S04.E01: Cake

[Athena]

This is the first episode of season 2 of The Great British Baking Show. It will air September 6, 2015 on PBS (check your local listings). Series 4 aired in 2013 on the BBC.

 

This season will run concurrently with BBC's series six. I will pin the episode topics each week for each season. If you are a PBS viewer, please check episode topics for Season 4 and avoid the Season 6 spoiler threads if you are not watching.

 

Episode Summary:
 

The tent welcomes a baker's dozen to do battle. Mel Giedroyc and Sue Perkins coax them through their baking trials, all the while under the scrutiny of the inimitable judges Mary Berry and Paul Hollywood. With a range of baking styles and personalities, the Bake Off tent is packed with the best amateur bakers from around the country; from space engineer to student, teacher to dentist, psychologist to carpenter. But after ten weeks of whisking, crimping and piping, only one can emerge victorious. This time, nobody is safe because Mary and Paul may decide to lose not one but two bakers at any time.
 
The judges set the signature challenges as true home baker staples so that they can immediately see the bakers' personalities and their range of skills and ideas, setting them apart from each other. The first challenge is a sandwich cake. While this might seem simple, there is a difficult choice to be made between going for the classic or being experimental. Something tried and tested might not stand out, but going for ambitious flavours and ideas could miss the mark.
 
Mary's first technical challenge is for angel food cake, which is not the bakers' idea of heaven as they attempt to follow the bare bones of the recipe, which proves to be a recipe for disaster for some. The showstopper explores all things chocolate, and is their final chance to secure their place in the Bake Off and save them from being the first to leave the tent.

[Guest]

Nooooo! I'm so bummed! Our local PBS affiliate doesn't start airing this until next Saturday in the middle of the afternoon. I really enjoyed having it on Sunday evenings. :(

[ABay]

My DVR has scheduled 4.1 for 5 a.m. tomorrow, but none of the other episodes have shown up. Hi, CPTV, this is why I'll never send you a donation.

[QuelleC]

After last season with the dozens of European cakes I'd never heard of, I enjoyed the struggle with the common angel food cake.  Not knowing how far to whip the egg whites, not knowing "tins" don't get greased, 

 

I don't know, is a victorian sponge just a cake, and a sandwich is just a two layered cake with something extra between?  I'm a utilitarian baker, bread and things when needed.  I don't have anywhere near that kind of sweet tooth.

 

I love how they show drawings of what the bakers intend.  The characters seem similar to last season.  Amazing cakes at the end yet still look homemade.  I won't miss an episode. No spoilers.

[rereader2]

My mother was commenting knowledgeably about the angel food cakes; myself, I can bake cookies and plain cakes and that's about it!

Edited September 7, 2015 by rereader2

[Athena]

I don't know, is a victorian sponge just a cake, and a sandwich is just a two layered cake with something extra between?  I'm a utilitarian baker, bread and things when needed.  I don't have anywhere near that kind of sweet tooth.

 

I love how they show drawings of what the bakers intend.  The characters seem similar to last season.  Amazing cakes at the end yet still look homemade.  I won't miss an episode. No spoilers.

 

A Victoria Sponge or Victoria Sandwich is a sponge cake, two layers similar to a sandwich, with usually jam and whipped cream in the middle. I find it a rather light cake because you're not frosting it, and the sugar level is rather sparse compared to a standard birthday cake. It's usually served for High tea time and as a snack of sorts.

 

The show has an illustrator on retainer who draws all the final bakes for the show. One of the contestants said he has a couple of framed pictures of his bakes.

[QuelleC]

I could be wrong but all of these sugary bakes make me think of the sugar trade and the industrial revolution when the English needed tea and biscuits to start their day and that's how all these cakes were invented?  The bit of time I spent in London stunned me as to their love of bakery.  Yet it was less sickeningly sugary than what we find in the US. I still don't know how a sponge cake differs from a normal US cake but as I said, I'll keep watching. Looks like a bread bake next week.  That will be fun.

[Quilt Fairy]

And now I'm hungry...........

[Irlandesa]

Is angel food popular in the UK?  I admit, I got to feel kind of smug when the angel food cake came up.  It's my favorite dessert so that is one I would have known how to make. (Or at least in theory, I've never actually made it myself.  Separating 14 egg whites?  No thank you.)

