Original subtitles

Last time... Let's get this dough on the road.

...disaster struck... Probably the worst technical in 17 years. ..in bread week.

I'm panicking. I mean that's actually... It's dough!

But eventually Tom proved worthy...

The flavours are so beguiling.

...of Star Baker for the second time. Ooh, that's good... Ooh!

Due to personal reasons Nikki had to leave the competition early.

I mean, this is too big. Mistakes by Yannis...

Essentially, it's overbaked.

...put him at risk, but ultimately Molly...

I think they need to be flatter, maybe.

...also had to leave the tent.

I would feel guilty if I stayed any longer than you guys,

you've got more to prove.

This time... Brr-brr!

...it's dessert week...

Custard is the gravy of the pudding world.

...with a surprise staggered start...

THEY GASP That's really cruel!

Keep these bakers on their toes.

...for a saucy signature.

It looks ugly but there's plenty of sauce.

In the technical, the bakers tweak...

Wow!

...a much-loved classic.

I can accept your beans on toast. But this... really?

And attempt to create...

God, there's just so much going on.

...a trolley load of treats in the Showstopper.

I love desserts and I love trolleys.

So who will stay cool in the chaos?

This is genius. You'd expect to see that in a five-star hotel.

And who... I didn't press start.

...will come apart under the pressure?

Today everything is testing me!

THEY CHEER

Are you ready, Gabe? I'm ready. You're ready?

I'm here, week five.

Oh, my gosh, I am still pinching myself.

Pudding, pudding, pudding.

It's puddings. I love puddings!

Oh, God! That's southern nonsense, that is.

It's dessert. It's pudding. You oldies.

I'm the dessert guy in my family.

They'll ask me to make, like, tonnes of them.

Bang them out, and they always taste good.

Yeah, it signifies families and friends coming together.

I am making the bakes as if I'm making it for my family.

You don't like it too tight, Gary? No, I don't.

It's pulling on my belly.

I love the boys. We're all so close but, like, me and Connie -

girl power. Sorry, boys, but one sausage has got to go.

Hello, bakers, welcome back to the tent.

It is dessert week.

Some people call it dessert, some people call it pudding.

I call it both. I'm pudding that dessert in my gob.

Now, for your dessert week Signature Challenge,

the judges would love you bake eight self-saucing puddings.

Now, your puddings can be any flavour and any style

but they must produce sauce.

Because self-saucing puddings are best tasted immediately out of

the oven, there will be a staggered start time

and a staggered finish time.

So, whilst the first baker starts,

the rest of you have to just wait your turn.

OK, up first...

Gary, you're up.

You have an hour and 45 minutes.

On your marks. Get set. Bake!

Go on, Gazza! Come on, Gary!

Whoo! You got this!

Going first has actually got a lot of pressure.

We're going to be watching your every move, Gary.

It'll make no difference, really, to me.

I suppose really I'd rather get on with it, yeah.

We've asked the bakers for eight self-saucing puds.

You've got two different styles.

You've got one where the sauce sits on the bottom

and the sponge sits on the top.

Another one is where the sauce sits inside.

Think of those chocolate volcanoes.

Chocolate just pours out and it's absolutely divine.

What I'm hoping for is this robust

but still comforting flavour.

A lemon, chocolate or I'd do a sticky toffee pudding version

and that can work very well.

Your oranges smell nice, Gary.

Now, we're staggering the start time

because a self-saucing pudding is absolutely designed

to be eaten when it comes out of the oven.

What's hard and what is crucial is the timing.

When it's judged you need that sauce to be nice and gooey.

So what I don't want to do is finish it too early

because it'll cool and thicken.

This is quite difficult to do. They must have that sauce.

Oh, this is a bit stressful, this, now. Feeling the pressure.

Ten minutes after Gary started...

Clara, you've got one hour 45 minutes.

...baker number two is let loose.

Bake, Clara. Bake for your life. Come on!

First-ever staggered start in a signature. This is weird.

I would prefer to go first. I'd prefer to go last.

Oh, last? Yeah, cos it's just... It's more normal.

Do you know what I think's best? Middle of t'road.

Morning, Gary. Good morning. Good morning.

Tell us all about your self-saucing pud.

Chocolate, orange, espresso and the Irish cream whiskey.

You've got quite a lot going on.

The important thing, really, is to get the elements that work.

Gary's flavour-packed puds will have

a light chocolate orange sponge with

a rich cocoa sauce at the bottom.

And he's doubling down on sauce,

aiming for a molten chocolate centre, too.

I'm doing some ganache which I'll put in the middle of

the pudding. Hopefully there's enough sauce.

It's got to have a bit of goo. Yeah. That's, you know, the point of it.

Connie, you have one hour 45 minutes.

Oh, they've shocked us now.

Yeah, you don't know what the order is, do you?

THEY GASP Oh, that is really cruel!

Keep these bakers on their toes.

Get to it, Connie.

That was a bit of a surprise.

Oh, my God, I really need to be focused, but we're starting off

just right, aren't we?

So today I'm doing a "dulce de leche,"

because if I say it in Portuguese no-one understands -

which is doce de leite.

Everyone loves doce de leite. There's nothing not to like.

Topped with a set lemon curd, Clara's sponge

and molten centre will have

a rich caramelised milk flavour known as dulce de leche.

So how do you get that sauce?

The sauce will be like a melted doce de leite.

Have you tried it out? Has it worked? Yeah, many times.

But I love doce de leite.

No, I do as well. Yes. It's one of my favourite flavours, yeah.

Yes!

Gabe, are you ready? I'm ready.

On your marks. Get set. Bake.

Connie, tell us all about your self-saucing pud.

I am making a molten chocolate pudding. Chocolate orange.

When you break in, it's going to be like a volcano...

Yes... ..of lava pouring out.

Oh, lovely. Sounds great.

Connie's classic chocolate orange fondants

need to be baked to perfection if they're to have

a gooey molten sauce at the centre.

When I did it at home, and the chocolate came flowing out,

you should have heard the screaming.

Mike, Mike, I've done it!

So he was eating puddings. He was like... Oh, yeah.

"..Honey, this is really good."

He'll never wanna see another one again. Exactly. Lucky bloke.

Chocolate orange is a popular choice for today's puds.

So my self-saucing puds were inspired by our little snoozy chocs,

so it's a hot chocolate that we have before bed.

This one is going to have some, like, lovely orange liqueur.

