This series’ bakers are in full swing — and you can totally cook along. By ELLA WALKER. Get baking for friends, family
TUESDAY nights are once again officially Bake Off nights, when Channel 4 becomes host to Paul Hollywood, Prue Leith, Sandi Toksvig and Noel Fielding, scoffing cake in a tent with a load of panicked bakers staring, fraught, at their ovens.
But what to eat when you sit down to watch? If you’re in need of a few ideas, the cookbook accompanying this year’s series has more than a few . . .
The book: The Great British Bake Off: Get Baking For Friends And Family
Who will love it? Bake Off fiends, budding contestants getting into shape to apply to appear in the tent next year, and home bakers looking to push themselves.
What is it trying to get us cooking? A lot of sweet stuff, and a little savoury, with recipes from judges Paul and Prue, as well as from this year’s Bake Off hopefuls and past contestants. It is a little annoying that it doesn’t let you know which bakes belong to which bakers, although religious Bake Off fans will likely clock their favourites.
How easy is it to use? It varies wildly depending on the recipe and your own personal skill level. Recipes cover the whole baking spectrum, from easy biccies that beginners can handle (like the cherry and chocolate oatmeal biscuits), and fairly basic tray bakes (nutty apricot blondies), to elaborate roulades, intricately plaited breads and bakes that we watched the show’s contestants struggle with (looking at you, wagon wheels and the spinachheavy le gâteau vert).
The best recipe is . . . The bonfire night ginger cake with cinder toffee. It’s covered in a salted caramel Swiss meringue buttercream, and we would not be willing to share it.
The recipe we’re most likely to post pictures of on Instagram is . . . The “one in a melon cake” — oh it’s a beauty. Basically, it’s a cake masquerading as a watermelon, courtesy of Flo from last year’s series. With green fondant icing skin, a red sponge interior with chocolate chips as pips, and a white buttercream pith, it’s incredible (if massively timeconsuming to actually bake).
The dish we’re least likely to try is . . . The melting chocolate ball with orange craquelin profiteroles. Firstly, because what even is craquelin? Second, because it involves dunking a balloon in melted chocolate, papier-mâché-style, and three, life’s too short to make your own choux pastry. It does look pretty spectacular though. Overall rating: 8/10. Unlikely to become a baking classic on your cookbook shelf, but great for the odd show-stopper inspiration. And with Prue behind the scenes, you can trust that the recipes will work. The Great British Bake Off: Get Baking For Friends And Family is published in hardback by Sphere, priced £20. Available now.