 

I love rhubarb so I would have loved to try either of those. 

 

And now I'm hungry...........

I know.  After that last round, I want chocolate cake.  I'm not even a huge fan of chocolate cake.  It's probably a good thing that everything is closed right now.

[sum]

A Victoria Sponge or Victoria Sandwich is a sponge cake, two layers similar to a sandwich, with usually jam and whipped cream in the middle. I find it a rather light cake because you're not frosting it, and the sugar level is rather sparse compared to a standard birthday cake. It's usually served for High tea time and as a snack of sorts.

 

The show has an illustrator on retainer who draws all the final bakes for the show. One of the contestants said he has a couple of framed pictures of his bakes.

You can follow the illustrator on Twitter. https://twitter.com/twistedloaf. Also his online GBBO print shop. http://www.tomhovey.co.uk/thebakedprintshop (*It may contain spoilers)

This series wouldn't be the same without those lovely illustrations!

Edited September 7, 2015 by sum

[Pallida]

OPB (Oregon's PBS) isn't showing this until September 27, so I'm relying on you all to have lively discussion to tide me over!

[GaT]

Ahhh show, so nice to have you back. I don't find Mel & Sue as annoying this time, so either they've mellowed, or I've gotten used to them.I thought it was obvious who was getting eliminated, & who was going to be star baker, so no surprises there. It's just so nice to watch such a "gentle" reality competition show. 

[SFoster21]

Mel and Sue can be okay, but, if I were trying to task and they came around, I would be inclined to elbow them sharply.

[shandy]

Now this is a great bunch of bakers, I love Ali being such a stun bunny. Poor Toby, isn't there competition for these places? Did he wander in from the street? Or did the producers want a dollar store Hugh Grant.

 

Deborah's hairline is everything ... 

 

I reminded my mother about the show and she wasn't impressed by any of the angel cakes. Her version would need canned oranges on top and alcohol. Gak...

Yay for science, Rob's chocolate work was great.  

[Jodithgrace]

Modern day angel food cake pans come with little "feet," so you can cool the cake upside down. Back in my mother's day, when she made an angel food cake, she would put it on a wine bottle to hold it upside down. I don't think I've ever made one from scratch, myself, though I did know not to grease the pan. Angel food is a great diet cake, if that's not an oxymoron, since it is fat free and goes well with fresh fruit for not too many calories. 

 

I love this show..it is so completely British. The contestants are so real, and the only drama is with the bakes, themselves, which is plenty for me. I don't need the interpersonal infighting you get on American competition  shows. 

 

That student baker has big shoes to fill after Martha's impressive showing last season. She isn't getting off to a great start. Love the engineer. 

 

They say that there were 10, 000 applicants this season, so the bakers must have shown impressive chops to have gotten this far. Unfortunately, pressure can get to anybody who isn't used to performing out of the privacy of their own kitchen, so we have weekly failures. 

[DeLurker]

I love this show. 

 

I found Toby charming even in his defeat.

 

I wish US shows hadn't turned into a factory producing drama instead of interesting food and cooking skills.

[larapu2000]

I love the rocket scientist, Ali, and I think it's Francis? The one with the adorably cute and clever bakes.

I love how humble they all are. And I am a very good baker, but don't care for angel food cake, so that challenge would have killed me!!

[becauseIsaidso]

So happy I finally get to see a season of the show from the first episode....found it quite accidentally on my local PBS yesterday when I was looking for Sherlock....which, even though it WAS a repeat....was on right after the Bake Off. Sunday nights just got a little brighter.

[jeansheridan]

Charming from the setting to Mary and her sweet/sharp lady of the manor personality to the fact they only bake on the weekend. Plus they are all so seemingly nice.

Tempering chocolate is hard! So hard.

[sum]

Thank you for the link.  I agree...the illustrations help no end, especially when the real results make you go, "what?"  At least the audience starts out knowing what the bakers were trying to do even if they fall short in reality.

Absolutely. Besides the fact that they are very pleasing and somewhat comforting themselves, as someone who has never touched an oven in my life without them I would never be able to picture what the final results are supposed to look like from their verbal description. 