The sauce should be all oozy and cinnamon-y... Sitting underneath.

...at the bottom. Lovely. Yeah. OK.

Gabe's chocolate and orange bedtime bake

will be served in ramekins, with a cocoa and orange liqueur sauce

at the base and a home-made marshmallow topping.

If you've got pyjamas anywhere, I'd say stick 'em on.

I could live in pyjamas.

Yeah. Me too. More of a dressing gown sort of guy. Oh, really?

Swanning round in a silk robe. Yes, I like a robe.

And you kind of naked underneath or...?

Please, not over food. Do you wear pyjamas?

I'm restless.

I'm having a good time.

Hello, you seem quite sort of chill.

Not bothered, are you? No.

What are you doing? Are you drawing someone?

I drew Paul.

LAUGHTER

Tom. Bake! Thanks.

Gary. Halfway through. Focused. Aw.

Right, get cracking now.

I'm going onto the actual batter.

For bakers that have already started...

I'm going for a classic chocolaty sponge.

...attention turns to the sponge.

It's not like the Victoria sponge cake. It's like more airy.

So, I want it to stay nice and light.

I don't want a little...

hat's that thing that they play with in hockey?

A little puck of, a puck of pudding.

M to the O, let's go, go!

M to the O, let's go, Mo!

Let's go, Mo!

He smiled. You made him laugh.

His little face.

I'm doing a chocolate fondant.

When I was practising, we did a meal deal,

and it came with a white chocolate chip,

macadamia nut cookie.

And then I crumbled some on top of the chocolate fondant,

and it tasted pretty good,

so I just thought, "Why not do that?"

Mo's version of his meal deal cookie will be crumbled on top

of his melt-in-the-middle chocolate fondants,

which will be served with a hazelnut cream.

Are you excited about this, Mo?

No.

Do you get excited about anything, Mo?

No, not any more.

Well, good luck, Mo.

Thank you.

Moyin, are you ready?

I'm ready. Bake!

Oh, it's... I'm last.

Last but not the least.

Here we are making some caramel.

Doce de leite is caramelised milk.

The flavour...

When it comes to sponge flavours...

One. ..the bakers must get the perfect balance...

In the sponge you'll taste the Irish cream liqueur,

the orange, and the espresso.

...ensuring they complement the sauce.

So, I've got some oranges over here.

Chocolate orange goes really well together.

You can't go too far wrong.

There may be three chocolate orange bakes under way already.

Two orange zest.

But there's always room for one more.

I am making a chocolate orange fondant.

There's more chocolate oranges.

Whose chocolate orange is the best, that's the real question.

I'm going to have the best.

Oh, all talk!

Moyin aims to take his chocolate orange fondant over the top

with a molten middle and chocolate decorations.

A bake dedicated to his beloved grandma.

She always takes the chocolate orange, though, during Christmas.

My grandma likes to pretend she doesn't like sweet stuff.

She always says, "At my age, it's not good that I eat all this sugar."

But like, I'm not going to lie, she's like... nearly 90.

You might as well eat the sugar now.

Yannis! Finally, it is time!

Bless him, going last. I know.

Cos I was waiting and waiting and waiting for a really long time,

I'm just trying to just crack on with it, really.

How are you? You don't really feel the pressure, do you?

No, I don't feel the pressure. No.

Sort of feel like you're just having a good time.

You do your best, and that's it.

I hope you take it a bit more seriously with your other job.

Oh, yeah. That I definitely do.

Doctor Yannis will make generous self-saucing puddings

with diced apples, currants, and sultanas

in an apple sauce,

topped with a cinnamon sponge,

all based on a childhood favourite.

It's inspired by your apple strudel.

That is very famous in Austria.

It's warm. It's hearty.

It is just a divine group of flavourings.

Going head-to-head with Yannis' bake...

I don't want to overcook the apples.

We're not babies. We don't want baby food.

...Tom's quintessentially British pudding.

I love apple crumble.

I've always made it with my dad, my mum, my nans.

Last week's Star Baker,

Tom's apples will be in a caramelised sauce

with cinnamon sponge.

He'll serve his puds with an oat crumble

and vanilla custard,

elevating a family favourite.

One time we were at a family party, my mum goes to me,

she goes, "Oh, your auntie Dawn's over there. Go smack her bum."

So I did. I went up behind her, and I give it...

Proper whacked it.

She turned round, and it weren't my auntie Dawn.

Who was this woman then? Don't know.

She just looked at me horrified and I ran and cried.

LAUGHTER

Gary, you've got half an hour left.

What I'm going to do is fill these halfway up

and then put a ganache in the middle.

It should give it a gooey centre.

Now all the bakers are up and running,

they can focus on the perfect sauce.

It's not easy.

It did take me, like, a few experimentations to get it right.

They can either serve their pud with a molten middle...

Baking it on a high temperature will make it harden

on the outside and gooey in the inside.

...or create the sauce at the bottom of their bake...

So, I'm just going to quickly do my sauce.

Dark brown sugar, a bit of hot water, and a bit of golden syrup.

...by adding it to the top.

When your cake bakes, it rises.

The sauce drops down. It forms that pool at the bottom.

I'm going to get a bit of this apple juice

and thicken that up with a bit of cornflour.

Right, it's going in. Hope they bake now.

Connie, Connie, Connie is doing it for the girls!

Hi. Connie, Connie, Connie. I'm doing my best.

It does feel like there's only two women cos there is.

How are you going to pull this out the bag today?

Do you know what? I'm going to give it everything.

I've always noticed, any time I come and speak to you, you never stop.

No.

You wouldn't even give me two seconds of your time. No.

You won't even look me in the face. No.

What colour are my eyelashes?

I can't even tell you right now.

They're blue.

Gary, you've got ten minutes left.

Yeah, they look right. Yeah, they look OK.

So now I'm on it with just making my crumble.

Tom, you are halfway through.

All right.

Right. Ready?

For the bakers that started first, judging is looming.

This is my doce de leite.

Just, like, pouring in, and then it goes into the oven.

And there's no room for error when baking a self-saucing pud.

Putting it in for no longer than 12 minutes.

In 12 minutes, hopefully, it should be baked.

When they cut into it, it should all come flowing out.

Overbake it by even a moment, and the sauce will dry up.

It is so timing-dependent.

Got no leeway either side.

But underbake and there'll be too much sauce,

and the pud will be sloppy.

