-Hello, it's Japanese Week.
-Konnichi wa!
-What are you doing?
Why are you dressed like that?
-Well, you said come as
a mango character.
-I said "a manga character".
It's Japanese Week.
-Oh.
-Welcome to
The Great British Bake Off.
You should take that off.
You look ridiculous.
-No, I can't. It's stuck.
-Oh, dear!
You're going to have to spend
the rest of your career like that.
Old mango head. See you later!
-Bye.
Last time-
..the bakers constructed
pastry cages-- It's bonkers!
-..in one of the most fragile
challenges-
..the tent has ever seen.
Laura triumphed-
Laura!
..and won her first Star Baker.
-I'm still a bit in shock!
-Mark thought his dreams
had shattered-- Oh, damn it!
-..but it was Linda-
-The way it looks doesn't look good.
-..who was left broken-hearted.
-I've been like a child
at Disneyland, really.
One of the highlights of my life.
-Now-
-Cakes are boring.
-..it's Japanese Week-
-Well, that's a load of rubbish,
innit?
-I hate matcha.
You might as well just eat grass.
-It SMELLS nice-. Do you reckon? No.
..and the bakers
are letting off steam.
-Burger off, Lottie-. YOU burger off.
-As the pressure builds-
-Oh, don't give me that look!
-..to a spectacular
kawaii Showstopper-
-Can I do it?
-..who will light up the tent-
-It's lovely!
-..and who will be saying sayonara?
-It's cruel to say it's unedible,
but it's getting that way.
-It's Japanese Week!
Who would ever have thought
I'd make it this far?
-I'm very excited for Japanese Week.
I think it's a bit more creative,
a bit more free to do things,
and bring a bit of fun
to the baking tent.
-Because we're all doing
really different things
that are unfamiliar,
we all kind of feel like we're
on a pretty level playing field,
but there's a lot
that could go wrong.
Always.
-Bakers, hello,
or should I say konnichi wa,
because for the first time ever,
it's Japanese Week.
-We're all very excited,
and the judges today
would love you to make
a batch of eight soft,
delicious steamed buns.
-Now, Japanese buns are usually
filled with pork or curry,
but you can choose any filling
you like, sweet or savoury.
Noel, what would you fill
your buns with?
-Human blood?
-Noel, this is a family show.
-Dog blood.
-Better.
You have two hours
and 30 minutes.
-On your marks-
-..get set-
-..and bake.
-The adrenaline has kicked in.
Steamed buns it is.
-It is Japanese Week,
so I wouldn't be surprised
if we didn't get
quite traditional Japanese fillings,
but we know what these bakers are
like. They always surprise us.
-Every cut that we do,
you must see the filling,
and we certainly must taste it.
On the bread side,
it must be a soft, chewy roll,
but not TOO chewy.
Initially, you feel a tug,
and then it melts in the mouth.
-Of course, the filling matters.
We want something delicious inside,
but this is a bun challenge.
-I'm feeling good
about Japanese Week.
Those are almost ready.
I'm adding turmeric to it
to die the dough yellow,
cos the plan is they're going to
look like little chickens.
-Naturally adding colour to his buns,
with turmeric,
Dave will then be filling them
with his favourite meal,
and one of Japan's most popular
Western-inspired foods,
the katsu curry.
Cat poo curry? KatSU curry.
-Oh, katsu curry.
-And that's with raw chicken today.
I tested it in practice.
-Did you like that?
-What I was more worried about is
that it wasn't going to cook,
but I did cook within that time.
-And how long are you steaming
them for? 15 minutes.
-Good-. OK. All right, good luck.
Thank you, Dave.
-Cheers. Thank you.
-NOEL: Dave's won't be the only buns
to be making
an animal-like appearance.
-So I'm going to make them
look like little pandas.
I've gone for pandas
cos I think they look cute.
-I'm making little piggies,
like, little snouts and ears,
and sesame seeds for eyes.
It's quite a fun challenge,
I think, isn't it?
-I'm going to be making
my wee buns into wee lambs.
The lamb itself is going to be raw,
and that's going to be steamed
in with the bun,
and I've got garlic, ginger,
chilli, coriander,
fish sauce, soy sauce, honey, cumin.
It really packs a punch.
-Peter's lamb-shaped buns will be
filled with a spiced lamb mince,
herded together with a Chinese
stir-fry, packed with flavour.
-So how are you going to infuse
that flavour into the lamb?
-So I'm just going to stir-fry off,
like, the aromatics first,
and then that's going to be
added into the lamb
and mixed through
with the soy sauce and fish sauce.
-OK. How are you making them
into lambs, then?
-I split my dough into two,
so I've got a small portion here,
and I'm going to colour that black,
and then that's going to be used
for the face and for the ears.
Just cut out wee shapes.
They look really quite cute.
-Great-. Lovely-. Thank you.
-I hope you enjoy it.
-So do I.
-Just doing the window pane test.
If you can see light through it,
then it means that it's been worked
enough, so now it's ready to prove.
-The timing of the prove is vital
with this soft dough.
Under-prove and it will split-
-I would like it to about
double in size.
-..but over-prove
and it will collapse and be flat,
the opposite of the domed shiny buns
the judges are expecting to see.
-I'll wait for it to triple in size.
Get more flavour into it.
-After I've coloured this dough
and get it into proving,
then it's on to making the filling.
It's more Chinese-inspired
than it is Japanese-inspired.
In Japanese Week, that might not
be great, but it's delicious.
I've loved it.
-And Peter isn't the only baker
with an East Asian inspiration.
-The Japanese element of
it is the bun,
but this is probably more
traditional Chinese-flavoured pork.
I'm just going to fry it
for about 20 minutes.
Get it nice and crispy.
You can't put raw pork belly
in a steamed bun.
I think it would be
absolutely savage, to be honest!
-Laura is doubling up on her flavours
and decoration
with her eight little pigs,
built around pork belly
in a Chinese-style sticky sauce.
-Tell us about the sticky sauce.
-Some hoisin going in there,
some oyster sauce, some sake,
a bit of honey.
-Ticks all the boxes,
all the flavours, I'm going,
"Yep, yep, yep, yep".
-You've practised this? Yeah.
The filling's gone down
a real treat at home, so, yeah.
-Oh, good. Yeah, I think it will do
with me, as well, to be honest!
-Good!
-NOEL: Across the border from China,
lie the flavours of India,
via Marc's kitchen in Cornwall.
-The eldest daughter, Jasmine,
has got really into cooking,
and particularly into curries.
We tried a few curries
in these steamed buns,
and as soon as she made this dhal,
we sat down at a table, we all bit
into it and we all just went, Hmmmm!
So hence why it's called
the Hmmm Dhal Steamed Bun.
