Much loved TV show The Great British Bake Off begins its 7th series on the 24th of August, and being big lovers of cake and Mary Berry we’re super excited here at My Baba HQ. To celebrate this momentous event, we’ve put together our favourite Signature Bake, Technical Bake and Showstopper! Ready…Steady…Bake!
Signature Bake:
Bakers must produce something cute, rustic and altogether home-made-looking.
Ingredients:
- 50g plain flour
- 55g potato flour or cornflour
- 6 egg yolks
- 30g vanilla sugar
- the zest of 1 lemon
- 30g caster sugar
- 4 egg whites
- 150g raspberry and blackberry preserve (Highgrove brand)
- 200ml double cream, whipped
- 75g fresh raspberries and blackberries, plus extra for decoration, and mint leaves if desired
Method:
- Grease and flour a 30”‰x”‰20cm swiss roll tray and preheat the oven to 180C/gas mark 4.
- Sift the flour and potato flour (or cornflour) together and set aside.
- Whisk the egg yolks and vanilla sugar in a bowl until thick and pale in colour. Gently fold in the flour and potato flour. Whisk together the caster sugar and egg whites until soft peaks form, then gently fold into the flour mixture.
- Pour on to the swiss roll tray and bake for approximately 20 minutes.
- Turn out on to sugared baking parchment and allow to cool.
- Spread the swiss roll sheet with the preserve, followed by the whipped cream. Scatter fresh raspberries and blackberries on top of the cream. Roll up into a swiss roll.
- Your swiss roll can be left simple, or you can finish with whipped cream, fresh raspberries and blackberries and mint leaves.
Technical Bake:
What is says on the tin, a technical bake, so stick to the instructions!
Ingredients:
For the pastry
- 400g pastry flour
- 200g unsalted butter, cut into cubes
- Pinch of sea salt
- 175g icing sugar
- 150ml cream
- 2 egg yolks
For the filling
- 300ml double cream
- 310g caster sugar
- 10 eggs
- Zest and juice of 5 lemons
- Icing sugar (optional)
Method:
- Place the flour and butter in a bowl and rub them together with your fingertips until the mixture resembles breadcrumbs. Mix in a good pinch of salt and the icing sugar. Pour in the cream and, using one hand, work the dry ingredients into the wet. Try not to overwork the dough. Bring it together into a ball and turn out on to a well floured surface. Gently work it into a uniform roll, wrap in clingfilm and chill for at least an hour.
- Roll the pastry out to the thickness of a pound coin and use it to line a straight-sided, 5cm-deep 23cm tart ring (leave the edges untrimmed and overhanging the edge of the tin). Patch up any holes with excess pastry (hang on to it in case you need to make repairs later). Prick the base with a fork and put in the fridge for an hour.
- Place a baking tray in the oven and preheat to 180C/350F/gas mark 4. Line the pastry with scrunched-up parchment paper and fill with baking beans or rice. Place on the tray and blind-bake for 15 minutes, or until the edges are starting to brown (if it needs longer, return to the oven and watch it closely). Remove the beans and paper. Repair any gaps with little pieces of raw pastry. Turn the oven down to 160C/gas mark 3. Return the tin to the oven and bake for as long as it takes to turn golden brown all over.
- Trim the pastry edges with a sharp knife. Beat the egg yolks together (add a teaspoon of water to loosen, if needed), and brush the case all over with the eggwash. Bake the pastry case for a minute, eggwash again, and bake for another minute to seal it fully. Reduce the oven temperature to 100C/210F/gas mark ¼.
- Mix together the cream, sugar and eggs, then stir in the lemon juice and zest. You can leave this mix overnight .
- Now my trick is to gently warm the filling in a microwave to around 50C (don’t leave it in too long, in case the eggs scramble – just heat in short bursts). This means the mixture doesn’t have to spend too long heating up in the delicate pastry case.
- Place the pastry case on a tray in the oven and gently pour the lemon mixture in, right to the top. Bake for 20 minutes then check it every five minutes, tapping the side of the tin with a spoon. It’s done when the filling just wobbles but is clearly cooked.
- Remove the tart ring. Put the tart on its base in the fridge for about 20 minutes. This sets the pastry but the filling will still be slightly warm when you slice into it. Sift over icing sugar before serving if you like.
Showstopper:
The oven gloves are off in this final challenge where the bakers are able to showcase their depth of skill and talent. The complexities of this task call for a professional standard in taste and appearance.