So, you don't know do you, really, till they dig into it.

Put it on the lower shelf.

Clara, you have ten minutes left.

Yes, boss.

Gary, it's time for judging.

Done.

Hi, Gary. How are you? Hi. These look interesting.

Tell us all about your self-saucing pud.

So they're chocolate orange, espresso, Irish cream.

They do look nice. Yeah. I think they all look uniform.

Will there be sauce in, though? Well, uh, quite. Yeah.

Ah.

Yes!

Yeah, you've got some sauce there.

I'm getting all those elements and a nice balance.

The ganache in the middle works well because

it's giving a slightly different texture than the... Yeah, yeah.

...self-saucing sauce.

Well done, Gary. Thank you very much.

I'm measuring them out cos I'd want them to all be the same.

One judging down...

Come on you lot, hurry up.

GARY LAUGHS ...seven to go.

Connie, you've got ten minutes left.

Clara, it is time to be judged.

So, Clara. Hi, Clara.

These are doce de leite self-saucing puddings.

They do look good.

I fear, Clara, this is not so much a self-saucing pudding

but a sauce with a bit of cake on top.

There is not enough of a bake there.

It's more like a heated liquid.

I would've baked that a little bit more.

But the flavours are lovely.

Thank you, guys. Hmm.

I'm so disappointed with myself.

Oh, BLEEP! Didn't hit the timer.

I didn't press start.

How long have I put them in?

I don't want them to be overbaked.

CONNIE SIGHS

But that timing's really messed me up.

Oh, BLEEP!

CONNIE GROANS

The bakers are taking part in

the first-ever staggered Signature Challenge,

creating eight perfectly baked self-saucing puddings.

Adding my sauce in.

So this'll make, like, a really rich chocolaty, orange liqueur-y sauce.

And Connie has forgotten to set her timer.

Connie, you've got three minutes!

I'm just going to go for it. Just got to hope.

It's in the lap of baking gods, really.

I need to tip 'em out on the plate.

Shall I help you?

Uh, hold on.

Right, they're going in.

Gabe, you have ten minutes left.

And now, we wait.

Connie, it's time for judging.

Connie. Hi. Oh, Connie.

What's going on? I'm going to turn this off. You're running a bit late.

Sorry about that. That's chocolate orange.

When you go into there, it should go "whoo!"

Oh, wow. Yes! Oh, sorry.

LAUGHTER

Sorry. Ooh!

Don't you worry about that. Beautiful.

EXCITED CHEERS

Go on, Connie!

Whoo! Yeah!

Oh, my God!

I'm a big fan of chocolate and orange.

What I love is the flavour cos it's not overly sweet.

So it's very tender,

and I'm just slightly being mesmerised by your sauce.

Oh, right. Well done, Connie.

I'm so happy. Thank you.

Right, I'm just going to get these ones straight in.

Oh, I can't believe that. That is amazing.

She might get the best chocolate orange fondant.

It's hard to top that.

It's hard to top that, I'll be honest.

Oh, my God!

I don't mind. It's Connie.

Tom, you have ten minutes left.

I mean, come on.

Gabe. Yeah.

It's time for your judging. Great!

Hello.

So these are my boozy snoozy chocs.

Don't laugh.

Chocolate sponge with orange liqueur.

There's not enough liquid in there.

And it's slightly overbaked.

To temper that you, just do need sauce.

It's a very grown-up flavour.

I am quite grown-up, so.

Are you?

Sometimes. Tee-hee-hee!

Thank you, Gabe.

Thank you very much.

Do you know what?

I might take them out, actually, cos I think they're done.

Mo, you've got ten minutes left.

OK.

It looks ugly, but there's plenty of sauce.

That's the main thing.

Tom, it is time for judging.

Good. I can't wait.

Tom. It's an interesting blob.

So, unlike the professor here, I like the blob.

It's got a bit of a spikiness.

So we've got an apple crumble self-saucing pud.

Mm. I love the flavours.

The apple comes through beautifully well with the caramel.

And I love that sticky sauce.

Thank you. Thank you.

Stunning blobs.

Ah, get in! Well done, Tom.

Get in! Well done.

Moyin, you've got ten minutes left.

I don't know if they're baked,

but you know what, we're just going to go with it.

Perfect, Mo.

Mo, it's time for your judging.

Mo.

Well, so it's a chocolate fondant with hazelnut cream

and a cookie crumble.

Mm. Got gorgeous flavours, Mo. Thank you.

It's very subtle.

The only thing I don't like is the graininess in the hazelnut.

Flavour-wise and bake, though, tick, tick, tick.

You've created something that is quite delicious.

Thank you.

It looks good. They look saucy.

Gosh, I feel like I'm over-serving now with my ramekins.

Yannis, you've got ten minutes left.

Moyin, it's time for judging.

Moyin, hello.

Beauties. Thank you.

They're a bit like a very cosy pudding with a party dress on.

They are chocolate orange fondants and a chocolate crumble on top.

You slightly overbaked it.

I concur.

It makes not much of a molten centre.

Flavour-wise though, stunning.

Thank you. Well done, Moyin. Thank you. Thank you.

It's just Yannis.

Yannis, it's time for your judging.

Yannis. Hi, Yannis. Hello.

Hello. Well, you always make everything look beautiful.

Big. OK, I'm... I'm diving in.

So it's an apple, cinnamon, and raisin self-saucing pudding.

There's something slightly gummy in the sauce.

It's too big, and that altered the bake then,

so smaller would've been better.

Thank you. Thank you, Yannis.

Mine were quite generous.

I'm a generous person.

I just want to feed people, you know?

Two minutes could've changed my life.

That really went well for me, that one.

You saucy little munchkins.

LAUGHTER

Yes! Yes!

When he put his hand out,

I actually thought he was just going like that.

And I was like, "Take the man's hand, Connie!"

"He's giving you a handshake!"

While the bakers could practice for the Signature...

Whoa! What the...?

What is that?

...their next challenge...

Oh, we got to help ourself.

...sees the return of the Gingham shrouded pantry.

We're working-class, we don't have pantries.

LAUGHTER

Welcome back to the tent, bakers,

for your dessert week Technical Challenge.

Whoo!

And this one has been set by queen Nigella herself.

Queen Nigella, do you have any pearls of wisdom

for our lovely bakers?

This is a much-loved traditional pud.