-Marc will be colouring
and flavouring his dough
with smoked paprika to complement
his two Indian flavours
of mango chutney
and apple-sweetened lentil dhal.
-Oh, it sounds lovely-. OK.
-Curry dhal, mango chutney-
-And I'm hoping to fold them
in the traditional way, as well.
-OK, how are you doing that, then?
-With great skill, hopefully.
-Great skill.
-While Marc will be trying to twist
together his vegetarian filling,
two of the bakers are doing their
twist on the all-time classic,
meat in a bun.
-So I'm doing burger buns.
-Oh, excellent.
-I'm using beef mince, gherkins,
er, cheese-- Oh, gherkin. Can you
do one without a gherkin, for me?
-What, do you not like gherkins?
-I don't like gherkins.
-Oh, no. Really?
OK, I'll do one without gherkins.
-Thanks, buddy-. All right.
-Never judge a man on his gherkins.
-Yeah, yeah.
-Mark is mixing together beef mince
with onion, cheese,
tomato puree and gherkins.
But after Paul's recent disclosure,
he's making an adjustment.
-So I'm doing a little one
without gherkins.
-For Paul? Yeah, for Paul.
-Wow! What is he, five?!
-It is a bit like that! Paul,
write down on here what you like.
I mean, he's supposed to be a judge,
a man of the world,
with an exquisite taste palate.
-Yeah-. Good luck-. Thank you.
Lottie's also doing a burger,
though, as well, isn't she?
-She's not as good as you.
I'm not going to lie.
She's lucky to still be here.
-My burgers are way better
than Lottie's.
Burger off, Lottie.
-YOU burger off.
-Oh, it's on!
Some healthy rivalry going on here.
-We've been saving that for ages.
Our techniques are slightly
different,
so he's frying his off,
I'm putting mine in raw,
but they're pretty similar.
So if Mark gets a handshake,
I'll be very happy for him.
-Lottie will be assembling her buns
in the traditional fashion,
by building layers of beef patty,
onions, cheese and bacon.
And to add to the burger feel,
she'll also be serving up
spiralised chips.
-And you're making chips, too? Yeah,
which obviously you won't eat but-
-PRUE: There might be a few
chip eaters.
-I think there might be, yeah.
-Are you doing any gherkin?
-Yeah-. Oh, Paul'll be delighted.
-Can you do one without a gherkin,
for me?
-Yeah, maybe-. Thank you.
-He hates gherkins-. Really? Yeah.
-Really hates it? Yeah.
-OK, no gherkin.
-The gherkin ain't workin'.
-Gherkin doesn't work for me!
-I'll give that a quick minute and
then I'm going to ad the water.
-In contrast to baking,
which dries the dough,
steaming raises
its moisture levels-
-If the sauce is too wet,
going into steamed buns,
it's really hard to keep
that sauce inside.
So I need to thicken it,
so it's more of a paste,
and then when it steams, that
sort of reintroduces liquid to it.
-..so any fillings with a high
liquid content could result
in soggy, undercooked buns.
-I need some oyster sauce.
I'm trying to celebrate
Japan with my flavour.
The brief said Japanese bun,
so it's good inspiration.
I don't know what I'm doing HERE,
though.
-Going all in on the Japanese theme,
Hermine is aiming to achieve
a rich, umami taste to her pandas,
with Japanese-style spiced chicken,
dried shrimps
and shiitake mushrooms.
-How are you feeling about Japanese
Week, then, Hermine,
because you're probably one of the
most consistent of bakers, thus far?
-Well, thank you
for the vote of confidence,
but, erm, yeah, see, it was all a
new sort of learning journey for me,
but through my research,
I found Japanese baking had some
French influence in there-. Yeah.
-So I'm hoping to draw on
my knowledge of French patisserie.
-We have to see if it works.
-Yes! Thank you, Hermine.
Looking forward to it-. Thank you.
-Good luck-. Thank you.
Paul said I'm the most consistent
baker. Isn't that lovely?
Well, I better get back to work now,
before he takes that back!
-Bakers, you are halfway through!
And make sure it all works.
You don't want to look silly on TV.
-Right, I've got to check my dough.
-With the dough's coming
out of the proving drawer,
they must be separated and weighed
into equal amounts-
-I'm going to stick to what I did
in practice,
and they're going to each be
-..in order to fulfil the uniformity
required by the brief.
-I'm not weighing the dough.
I'm just eyeballing the dough.
There's a lot of winging and
eyeballing that goes on in the tent!
-It's just like an assembly line
that I have set up,
so it goes, like, patty, bacon,
cheese, relish.
I've got to remember to do one
without relish for Paul.
-Cos I know what one
he's going to eat,
it almost makes
the pressure greater on that one!
-The fillings must be centralised
in the bun,
as too near the top or bottom
could see it split the tender dough
and pour out-
-I'd probably say you want about
two thirds filling, the rest dough.
That's how I like it, anyway.
I don't know if Paul will.
-..but adding too much filling could
yield the same disastrous results.
-A minor issue, that I've been
too generous in filling
the first seven buns,
and have run out of mixture,
so I'm doing a bit of a slapdash
final mixture.
Hopefully I can persuade the judges
to move away from that one.
-Tricky moment-. Wrapping it up.
-This is wear it gets tricky.
-Oh, tricky,
I can see what you're saying.
Yeah, it's like putting jam
in a cowboy hat.
It's not really working out, is it?
-This is the bit that
I don't really know how to do,
if I'm being honest.
There's probably a technique.
What it is, I don't know.
-It has not closed properly!
-I have to be precise.
The competition's stepped up,
but Mark's not doing chips, so-
-Chips? Did they ask for chips?
-Who doesn't want chips, mate?
-Are you doing steamed chips?
-Yeah, I'm doing steamed chips, yeah.
-It's all about the decoration now,
so I need to get everything
all together.
-Once the bakers have added
their distinctive decorations,
it's full steam ahead.
-So these are the little
snouts for my little piggies.
-SHE MAKES PIGGY NOISES
-I feel like I'm going to get
a lot of hate online
from vegetarians worldwide for this.
-I've got to wrap this around
the outside of the steamed bun
just to represent the patty
in the middle.
-The water's actually boiling now.
I'll get that ready
to start steaming these.
Make sure there's enough space
in between each of them.
-They will obviously expand and rise
throughout, so too close together,
then they will touch
and be stuck together.
-That's the last one.
-Right, so we're going to
put those on.
-Once the lid is on the steamer,
it needs to remain airtight-
-They need 15 minutes,
so I'll give them until the end.
-..so the bakers won't discover
how successful their buns are
until they're ready to come out.
-Waiting now.
-Bakers, you only have
ten minutes left.