 

Modern day angel food cake pans come with little "feet," so you can cool the cake upside down. Back in my mother's day, when she made an angel food cake, she would put it on a wine bottle to hold it upside down. I don't think I've ever made one from scratch, myself, though I did know not to grease the pan. Angel food is a great diet cake, if that's not an oxymoron, since it is fat free and goes well with fresh fruit for not too many calories. 

 

I love this show..it is so completely British. The contestants are so real, and the only drama is with the bakes, themselves, which is plenty for me. I don't need the interpersonal infighting you get on American competition  shows. 

 

That student baker has big shoes to fill after Martha's impressive showing last season. She isn't getting off to a great start. Love the engineer. 

 

They say that there were 10, 000 applicants this season, so the bakers must have shown impressive chops to have gotten this far. Unfortunately, pressure can get to anybody who isn't used to performing out of the privacy of their own kitchen, so we have weekly failures.

Silly I know, but even though it's just TV I find interpersonal infighting too stressful.

No idea about PBS broadcasting order but originally Martha was in the following series (5). :)

[Athena]

For clarification:

 

Season 1 of PBS's Baking Show is BBC Series 5 (2014).

Season 2 of PBS's Baking Show is BBC Series 4 (2013).

 

It's confusing, but as long as PBS viewers know they are going back in time and using the series 4 threads, it's all good.

 

No spoilers please from those who have seen this series already.

[Sandiscot]

Thanks for that explanation Athena. Until now, I thought we were seeing them in numerical order. 

 

I love this show, whichever season it is. I am amazed at the ability of the contestants and the impressive creativity they display. I feel so bad for those who just have serious bad luck or serious attacks of nerves.I would shake so much my eggs would be beaten by the time they came out of the shells!

 

I liked Rob best this week, but my favorite was the jam sandwich in the bag.

 

I also liked Martha a lot and Ruby has fairly big shoes to fill there. She seems nice, so I hope things go better for her. Heck, they all seem nice.

[sum]

Thanks from me too for clarification! It's an odd scheduling. Yup, I'm mindful of spoiler.

Coincidentally, I also watched the series in that order. Followed S5 for the first time as it happened (I only found out this because I was a sewing bee watcher), then very recently binge-watched S4. Now I'm about to start S3. :-p

 

@whimsey98 Martha was my favorite! I read from a friend of her family that she is a delightful girl in real life too. Probably she was a bit too inexperienced to make it further during the production period but undoubtedly showed lots of potential. 

Guess I better stop off topic talk here. 

[Quilt Fairy]

I think PBS was unprepared for the success of the first U.S. season, but IMO they reacted well (and quickly) by giving us a prior British season as a fall filler. As far as I'm concerned, they could do 2 seasons a year for a while showing us all the earlier British seasons. I know I could go on the internet and find out who won, but this show doesn't have a Downton Abbey level of fame so it's easy to remain unspoiled. (Key: Don't look up books on British baking on Amazon because some prior winners have had their recipes published.)  The only problem is that last season people who had seen the earlier seasons in the UK would comment here about particular events and/or bakes, like a particularly showstopping showstopper. Now I need to unremember that.

[Merneith]

My local pbs is also playing silly buggers with the scheduling. I wanted to mention though that PBS station on Roku has the Cakes episode available, for those that can't find it.

 

Happy to have this lovely show back (even if it's technically a repeat!)

[Jodithgrace]

Oh my goodness! I had no idea we were going back in time. LOL 

It's funny that somebody commented that Mel and Sue seemed less annoying than in the previous season..Oops  I guess that they get worse as time goes on, then, not better. 

[Bad Example]

I've got an immediate dislike for Negative Ruby.  The oft-seen British downplaying of skills is one thing, she just seemed like an attention-seeking Debbie Downer.  

 

I hope Ali pulls it together.  I found the whole Toby situation funny, because the poor guy just couldn't get it together but seemed philosophical about the whole thing.  In general, I love this show because everyone always seems so real and pleasant and all about the baking instead of "but what I really want to do is act...".  