By all means, think of ways to enhance it,

but do not overwhelm it.

As always, this challenge is judged blind, so, Nigella and Paul,

you may now leave the tent.

Goodbye, your majesties.

For your Technical Challenge,

Nigella would love you make

a delicious bread and butter pudding.

On your benches, you have a base recipe

and the core ingredients for a bread and butter pudding.

Nigella would love you bring your own flavour to this dessert.

Hence the Gingham pantry!

Ahhhh!

Wow.

You've got five minutes to plan your recipe

and come and raid the Gingham pantry.

Your five minutes starts now, guys.

Ingredients must be carefully chosen...

Ooh, ooh, can I have some vanilla?

...if they are to enhance the classic bread and butter pudding...

"Don't overwhelm it."

...without overpowering it.

Is there any raisins? Raisins?

This'll do me.

OK bakers, that's the end of the...

Gingham Pantry selection!

You have one hour and 30 minutes.

On your marks!

Get set!

Bake.

This is something I've ate all my life.

I've kind of stuck to what I've done at home.

I've took raisins, sultanas, two oranges, a lemon.

I haven't gone mad.

I picked nutmeg, vanilla, and some sultanas to go in between it.

Nigella said she didn't want it to be overwhelmed,

so I just wanted to keep it simple.

I'm doing hazelnut, chocolate, and cherries as well.

I like using those kind of flavours.

I've picked saffron and cardamom,

and I don't even know why I picked blueberries.

I might just snack on them.

So, bread and butter pudding is a classic comfort dessert.

There's nothing complicated about a bread and butter pudding,

and that's one of its joys.

Really, it's a custard and stale bread.

So the bakers have the Gingham pantry.

They can go and choose... Yeah.

...whichever ingredient they wish.

I don't think too much embellishment is wanted.

So where can they fall down on this?

The key things with this is a crisp, golden top,

smooth custard with a bit of a wobble.

The bread soaked rather than dry.

And additions which complement a bread and butter pudding.

I love the textures because you do have that caramelisation,

that crispiness from some of the bread,

but you do also have that pillowy feel as well.

And it takes me back to when I was a kid.

I think the older generation in

the tent will benefit from this more than the youth.

I fear so.

If I looked at you and had to guess whether you'd made

a bread and butter pudding, I'd go yes. Yes. I have.

And some of these other children, I'd go no. No.

Never in my eight years living in England I've heard of this.

Uh, I've never actually made one before.

I have no clue what the key to a good bread and butter pudding is.

This is a bit out of my comfort zone.

They haven't really given us a detailed recipe.

So we start off with doing the custard.

I beat the eggs and sugar first

and then warm the milk and cream up.

Connie. Let's talk about handshakes, babes.

LAUGHTER

Do you know what?

Until you actually get one, you don't realise how much it means.

But now I've got one, I'm like, "Hell yes."

"I want more." Yeah, it's like a drug.

Isn't it?

LAUGHTER

So I'm just zesting my orange into my custard so that it can infuse.

Whatever flavours the bakers add...

I've put some vanilla paste in.

So I've gone a very traditional... It's what I know.

...they must complement the classic creamy custard.

I'm just infusing the milk with some saffron.

So what's your main flavour then?

I've got some stem ginger, apricot...

Um... Nutmeg. I love nutmeg. Nutmeg.

She said don't overwhelm it.

Yeah, I'm going to ignore that this time.

"Don't overwhelm it!" Argh!

So I'm just slowly pouring my hot milk and cream

into the egg mixture.

Beginning to gently thicken now.

Right, I'm buttering my bread.

I've put quite a lot of butter on the bread as well.

It's a lot of lovely stale bread.

You wouldn't want that on a sandwich, would you?

So it's just layering now.

So, bread, sultanas, and raisins.

Any extra ingredients must be layered carefully.

I feel like white chocolate is

a very safe thing that goes with everything.

Too much and they will overpower the whole pudding.

These are quite renowned flavours. Cherry, chocolate, and hazelnut.

It's a great combination.

I don't think it looks overwhelming.

So the raspberry puree has gone under, on the sides, everywhere.

Have you ever made this before?

Never? Never.

What sort of recipe is this to you?

A war recipe. A war recipe?

Pour the custard on top.

If they are to avoid a dry pudding...

Don't waste it. It might be that last bit.

...the bakers have to make sure there's plenty of custard.

I'm not going to pour everything.

I don't think it needs everything.

I can accept your beans on toast, but this, really?

Right, it's going in now.

I've got no idea how long it's going to go in the oven.

Thinking probably 50 minutes.

Bakers, you are halfway through.

I feel as if I should be doing something else.

Chilling.

Chilling like a villain.

Mine looks like a giant lasagne mess.

Hello, Gazza. Thought you had a good sig.

Yeah, that were good, weren't it? It was good.

Yeah, I thought he was going to give me a handshake, you know, but...?

He went like that, "Ah." Yeah, yeah.

And then he just put it away again.

Yeah, he don't want to do it.

I'm getting very popular with these younger ones now.

Are you? Yeah, cos I keep shaking all their hands, see,

when they do a good job.

NOEL LAUGHS Come here.

You give me one earlier. Yeah, all right, yeah.

Bakers, you have ten minutes left.

Oh, my days.

I want the custard to set as much as possible.

I want it to have a really nice, crisp top.

What's it looking like? Let's have a look.

Oh, yeah. Whoo! Oh, well done.

It's like I was in the Hacienda then for a second.

How long's left?

Bakers, you've got five minutes left.

Yeah, I'm going to call that a day.

It's looking OK.

I would say that seems done, and I don't want to overdo it.

I reckon she could do with a little bit more a tan.

We're going for Paul Hollywood, not Nigella Lawson.

LAUGHTER

Bakers, you got one minute left.

It should be baked. This... This is... this is baked.

I'm happy. Looks like I want it to look.

I mean, that looks like a bread and pudding, don't it?

That's an old-fashioned, uh, bread and butter pudding.

Bakers, your time is up.

Please come and bring your bread and butter puddings

and place them behind your photos.

Oh, that looks nice.

Thank you.

Nigella and Paul are looking for enhanced bread and butter puddings...

OK, so we've got eight bread and butter puddings. Yeah.

...with crisp golden tops, softly set custard,

and flavours that don't overpower the classic bake.

Shall we start over here?

Citrus and spice.

Bit dry.

Is it giving you a bit of agitas?