That sounded like me.
MATT MOUTHS: I know.
-Well, that's good, cos I've got
nine minutes left on my bake.
-Just like The Chamber Of Secrets.
I just hope they're cooked.
-Patience is a virtue,
but I always lift it in practice,
and now I'm a bit worried that
because I lift it in practice,
that's how long the cooking time is,
based on me lifting it.
-Is this your thing,
Japanese business?
-I mean, I am having fun this week.
I just like it being
a bit different.
-Yeah, exactly-. Cakes are boring.
-Let's both say that
into the camera.
BOTH:- Cakes are boring.
-OK? So, enough with the cakes.
-Very plump sheep.
-Yeah.
-They look ready
when they've popped.
-Good God. They've puffed up.
-Bakers, you have one minute left!
One minute.
-They're coming out,
they're coming out.
-Just a case of going for it,
I think.
-Whoa! We've got some big piggies.
-Ooh.
-P for Paul right here,
the one without gherkins.
-OK, let's get these ones in.
-God, they're hot!
-They're looking good.
-I THINK they look like pandas.
-Happy with them.
-Oh, they don't look very good.
Poor little piggy.
-OK, bakers, your time is up.
Please step away
from your delicious buns.
-They look good.
Look like little burgers. Nice.
-Mark's are better than mine. Livid.
-MATT:- It's time for the bakers'
steamed buns
to face the judgment of
Paul and Prue.
-Hi, Hermine-Hi, Hermine.
-You need bigger eyes for the pandas.
-Panda-ish.
-They're nearly even.
-It's a little untidy on the shaping.
You know, on the side?
But they're not bad.
-It's not dead in the middle.
-It's mainly bread.
There's an arch there of flavour.
-I love it. I think the bread is
soft
but it's a little bit chewy,
which is lovely.
And the filling is just delicious.
-Thanks-. It tastes very good.
It's full of flavour.
It packs a punch in the little bit
that you do have.
And the bun is actually
beautifully baked.
The shaping could have been a
little bit neater,
but the flavour is very, very good.
Thank you, Hermine-. Thank you.
-Lovely.
-Well, you've managed to achieve a
nice, smooth top, actually.
A bit of a shine on it.
You've got some sesame,
some have fallen off.
-Well, that one there doesn't have
the gherkins in it.
So I wanted to make sure-
-I love sesame seed.
-Oh, sorry. I wanted to make sure!
-Nice filling. It's in the middle.
-It's got a nice, bready look.
-Good flavour.
The burger bit is quite dry.
-A bit of mayonnaise, tomato ketchup
in there,
that would have softened it
a little bit.
But, actually, the taste is good and
the bun is very, very good.
It's slightly chewy.
You've got that smooth top.
-It's soft.
-But it is baked all the way through.
-Good.
-Simple, but highly effective.
-Thank you very much.
-Obviously you've had a few issues
with the dough.
It's seeping through.
You've probably got too much filling
in there.
That's what it looks like.
They're all a bit irregular, but
that's down to the filling.
You can see the arch, which I don't
really mind,
but you can see why it's broken
through.
-Yeah-. It's so close to the outside.
It was always going to burst
through,
but your bread looks good.
-That looks really good bread,
doesn't it?
It smells fantastic.
-It tastes lovely.
It's a bit dry, but it
tastes beautiful.
-The flavour's wonderful.
The meat is tough.
The bit of sticky sauce is lovely
but you need more of it.
-Very, very dry, but very, very
beautiful.
-Well, I think they look absolutely
lovely.
-Thank you-. They've obviously touched
a bit in the steamer,
but that's because they're so big.
-I think they are too big.
-Yeah.
-You've lost the shape a little bit.
-Yeah.
-But the colour looks good.
Decoration looks good.
-Thank you-. Right down at the bottom
on the filling.
-Yeah.
-It tastes great.
It's a lentil dhal, is it?
-Yes, lentil and apple.
-But you've still got a little bit
of bite in the apple.
It's unusual.
-The paprika works really well with
the curry
going through the middle.
It could have overwhelmed it
and it hasn't.
So you are carrying flavour.
My only issue is the size.
-Sure, yeah.
-I don't mind them being too big.
But then I'm greedy.
-PAUL LAUGHS
-They look great.
I love the addition of the colour.
You've got a little bit of marking
on there.
-Yeah, I wasn't happy-
-Where the fillings are trying to
pull through.
They're very neat, very bold,
well shaped,
nice and shiny, smooth.
So, you have this arch again of
flavour-. Yes.
Yeah.
-I love the chicken.
I think the texture's great.
The bread is lovely.
Either I needed a bit more filling
or a bit stronger.
More curry, really-. Yeah.
-I don't know. I think they are very,
very good.
And you've managed to get the
flavour in the arch as well
all the way through.
That's delicious.
My only gripe is it's coming
through.
-Yeah, that's what I don't like.
-Thank you.
-Thank you-Cheers.
-Can you see these little creases?
They're air pockets that have shrunk
back in.
That's to do with the way you've
tightened the ball up,
but they do look round.
Beautifully aromatic.
The problem is you've not tightened
it up around the meat.
So it's pulled away, and what you're
left with
is very little dough.
There's actually more meat than
there is dough.
-Too much filling? -Yeah.
-That tastes absolutely wonderful.
I love the flavour.
-I think your flavours are great.
Just watch the buns.
-This one's for Paul-OK.
-It doesn't have gherkins in the
relish.
-They all seem pretty similar in
size.
The little bit of decoration
is quite nice.
That looks like a burger,
doesn't it?
-It does! Bacon, cheese, burger
and relish.
It just has to taste good now,
Lottie.
-It's like having a burger -
a dry burger -
but nevertheless a burger.
The flavour is spot on.
-It went in raw, didn't it?
-Yeah-. Mm.
-I think it's really difficult to do,
if you're steaming,
get it really cooked at the outside
and still rare in the middle.
-You probably need a little bit more
fat in the meat.
Nevertheless, the flavour's
excellent.
The way the bun wraps around
the filling-
-They're beautiful.
-It's a beautiful bun.
-Well done, Lottie.
-Thank you.
-Thank you-Thanks.
I'm really pleased with that.
I think I got away with it,
considering.
He said mine was dry, but if he'd
eaten it with the relish
then it wouldn't have been dry.
I was too scared to say it to
his face.
-I'm chuffed that it's come off
this morning.
But I've been in this position
before,
where I've had a good Signature
and then it's sort of all gone wrong
after that.
So I want to just keep that momentum
and really push through
with the next two challenges now.
-I'm disappointed to have got
bad feedback,
but I think, going into the
Technical,
you can always pull it back.
