After nine weeks of toppling biscuit towers, less-than-perfect petit fours and bendy breadsticks, the time finally came to crown one lady baker this year’s ‘Great British Bake Off’ champion.

So who’s in pole position? Ruby managed to steady her nerves enough to notch up three star baker wins over the competition. Although her presentation has always bordered on sloppy, her inventive flavour combinations have consistently tantalised the judges’ taste buds.  Said judges spend many a minute cooing over Frances’ immaculate presentation, but are frequently disappointed by her lacklustre flavours. Our money’s on Kimberley, who’s impressed with her millimetre-perfect presentation (picture the edible pebble-pathway leading up to her toadstool house in week eight) and carefully considered flavours.

The signature challenge was to make picnic pies with sturdy shortcrust pastry sides, a crisp bottom and an elaborately-layered inside.  Both Ruby and Frances opted for a ‘picnic hamper’ pie, Ruby’s layered with the Mediterranean flavours of halloumi, mozzarella and sundried tomatoes and Frances’ with turmeric-spiced rice, smoked trout and veggies tossed in mint. While Frances’ effort was just ’10 minutes away from perfection’, according to Paul, Ruby won the battle of the baskets with her neat patchwork sides and pastry handle. Kimberley’s ‘chicken and pig’ pie sounded promising, but the moisture from her various meats (moisture, of course, being the enemy of a perfectly-baked bottom) alas fatally weakened its structure.

At the bottom of the pack and in danger of being written off (shows how good our predictions are, doesn’t it?), Kimberley had to ace the technical – 12 perfectly-shaped pretzels. She pulled it out of the (piping) bag to claim first place for her crisp on the outside and chewy on the inside pretzels, while Frances’ resembled bread rolls and Ruby’s fell down flavour.

Hurtling towards the finish line, oven mitts aloft and KitchenAids whizzing, the only challenge remaining was the showstopper. The bakers were tasked with the mothership of all challenges – churning out a three-tiered wedding cake in a mere six hours. Gulp.

Frances’ enchanting ‘A Midsummer Night’s Dream’ creation – strewn with edible ‘confetti’ and home to fondant ‘bumblebees’ – wouldn’t look out of place in Titania’s fairy bower. Her rhubarb and ginger, lemon Victoria sponge and carrot, apricot and orange layers miraculously packed a flavour punch, with Mary’s only criticism being that rhubarb was an irrelevant addition.

Ruby’s passion fruit, raspberry and lemon confection failed to deliver in either the style or substance stakes. Two of her layers were over-baked and with only a few weedy flowers creeping up her cake’s sides, it might be the worst feedback she’s received in the entire competition.

Kimberley was forced to take shortcuts with her presentation, leaving the finish of her cake looking uncharacteristically drab. The intricacy of her interior – featuring an orange and pistachio ‘chequerboard’ layer and a chocolate fudge cake with suspended raspberry spheres – just about made up for its underwhelming appearance.  

As Frances, Ruby and Kimberley nervously carried their creations to the merry makers outside the ‘GBBO’ tent, Paul and Mary put their heads together to determine this year’s winner. Despite being the underdog after struggles to finesse her flavours, Frances blew Kimberley and Ruby out of the water with her Shakespearean showstopper and snatched the ‘GBBO’ 2013 win from under the other ladies’ noses.

If you’re anything like us, you’ll be weeping silent (okay, hysterical) tears for the end of this year’s ‘GBBO’. What could be a better pick-me-up than stuffing in some homemade savoury treats this weekend, like these classic pork pies or Scottish cheese scones? For any ambitious brides-to-be out there, try your hand at making your own wedding cake. While we can’t claim to have any bard-themed recipes up our sleeves, we’ve got tons of tips on how to bake and ice your wedding cake, plus 20 design ideas for your delectation. It might be over for another year but keep your chins up (try not to think about how you'll survive Tuesday nights) and keep on baking!

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