Chocolate Creation Showstopper
Ingredients:
For the chocolate cakes:
- 125g/4½oz sifted cocoa powder
- 6 large free-range eggs
- 100ml/3½fl oz milk
- 350g/12oz self-raising flour
- 1 tbsp baking powder
- 200g/7oz softened butter, plus extra for greasing
- 550g/1lb 2oz caster sugar
For the white chocolate ganache:
- 400g/14oz white chocolate
- 300ml/10fl oz double cream
- 300g/10½oz full-fat cream cheese
- 6 tbsp apricot jam
For the chocolate lace collars:
- 200g/7oz plain chocolate (70% cocoa solids)
For the chocolate curls:
- 200g/7oz plain chocolate (68-70% cocoa solids)
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Preheat the oven to 180C/350F/Gas 4 (fan 160C). Grease and line two 20cm/8in deep sandwich tins, one 15cm/6in cake tin and one 10cm/4in cake tin with baking parchment.
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For the chocolate cakes, blend the cocoa powder and 200ml/7fl oz boiling water in a large bowl. Add the remaining cake ingredients and beat until the mixture has become a smooth, thickish batter.
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Divide the cake mix between the prepared tins, filling the sandwich tins half full and the two cake tins two-thirds full. Level the surfaces.
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Place all four tins on the middle shelf of the preheated oven and cook the sandwich tins for about 25-30 minutes, the 10cm/4in cake tin for 35-40 minutes and the 15cm/6in cake for 45-50 minutes, or until well-risen and the tops of the cakes spring back when lightly pressed with a finger. (If the tins won’t fit on the same shelf place the 15cm/6in cake on the shelf above and move it down to the middle shelf as soon as possible – this may reduce the cooking time slightly.) Leave to cool in the tins for a few minutes and then turn out onto a wire rack, peel off the parchment and leave to cool completely.
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For the white chocolate ganache, break the white chocolate into pieces. Heat the cream in a pan until just hot enough to melt the chocolate. Drop the chocolate pieces into the cream and stir until they have all melted.
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Remove from the heat and leave to cool until stone cold. Beat the cream cheese in a bowl to soften it, then gradually beat in the cold chocolate cream mixture. You may need to set aside the mixture in the fridge for 15 minutes to thicken up.
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To assemble, cut the 15cm/6in and 10cm/4in cakes in half horizontally and sandwich them together with some of the white chocolate ganache. Sandwich the 20cm/8in cakes together with more of the white chocolate ganache and stack the cakes on top of each other with the sandwiched 10cm/4in cake on top, the sandwiched 15cm/6in cakes in the middle and the 15cm/6in sandwiched cake on the bottom. Set aside the rest of the ganache.
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Warm the apricot jam in a small pan and brush it all over the stacked cakes. Using a palette knife, spread the remaining white chocolate ganache over the cakes to cover. If your kitchen is hot you may need to place the cakes in the fridge to allow the ganache to set.
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For the chocolate lace collars, break 150g/5½oz of the plain chocolate into a bowl set over a pan of simmering water. Stir until the chocolate reaches a melting temperature of 47C/115F (use a kitchen thermometer to check). Remove the bowl from the heat, add the remaining 50g/1¾oz of chocolate and stir until the chocolate has cooled to 31C/90F.
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Cut two strips of greaseproof paper or acetate 10cm/4in wide and long enough to wrap around the middle-sized and the large cakes. (They will need to be about 10x55cm/4x22in for the middle cake and about 10x70cm/4x28in long for the large cake.) Place the strips on a work surface.
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Pour the chocolate into a piping bag fitted with a writing nozzle and let the chocolate fall out of the bag while swirling up and down the strips of greaseproof to create a lace effect. (Don’t worry if the chocolate falls outside of the paper strips, just be sure to move the strips of paper before they set so that they don’t stick to the work surface). Leave to cool until just set and firm enough to wrap around the base and middle layer of the cake leaving the acetate on (about 15 minutes).
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Leave to set completely (about one hour) before peeling off the greaseproof or acetate paper. Don’t be tempted to set the chocolate collars in the fridge as this will cause the chocolate to be dull and not have a shine when you remove the paper. Decorate the outside of the bottom and middle cakes with the chocolate lace collars.
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For the chocolate curls, break the plain chocolate into a bowl set over a pan of simmering water. Stir until the chocolate melts and then pour over a cold marble or granite surface. Leave to cool until just set. Using a cheese slicer, gently slice from the top of the chocolate down to the bottom, to create chocolate curls. Sprinkle the curls over the top tier of the cake