I've been relatively good at them
in the past,
so hopefully that's going to
continue today.
-NOEL: With mystery ingredients
shrouded in gingham,
the bakers can only guess what fate
awaits them
in the Technical Challenge.
Hello, bakers. It's time for your
Technical Challenge,
which today has been set for you by
the lovely Prue.
Prue, any words of advice?
-When you read this recipe,
do not panic.
There's nothing in there that you
haven't done before.
-Well, as ever, this challenge
is judged blind.
So we'd like to ask Paul and Prue
to leave the tent.
-She said don't panic.
That definitely means panic.
-Prue would like you each to make a
matcha crepe cake.
This is comprised of 12 matcha
filled crepes
stacked one on top of the other.
-They need to be layered with
strawberries
and a white chocolate ganache
buttercream
and decorated and topped with
fresh fruit
and edible flowers.
-You have two hours.
On your marks.
-Get set.
-Bake.
-Macha crepe cake - yeah, I've not
heard of it.
I've not even heard of making a cake
out of crepes before.
-Not what I expected, but crepes!
I mean, like, what could possibly
go wrong with crepes?
So, Prue, you've chosen a matcha
crepe cake.
It looks unusual from the outside,
but when you cut into it you go,
"Wow!"
It's striking, isn't it?
-Yeah, it's pretty.
-You can see the buttercream.
-And the crepes are really thin,
aren't they?
-They are-. And then VERY thin slices
of strawberry.
-The strawberries really lift it.
You do get a matcha flavour.
-The bitterness of the matcha sort
of cuts the sweetness
of the white chocolate ganache
buttercream.
-Yeah, I agree. Where do you think
the bakers are going to go wrong?
Because I can see a few things -
consistency being one.
-Yeah, they do need to make them
thin crepes
or they won't get 11 out of the
mixture.
And, also, where the bakers may be
in real trouble is,
if they take ages doing the
layering,
they won't get it set.
-I think it's a great challenge.
-I think we should stop eating this.
We've got to eat another seven
of them.
-That's true.
-For the batter, pour the milk into
the pan with the sugar
and cook over a low heat.
-Step two, whisk in the eggs followed
by the butter.
-This is matcha powder.
I actually hate matcha.
You might as well just eat grass.
-Smells nice.
-Do you reckon?! -No.
-Mm, delicious! Look at that!
It looks so weird.
-Are you a matcha fan?
-Well, as a drink, yes.
It's very good for you.
It has a load of antioxidants.
-Oh, good. Because I HATE oxidants.
I am totally antioxidants.
-For the filling, melt the chocolate
and cream together
and then make a Swiss meringue.
-A Swiss meringue? I've circled
that.
I don't know how to do that.
It's something to do with hot sugar.
I think it is hot sugar.
-The principle's to heat up
your eggs and sugar
over a bain-marie whilst whisking
so that the sugars all dissolve
and the eggs are getting nice and
frothy.
-It is thickening up.
But I've got a nasty feeling
I'm looking for a particular
temperature.
Absolutely no idea what that
would be.
-I think it looks good.
It's got peaks, it's holding its
shape.
I'm going to go with it.
-In a separate bowl, whisk the butter
until light and fluffy.
I'm going to do that in this bad boy
because I think whisking butter
is no mean feat.
-I think we should start with a new
butter.
Take two.
-I mean, that's pretty light and
fluffy,
so I'm going to add chocolate
ganache now.
-Then add the meringue.
-Do I whisk in the meringue?
Do I fold in the meringue?
-I'm folding the meringue to keep
the air in.
-I'm going to whisk in the meringue.
-Slice the strawberries wafer thin.
-Do you know, I'm quite excited for
slicing strawberries
cos that's something I understand.
-MARK:- Is that too thick?
-Yeah.
-It's as wafer thin as my sausage
fingers can get it, all right?
She's just annoyed because I b*at
her in the burgers earlier.
-MARK LAUGHS
-OK, bakers, you are halfway through.
Cupcake? No, I'm fine.
-Make one crepe using the 30
centimetre pan.
-This is all about precision.
The crepes have all got to be the
same thickness and colour.
Whether that's what they get-
-Is that batter for 12 pancakes?
-Apparently.
So they're going to be VERY thin.
-They're going to be very thin.
But that's pretty good, isn't it?
-Yeah, for a crepe.
-Yeah. Paul's gone for a
crepe, actually.
-I'm not too sure how long it needs.
I'm just going to obviously make
sure it doesn't burn.
Where this will be the top layer,
I want it to look good.
-Can I flip that?
-No. Please don't do that.
-You're not going to use that one,
are you?
Oh, sorry.
-Just how the hell do you get that
out without it all breaking up?
-Lottie, there's something in the
instructions
that says you've got to flip your
matcha pancakes.
-I just don't think that's accurate,
Noel.
-No? No.
-I don't think you're supposed to be
using
your grubby fingers, are you?
-Look, it's stuck!
-Oh, crumbs.
This fellow broke,
so rather than his destiny being a
large pancake,
he's going to become a small
pancake.
-I think they need to be
a little thinner.
I'm a little worried I might not
have enough mix.
-Round two at the big boy.
-I think I know where you're going
wrong.
You need to flip them. Yeah?
-Yeah.
-Will you flip?
-I will flip.
-Will you? -I will flip.
-Oh, my God! -I know.
-He's going to flip it! Peter's going
to flip!
Come on, flip that baby and catch it
in the pan.
I meant, like, with one hand.
You know, like-
-With one hand?
-No? Definitely not.
No chance.
-Using the 24 centimetre pan,
make 11 further crepes.
The challenge is getting the right
amount of crepes out.
-Well, that's a load of rubbish,
isn't it?
-You need to flip it like a
traditional pancake.
-If I did it and there's only
do I just say "Noel made me flip a
pancake?"
-So mathematical! Why don't you let
that all go?
Just trust the laws-?
-Five done, this is number six.
It's going to be really close,
actually.
-Go on, go on!
-No-. Oh!
You were virtually flipping it!
-I'm worried there's not going to be
enough mixture, you know?
-Can I make this stretch?
Oh, come on! Come on!
-Come on.
That's quite thick. Go on!
Yes!
The winner, right here.
The winner!
-Five, six, seven.
I don't think I'm going to have
enough, actually.
I'll do as many as I can.
-Yeah, that's never going to make
enough, is it?
Great.
-TOGETHER: Bakers, you have half an
hour left.
-To assemble, cut two long strips of
baking paper
and arrange them as a cross.
-Place to largest crepe in the
centre of the paper cross,
spoon filling on top
and spread evenly.
-Place one of the smaller crepes in
the centre of the large crepe
and spread with the filling.
-Add in a layer of strawberries
between each layer
of two crepes.
