BRILLIANT RECIPES FROM THE BOOK OF THE NEW GREAT BRITISH BAKE OFF SERIES

Enjoying this year’s show? Then why not try your hand at some of the delicious creations featured during the series in our first mouthwatering extract from the new Great British Bake Off book

Heat the oven to 180°C/fan 160°C/ gas 4. Grease 2 x 20.5cm (8in) round, deep sandwich tins with butter and line the bases with parchment. To make the sponge mixture, break the eggs into a large heatproof bowl, add the sugar and orange zest and mix with an electric whisk.

Set the bowl over a pan of barely simmering water (the base of the bowl should not touch the water) and whisk on full speed for 10 minutes until the mixture is very pale, thick and mousse-like and has reached the ribbon stage (see tip across bottom of pages 72-73). Don’t let the mixture become too hot – you should be able to dip in your little finger and not find it uncomfortable. If the mixture begins to feel too hot, move the pan and bowl off the heat. Once ribbon stage has been reached, remove the bowl from the pan and whisk until it cools to room temperature. Sift the flour and salt into another bowl, then sift a third of the flour mixture over the egg mixture and fold in. Repeat 2 more times to fold in the remaining flour. Slowly trickle the cooled

melted butter down the inside of the bowl and fold in until there are no streaks. Gently spoon the mixture into the tins and spread evenly. Bake in the oven for 14-16 minutes until the sponges are well-risen, golden and starting to shrink away from the sides of the tins – they should feel springy when pressed in the centre. Remove from the oven, leave for 3 minutes, then run a round-bladed knife around the inside edge of each tin and turn out the sponges on to a wire rack to cool completely.

Next make the salted caramel sauce for the cream filling. Place the butter and sugar in a small pan and heat gently until the butter has melted, stirring frequently. Pour in the 85ml (3fl oz) cream, stirring constantly. Bring to the boil, stirring, and simmer for 1 minute. Remove from the heat and stir in the salt. Leave to cool, stirring frequently.

Once the sauce is cold, whip the chilled cream using an electric whisk until it is floppy – the stage before soft peaks. Using a wire whisk, beat the caramel sauce for 1 minute, then fold in 2tbsp of the whipped cream. Add this to the remaining whipped cream and whip with the electric whisk for a few seconds until combined. Fold in a drop or two of colouring to make an attractive golden-orange colour. Set aside 4tbsp of the caramel cream in a small bowl for the decoration. Cover both bowls and chill until needed.