[M. Darcy]

For those whose PBS stations haven't shown it yet - here's a link to the PBS website to watch it online  http://video.pbs.org/video/2365541690/?utm_source=twitter&utm_medium=pbsofficial&utm_campaign=britishbakingshow_2015

 

Man, all those injuries.  I was just waiting for someone to actually chop off their finger.

 

So, far I'm being a good girl and not looking to see who wins.

[Qoass]

Just wanted to say that I had a dozen egg whites in my freezer left over from numerous batches of homemade ice cream and I baked an angel food cake to use them all up.  Despite what you saw on this episode, it was a really easy cake to make although having an egg separating spoon and a kick-ass KitchenAid mixer helped.  And I didn't grease the pan.  It kills me when they do that.

[emma675]

 

I've got an immediate dislike for Negative Ruby.  The oft-seen British downplaying of skills is one thing, she just seemed like an attention-seeking Debbie Downer.

Ditto. I wanted to like her but she fell apart at the first hint of something going wrong and then became a complete mess after that. I get that she's young, but Martha was younger and held it together so much better than Ruby has so far. Unless Ruby does a 180, I hope she goes next.

[Athena]

I think PBS was unprepared for the success of the first U.S. season, but IMO they reacted well (and quickly) by giving us a prior British season as a fall filler. As far as I'm concerned, they could do 2 seasons a year for a while showing us all the earlier British seasons. I know I could go on the internet and find out who won, but this show doesn't have a Downton Abbey level of fame so it's easy to remain unspoiled. (Key: Don't look up books on British baking on Amazon because some prior winners have had their recipes published.)  The only problem is that last season people who had seen the earlier seasons in the UK would comment here about particular events and/or bakes, like a particularly showstopping showstopper. Now I need to unremember that.

 

Not just the winners have had their books published, a number of the finalists have had books published so if you see a bake-off name, they may not be a winner, but they were probably a finalist.

 

Other than the episode threads for series 6, the one thread here to avoid here is Former Tent Residents since that will spoil things. Also, watch where you click on the internet.

 

While the show is not as widely loved here as DA is, it averages ten million viewers in the UK which is about one sixth of the UK population. Anytime there is a hint of controversy or drama on the show, it's widely reported in the mainstream UK media.

 

Just wanted to say that I had a dozen egg whites in my freezer left over from numerous batches of homemade ice cream and I baked an angel food cake to use them all up.  Despite what you saw on this episode, it was a really easy cake to make although having an egg separating spoon and a kick-ass KitchenAid mixer helped.  And I didn't grease the pan.  It kills me when they do that.

 

Do you freeze the egg whites in ice cubes or another way to signify how many there are? Do you then defrost them? I don't ever freeze egg whites. I do notice that liquid egg white is more common in supermarkets.

[DeLurker]

While the show is not as widely loved here as DA is, it averages ten million viewers in the UK which is about one sixth of the UK population. Anytime there is a hint of controversy or drama on the show, it's widely reported in the mainstream UK media.

 

What's DA?

[Athena]

What's DA?

 

Downton Abbey in reference to Quilt Fairy's post.

[Qoass]

 

Do you freeze the egg whites in ice cubes or another way to signify how many there are? Do you then defrost them? I don't ever freeze egg whites. I do notice that liquid egg white is more common in supermarkets.

I just drop them into ziplock bags and mark how many are in there with a sharpie on the outside of the bag.  Then I store the individual bags together in a larger freezer bag.  When I'm ready to use them, I defrost them in my refrigerator.  Word has it that previously frozen egg whites do not whip up as well as fresh ones but I think they do fine.

 

ETA something on topic:  poor Mary looked frozen in her North Face jacket.

Edited September 8, 2015 by Qoass

[Rinaldo]

I've got an immediate dislike for Negative Ruby.  The oft-seen British downplaying of skills is one thing, she just seemed like an attention-seeking Debbie Downer.  

As I mentioned elsewhere, I see her a bit differently, having encountered a handful of cases like hers during my decades of teaching. They're forever apologizing for their work, explaining why it's so bad -- when in fact their work is among the best. I've tried forbidding them to apologize, even telling them (with a smile) that I'll take off points if they write an apology on a test or an essay... but nothing can stop them doing it; they're convinced that this time it's really as dreadful as they think. It's a kind of perfectionism but a self-destructive kind, and nothing that can be so easily changed. One is tempted to guess a background of constant criticism or denigration while growing up, though of course things are seldom that simple and it may be self-inflicted for all I know.