So-
Bit hard to compute.
-Crepe, butter, yeah.
So now it's buttercream, yeah.
And then strawberries.
-I feel like I need to work much
quicker.
-Let's do one more strawberry layer.
This isn't a layer now.
This is puree.
-That's the last crepe.
-Hold the ends of the paper cross
and, using them as a handle,
lift the cake into the centre
of the bowl.
-This is terrifying.
-Slip the strips of paper from under
the cake.
-Well, that's easier said than done,
isn't it?
-What I think I'm going to do is
leave the greaseproof in.
-That's just all collapsed
at one side.
That is a mess.
-Place in the freezer to set.
-I don't think I can fix that side
cos it's all tucked underneath.
I just need to get it in the fridge
now.
-MARC SIGHS
Bakers, you have ten minutes left.
Ten minutes.
-Turn the cake out and dust with
matcha powder,
and decorate with a crescent of
fruit and edible flowers.
-That doesn't look too bad.
-Ooh, look at that bit!
It just looks so shoddy,
the sides of it.
-Do you know what? I mean, it's not
Japanese great,
but it's all right.
-Oh, it looks horrendous, doesn't it?
Fill the crevices with matcha
powder.
-Crescent-
-What's a crescent of fruit?
-Crescent is, like, half, isn't it?
I knew that.
-OK, sure, sure.
-Bakers, you have one minute left.
-I don't know what a crescent is
so I've gone four seasons.
-Am I not just loving this?
-BEEP.
-Bakers, your time is up.
-Looks like a crepe cake.
Game, set, matcha.
Please bring your mille crepe cakes
to the front
and place them behind your
photograph.
-That was not my best work.
-Paul and Prue are expecting an
exquisitely decorated
mille crepe cake containing 14
delicate layers
of matcha-filled crepes,
smooth white chocolate buttercream
and wafer-thin strawberries.
-Shall we start with that one?
-The semicircle of fruit and flowers
looks OK.
-It's not perfectly enfolded.
-Yeah, it's not tucked in.
Should we have a look and see what
it's like inside?
-The strawberries are a little bit
too thick.
They need to be really thin,
otherwise they get very wet
and slidy
and it all falls to bits.
-But, actually, the flavour's not too
bad at all.
Right, moving on.
There's a lot going on. We didn't
want the whole thing covered.
-Yeah, we did ask for a semicircle.
-Let's have a look inside.
The ganache looks OK.
The strawberries are nice and thin.
You get that white chocolate,
don't you?
-It's very nice. It's just not very
well decorated.
-No, it's not.
OK, moving on to number three.
A full circle of flowers.
It's a bit of a mess around the
outside as well.
Lots of layers here. It's nice and
neat, though.
The inside is better than the
outside.
Ganache is OK, strawberries are
nice and light as well.
This isn't too bad.
It's a bit neater around outside.
But they've got too much coconut
on the top.
You want to celebrate the matcha,
not the coconut.
Cuts well.
It's pretty neat.
-It tastes good, and the ganache
is delicious.
-It's nice and silky smooth.
-OK.
-Now, I quite like this one.
-Yes. I mean, that's what it should
look like.
-Let's have a look.
-Very nice.
-Your flavour's good, ganache is
good-. Delicious.
-And I like the look of that one.
-Yeah, very good.
OK, this one's a little small.
-This looks a bit sad.
It is a bit small. It's very thin.
Let's have a look inside here.
You see, that's hardly got any
layers in there.
I'm only counting a handful.
They're very thick.
Because the crepe are a bit thick,
they're too chewy.
All right, moving onto the last one.
It's a bit of a mess around
the outside.
It's a bit mottled, isn't it?
There's not many in there either.
Very thick layers, aren't they?
They've got a lot of filling because
they lack the pancakes.
-Well! That's going to be
interesting judging.
-Prue and Paul will now rank the
mille crepe cakes
from worst to first.
-So, in seventh place we have
this one.
It tasted very good.
But, Laura, you know the problem.
There weren't enough crepe.
-In sixth spot we have this one.
Who's is this?
Just lack of crepes, really.
And the size of your strawberries
needs to be much thinner.
-OK.
-In fifth place, we have this one.
It's just very ugly at the side.
And the strawberries were a bit
too big
so they've leaked.
-Hermine is fourth.
And Dave is third.
-And in second spot we have this one.
Lottie, it's not bad at all.
Didn't need the coconut on the top,
but the inside looks pretty nice.
-Which leaves-
..Peter.
Lovely, thin strawberry slices,
excellent buttercream,
neatly done, perfect flowers and
crescents.
It's a model.
-APPLAUSE
-I felt right at the bottom of the
pile this morning,
so really needed a strong
performance, there.
Absolutely chuffed.
Yeah, a very nice way to end
the day.
I think I'll sleep a little bit
easier tonight.
-Disappointed. I wanted to do better
than that.
It is hard now. The differences
between all of us
is so minuscule,
but fifth out of seven is definitely
towards the bottom.
-Someone's got to come last,
haven't they?
You bake well when doing things you
love,
and I had no love for matcha.
I just don't really fancy eating or
making a swamp.
Going to have to pull it out of the
bag tomorrow, aren't I?
-Just the Showstopper Challenge
remains before we discover
who will be Star Baker and who will
be saying sayonara to the tent.
-So, Paul, you were
recently in Japan.
How are you finding the bakers'
Japanese offerings?
-I was quite surprised
how good they all were.
It's quite difficult to do
steamed buns properly.
-The mille crepe matcha cake.
-That wasn't bad either.
-They mostly achieved it.
-I mean, overall, all the cakes
tasted pretty good.
I think coming
into the Showstopper today,
Lottie and Dave were doing really
well so far in both challenges.
And they are definitely
in line for Star Baker.
But then, down at the bottom,
and it's not nice to say, is Laura.
Because Laura struggled
in the sig.
She also was last in the technical.
In the middle, Hermine and Mark L.
They could float down or up.
And what's really odd is sometimes,
as a judge, you've got
to take your opinions on a flavour,
for instance, that you may not
particularly like.
-You don't like matcha.
-No, I don't particularly
like matcha-. Or gherkins.
You don't like green food, we've
noticed? No, that's true.
-I don't like hardly any food.
So I'd be a bad judge, right?
I'm all about the eyes.
I like looking at things, but I
don't want to put them in my mouth.
-That's a very odd thing to say.
-LAUGHTER
-Good morning, bakers, welcome
back to the tent
for your Showstopper Challenge.
Today, the judges would
like you each to make
a spectacular kawaii cake.
-Kawaii is a style rooted
in Japanese culture
that means all things cute
and charming.
Cute and Charming. That's
our double act name, isn't it?
