Delicious viewing
The Great Kiwi Bake Off delivers a slice of Kiwiana at its best
Just last week, I very confidently stated that any self-respecting reality TV show needs a villain.
But then, precisely six days later, my theory was politely and cheerfully blown out of the water with the arrival of The Great Kiwi Bake
Off, a television show with a sweet recipe for success that would only be ruined by the presence of a bad guy. After years of enjoying The Great
British Bake Off, New Zealand finally got its first taste of a local version last night and discovered little variation in the flavour.
Hosted by the comedic dream team of Madeleine Sami and Hayley Sproull, the show is very much like its British counterpart, although that’s no bad thing, considering the original’s iconic status.
Filmed at Auckland’s Kelliher Estate, the show certainly looked the part in its opening episode, as a dozen of the country’s most enthusiastic home bakers began their quest to impress judges Sue Fleischl and Dean Brettschneider (or Fleischl-Schneider as hosts Sami and Sproull have so handily christened them).
The contestants got to ease their way in to the competition with a signature bake (i.e. a recipe they’ve made before) and were tasked with creating 24 of their very best cupcakes in two hours.
And, oh, the cupcake porn that poured forth.
There were dietitian Jennie’s beetroot red velvet cupcakes with vanilla bean cream cheese icing and candied beet crisps. Sonali, a woman after my own heart, whipped up “Luck of the Irish” cupcakes that oozed with booze. Candied bacon was bandied about.
It was entirely overwhelming. But as Fleischl-Schneider critiqued the cupcakes, the bakers’ various sins were revealed. There were dry cakes, several gritty batches of icing, and — gasp — one contestant who had the audacity to adorn her cupcakes with glace´ cherries. Glace´ cherries!