 

So, Debbie Downer yes, but not really attention-seeking; that's my diagnosis anyway.

[JenMcSnark]

I somewhat agree @Rinaldo.  I told my daughter (who is similar, but not to the Debby Downer degree) that Ruby is way to sensitive to be on the show.  My kid doesn't do it on every test or event, but often she genuinely thinks she did terrible and then gets a very good grade or feedback.  And no, I wasn't abusive or denigrating of her as a child. :-)

[Pallida]

Thank you for the notification that the PBS app has this! I had been checking, but I must have looked before it was available.

Athena, I think the cooking on both sides of the pond thread has some details some might consider spoilers as well? (Apologies for not having the proper thread title - I'm on a tablet.)

Ruby seemed like someone who has received a lot of harsh reinforcement for anything less than perfection. I was very glad Paul and Mary gave her compliments on her chocolate cake along with the critique. In general, I think they are excellent teachers with their judging by pointing out strengths with their criticisms.

I wanted to strangle Paul when he said Robert is a baker, not a scientist. Baking is basically engineering! I think that's why some of the more unfocused creative types struggle. They might eventually gets thinks precise, but there isn't a lot of wiggle room during a competition. I absolutely loved Robert's striped chocolate straws. I'm pretty sure I saw balloons as molds for cups a decade ago, so that was not as exciting for me - definitely wise, but not as impressive.

[Athena]

Athena, I think the cooking on both sides of the pond thread has some details some might consider spoilers as well? (Apologies for not having the proper thread title - I'm on a tablet.)

 

Yes, we do mention a couple of the bakes of series 6, but that thread has no references to who wins so it's vague enough right now. I'd like thread to remain open for all the posters since it has interesting discussion on the differences.

[shandy]

Having looked at the recipe for the Angel Food Cake on the PBS page, typical sensible Mary having the yolks of those dozen eggs be used for the lemon fruit curd! Gotta  love the woman. I like that her technicals are usually things she thinks people could try at home, 

[Rinaldo]

And no, I wasn't abusive or denigrating of her as a child. :-)

Thanks for taking my remark in good spirit (if I may so deduce from the smiley). I hope it's obvious that I mentioned that "theory" mostly as a jab at myself and the perils of shallow diagnosis on no evidence. The phenomenon we're talking about is an intensified version of something many of us (me included) do to ourselves, being harder on ourselves than the quality of our work deserves. (And it may be better than the reverse situation, being oblivious to one's shortcomings.)

 

Having looked at the recipe for the Angel Food Cake on the PBS page, typical sensible Mary having the yolks of those dozen eggs be used for the lemon fruit curd! Gotta  love the woman. I like that her technicals are usually things she thinks people could try at home, 

I noticed how the eggs come out even! (So do the lemons -- the various juice and zest for the cake and topping adding up to four lemons.) So many recipes don't do this. Not all her technicals are as anybody-could-try-this as this one (Princess Cake, anyone?), but they tend to be more so than some of Paul's, I think.

[meep.meep]

Thanks for that explanation Athena. Until now, I thought we were seeing them in numerical order. 

 

We are seeing them in numerical order.  Just a new numerical order imposed by PBS!  That'll teach the damn Brits to use "Bake-Off"!

 

I loved Francis who made the paper bag sandwich cake and the secret squirrel show stopper.  And Ruby is getting on my last nerve.  People that sensitive shouldn't subject themselves to intense competition.  Watching someone weep isn't a pleasant experience for me.  There was a similar woman on the American season.

 

Wasn't the Princess Cake (from last season), Paul's recipe?

[Athena]

Wasn't the Princess Cake (from last season), Paul's recipe?

 

Nah, Mary's the Queen of Cakes. Paul wouldn't dare intrude on that. Here's the recipe.

[Quilt Fairy]

I wanted to strangle Paul when he said Robert is a baker, not a scientist.

1) Paul was being snarky when he said that.

2) He absolutely meant it as a complement.