-Oh, I thought we were Little
and Often-. Oh, yeah. We are.
-Now your flavours, type of sponge
and decoration should take
their inspiration
from Japanese cuisine.
-How long they got?
-Oh, they have four hours-. Woo.
On your marks-. Get set-. Bake!
-So many eggs.
Kawaii means cute in Japanese.
I'm really taking that word and
running with it with this one.
-Today's Showstopper, think
animation. Think cartoon.
Traditionally in Japan, they'll be
using something like an angel cake
or a chiffon cake.
So very light.
-It would be nice to see the bakers
think about Japanese flavours
like yuzu, matcha or sake.
-And we've asked the bakers,
the highly decorate it.
We want the cake to
have lots of colour.
We want to be quite vibrant, quite
neat, sharp, professional,
but it's got to look cute
and taste good.
Hello, Mark-. Hello-. Hi.
Tell us all about your kawaii cake.
-So I'm making an avocado cake,
so it's going to be two avocado
halves decorated with an emoji,
kawaii style.
They'll have little emotions
on their faces, like Japanese
characters, almost.
-I'm loving this idea.
Using avocado chiffon sponges,
green fondant
and buttercream filling.
Mark is going to bring
two avocados to life,
who will also be proud parents.
-The stone of one of them
will be tempered milk chocolate
filled with baby avocados.
-Wow.
-Getting in touch with your feminine
side, making little avocado babies.
-Good luck. Thank you, Mark.
-Thank you.
-Not only must the bakers create
cute cartoon characters
in their kawaii cakes-
-It's going to taste
of toasted soy bean.
-..The judges also expect a delicious
balance of Japanese flavours.
-So I've gone for matcha. Matcha
is highly used in Japan.
Also, there's rose water.
Matcha's very earthy.
So it's a floral flavour to
complement it.
-Dave's kawaii cake will be filled
with chocolate sponge, matcha
and rose sponge
and decorated in tribute to
his best friend.
-My dog is Japanese-. He is, isn't he?
-He's a Japanese Shiba Inu.
My dog's name is Yoki,
which is shortly for Yokohama.
It's a Japanese city-. Oh!
-And Dave is not the only baker
inspired by a canine companion.
-I'll making a cake in the form
of my little dog, Hamish.
A border terrier, very cheeky.
Incredibly naughty, but very
friendly and a bit cute.
-Hoping his dog will be best in show
Mark's border terrier Hamish
will be brought to life in a lemon
Swiss meringue buttercream layered
between two sponges, one honey
and tahini, the other ginger
and soy bean powder.
-How is it going to look like a dog?
-Using different coloured fondant
to make the eyes, ears and nose.
-The weight of the fondant, do you
not find concertinas up?
-In practice, no.
It seems to be OK.
-The bakers need to think carefully
about their choice of sponge.
-For as tall as the cake is going to
be, they need to be sturdy.
They need to hold their shape
and hold the filling in there.
-If they're too dense,
they'll be unpleasant to eat.
-The cake itself is called
a castella cake.
It's a fairly robust cake.
The texture is kind
of like a kitchen sponge.
-If they're too light, they may
buckle under the weight
of their decorations.
-Got a traditional chiffon sponge,
they're very light and fluffy.
It has the potential to collapse
quite easily.
And in practice it's
been hit and miss.
-And Lottie is taking an even bigger
risk with her choice of sponge.
-So I am making a cotton jiggle cake.
-A cotton jiggle cake? Yeah.
And I'm making
that into a toadstool.
-It's called jiggle because it's
like a souffle-. Yeah.
-You jiggle it to
see if it's cooked.
-Now, a toadstool tends
to be top heavy.
-Yes, it is a gamble. It is possible.
-It can be done.
-It can be done. Yeah.
-Lottie's lime flavoured jiggle cake
will have a cherry cream centre
and be fashioned into a cute red
toadstool growing in an edible
Japanese forest of biscuit
bamboo, whisky fudge,
pulled sugar and candyfloss.
-Oh, my goodness.
Wow-. That's a lot going on.
-There's a lot going on.
-Very ambitious-. Yeah.
Thank you-. Thank you.
-I hope I can do it.
-Hermine has found her Japanese
inspiration a little closer to home.
-I used to work in Slough and they
had a lovely Japanese garden
where you could go
in when you had lunch.
And I thought it was really nice
walking down there.
And it's quite
peaceful and calming.
I'm going to be back.
-Hermine is hoping the simplicity
of her vanilla sponge and fresh
strawberries will be lifted
by a decorative geisha standing
in a tranquil Japanese garden.
-I'm going to make a cherry blossom
tree out of modelling chocolate.
-Nice-. And hopefully-
So I had the lady on the cake
with the dress flowing.
-Yeah, lovely-. Japanese geisha.
-The key thing is,
it's got to look good,
but it's also got to taste good.
-These are going to go into the oven
for about 25 to 30 minutes.
-I bake them in water. Just have to
be really careful with the eggs.
I think they just prefer a nice warm
bath, and who doesn't?
Let's try that.
-With the sponges in the oven,
the bakers make a start on
their Japanese-flavoured fillings.
-I'm doing a lime and yuzu curd.
Six tablespoons of
yuzu going in there.
Basically like a Japanese
lime, but it's a lot more tangy.
-This is a Japanese whisky.
Smells nice. I'd quite like
a sip of that.
-Asian pears are what I'm using for
the filling, I'm poaching them.
I've named this cake
Dizzy The Shuttlecock.
It looks really, really cute.
It's going to look like
a anthropomorphic shuttlecock
that has been hit on the head
with a racquet.
-So he's seeing stars and he's
got a wee bump on his head
Hoping Dizzy The Shuttlecock
will be a knockout with the judges,
Peter's kawaii cake will be filled
with a chestnut cream and poached
pears and decorated with white
chocolate feathers.
-And you teach badminton, don't you?
Do you think you could teach my
daughter, Dali? She's two.
How young can you teach badminton?
-We had a wee boy that was three.
-Really?
-Yeah. I coached loads of different
people-. Geese? Kids, to adults.
Not to geese. So fun feather trivia,
shuttlecocks only use the left
wing of a goose.
-Not the right?
-Not the right.
Must be something with how they fly.
-This is a sort of fantasy land,
isn't it,
what is happening with you
today?
You're making a shuttlecock
called Dizzy,
talking about left
and right wings of a goose
and that you coach toddlers
to play badminton.
I think I might in love
with you a little bit. Bye!
-After struggling in the technical
Laura's hoping her choice of cake
will turn things around.
-In Japanese culture, pineapple
was supposed to represent
wealth and good fortune. So I'm
doing an upside down pineapple cake,
rather than a pineapple upside down
cake, if that makes sense.