It... it makes me a little bit nervous, yeah.

The custard is lacking.

I think overbaking it will make it as dry as that.

Moving on. So this one is almond and raspberry.

It's still a bit dry.

I like the flavour.

But it's a bit overwhelming with the raspberry.

It's like a winter-summer pudding. It is like a summer pud.

This one is raisins, sultanas, vanilla, orange, and lemon.

Mm, dried fruit on the top.

It's delicious.

I mean, it's a nice, soft-set custard here. Mm.

I love the flavour.

It's kept that moistness in there.

Moving on, white chocolate and saffron.

Lovely and golden.

It looks quite dry.

It does.

I think the saffron is breaking down

that bread and butter flavour for me.

I rather like the flavour.

I thought the white chocolate would take over, and it ha...

Mm, it doesn't. No, it doesn't. It... it hasn't.

OK, so we've got cherries, chocolate, and hazelnuts.

Looking at it, I feel my tip about not overwhelming

has not been heeded.

I like the flavour of the chocolate and the cherries.

It's taking over for me. But it overwhelms everything.

It's taking over. It's a chocolate pudding.

OK, apricot and stem ginger.

I think there may be too much bread.

Nice flavour, actually.

I have the stem ginger, and it's overwhelming.

OK, cranberries, raisins, orange, cinnamon.

This looks very classic, actually.

There's a lot of fruit.

There's far too much going on in this.

It is soft inside.

Right. Vanilla, nutmeg, orange, and sultanas.

It's delicate, isn't it?

I like the flavours a lot.

And it has that Sunday lunch feeling

but a little something extra.

Yeah, it does.

Nigella and Paul will now rank the bakers from eighth to first.

OK, in eighth spot, we have this one.

Whose is this?

Moyin, it's just too dry.

There's not enough custard.

And it's slightly overbaked.

All right, thank you.

In seventh, we have this.

Yannis, there just was so much going on you lost the sense of it.

In sixth is Mo, Tom is fifth,

Gabe is fourth, and Clara takes third.

In second place, we have this one.

Connie... I love the flavour.

Brilliant, thank you.

Well, I think you can work it out.

In first place...

Gazza!

CHEERING

It really tasted good, and you're obviously

an old hand at bread and butter pudding.

Yeah, I do it all the time.

LAUGHTER

Yeah, that were nice, first technical win.

Puts me in a good position.

Coming second is the icing on the cake today. It really is.

I did absolutely terrible.

As soon as he said it was bone dry, I knew I was going to get last.

I'm a bit gutted cos I thought the flavours really worked.

It just means that my Showstopper just needs to be a great Showstopper.

Is everybody ready for some dessert?

This is it. This is it. Let's do it now.

We can do it.

Can you believe we are halfway through?

Got eight bakers now who are ticking over quite well.

Connie is smashing it out of the park at the moment. Yeah.

She's really shining. Yeah.

I wasn't present when the handshake happened, but I heard it.

It was a cry of the purest joy.

Gary coming first in technical. Yeah.

Showing experience.

He's doing quite well. I thought Tom, overall, did well.

People in trouble.

Clara struggled on her signature.

Moyin, he was last in technical. Yannis.

You do have to understand what is going to happen

before you start adding things.

The Showstopper today is particularly tricky,

and it's going to be fascinating to see who's going to step up.

It's going to be fascinating to see you two eat a lot of desserts today.

I have faith in myself in this regard.

LAUGHTER

I love you-u-u-u.

Hello, bakers, welcome back to the tent.

It's time for your Showstopper challenge.

Now, this one is a bit retro, just like our Noel.

I am a little bit retro. So's Paul.

You're like Action Man.

And I'm like that vampire on Sesame Street.

So, for your Showstopper challenge,

the judges would love you to create

an outstanding dessert trolley display.

Your trolley should have an array

of individually portioned retro puddings.

Occasionally, people call me individually retro.

Occasionally, people call me pudding.

LAUGHTER

Your display should include at least three different desserts

and must have a baked element.

Trolley dollies at the ready.

You have four and a half hours.

On your marks!

Get set!

Bake!

Bringing out a gorgeous selection of puds on a little golden trolley,

it is the campest thing.

The Showstopper challenge has made me

so deliriously happy I can hardly talk about it.

It's a retro dessert trolley.

We're asking the bakers to create three individual desserts

with at least eight pieces of each.

They can choose whichever dessert they wish.

Black forest gateau, profiteroles, trifle.

Variety is the spice of life.

I'm making the sponge cake for the trifle,

so I need to get this in really quickly.

This is probably the hardest challenge

the bakers have had to face so far.

What's essential is a rigid organisational approach.

It's all about your timing, your planning, juggling the oven.

So they start one,

work on another at the same time while that's resting,

come back to that, get this one in the oven.

There's so much. I've got three recipes to follow.

And we're doing it all in one go.

I remember the '70s,

and I remember the dessert trolley coming round

and ogling at it when I was looking at the prawn cocktail.

It was going for a treat

to a restaurant why my granny and grandpa.

This is an excellent challenge.

I'm in a flurry of excitement.

Morning, Connie. Morning.

OK, Connie, tell us all about your retro dessert.

We've got, a trifle,

pear and apple pie,

and then I'm making a pineapple upside cake.

Very nice.

You know what he's thinking, don't you? Too many fruit?

No. No. Custard.

Oh, it's got to have custard.

After a handshake in the signature,

Connie's aiming to build on her success with pear and apple pie,

using tinned fruit in her pineapple upside cake,

and a retro trifle much loved by her mum.

When Mum went back to Jamaica, Mum missed England,

yeah, and she... that was her part of England.

And she was like, "Darling, just pack me some trifle."

So, when everybody was packing stuff to take back

to their mothers, I was packing packs of trifle and...

You are joking! As God as my witness.

Doing this is like, "Yes, Mum, I ain't forgotten."

It's all the memories, innit? Yeah.

Yannis is also going all nostalgic with his bakes.

Sticky toffee pudding, black forest gateau.

Yeah. And the queen of pudding.

Queen of puddings is one of my favourites.

Seen your recipe actually,

and I've seen your recipe on it as well.

I'm sorry to disappoint you, but I'm using Mary Berry's one.

After a poor showing in the signature and the technical,

to impress the judges, Yannis is putting his own spin

on Mary Berry's queen of puds

and serving up sticky toffee puddings flavoured

with dates, coffee and soy sauce,

as well as black forest gateau

with a hazelnut ganache.

