S13.E01: Cake Week

[Athena]

Series/Season Premiere.

Quote

Bake Off is back as 12 new bakers enter the iconic white tent. It’s cake week, and the bakers tackle a striking sponge and a scaled-down version of a home close to their hearts.

UK Original Air Date: Tues. September 13, 2022.

US Netflix Date: Fri. September 16, 2022.

[zibnchy]

I think this is a great cast. Some real obvious front runners but even the lower ranked bakers are fun to watch. I was starved for a new Bake Off fix and now I'm just basking in the comfortable familiarity.

[Cactus]

"I win Star Caker in Bake Week!"  Absolutely delightful! So nice to have the series/season.

[Danny Franks]

As usual, it's too early to pick out interesting personalities when there are so many people in the tent. 

Sandro seemed to have an eye for effective decoration and Syabira seems pretty good as well (yes, I did have to check the Guardian's episode review to get those names right). Janusz was very good too, obviously, and amusingly flustered by his victory.

Rebs cocking up her bakes in two straight challenges was pretty sloppy. Seemed like nerves got to her, but she came up with an effective solution that saved her.

The show does a good job of getting variety in its contestants, and here we have bakers from Poland, Malaysia and Sweden (technically) to add to the array of Scots and English and Northern Irish.

Not a huge fan of red velvet cakes, but some of them looked really good. And the showstoppers were all fairly effective, even if most looked cartoonish rather than realistic (but how do you make a realistic looking house out of cake in just a few hours?).

Noel had a couple of awkward moments, but he usually takes a while to figure out which of the bakers he can vibe with. While Matt just sort of blunders in with his dad jokes.

[Lois Sandborne]

I always forget that there are so many of them at the beginning. It makes it hard for people to stand out, but they all seem lovely in general. I did remember Sandro, Max, and Janusz having a lot of personality and promise. And the lady with purple hair too. And good for Janusz being the first ever Star Caker.

All the signature cakes seemed a little off to me; I think a sandwich cake you should be able to pick up and eat in a bite or two, but they were all so big. I of course rolled my eyes at the 3D showstopper, and none of them stood out to me, i.e. I can't remember anything about of them from Tuesday night except a lingering question about what pebble dash is.

The red velvet challenge made me wonder how it is they've never had a US baker on the show before. There are plenty of American traitors living in the UK, but unless I'm forgetting someone, none have ever made it into the tent.

[Straycat80]

I’m so glad this show is back. Some front runners are Sandro, Januz and Syabira. 
Janusz deserved the first win, the judges liked all three of his bakes. It was so cute how excited he was he couldn’t articulate what he wanted to say in the phone call to his boyfriend. 
Quite a few bakers are using a lot booze in their bakes, I don’t remember that much booze in past seasons. 
The right person went home, he screwed up all three of his bakes. I always feel sorry for the first one to go home, I think nerves get to them. 

[SnapHappy]

Seems like a very nice bunch, I like them all so far.   Very cute "phone home" from Mr. Janusz, Star Caker!  *LOL*

And Will, if your buttercream breaks TWICE in one challenge, you've got some issues you may want to address at home.  But good try. 

It looks like it was a chilly Spring, Paul had a wool coat on when he & Pru were taking about the Red Velvet cake challenge & sampling the model cake.  Hopefully the weather stayed cooperative & didn't get too hot.  I really don't enjoy watching the challenges when the contestants are miserably sweating and everything is melting all over the place.  

[caitmcg]

Paul saying a contestant’s technical bake was better than his own is first. I’m not a fan of red velvet cake, but good for Syabira. She was confident going into it, and for good reason. It’ll be interesting to see what she does with Malaysian flavors as the season goes on.

[dleighg]

19 hours ago, Lois Sandborne said:

And the lady with purple hair too.

I've only seen the first of the three challenges, but I think her impediment to going far will be her penchant for "traditional, not exotic" flavors. I think that while Prue remarked on how well she'd done a classic flavor combination, eventually that will wear thin. And on a shallow note her hair drives me bonkers. And I'm a gray-haired lady of a certain age who occasionally puts dark pink streaks in her hair. But not all over LOL!

[sharifa70]

Syabira’s red velvet cake was beautiful. So was Sandro’s. I grew up with red velvet cake; my mom has been making it since before it was cool (really; for almost 30 years the only place I ever got it was mom’s kitchen and then suddenly it seemed like the rest of America discovered it because it’s everywhere now). One thing I kept wanting to yell at them was you’re supposed to make a well in the batter, put the baking soda in the center, then add the vinegar and gently fold in the mixture while it’s fizzing. 

