Writer, Presenter and Church of England Reverand), Adam Hills, (Standup Comedian, and TV Presenter) and Joe Locke, Emmy award winning actor known for his most recent role in Heartstopper, take on the big white tent.
For today’s Signature Bake, the celebs were tasked with making 12 identical biscuit bars (which had a personal meaning), topped or sandwiched with a delicious filling. According to Paul, the perfect biscuit was hard to achieve, if it’s overcooked it will have a bitter taste, and an undercooked biscuit would lack the perfect snap.
Up first to receive Prue and Paul’s judgment were Adam’s ‘Manilovo’ biscuits, these were based off classic Australian vanilla biscuits, decorated with two strips of icing, a generous strip of raspberry jam down the middle, garnished with coconut shavings. Unfortunately, these bakes were ever so slightly underbaked, but impressed with a lovely vanilla flavour. Up next, Richard’s ‘Mixed-Economy Shortbread’ biscuits, (the millionaire shortbread on a budget) consisted of a layer of shortbread, then caramel topped in chocolate, the other half sprinkled with sea salt. These bakes were slightly uneven, but well baked with a lovely salty-sweet balance and brilliant feathering. Next, Joe’s ‘Chocolate Bourbon’ biscuit bars, decorated with fondant penguins (Joe’s favourite aquatic bird). The two biscuits sandwiched chocolate ganache, had a lovely flavour, yet critiqued for their slightly hap-hazard decoration. Finally, onto Sara’s ‘Lancaster Tosset’ biscuit bars, consisted of caraway and coriander flavoured shortbread, topped with a chocolate and orange ganache. There were highly praised for their incredible taste, look and crip, bagging Sara a coveted handshake from Mr Hollywood.
Onto the Technical, the celebs had 2 hours to produce 6 perfectly set custard slices, consisting of a crisp puff pastry, silky smooth custard filling and perfectly marbled sugar icing. This was a particularly hard technical this week, with the celebs having to ensure the custard was thick enough to slice, and the laminated pastry was rigid and flaky. With the custard chilling in the fridge, it was time to roll the puff pastry, and marble the sugar icing.
Once the celebs had constructed their pastry bakes it was time for deliberation. Richard’s bakes took fourth place, with underbaked pastry and lumpy custard. In third place, we had Joe’s bakes. Sadly, these didn’t impress, with a raw pastry base and runny custard. Adam bagged second place, with undercooked dough, but evidence of pastry layers. Stealing the show with her bakes, Sara’s pastry took first place, these were neat with a nice flavour, yet like it’s competition, somewhat underbaked.
Finally, the Showstopper! After a pretty intense Technical challenge, it was all to play for in the final round. The celebs had 3 hours to bake a novelty cake, which depicted their celebrity best friend. Richard’s ‘Grayson Perry’s Claire’ cake dressed to impress, with three tiers of Victoria Sponge, filled with strawberry jam, and buttercream decorated with fondant features. Paul and Prue praised the delicious jam, yet critiqued the bake for a slightly robust sponge which had been overbaked. The Victoria Sponge was a popular bake this week, with Joe’s ‘Patti LuPone’ cake also including the classic sponge. Joe’s bake was filled with buttercream and jam, adorned with gold fondant show letters to pay homage to Patti’s musical theatre career. Paul and Prue were wowed with the exceptional design, which sat upon a beautifully baked cake which was neat as a pin. Adam’s ‘Alex Brooker’s leg’ cake was made of 2 separate sponges, a jam Swiss roll iced with chocolate, and a vanilla sponge laced with Jam for a fondant decorated trainer. Last but certainly not least, Sara’s ‘Jeremy Vine on a Penny Farthing’ cake, which saw Jeremy sat atop a caramel sponge penny farthing with buttercream and chantilly. This was praised for its wonderful design and was enough to bag Sara the coveted Star Baker apron.
Catch up on all Stand Up To Cancer Bake Off episodes now here.
Good news, you can get your very own Star Baker apron like winner Sara from the Stand Up To Cancer shop, plus more Star Baker merchandise to look the part while baking up a storm. 100% of the profits go to Cancer Research UK in support of the Stand Up To Cancer campaign.