I'm kind of taking the idea and
literally turning it on its head.
-Oopsie, Laura's upside
down pineapple cake
will be constructed from pineapple
sponges sandwiched between coconut
buttercream and a lime-yuzu curd.
-Yesterday, a challenging
day for you-. Mm.
In my head. I'm baking, going,
"I'm probably going home today.
Probably going home today."
-Actually, I think it's going
to be really good-. I hope so.
-I'm feeling very
positive about this-. Thanks.
I need all the positivity I can get.
-I'm feeling really positive
and I look forward to trying some.
-Thank you.
-Bakers, you're halfway through!
-Halfway through, halfway through.
-I'm going to take the cakes
out, take the water bath out,
and then put them back in.
-Bit stodgier than I
normally get them.
-I think that one might have
collapsed. But it's fine.
That was kind of a back-up anyway.
Hello. Oh, don't give me that look.
-As the sponges cool-
-Just got to make the rest
of the elements.
-..the bakers focus
on the decorative details
that will bring their kawaii
cakes to life.
-These are going to be
my baby avocados.
That's a sentence I never thought
I'd say in my life.
-A tribute to your little doggy?
-Yeah-. I love your dog.
-You like him? Yeah.
-He's a naughty boy.
I made the macarons the other
day in practise-. Yeah?
-I took the back to the room for
the girls, left them on the bed.
-And Hamish ate them?
-He ate them.
-Cos they're in the shape of
bones. What do you expect?
-So this is just some
golden caster sugar.
I'm going to turn it into the cherry
blossom tree.
That's so hot, I can't tell you.
-Have you been to Japan?
-Never, no.
-Would you like to go?
-I'd love to go.
-You know, Paul has said
that he'll take the winner
of this episode to Japan.
-Really? No.
Bakers, you have one hour left.
-I'm getting on to stacking the cake.
This is my yuzu buttercream.
It's going to be eight layers
per avocado.
I hope I haven't given myself
too much to do.
-So it's just a layer of cream
and then a layer of pears
into each one and we
build our way up.
-Look at these g*ns.
-You've ruined my spiral.
-This is a massive risk.
The cakes are so jiggly
and so fragile.
Yeah, that's bang on.
I'm happy with that.
-So now I'm trimming it into the
shape of a shuttlecock.
And the shuttle's standing on its
feathers and not on its cork,
that would have been mighty
difficult.
-I. Hate. Fondant.
Ohhhh.
Tearing.
-Right, this is the bit
that I'm worried about.
-Go on, what are you going to do?
-I need to put it on.
-Go on, let's see.
-Can't do it.
-Yes!
Skill McGill.
-I don't know if the fondant's too
fragile. I'm not sure.
Tearing a bit, isn't it?
Oh, I've just made a- BLEEP- mess.
-Laura, are you OK? It's just a mess.
It's not a mess. I don't know why
you're so upset.
I think that looks pretty neat.
-I think it's just the pressure.
-I know.
I just did so bad yesterday.
-I honestly don't think that
looks bad.
Just keep going.
You've got a bit of time as well.
-OK. We can do this.
-So this is my second avocado
half. Really speed up now.
I'm concerned about time.
-Bakers, you've got ten minutes left.
-Can I do it?
-Got to build the eyes, whiskers,
tongue, feet.
Just making sure it's in
proportion.
-Just need to do the
face features now.
-It's really important to get
this level of detail.
-It's a bit messy in
parts, but it's going to have to do.
-They're called nama chocolates.
In Japan, they're given as gifts.
I'm using them as pebbles.
-I was going to do a geisha,
but not anymore.
-I can't remember what it's supposed
to look like.
-It's captured a certain dizziness,
you know?
-I'm really not happy with that
finish.
But just need to put faces on.
-My bamboo. No!
-Bakers, you
have one minute left.
-Go like the clappers.
-This is where I start getting
really stressed.
-Slightly kinking up to him.
It's kawaii isn't it?
-The candyfloss
is the cherry blossom.
-Quite cute, eh?
-That'll do, that'll do.
-Bakers, your time is up.
-I hope it doesn't fall out.
-Cute.
-Please step away
from your Showstoppers.
-Oh, my God, that was so intense.
-It's judgment time for
the seven kawaii cakes.
-Hooray! Ah, there we go.
Ah, there we go.
He's a shuttlecock
called Dizzy The Shuttlecock
and it's just been hit on the head
and it's got a wee bump.
-I think it looks great.
-I think it's absolutely lovely.
It's funny. It's cute.
It's slightly mad.
-OK, let's have a look, shall we?
PRUE CHUCKLES
-Oh, my goodness-Wow.
-I've never had a cake with
that texture.
Really delicious.
-It's a hell of a chew, but that's
the style of the sponge.
It needs more of a punch,
because the sponge stays
in your mouth for so long.
Not, for me,
the right taste of flavours really.
-Thank you.
-I think you've got the theme
really well.
You've got that Japanese feel.
The creases are a bit of a letdown
because you want to see it really
nicely done all the way down.
You've managed to achieve
good layers
and they're all straight.
All the same.
So, you've got no concertinaing
there at all.
-Which is really impressive,
because they were very big cakes.
I'm really surprised.
I wouldn't have thought
rosewater and matcha
would be a good combination,
but they are.
-Actually, with the
buttercream and the apple,
it works beautifully and
what impresses me is the sponges
are baked really, really well.
I think you've done a decent job
with the flavours and the overall
look-. Cheers, thank you.
-It jiggles.
-THEY LAUGH It does.
-I love the concept.
-I thought the head would be
a bit more,
but considering it is quite
a delicate cake,
you've managed
to get it to go in a little.
That's stunning-. Very good.
-That's really good.
That sponge is amazing.
-Texture, very good flavour.
-Thank you-. Last time I had a sponge
like that I was actually in Japan.
-Well done, Lottie.
-And well done on the candyfloss.
-That's cherry drop flavour-. Is it?
-Yeah.
-Mm! I've never had candyfloss
like that before.
-LOTTIE CHUCKLES
It is-. Oh, it is-. Isn't that great?
-Thank you.
-This is charming, but it ain't cute.
-No, it's quite menacing
that tree, actually.
THEY LAUGH
The blossom needed
another colour
and the tree is sort of stumpy.
Your fondant's a little bit thick
and the buttercream
is very thick.
That's a shame.
The flavours are great.
And then you have
a lovely genoise as well.
-You're a very good French baker.
There's just not, for me, enough
Japaneseness about this cake.
Well, Marc, I think you've done
a fantastic job.
-Thank you-. It just looks amazing.
-Yeah.
You can see the character.
It's very professional.
You'd expect to see
that in a bakery, for sure.