I thought Carol’s showstopper and Star Caker Janusz’s signature bakes were beautiful.

Paul giving himself a handshake over his blueberry muffins cracked me up.

Will was the right choice to go home. It’s always sad but by the time he had messed up his third bake I was cringing for him.

[dleighg]

My own house would be hard to do. It's a contemporary with lots of sloping roofs intersecting at weird angles. I'd have to simplify! I'd probably distract them by adding the solar panels as a detail LOL.

[caitmcg]

48 minutes ago, sharifa70 said:

 I grew up with red velvet cake; my mom has been making it since before it was cool

I wanted to see them have to do the really traditional ermine icing* instead of the now-more-common cream cheese, since I bet that would be something completely new to them. 

*Ermine is my favorite type of buttercream. It’s neither as rich as classic buttercream nor as crazy sweet ax “American” (icing sugar) buttercream, and has a lovely light consistency.

[sharifa70]

2 minutes ago, caitmcg said:

I wanted to see them have to do the really traditional ermine icing* instead of the now-more-common cream cheese, since I bet that would be something completely new to them. 

That’s the one my mom uses on her Red Velvet cakes, and what she taught me to do! I’ve never known what it was called; it’s just “the frosting for Red Velvet cake.”

[SnapHappy]

I also giggled when Paul handshaked himself over his muffins.  I want a Paul Hollywood Blueberry Muffin REALLY badly!

I'm an anomaly because I cannot abide red velvet cake in any form.  Maybe it's just knowing that an entire mouthful of fake red food coloring is in there squicks me out.  My mom said I refused it as a kid, so it's not something I learned as an adult. 

My grandmother made the ermine, just called it boiled icing.  It was SO delish.  

Now cream cheese frosting?  THAT is my jam.  I will make a batch, keep it in my fridge in a specific mason jar and eat it with a spoon.  No, I'm not proud of it.  But I own it.  

Edited September 16, 2022 by SnapHappy

[mjc570]

I was so glad to see this again.  As usual, it seems like a very likable, talented group of bakers.  I do think they should skip eliminating someone in the first episode, double up later if they have to, to let them get over their jitters and get used to baking in the tent.

For probably the first time, I wasn't annoyed by the opening bit, maybe because the punny names were so spot on.  On the other hand, I find Matt to be a probably very nice person but super unfunny.  It's almost painful to see the contestants forced to laugh at his quips.

I thought ALL the bakes looked good, obviously some more than others.  I would have happily eaten any one of them, and I thought the mix of flavors was interesting.  I think the contestants (except maybe with the colored hair lady, sorry, don't really know their names yet) recognized that they need to step up the flavors (especially if they need to compensate for a less than good bake).  I think a number of them should have practiced their decorating skills more.

I recognize that Paul is the main judge (although I am sick to death of everyone talking about his death stares) but I would like to hear more of Prue's comments (especially something other than the amount of booze in the bake).

[anniebird]

I've been checking all summer to see when this would be on American TV and today came as a total surprise. I'm so happy and can't wait till week 3. No one stands out yet but I'm interested to see who will be the baker that clicks with Noel. And did Matt lose 50 pounds? He looks so different.

Loved "I'm the Bake Star Caker!" 

[Cetacean]

47 minutes ago, anniebird said:

And did Matt lose 50 pounds? He looks so different.

Yes, he lost a lot of weight.  Apparenty this dad and grandfather died in their 50's from heart disease and he is determined to become more health conscious.  Good for him.

On the other hand, I still find his humor unpalatable.

[SnapHappy]

If I could afford to quit my job, I'd fly to England, track down Noel and MAKE him be my best friend forever.  I'm sure his wife wouldn't mind.  *LOL*  I just adore him so much!

I know Matt is a nice man and I do NOT enjoy his humor.  I'd rather Noel do the moderating solo.  

Edited September 17, 2022 by SnapHappy

[Ohiopirate02]

In honor of the new season and it being cake week, I'm making the Dolly Parton/Duncan Hines coconut cake while drinking a dirty martini.  I hope Prue approves.

I'm rooting for Janusz so far, but Sandro is easy on the eyes and looks to be a good baker.

[Adiba]

So happy this show is back— it’s a nice cup of comfort viewing!  All of the bakers seem like a pleasant group.
I think red velvet cake tastes good, but it always gives me a stomachache afterwards. My neighbor used to use ermine icing on many her cakes and it was very good, not too sweet. Always enjoyed going to her house for a “coffee klatch.”