 

Can I say that I hate angel food cake? Just don't like the spongy texture or the taste. (Or lack of taste, it's been quite a few years since I've had one.)

[meep.meep]

Robert is probably an engineer.

 

I like angel food cake but don't like the gloopy frosting that my mother always put on it.  Just plain with a few strawberries and cream is fine with me.  I did go through a "why aren't they using a wine bottle to suspend it" moment of misunderstanding.

[Automne]

I stumbled upon this tonight on the PBS app on my XBox and I'm so happy to find it. I only got to see a couple of episodes of last season, but was always intrigued.

 

I'm completely perplexed at how clueless so many of the contestants were when it came to the angel food cake. Is the cake that obscure that frequent home bakers don't know that you don't grease the pan and you have to let the cake cool upside-down? I knew all that long before I went to culinary school and started baking professionally.

 

Toby was just a mess. How did he beat out 10,000 applicants? Ruby, too. Yes, it really sucks that the pastry cream was curdled, but you have to keep calm and think of solutions. Like putting the pastry cream in the mixer and whip on high speed to try and smooth it out and then put it through a sieve. It does no good to waste time falling apart and submit a substandard product.

[ceebee]

I'm completely perplexed at how clueless so many of the contestants were when it came to the angel food cake. Is the cake that obscure that frequent home bakers don't know that you don't grease the pan and you have to let the cake cool upside-down? I knew all that long before I went to culinary school and started baking professionally.

 

Hi. It's been a while since the episode aired here (UK) and I couldn't remember anything about angel food cake, so had to google it. And still nothing! If the contestants are like me, they will never have come across - never mind baked - angel food cake, so that may explain the problem.

[Pallida]

1) Paul was being snarky when he said that.

2) He absolutely meant it as a complement.

 

Can I say that I hate angel food cake? Just don't like the spongy texture or the taste. (Or lack of taste, it's been quite a few years since I've had one.)

Oh I know :) lovingly strangle? I think part of my reaction is because American cooking shows seem to consider pastry chefs beneath "real" chefs, which completely ignores the actual difficulty of baking. I just wanted Paul to say the two skillets are similar!

I'm pretty sure angel food cake is just a deceptive way for people to think they're having dessert when it's basically just a weird texture with fruit. I one tried to make tiramisu with angel food cake (ladyfingers weren't available and I was lazy). So disappointing.

Angel food cake originated in the US, so I'm wondering if it's not common in the UK based on the bakers' lack of familiarity.

[DeLurker]

I like angel food cake but don't like the gloopy frosting that my mother always put on it.  Just plain with a few strawberries and cream is fine with me.  I did go through a "why aren't they using a wine bottle to suspend it" moment of misunderstanding.

I've only seen and had angel food cake with whipped cream and fresh fruit, normally strawberries.  I really like it but never thought of why.  Probably because it is not dense, not too sweet and not covered with overly sweet gloopy frosting on top.

[Automne]

 

[...] American cooking shows seem to consider pastry chefs beneath "real" chefs, which completely ignores the actual difficulty of baking.

 

As a pastry chef, I can attest that that attitude is prevalent within the industry. If it's not constant snide insinuations that I'm lesser than and not well-rounded (a bunch of bullshit because aside from desserts and other baked goods, I can easily cook savory. I can dice up a mirepoix, cook risotto, grill meat, etc. Meanwhile, find me a savory chef who can whip up custards, cakes, mousses, etc. I'll wait), it's restaurants, hotels, and other food outlets outsourcing desserts and not investing in a proper pastry kitchen, like dessert is an afterthought and not its own entity. Even standalone high-rated restaurants do this and that's something that is more expected from substandard chain restaurants.

[Pallida]

Thank you for the personal testimonial!  It boggles my mind since the margin of error within savory food seems so much more forgiving.  Your sauce doesn't have right the acid?  Add something.  Whereas with baking, you don't have the right balance?  Have fun starting over!  (I know, I'm being a bit extreme there, but there are so many potential "invisible" errors!  I still fail at not overworking things.)

 

I think that's another reason I really love this show.  The technical bakes really showcase how a baker can be close, but "fail" without a way to fix it.  These bakers are an intersection of creativity, experience, and precision/skill.