Make sure all the components work together. Hmm, hmm.

That the textures work. Definitely.

And that the tastes work.

I think the desserts are quite classic as well,

and I'm keeping it... Yeah, they are.

Look at him, livid.

All he can think about is Mary Berry.

So, this is going to go in now.

That's going in.

In this colossal challenge there isn't a minute to spare.

It's 180 at 17 minutes.

The moment the first bake hits the oven...

Time to make the choux for the profiteroles.

...work on the next gets under way.

I have a very tight schedule. So there is like no time to waste.

I'm now preparing the pineapple upside down cake.

I put the pineapple juice in to flavour the sponge.

So I'm going to start doing the sticky toffee pudding.

I have soaked the dates in coffee which gives it

a really nice bitterness.

I love making macarons.

I love eating them, but I like making them more.

Right, I need to wait for them to dry.

Clara's macarons will contain chocolate buttercream

and hazelnut praline. She's making frangipane tarts,

and drawing on her Portuguese roots

with a torta de laranja,

an orange flavoured rolled pudding.

It's a bit risky cos the texture is quite different,

but it's honestly so delicious.

I think the, uh, test is how wonderful it is.

And how it looks.

Jesus! This man!

This is what he gets paid for.

No, he does that for fun.

I just do that for a laugh.

Good luck, darling.

Thank you, guys.

Moyin's also turning to his heritage for inspiration.

My dessert trolley is called from Lagos to London

because it's Lagos flavours in British desserts.

I'm making a zobo... Zobo is

hibiscus, I'm going to use it to make like a curd.

Moyin's hibiscus curd will complete

his take on an Eton mess.

He's also making coconut creme brulees,

profiteroles with groundnut praline creme pat,

and he's dressed to match his theme.

Can we just have a moment for this outfit?

Oh, we can have, we can.

Wow, let's see the back. This is the bit I like.

Look at the pockets. Whoo. Where did you get that?

It's from Nigeria. It took them two weeks to make it.

So they made it for you.

Yeah. My auntie brought it over.

It's unbelievable colours.

Thank you.

I'm going to bring it out now. That'll do her, that'll do her.

My torta de laranja, which is mainly just eggs.

Just need that to cool down now.

And I'm going to just pop them into the oven now.

The macarons have dried out. They have the little shell.

One hour in, the second bake hits the oven.

They're going in for 13 minutes to begin with,

take out the baking beans, then I can put my filling in.

Was it enough time, now I'm overthinking.

Agh! Today, everything is testing me.

But Gary's schedule is slipping.

Took my pastry out too soon

and it's still soft, look.

Time's going to be the issue, I think.

So, I'm doing a Black Forest gateau,

frangipane tart

and a steamed treacle and ginger pudding. Good lad.

If I've got time.

I love a steamed syrup sponge.

Yeah. It's one of my absolute favourites. Yeah.

After taking top spot in the technical,

Gary's hoping his treacle puddings

with stem ginger syrup,

Black Forest gateau and kirsch cherry compote,

and almond frangipane tarts

with raspberry jam will keep his winning streak alive.

Experience is coming through this week.

You and Connie are both smashing it.

I'd love to see one of you two get Star Baker.

What, one of the older, older guys. Yeah.

One of the mature students.

Mature, yeah.

Right, blind baking.

Now I've got to make some time up.

Moving on to the frangipane. It's like an almond sponge.

When it comes to fillings...

I'm doing a chocolate hazelnut

whipped ganache, which I think will complement

the Black Forest gateau.

...it's crucial the bakers get

the right balance of taste and texture.

The apples and the pears for the pies,

don't want them to go mushy.

The hazelnut praline's a bit grainy.

Agh! Why is it grainy?

This is Alphonso mangoes.

I think they just have really nice flavour compared to

the other ones which are quite bland.

I'm doing a mango mousse.

It's going to be shaped like an actual mango.

Mo's illusion mango mousse cakes

will have fresh fruit centres

and an almond biscuit base.

He's making lemon tarts with berry compote,

and putting a spin on a dessert trolley classic -

fusing trifle with sticky toffee pudding.

Does this excite you, Mo?

Yeah. Oh!

Wow!

So this is your thing?

Kind of, yeah. Yeah.

Oh, now you're backtracking.

You can't take it away.

He overreacted.

Bakers, you are halfway through,

so I thought I'd bring some half-time snacks.

Help yourself, everyone.

Just take what you want.

Clara, would you like any snacks?

No, thank you.

Half-time snacks, Gary?

I'm OK at the moment thank you.

OK, everybody, enjoy.

My tarts, right, they're done for now.

Next bit, next bit, next bit.

Rolling out pastry for my pies. I'll fill them with apple.

Put them in the oven.

Making the peanut praline. Um...

I'm just piping the choux buns,

and then as soon as the meringue comes out,

these'll be in the oven probably like five minutes after.

It's all go - like, everything at once.

As today's showstopper demands multitasking...

God, there's just so much going on.

It's completely nonstop baking. Getting exhausted, to be honest.

...the bakers must stay on top of time management...

Making a raspberry jam, so two spoons in each.

I've just got to get 'em finished. That is the challenge.

...if they are to have a chance of creating

the spectacular trolley the judges demand.

I've run out of pastry so I'm going to get these ones

in the fridge and then make some more.

So, I'm now getting started with my pavlovas,

so I'm now on it with my lime jelly cubes and...

Deciding to do four bakes...

My head's all over the place,

don't even know what day of t'week it is.

...Tom's taking on more than anyone else.

I'm doing a passion fruit martini trifle,

mojito pavlova, layered pavlova. I love a pav.

Limoncello tart, and Irish cream creme brulee.

Wow. Wow.

They all sound great.

They sound rather delicious. Yeah.

If '70s were one thing, it was boozy.

Tom's cocktail of desserts include all his favourite drinks,

passion fruit martini trifles with a passion fruit jelly,

limoncello tarts, Irish cream creme brulees,

and mojito pavlovas with lime jelly cubes.

How many mojitos can you handle in a night?

Not many. Really?

I'm such a lightweight, yeah.

Are you? We went out for dinner, all of us,

and I literally had a limoncello spritz

in the pizza restaurant.

Oh, my God! Felt like I were off my...

And when I'm on a night out t'gun fingers are out,

then I'm a liability. Gun fingers?