[TVbitch]

Seems like a lovely group with some real contenders. None of the showstoppers stopped my show, but I tend to dislike the 3-D bakes and they so rarely come out amazing. I wish they would have just let the contestants make a beautiful cake of their choosing, so that they could have shown what they could do. 

[BryroseA]

Nooooo, don’t tell me that lady worked for Boris Johnson. Conceal! Conceal! It’s Friday night and I don’t want to have Political Feelings during my wholesome cake show. 😭

[AZChristian]

2 hours ago, SnapHappy said:

I know Matt is a nice man, he just reminds me of a newborn mouse.  All pale and pink, hairless and twitchy.  And I do NOT enjoy his humor.  I'd rather Noel do the moderating solo.  

Matt has alopecia and has had multiple health problems since childhood.  I don't think he has a lot of control over his appearance, and I admire him for not hiding from the world.  I can see where some might not enjoy his humor, but he was one of the best Thenardiers ever to play in Les Mis in London (IMO).

[Cetacean]

Another really lovely group of people who seem to be genuinely supportive of each other.  I agree that it would be nice to have the first week without anyone going home to help calm the nerves a bit.  An unfamiliar kitchen would send me over the edge even without the time constraints.

I am not a red velvet fan (I always imagine I am tasting the dye) so I am not one to appreciate it.  But there certainly were a variety of heights; if the frosting was supposed to be so thick between the layers, didn't anyone with shorter cakes wonder why they had a lot of leftover frosting?  

The writers need to stop with the stupid jokes, they often make no sense.

Will was behind the eight ball right away so I was not surprised to see him go.

[J-Man]

What kind of name is "Rebs?" Is it short for something?

[Salacious Kitty]

3 minutes ago, J-Man said:

What kind of name is "Rebs?" Is it short for something?

Rebecca?

[ZeeEnnui]

How much alcohol is too much for noted Boozehound Prue? Sounds like Sandro's showstopper bake would have resulted in a DUI. I share Prue's affinity for booze, but I don't much care for it in dessert, and she's right about soaking the cake in liqueur, that's all you'll taste.

Poor Rebs. Not only was she having a rough go of it, she also appeared to be bringing back 90s lip liner which is a lewk that should have probably stayed buried with JNCO jeans. 

I'm so glad this show is back (it's my zen), and can't wait to actually remember everyone's name. 

[Kiddvideo]

Dawn was my biggest surprise. I figured her for the person who was a terrific baker whose cakes sold for the most money at her church’s fundraiser but who Paul would bully to be more creative. The fact that she is both an excellent baker and went with unique flavors was nice.

Janusz is this year’s Giuseppe but with less Teutonic earnestness, which should make him more popular with the audience. He’s my favorite so far.

My favorite part of the episode was when Paul commented on the color of the velvet cake, and Matt said you wanted crimson. Noel jumping in to herd Matt back into place was perfect.

The Swedish baker: Matt speaks German. Anyone who has seen a few episodes knows that.

Will was so gracious comforting the others. They’ll remember him fondly.

I’m surprised the nuclear worker (was he the non-kilted Scot?) didn’t excel. The scientist tend to jump far ahead on the early bakes.

Overall, I’m really liking this cast!

[Cetacean]

8 hours ago, ZeeEnnui said:

I'm so glad this show is back (it's my zen), and can't wait to actually remember everyone's name. 

I wish they did the same thing as the Canadian version where the baker's  names are on their aprons.  Makes it so much easier to remember them quickly.

[Lois Sandborne]

16 hours ago, sharifa70 said:

That’s the one my mom uses on her Red Velvet cakes, and what she taught me to do! I’ve never known what it was called; it’s just “the frosting for Red Velvet cake.”

My family calls it gravy frosting, I guess because it starts with a roux. But it is good stuff. We use it for red velvet cake of course, and I use it in anything that calls for whipped cream frosting because that stuff is gross.

10 hours ago, Kiddvideo said:

Janusz is this year’s Giuseppe but with less Teutonic earnestness, which should make him more popular with the audience. He’s my favorite so far.

I think you might be referring to the lovely Jurgen? Giuseppe (though also lovely) was from Italy.

[meep.meep]

13 hours ago, J-Man said:

What kind of name is "Rebs?" Is it short for something?

It's a British nickname, for Rebecca.  Last season Juergen complained, when someone called him Juergs, that you cannot make nicknames for everyone just by adding an "S".  

The Super Scot thought that his piping was so great but Paul and Prue definitely didn't.  I loved the Star Caker's house!  So colorful.

[Kiddvideo]

4 hours ago, Lois Sandborne said:

I think you might be referring to the lovely Jurgen? Giuseppe (though also lovely) was from Italy.

