Unusual loaves and veggie cakes in this week's 'GBBO'

With five women left standing, tensions ran high in the quarter final of the 'Great British Bake Off'

by Natalie Hammond

With unconventional bakes on the quarter final menu, brows were permanently furrowed in this week’s ‘GBBO’ tent.

 

The signature challenge was to bake a loaf of bread using an unconventional flour. The one to watch was undoubtedly double-time star baker (and doe-eyed hipster of the group) Ruby, who claimed one of her two victories in the conventional flour week. She opted for the rustic approach, with a spelt cob flavoured with mango and Nigella seeds. She was unusually calm when her fat little cob came out of the oven, but despaired when Paul glibly snapped it in half and revealed it was under-proved and under-baked. Mary was a fan of the flavours, however, and Ruby sailed through regardless of any schoolboy errors.  

 

Kimberley and Frances’ loaves both looked scrumptious, but while Kimberley’s wild garlic pesto and Parma ham spelt loaf passed the taste test, Frances, with her ‘tear and share’ Chelsea bun, was haunted by the ‘style over substance’ critique for the umpteenth time.   

 

Christine pulled a Glen and couldn’t budge her stubborn loaf from its tin. Next to Beca’s potato and rosemary-studded focaccia and Ruby’s proud cob, her gluten and wheat-free effort (while noble) was sadly underwhelming.

 

This week’s technical was seriously tricky – a hazelnut dacquoise (three layers of hazelnut-whipped meringue sandwiched with coffee custard and topped with neatly-piped chocolate ganache and praline).

 

Christine had a bit of a mare; her meringues didn't crisp up as they should and resembled giant Rich Teas. Her finished dacquoise looked messy – the ganache had no definition and was piped in fat splodges – landing her in fifth place. Despite much nervous nibbling of her lip, Ruby’s meringue was excellent, with each layer cracking happily as Paul sliced through, and she was wide-eyed with amazement as she was awarded first place.

 

Going into the showstopper – a dairy-free 3D novelty cake that had to contain vegetables – Christine needed to pull it out of the bag. She plugged for a place in the semi final with a sweet-potato 'guitar' cake, saying she couldn't foresee any problems. Gulp.

 

Presentation has never been Ruby’s forte, but she was determined to prove her decorating credentials with her carrot-flavoured ‘allotment and shed’ cake. With its poppy-seed 'soil', pistachio 'grass', praline 'roof', rows of dinky veggies and tempered chocolate 'fences', it wasn't only the best looking thing she’s ever baked but tasted marvellous too.

 

It was a mixed bag with Frances and Beca. Frances was criticising for the plastic flowerpots surrounding her carrot cake ‘planting box’ (Mary’s a stickler for inedible elements), while Beca’s ‘cheeseboard’ was totally flavour-free (not something you want to hear on a cooking programme).

 

While her intricate icing work won praise from the judges, poor Christine was blind-sided by Paul’s comment that her sweet potato cake lacked any real flavour and (in a tent filled with the sounds of sniffling women) was announced as this week’s casualty. Ruby, meanwhile, was crowned this week’s star baker, making her a triple-threat going into the semi-finals.

 

With the weather turning frostier by the minute, we recommend a weekend of warming winter puddings and veggie cakes (like these scrummy chocolate and courgette muffins). If you fancy something savoury, why not try your hand at Mary Berry’s sweet potato and rosemary bread or this zingy courgette, lemon and parmesan loaf? And don’t forget to take a look at our week-8 inspired recipes too...

 

LOOK HERE TOO...

 

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