Churro Madeleines
GBBO Bake Along Week 9 - The Final!
Well well well, The Great British Bake Off is over for another year and so is the bake along! I’ve got one last recipe for you and then I think it will be time to start edging out way into festive content which I could not be more buzzed about!
But first, let’s chat about the final…
Signature
Aside from my ongoing complaint that they never give the bakers enough time for adequate proving, I liked this challenge, it’s simple but gave the contestants the opportunity to go all out with flavours. I was absolutely gutted for Tom in this challenge, switching salt and citric acid is such an easy mistake to make when everything has been decanted into little pots and there just wasn’t anything he could do which was a shame because his flavours sounded great.
I thought that all of the buns looked nice, I would have like to see Jasmine pushing the boat out a bit more with her flavours but the judges seemed to like them so I guess that’s all that matters.
Iced Buns (free), Raspberry & Tarragon Cream Buns (paid)
Technical
This seemed like an insanely simple challenge for the final. Especially considering that last year they had to make a full on afternoon tea!? Even though it was simple in theory, the reality seemed like a bit of a nightmare. They definitely didn’t have enough time to make proper madeleines with a nice hump, the batter needs to rest overnight so it was hardly surprising that they all came out flat. They looked beautiful dipped in chocolate but I sit firmly in the camp that madeleines should be served warm, right out of the oven and then serving them cold is a crime.
This week we’re making churro inspired madeleines, tossed in cinnamon sugar and serves with a spiced hot chocolate sauce. This recipe is exclusively for paid subscribers so if that sounds like something you fancy, please consider upgrading your subscription. You’ll receive an exclusive recipe every week, plus access to the full archive of over 150 thoroughly tested cake and dessert recipes. And you’ll be helping support me so I can continue creating and sharing recipes! 🩷
Showstopper
Finally a showstopper I can get behind! I love long cakes of “table cakes” as the judges called them. I thought this was a good showstopper challenge, although potentially a bit simple for the final? I thought that all of their cakes looked great, I did feel that Paul was unnecessarily harsh with his feedback to Aaron, personally I really liked the sound of his flavours and I didn’t mind his design, I actually thought that the finishing on the sides of Jasmine’s cake looked more rushed (but still beautiful).
Chocolate & Muscovado Caramel Cake (paid), Chocolate & Hazelnut Slab (paid), Lemon Meringue Pie Cake (paid), my biggest long cake to date!
I’ve really enjoyed this series, doing the bake along always pushes me to make things that I might otherwise avoid and I love to see what the bakers come up with, I’ll definitely be stealing Aarons darjeeling and apricot flavour pairing at some point! Jasmine was such a worthy winner and I look forward to seeing what all the bakers do next. Perhaps I’ll be back next year for another bake along, but for now let’s get on with our final recipe…