Lol, yes! Thank you! Jurgen was my favorite last year, too.

[ombre]

What... Did I just watch? Paul's comments were nice and constructive and... Funny? (I'm still giggling at the idea that the coffee flavor was so strong it burned.) and it was clear that both Matt and Noel were really helping folks get through their first-ep jitters. I hope it continues like this! 

Everyone seems lovely, but Rebs reminds me so much of Alona Tal's character from Veronica Mars that I'm feeling the need to check a calendar and make sure of what decade it is! 

Also - when the heck did the food world decide that "unctuous" is a positive description of food?  What on earth is it supposed to mean in a *positive* sense?  Delightfully oily?  One of the judges on the new Netflix Iron Chef used it at least once an episode and every single time I did a double-take and got the sensation of my mouth being filled with grease.  I figured it was just her having some bizarre fixation on the word, but hearing it come up here too had me a little horrified.

Edited September 17, 2022 by ombre

[dleighg]

39 minutes ago, ombre said:

I'm still giggling at the idea that the coffee flavor was so strong it burned.

Didn't she say she was using chicory instead of coffee? But she didn't mention that to the judges. Or am I misremembering? 

[mjc570]

2 hours ago, dleighg said:

Didn't she say she was using chicory instead of coffee? But she didn't mention that to the judges. Or am I misremembering? 

She did, which, frankly I don't understand.  Chicory is bitter, and why use it if you have a choice between that and real coffee?  

[springbarb]

20 hours ago, Kiddvideo said:

I’m surprised the nuclear worker (was he the non-kilted Scot?) didn’t excel. The scientist tend to jump far ahead on the early bakes.

I believe the scientist was the kilted Scot--James, I think. Kevin was the Scot without the kilt.

[Deskisamess]

On 9/16/2022 at 5:19 PM, caitmcg said:

I wanted to see them have to do the really traditional ermine icing* instead of the now-more-common cream cheese, since I bet that would be something completely new to them. 

*Ermine is my favorite type of buttercream. It’s neither as rich as classic buttercream nor as crazy sweet ax “American” (icing sugar) buttercream, and has a lovely light consistency.

I made a red velvet cake for my husband on his 65th birthday, and used the traditional icing. It's weird because you cook it and it has flour in it. It was good, but red velvet isn't my favorite. My sons like it because it's not so sweet. When my husband and I dated in 1976, and friends mom gave me her recipe, and that's the one I used. I'd like it more if it has cream cheese frosting.

I'm thrilled to have the show back. I loved the intro, and was amused and impressed by the new group of bakers. The show stoppers were less than impressive, but I thought the red velvet was a good challenge. The traditional frosting would have been a better challenge.

When they make a layer cake where they have to split the layer, has any baker ever used the "toothpick and string" method? I use that method all the time, and never use a knife. Is it just an American hack/trick? It's like when they build a lattice on a pie, they build it on waxed paper and slide it onto the pie. I've never done that, I weave it right on the pie itself.

[caitmcg]

18 minutes ago, Deskisamess said:

When they make a layer cake where they have to split the layer, has any baker ever used the "toothpick and string" method? I use that method all the time, and never use a knife. Is

I used to use toothpicks and a long, thin knife (never used string), but now I just use a cake leveler.

[SnapHappy]

Each cake had 6 layers, so 3 cut in half, but I just very briefly glimpsed Abdul sawing at a layer.  Blink & you'd miss it.  No idea what method he used, it was just a long serrated knife.  Maybe they all had to eyeball the cutting. 

I keep waiting for an opportunity to throw the word "claggy" into conversation, but I rarely talk about cake with real people.  *LOL*

[Nidratime]

On 9/15/2022 at 9:00 PM, Lois Sandborne said:

I always forget that there are so many of them at the beginning. It makes it hard for people to stand out, but they all seem lovely in general. I did remember Sandro, Max, and Janusz having a lot of personality and promise. And the lady with purple hair too. And good for Janusz being the first ever Star Caker.

The red velvet challenge made me wonder how it is they've never had a US baker on the show before. There are plenty of American traitors living in the UK, but unless I'm forgetting someone, none have ever made it into the tent.

That Star Caker declaration was charming.

And, I wouldn't mind seeing an American who is living in the UK on the show either. I remember that in one of their celebrity versions of the show, Teri Hatcher competed and she won! (She's a good cook so she might have been a ringer.)

I have to say, when I saw the contestants, I was sure that one of the elder ladies -- not the one with the Muppet hairdo, but the other -- Dawn? I was so sure that Dawn had already been on the show. She looks so much like a couple of other contestants from former seasons.

