The icing on the cake!

Outsider wins Bake Off with a taste of heaven ... and hell

THE recipe ran for three A4 pages, involved 27 steps and included five sheets of gold leaf – and there were just two hours in which to make it. But John Whaite’s complicated formula for the perfect Heaven and Hell chocolate cake last night transformed him from rank outsider to winner of the Great British Bake Off.

The law- student-turned-banker beat favourite James Morton and fellow contestant Brendan Lynch with his exquisite creation, which is made up of lemon and coconut meringue mini cakes, placed on top of a dark chocolate and orange base.

However, any viewers hoping to recreate it at home may struggle – they’ll need,

‘My mum’s really chuffed’

for starters, 15 eggs, 1kg of sugar and 600g of dark chocolate.

The 23-year-old, who lives in Manchester with his partner Paul, admitted he was ‘very, very surprised’ to win the show.

‘I still can’t believe it,’ he added. ‘I was surprised to even get on the show. My legs went to jelly. I was really shaking when they said my name. My mum was really chuffed. She was crying.

‘I am most proud of the Heaven and Hell cake. It represents the baking I’m interested in – elaborate, glamorous, and brings together different technical skills.’

Mr Whaite now hopes to take a course in baking. ‘Schools are very expensive so I am still working out about funds,’ he said.

‘But I am going to work hard and keep developing my skills. I’m still practising each day and putting together ideas for a cookery book.’ Mr Whaite’s creation also won high praise from the judges. Mary Berry said: ‘It is stunning. What I like is when you cut it and see it on the plate it looks beautiful. The texture is perfect. It is rich and it is absolutely lovely.’

Paul Hollywood added: ‘ You should be praised for the look of it. It is very professional. You have a perfect slice of cake.’ The final – the first all-male competition in the show – saw Mr Morton, 21, and Mr Lynch, 63, struggle from the outset to create 25 fondant fancies. Both were scolded for their poor attempts. Hollywood warned it meant the winner would go down to a ‘showstopper bake’. He said: ‘It has never happened before that it all goes down to the last challenge.’

Both Mr Morton and Mr Lynch failed to impress, and Mr Whaite was crowned the winner of the third series. The show was filmed over the summer and Mr Whaite admitted the pressure of studying for his law finals while competing took its toll.

The first series of the show was won by Edd Kimber while grandmother Joanne Wheatley took home last year’s title.