Yeah, gun fingers come out.

Tom might love a night on the town,

but Gabe's inspired by staying in

with a good book.

The whole thing is inspired by my favourite book

which is Nigel Slater's Toast.

Oh, it's a fantastic book. Amazing.

Yeah, and honestly, like, it actually like changed my life.

So I'm doing full camp '70s... Yes.

Like beautiful puds.

You're singing my song.

Paying homage to his much-loved book,

Gabe's making walnut gateau with dark chocolate ganache,

peach trifles with Earl Grey infused custard

and peach tea jelly, and lemon ginger tarts,

hoping for the dessert trolley

of his dreams rather than his nightmares.

Do you just dream about Bake Off all the time now?

Yeah. I had a dream that Paul was just standing next to me.

He was just going, "It's overworked!"

He will haunt me for the rest of my life.

Bakers, you have one hour left.

Bloody hell!

I'm a very stressed baker on this dish.

This is the last one, they're going in the oven.

They're going in for 18 to 20 minutes. Ah! All done.

Right, treacle sponges now.

I've got to get these in quick.

I've got my custard for the queen of pudding,

so once it's layered things will start to come together.

So, I'm layering the trifle.

So this is good old tinned fruit.

My peach tea jelly is just set.

Wibble wobble, wibble wobble.

Jelly on a trolley. It's not quite the same.

I remember these trolleys,

quite elaborate things being wheeled down the restaurant.

Oh, I know. It was everything one could possibly dream for.

Yeah. Now they've come up with some pretty good ideas.

Gary and Connie have kept it very classic. Tom...

He likes a cocktail.

I think that's a clever way of doing it. Yes.

Passion fruit martini. It is a fancy little trifle.

It's fanciest trifle I've ever eaten.

Clara needs to really focus.

I am really on it.

Need to make up for my mistakes yesterday.

Yannis needs to think about how

the flavours will combine.

With the queen of pudding,

your breadcrumbs absorbs the custard.

It's a question of pushing yourself

a bit but within your capabilities.

Yeah, you can't just say I'm going to do that and then fail.

You've got to walk the walk. Yeah. Got to bake the bake.

You, you've... Yeah, you've got to bake the bake.

I'm going to make a T-shirt of that.

It's tight but it is what it is, in't it?

Bake them in there for about 40 to 50 minutes. Long as possible.

Bakers, you've got half an hour left.

Jesus Christ. Up against time I am, are you? Yep.

It's pretty much assembly at this point.

Like all the fillings are made.

The choux is made but they're quite small.

Thank goodness.

I'm going to spray them with cocoa butter.

This is my joconde sponge.

My gateau.

Black Forest gateau cake - it's too dry.

Now I'm going to start building 'em, with loads of kirsch.

This is my torta de laranja. Slowly roll it up.

Groundnut pastry cream.

Mascarpone and double cream.

It's overwhipped.

Hello, Gazza, how are ya?

Uh, under pressure.

Are you? You're going to make it though, right.

I've got treacle sponges in here. I just hope they bake.

Time's a bit tight. You've got it.

Layers of sticky toffee pudding with custard.

It is different.

Yeah, they're going to come out.

Bakers, you've got 15 minutes left.

I'm just using every minute I can.

Ah. Are you nearly finished now, then?

No, I'm not nearly finished. No?

This is probably the most stressed I've ever been in my life.

Why? Cos you're doing so many.

Cos there's just so much, yeah. It's a lot, isn't it?

Get the tarts on.

The tarts look a bit raw.

I'm getting dizzy spinning this.

Jam.

I think it's important that I get all my ratios right.

Coconut caramel creme brulee.

You're making a creme brulee

so I have to make sure mine is better than his.

Now this, is it?

Just wait for the sponges to come out.

Very sticky.

Bakers, you've got five minutes left.

I just leave 'em in as long as I can.

It's pretty tense in here. It's very tense.

Coming out. This is a nerve-racking bit.

Praying for Gary.

I'm praying for Gary.

You beauty! Hope they're all like that one.

My pavlovas. Oh, it proper smells like a mojito.

Cos I've got no custard for the judges.

One minute, bakers.

I love desserts and I love trolleys.

I'm going to be exhausted after this.

Bakers...

My cream, where's my jug, where's my jug?

...your time is up.

Whaaaw!

Jesus Christ!

Everyone OK?

Oh, my God, that was so stressful!

That was a lot.

I hope that's good enough.

The bakers' dessert trolley Showstoppers now face

the judgment of Paul and Nigella.

Clara, it's time for your dessert trolley display.

Brr brr!

Yes, girl!

All aboard sugar rush express!

Clara, tell us about your dessert trolley.

We've got a pistachio frangipane mini tart,

pistachio macaron sandwiches,

and then torta de laranja.

I like the uniformity of the size. It's very hotel.

It looks rather lovely. I'd love to start on this.

I've lived a long time and I've eaten an awful lot,

and it's exciting to come across

something I haven't eaten.

At first you go, "Oh, I'm not sure about this." Yeah.

But then you do want to dive back in.

The texture's a bit like a brioche, and I quite like it with the orange.

I love the bit at the centre where you get the caramel.

I love that rose on top of that little tart.

The pistachios are very sweet

and a meringue is always very sweet.

You need to lift that more with maybe a curd just

to pep it up. Macaron.

I would like to have seen more of a smarter macaron,

more of a foot which shows me you've dried it out

before you put it in the oven.

The praline comes through, but it's really grainy.

Everything comes across as overwhelmingly sweet.

Just needs a bit more balance.

Thank you, guys. Thank you.

This dessert trolley is

a fusion between Nigerian flavours

and traditional British desserts.

You have a hibiscus Eton mess,

a coconut caramel creme brulee

and peanut profiteroles.

Profiteroles are a bit flat.

They should be much bigger.

A little bit longer in the oven maybe.

Oh, that's unusual.

Never had a peanut profiterole before.

I do like the flavour, though.

Yes, I do and I think, actually,

having texture makes it more exciting.

Yeah. The Eton mess...

The flavours are great, but the meringues are just on top.

Break some up and have them in.

I really like your creme brulee. Thank you.

The texture is spot-on.

The level of coconut in there is coming through beautifully well.

Thank you. Thank you.

I've got a lemon tart with a berry compote,

a mango mousse and sticky toffee pudding trifle.

It's actually very nice. Very, very rich.