[phalange]

Happy for Janusz winning "Star Caker." He deserved it. The decoration on his showstopper was really well done.

I didn't agree with Paul saying Sandro's cake needed more decoration. It looked fine to me. Sometimes less is more.

I also really like Syabira. Her red velvet cake during the technical looked perfect. Surprised Paul actually picked red velvet, tbh. I thought he hated American deserts. Anyway, now I'm craving some red velvet cake. 

Poor Will. He was the right choice to go home since he messed up in every challenge, but I felt bad for him. He probably had first-day jitters. 

[HurricaneVal]

"Star Caker" is so perfectly charming.  Especially his joyously chagrined giggles after he realized what he said.  I just want to hug him.

I love this show so much.  I squeed out loud when I saw it come up as the feature on my Netflix splash page.

I liked the "home" bake concept as a first big challenge.  Making a house out of cake is not too geometrically or structurally challenging so it allows nervous bakers to settle in before they have to reproduce a ferris wheel or ocean wave in ice cream or whatever.

Mr. HV's aunt makes the best red velvet cake.  She also makes the best cookies.  She's got "the touch" and it is magical.  The technical bake made me think of her, and now I need to call her for the recipe.  The real recipe.  She supposedly gave it to DH's mom--who is also a great baker--but it doesn't produce the same results with the cake.  The frosting is awesome, though.  I don't think it is the ermine frosting described above.  It is definitely a cream cheese frosting that is tangy and sweet--but not too sweet.  It is perfect.

[LilJen]

Hubby and I were very distracted by Rebs's awful eyebrows. WHY? WHY is that odd eyebrow trend even a thing? So unattractive.

[blueray]

What a nice group of people. I liked them all but some stood out right away names wise. I know this get easier as it goes on, but the first episode is hard to figure who is who.

I was actually impressed with all their houses, I feel like even if I could bake the decorations would get me. Of course I'd do my childhood home, which was your standard American suburban house, so siding would be difficult to show lol. 

[MisterGlass]

I admit to fast forwarding through opener once I saw where it was going, but I really enjoyed the rest of the episode.  I agree with @ombre, the atmosphere from the judges, Noel, and Matt was pretty good and better than the last couple seasons.  I felt like Matt turned himself down half a notch, and he got a couple smiles out of me.  I wonder if everyone is a little more relaxed now that they are out of the pandemic bubble seasons.

In the first challenge Sandro had the only "mini" cakes, but most of the entires looked good.  I hope Maisam gets a little steadier.  I always feel bad when the young ones struggle.

My favorite house was the pebble dash one.  I had to look up pebble dash; I never knew the name for that before.  It was clear that Will wasn't going to last but I did like the look of his apartment block, and that Noel recognized it.

[caitmcg]

2 minutes ago, MisterGlass said:

I admit to fast forwarding through opener once I saw where it was going

I FF through the opening bits every time. I prefer to save the cheese for meals.

[SemiCharmedLife]

What a joy to have this program back!  I had some good laughs at the puns in the opening scene.  I'm always amazed they can get Paul and Prue to participate in these crazy skits.  But, loved Paul as "Dark Baker."

Good luck to Will; he seemed like a lovely man. On An Extra Slice he said that he enjoys baking bread, pastries and desserts, but didn't do a lot of cake baking.  I agree with others that a non elimination first episode would be ideal.  

Congrats to our Star Caker-- I loved that phone call home! 

[dgpolo]

10 hours ago, SemiCharmedLife said:

On An Extra Slice he said that he enjoys baking bread, pastries and desserts, but didn't do a lot of cake baking.

I understand when people say things like this but on the other hand, you know you are going to have to bake cakes. I just managed to find the elusive first two seasons on Roku, first episode for both was Cake Week. You have to know this and practice your weaknesses.

Janusz reminds me of an actor that has played the bad guy on some shows, it's taking me a bit to get over that.

[Deskisamess]

19 hours ago, caitmcg said:

I FF through the opening bits every time. I prefer to save the cheese for meals.

Prue is amazing in the opening bit, it's by far the best one they've ever done.

[jpgr]

On 9/17/2022 at 7:06 PM, Nidratime said:

And, I wouldn't mind seeing an American who is living in the UK on the show either. I remember that in one of their celebrity versions of the show, Teri Hatcher competed and she won! (She's a good cook so she might have been a ringer.)

I've only ever seen one series of Aussie Bakeoff, but there was an American contestant who had moved there with her family. She was somewhat annoying, but made it pretty far in the competition. I would also like to see an American expat on GBBO sometime.