Well, let's have a look inside,
shall we?
MATT:- Ooh. Look at that.
-There's a bit of concertinaing
here on the second one.
-Yeah-. But the top one's very light.
-The top one looks beautiful.
That's very strange, because
the tahini is quite strong-. Mm-hm.
-It's a surprise.
-Yeah.
-But I quite like it.
-And the ginger and the lemon
work really well together,
you know,
as the two king flavours in there.
Thank you, Marc.
It is like a character you see
all over the place in Japan
and it is very cute.
-I sort of feel you could have made
the character look a little
more like a pineapple.
-It's a bit uneven inside.
It's an indication
that it has concertinaed.
The weight of the fondant and
everything on top has pushed all
the ones down to the bottom.[/c]
Tastes amazing though!
-It's delicious.
-Oh, yeah. It's a happy cake.
-Citrusy yuzu-
Yeah ..it's really strong.
And the pineapple's there.
-The sponges are all light.
Even the concertinaed ones
are quite light as well.
The flavour of the whole thing
is very, very good.
-Thank you-. Well done, Laura.
-SHE EXHALES
I mean, they're cute.
A little bit scruffy,
but they are cute.
-I love it.
It's witty. It's charming.
Just got to taste good now.
-Hope so.
-That's very neat,
accurate layering.
-It's a bit tight, that sponge-. Hm.
-You've got the yuzu, is it,
going through that? Yeah.
-You can- You get that.
And then that's it-. Hm.
-The cake's very dry, which
you didn't expect it to be.
The oil from the avocado should
have kept that really silky smooth
and it hasn't. It's a shame.
-I don't know if the nine-inch cake
is a bit better at the bottom.
I'm not sure.
-Let's have a look.
-Hm-. No?
-No.
Probably worse-. Oh, no.
-It's cruel to say it's inedible-
-Ooh-but it's getting that way.
-The biscuit is actually delicious,
but as that's only, you know,
less than 1% of the whole lot-- Mm.
-..I don't think it'll save it.
-HE SIGHS
-Didn't go well, did it?
They used the word inedible.
On week six of Bake Off,
it's just not-
It's not good, is it?
-I am really chuffed with the
comments. Maybe just cos he couldn't
get a cotton jiggle cake i
-n the UK.
-Maybe that's why he hasn't had one
since he was in Japan,
but I'll take it.
-I've had a gut feeling
all day I was going home
and now I've got, like,
a glimmer of hope.
I hope I've done enough.
I hope I'm safe.
-This is the first week that
I've been in the tent
and every single
showstopper was a wow.
-To look at-. I think
the dogs looked amazing.
Based on Marc E's cake and
his invention with flavour,
he has to be in line
for Star Baker.
Dave, as well, has put himself
into a decent position-. Yeah.
-Don't forget, there's Lottie, and
Lottie has had a terrific week.
-Lottie's sponge was incredible.
I've never, in the 11 series
of Bake Off, tasted a sponge
quite like that.
There's one that disappointed me-
-Really?-and probably disappointed
him more than it did me, is Mark L.
-I thought the whole idea was
quirky and funny and very kawaii,
but the cake was awful.
-Laura was in trouble
coming into this,
knowing she had to do well to save
herself-. Yeah, and she dropped
an ace right in front o
-f us,
-and that's the first time I've seen
her do something like that.
So overall, when you look at the
whole effort of the three challenges
we've got to look at all the
bakers that are in trouble,
and I would say it's-
..Mark L-. Mm-hm.
-I would say it was Laura,
and I will put Hermine
down there as well.
-Interesting.
Can I ask you a question? Yeah.
-Is it your 100th episode today? Yes.
-Wow.
-I think you deserve a glass
of bubbly, don't you?
LAUGHING:- I think a bottle!
-A bath of bubbly-. Yes!
-Well, bakers, I think we can all
agree, Japanese Week was a joy,
and the showstopper was fantastic.
I've got the great job of announcing
this week's Star Baker,
and that person is-
..Lottie.
-Thanks, guys-. Well done, Lottie.
-Which means it's time to tell you
who will be leaving us this week,
and it's somebody who
always has a smile,
somebody I've really bonded with,
someone that I know we all adore
and we're all really gonna miss,
and I'm afraid the baker
leaving us this week is-
..Mark L.
-That's all right, that's all right.
-No! Aww, come here, Mark.
-That's all right-. Sorry, man.
-That's all right - going home!
When you know you know, don't you?
And I just thought
it was my time today.
I mean, they're happy tears
as well, because, you know,
I've made it to week six
of Bake Off.
I'm going home having
learned so much.
I made an amazing bunch of friends.
It's pushed me to bake things that
I would never have baked before,
so I couldn't have asked for
anything more in my Bake Off
experience. It's been-
It's been brilliant, from start
to finish, it really has.
So, yeah-. HE LAUGHS
I'm so sorry-. Thank you so much.
Oh, no, it's OK, honestly.
-Poor Mark. A disaster
of a showstopper.
I actually thought Laura
would be going today,
but she did a really wonderful
showstopper, and that's Bake Off.
You only have to do one
bad cake and you're out,
or one good one and you survive.
-You thought you were gone
and you were wrong.
-I genuinely thought
I was going home.
I was sat on that chair thinking,
"Right, what do I pack first?"
"What route? Shall I take
the M25 or the M2 or the A2?
How shall I get home?"
So, yeah, what a relief.
-Final six is absolutely mad.
I honestly cannot believe
that I'm here saying that.
The game is on, for sure.
I mean, none of us thought we were
gonna make it through this week.
Next week's a whole new ball game.
-SHE LAUGHS
-We've got a lot of work to do in
the practice tent, all of us do.
-Next time-- Oh, yeah!
-..it's '80s week-- Gold, gold!
-..with a period pastry signature-
-This is not good.
-..a technical that gives the bakers
the heebie-jeebies-
-That scares the bejesus out of me.
-..and on one of the
hottest days of the year-
-It's like Satan's kitchen in here.
-..the bakers battle ice cream.
-I'm starting to feel it now.
It's definitely warming up.
-Who will make it to the
quarterfinal-- Argh.
-..and who will have a meltdown?
-Feel like everyone's
in the same boat, though,
like, worried about things setting.
-Peter isn't. Peter's making holly.
-I don't enjoy these.
-Just stop doing it, then.
-Are you a Star Baker in the making?
If you'd like to apply for
the next series of Bake Off,
11x06 - Japanese Week
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British television baking competition, in which a group of amateur bakers compete against each other in a series of rounds, attempting to impress two judges with their baking skills.
British television baking competition, in which a group of amateur bakers compete against each other in a series of rounds, attempting to impress two judges with their baking skills.