When you have a trifle, there's lightness. This feels too heavy.

Your tart...

I like the lemon and the pastry.

It tastes a bit underbaked.

The mango mousse that you've made look like a mango.

Did you make this recipe up?

I mean, this is genius. Thank you.

You'd expect to see that in a five-star hotel.

As a dish, it's pretty faultless.

Thank you.

So, I've got some classic retro British puddings.

Got the queen of pudding,

sticky toffee pudding and Black Forest gateau.

You're never going to be allowed to set foot in Germany,

having called the Black Forest gateau a British dessert.

The chocolate in the middle has to have a lightness.

And your cream, it's turning sour.

It's overmixed, so you can see it all split.

OK.

I can't taste the bread.

You haven't got enough in there.

That's where you're lacking the depth.

The layers aren't in the right balance

and it does need to have a lightness, a dreaminess.

The sticky toffee pudding looks neat enough.

It's just a bit dense.

Choosing that shape hasn't helped because, of course, when it's

so teeny-tiny, it's going to cook quite quickly. Come apart.

OK, thank you.

God, it's like being back at me nan's house!

I don't know what to start with.

Sherry trifle.

I love it. I love it. I love it.

You promised a retro trifle and that's what you delivered.

Probably could've done well with a kick of flavour in the fruit bit.

Apple and pear pie.

It needs custard.

Yes. Pastry's a little bit tough.

OK. I like the apple to be soft.

So do I.

And then pineapple upside-down cake.

It's gone slightly overbaked.

You've got too much cake and not enough pineapple.

But, overall, I like the flavour.

That's a proper, like, school pudding.

I mean, the look is perfect.

That really could be in a magazine from the '70s.

So we have a walnut gateau.

Texturally, it's not right. Soggy sponge.

I don't know if it's cos it's in a small thing,

it makes the nuts go a bit mealy.

Yeah. The lemon meringue...

I do love your pastry, Gabe.

The meringue needs to be a little bit more pillowy,

but as an overall eat, it's delicious.

The trifle. Peach tea trifle.

Ooh, I like the flavours.

HE GASPS OK.

That jelly down at the bottom works.

It's a really great idea.

You've got a frangipane tart,

you've got a treacle sponge,

and there's a Black Forest gateau.

The sight of those Black Forest gateaux,

I mean, that is pure dessert trolley.

You like your kirsch. Yeah.

I'm not getting the cherries

because the kirsch is burning out the taste of the cherries.

It's missing that luxurious layer of chocolate.

OK, the almond tarts.

Frangipane flavour I really like.

The jam's too thick.

The raspberries have wept into the pastry base

and they've made it claggy underneath.

Shall we try the sponge pudding?

The ginger comes across a bit too much.

It's been over-steamed, so it's gone dry.

Not your best work.

Your theme works.

Got coherence, and it's got camp, and it's got beauty.

We've got a passion fruit martini trifle.

Just a small spoonful.

I think the balance of textures works well in that.

The sponge with the cream with the fruit.

The passion fruit with that sharpness, that sourness.

And it looks good.

So, the brulee.

This is too thick.

A brulee should be much lighter, silkier.

I agree with Paul.

You shouldn't need to put any energy into getting a spoon up.

And then a limoncello tart.

It's got great taste.

The pastry is crisp,

but the slight melting texture when you really get into it.

OK.

Mojito layered pavlova.

Mm... I love the sharpness.

Ooh! Yeah. It is very, very sharp.

And, actually, with the meringue as well,

the whole thing sort of layers out beautifully.

To me, this is the ideal dessert.

This, I'm going to be making, if you would be so kind

to give me your recipe for it.

It's divine.

I think you've done a very, very good job.

Thanks.

Oh, my God!

Nigella's reaction made it for me.

I'm really happy.

Oh, that was, like, one of the hardest things I've ever done.

There were little bits that weren't perfect, but I'm proud of myself.

The steamed puddings were overbaked. It is what it is.

That was a disaster.

This has definitely been, I think, my worst week.

The overall feedback was a bit more in the middle ground.

Did I do enough? I'm not sure.

Over 25 bakes.

How are you both feeling right now?

Perky!

Who stood out for you today?

I was blown away by Tom's pavlova.

It was sensational.

Mo's mango mousse was beautiful.

There is genius in that.

I will also say Connie's trifle delighted me.

It was very '70s.

So who's in trouble, then?

I do think Yannis has struggled.

Clara hasn't had a fantastic week.

Poor Gary has slipped for me.

And Gary, I don't think he had a good day.

Just shows how things can change with literally one bake.

Hello, bakers. Well done. That was a pretty powerful week.

I've got the great job of announcing Star Baker,

and that person is...

...Connie.

Yes!

Woo!

Yes!

Thank you so much.

Sadly, I've got the horrible job

of sending one of you lovely bakers home.

So, the baker leaving the tent today is...

...Yannis. So sorry.

Thank you. It's been a pleasure.

Oh, Yannis.

Thank you. Aww.

I grew up watching this programme.

Being here for five weeks... It's surreal.

I will be very proud of that. It's been absolutely wonderful.

I've been watching you since I was a little kid.

Really, it's a pleasure.

Unfortunately, it's come to the end of the line for Yannis.

He struggled in the Signature Technical and the Showstopper,

which is really sad because he's a really good baker.

You really deserved that. Thank you. You were brilliant.

Oh, my God!

Star Baker!

That is amazing!

It's been wonderful to see Connie hit her stride.

There's something about her bake that makes one feel happy,

and that's a gift, and that's very important.

LINE RINGS

Hello?

Guess who was Star Baker today?

Yeah!

LAUGHTER

Woo! Bake Off family!

Going into week six is crazy.

Honestly, everything is such a blur.

I don't even know what date it is.

All right, then, baby, see you later. All right.

ETA, what's the ETA?

Oh, I have no idea.

We're filming all of this, so they're hearing everything

you're saying, so keep it clean!

LAUGHTER

Next time... Ugh!

...Pastry Week.

P to the I to the E...

Pies!

The bakers create a much-loved signature...

Good old filo pasties.

...face a torturous Technical...

What in the hell is this? SHE LAUGHS

...and make demandingly decorative Showstoppers.

Somewhat phallic.

Who will deliver pastry perfection?

That is so beautiful.

And whose bake will be the wrong kind of flaky?

It looks like a Yorkshire pudding!

Subtitles by Red Bee Media