The Great British Bake Off Series 15, Episode 6 Recap

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Another week, another episode of The Great British Bake Off. Just seven bakers remain in the tent, and it’s time for a seasonal theme this week: Autumn Week. Here’s everything you might have missed in episode 6 of Bake Off series 15.

Getting ahead of yourself? Find our recap of episode five here, episode four here, episode three here, episode two here and episode one here.

What Happened In The Great British Bake Off Series 15, Episode 6?

Christiaan, Illiyin, Gill, Nelly, Georgie and Dylan walking into tent

What Was The Theme This Week?

Autumn Week makes its debut in the great white tent, inspiring seasonal flavours, ingredients and recipes.

‘It’s Autumn Week and the bakers make sweet autumn-inspired pies and transform veg into showstopping celebration cakes,’ Channel 4 explains. ‘Who’s got their eyes on the pies, and who’ll be leaf-ing the tent?’

Signature Bake: Sweet Autumnal Pie

It’s over to the classic American pumpkin pie for the inspiration here, but the bakers can make their ‘comforting sweet autumnal pie’ in any flavour. It’s all about harvest time, Paul says, hinting he’s looking for seasonal spices to be well balanced with delicate flavours.

Here’s how they got on:

Nelly, ‘Out in Nature’ Pie: A very unusual pie (according to Prue) featuring apple and plenty of poppy seeds turned out a little pale, but the ‘filling is exquisite,’ Paul says. ‘It flakes in the mouth.’ Just needed a little longer in the oven.
Gill, Blackberry & Apple ‘Windy Day’ Pie: An ‘absolutely lovely’ looking pie still had good textures and flavours. ‘Almost unimprovable,’ says Prue.
Dylan, Autumnal Apple Pie: Did the time-consuming rough puff pay off? A good look,’ says Paul, though Prue found it disappointing and ‘just a bit tough’. Delicious flavours, though. ‘Really tasty,’ says Paul.
Illiyin, Autumnal Fruit Pie: Pear, blueberry and a bit of ginger tasted good, but the pastry was raw. ‘It’s a nice pie, just a shame about the bake,’ Paul summarised.
Christiaan, ‘Forest Cano-pie’: This spice-filled quince and pumpkin pie looked the part, and tasted the part, too. Perfect pastry, flavours and spices from Christiaan’s pie.
Georgie, Pumpkin & Pecan Pie: Another spice-filled pie caught some burning in the oven, and both judges agreed the spices were way too overwhelming. ‘Do you normally eat that with ice cream?’ Prue asked. ‘Too much for normal people,’ Paul quipped.
Sumayah, Butternut & Pecan Pie: ‘A great looking pie,’ says Paul. But the spices were a bit overwhelming. Great decoration, as always.

Gill, Sumayah, Dylan, Illiyin, Christiaan, Georgie and Nelly.

Technical Challenge: Parkin

Set by Prue, it’s vegan parkin for the Technical Challenge this week. What is a parkin?, you ask. So did most of the bakers. Traditionally served at bonfire night, this dense, spicy, gingery cake has a vegan twist to make it a little trickier, meaning the bakers have to grapple with baking power and an egg-less mixture.

‘There are aspects of this bake that will take much longer than you think,’ Prue hinted ominously. She also didn’t offer any guidance on spice levels, so let’s see how some of our more spice-happy bakers fared…

Illiyin
Georgie
Sumayah
Dylan
Nelly
Christiaan
Gill

Showstopper: Autumn Festival Cake

It’s a topsy turvy episode, with both Gill and Illiyin performing poorly in one challenge and outstandingly in the other. The rest of the bakers? Muddling by, and all in danger of the chopping block, Paul warns, going into the Showstopper challenge: Autumn Festival Cake

The bakers are encouraged to add vegetables to their celebratory cakes. Carrot is the classic option, but our bakers opted for everything from beetroot to spinach to celeriac, with a big focus, as always, on the decorations. Here’s how their creations were received:

Christiaan, ‘Roots of Samhain’ Cake: Christiaan’s apple, parsnip and celeriac sponge looked ‘morbid’ according to Paul, but the judges loved the stained glass effect. ‘Love it,’ Paul said after a bite of the cake. ‘I love the jam and the filling,’ Prue agreed.
Nelly, ‘Woman in Autumn’ Cake: Nelly’s chocolate and avocado cake was well iced, with an ‘exquisite’ decoration according to Prue. But Nelly’s multi-layered cake was sadly overcomplicated and ended up a little too dense due to the weight.
Illiyin, Day of the Dead Cake: ‘Astonishing,’ Prue says, complimenting Illiyin’s colourful creation. ‘Absolutely the right level of spice,’ she added after taking a bite. ‘Delicious.’
Gill, Bonfire ‘Parrot’ Cake: Back to parkin for Gill, who rustled up a carrot cake-parkin hybrid – a coincidence after her poor performance in the Technical. A beautiful cake was filled with thin layers, with good spice levels and a great sponge.
Georgie, ‘Tree Trunk Scene’ Cake: Georgie’s tree trunk cake looked amazing from the outside, giving us flashbacks to illusion week. Inside, ‘it’s a little damp,’ Prue commented. ‘Flavour wise, spot on,’ Paul added.
Sumayah, ‘Autumn Leaves’ Harvest Cake: Another beautiful, colourful cake from Sumayah. Her beetroot, ginger and walnut cake went down a treat, with Paul comparing it to a classic sticky toffee pudding. Meanwhile, her spiced parsnip cake with flaked almonds earned an all-famous Hollywood handshake. ‘One of the best cakes I’ve had for a long time,’ Paul complimented. ‘She is a great baker,’ Prue added.
Dylan, Diwali Cake: After dropping his cake on the floor (and almost dropping his second), Dylan’s Showstopper came with a crisis of confidence. ‘It’s a bit messy,’ Paul said on first glance. Inside, the beetroot and orange cake shone much brighter, with Paul calling the flavour ‘gorgeous’.

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Who Got Star Baker?

Sumayah bagged Star Baker after a very successful week in the tent, marking the second time she’s bagged the coveted title. After Gill bagged Star Baker last week, she has been dubbed a dark horse by Paul and narrowly missed out on winning it a second time this week.

Who Went Home?

Nelly sadly left the bake off tent this week. ‘Everything after round three was a bonus,’ she said, saying she was pleased to have gotten so far. Farewell to this year’s most vibrant character – you will be missed.

What’s Happening Next Week?

It’s Dessert Week next week, tasking the bakers with a variety of goodies. ‘It’s Dessert Week and the bakers tackle exquisitely filled meringue nests, steamed suet puddings and a beloved Italian dessert,’ Channel 4 teases. ‘Whose tiramisu will get them through?’