It was the final week of heat two in Bake Off: The Professionals, meaning whoever made it through would be part of the final six.
Returning to the kitchen this week were:
- Thibault & Erica, Kimpton Fitzroy Hotel
- Sarah & Leyre, Pennyhill Park
- Jake & Kevin, Four Seasons at Ten Trinity Square
- Sanjam & Exose, The Courthouse Cheshire
The secret task this week was to create a Gateau Concorde, covered with chocolate meringue fingers and three chocolate roses, all placed on top of a chocolate stand of at least 25cm in height.
The teams got to work sketching out designs, with Jake & Kevin planning to make a plane-like platform for their gateau to sit on.
Thibault & Erica included a swan model in their design. “It looks like a flamingo,” said Cherish, referencing Erica’s drawing. How rude!
After narrowly surviving last week, Sanjam & Exose decided not to take any risks and go for a minimal design. “The structure is quite safe, but we’re going to do everything perfectly,” said an optimistic Sanjam.
They all started by making the chocolate stands, so these would have time to set, before making meringue and putting it in the oven, then turning their attention to the chocolate mousse for the gateau.
“The instructions say ‘make the chocolate mousse’,” Jake said, quizzically.
“We only have enough chocolate to make it once,” Exose said to Sanjam, before he’d even started making it.
“Well don’t f*ck this up,” Sanjam replied, encouragingly.
Next, they all moved on to the chocolate roses. “Have you ever received roses?” presenter Tom Allen asked Sanjam (pictured above).
“I actually received some yesterday, from someone who may be in this room,” she confessed – how exciting, a Bake Off romance!
It was never confirmed, but I’m pretty sure the flowers were from Jake (pictured below), as there were many cute encounters between the two throughout the episode, including an extra-long hug at the end.
“You made that really obvious,” partner Exose said to Sanjam after her conversation with Tom.
“Did I?! F*ck,” Sanjam responded.
Elsewhere, Sarah & Leyre were having trouble with their meringue, resulting in a very awkward argument in which Leyre declared, “F*ck this, I’m not doing it.” (The expletives were certainly flying around on this episode…)
Tom made a joke about how they should be making gateau, but were busy making beef – very punny indeed.
Sarah & Leyre were first to be judged, with Cherish declaring their meringue “too soft and too gluey”.
Thibault & Erica (pictured below) were next, and their creation received high praise, with Benoit declaring their meringue “beautifully baked”. I expect Sarah & Leyre got meringue envy from this, I certainly would have.
Sanjam & Exose were third to be judged, but it wasn’t positive at all, with Cherish saying their roses looked like cabbages, and that their mousse was too dense and grainy.
Jake & Kevin were last to the judging table, and their stand unfortunately broke. Jake attempted to rescue this by making a swooping noise and flying the gateau through the air towards the judges – and it worked! They got the thumbs up from the judges, although their meringue was slightly under-baked.
On to the show piece, and this week it had to be made entirely of chocolate and follow a sun, sea and sky theme. It also had to have a moving part and feature three types of 24 filled chocolates (one set moulded, one set hand-dipped squares and one set piped).
Sarah & Leyre (pictured above) opted for cocktail-themed chocolates to go with their beach scene and rotating sun. Thibault & Erica were to make a mountainous island as their centrepiece, the entirety of which would be moving. Meanwhile, Jake & Kevin went for a desert island, with flying planes which would circulate on a lazy-Susan, and Sanjam & Exose chose a space theme, with an orbiting rocket as their moving part.
Sarah & Leyre were first to face the judges. Their centrepiece looked fantastic and two of their chocolates received high praise, although the mojito-style piped chocolate wasn’t so good.
Thibault & Erica’s centrepiece looked great, but Benoit wished they hadn’t spent so much time on the mountain. Their chocolates received mixed reviews.
Sanjam & Exose’s moving part crashed while being judged – talk about bad timing – and their centre piece had “a rough finish”. Their chocolates didn’t receive much praise either. Oh dear.
Jake & Kevin’s flying plane piece was last to be judged. Cherish said it looked bare, and wasn’t impressed with their moving part being hand-moved by Jake.
So, with the hard work done, it was time for the judges to decide the teams’ fate. Sarah & Leyre gained first place, followed by Thibault & Erica in second and Jake & Kevin third. Sanjam & Exose were in last place, missing out being in the final six.
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