The Great British Bake Off Series 15, Episode 4 Recap

1 month ago

Who will be left in a sticky situation?

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Another week, another episode of The Great British Bake Off. And with three bakers down, there are just nine contestants left in the show – and the competition is only set get stickier with the arrival of Caramel Week. Here’s everything you might have missed in episode 4 of Bake Off series 15.

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

What Happened In The Great British Bake Off Series 15, Episode 4?

Noel and Alison (Channel 4)

What Was The Theme This Week?

Bye, bye Bread Week: Caramel Week reared it’s gooey head this week, putting the bakers to a fickle, buttery, sticky test. Caramel is notoriously tricky, Georgie reminds us. ‘It can split, it can burn, it can crystallise,’ she says.

‘It’s Caramel Week and the bakers make irresistible caramel biscuits and turn up the heat with showstopping mousse cakes,’ Channel 4 teases. ‘Who gets a taste of sweet success, and whose mousse cuts them loose?’ Let’s find out…

Signature Bake: Caramel Biscuits

OK, let’s address the elephant in the room: making caramel isn’t baking – so it’s time to flash back a few weeks to biscuit week with this Signature Challenge.

The bakers have been tasked with whipping up a set of caramel biscuits, which can take inspiration from existing biscuits (like the classic millionaire’s shortbread) or they can make something new up to impress the judges. The bakers can choose ‘any type of biscuit they like,’ Prue explains, ‘but the dominant flavour must be caramel.’ She adds she’s looking for ‘elegant’ and ‘not clumsy’ bakes.

The bakers also have to ensure their finished product is firm enough to hold in your hand. ‘If you can’t pick it up, that’s not a biscuit,’ Paul adds. ‘That’s more of a pudding.’

Here’s how they got on:

Christiaan, Spiced Nut Stroopwafel Caramel Biscuits: It’s a good start to the week for our Dutch baker, whose stroopwafels Prue would ‘find it impossible not to buy’ if she were passing in a shop. The ‘flavour of the praline with caramel is delicious,’ Paul added.
Nelly, Good Old Times Caramel Biscuits: It’s a ‘stodgy texture’ for Nelly unfortunately, ‘but the walnut flavour is fantastic,’ Paul says.
Sumayah, Sesame Hibiscus Caramel Biscuits: Paul immediately points out Sumayah’s pink caramel biscuits are ‘not really set’, but he likes the look regardless and compliments the ‘amazing flavours’. Prue agrees, calling them ‘very exotic’…
Andy, ‘A Bit of a Fix’ Caramel Biscuits: That’s fix, not Twix – just so we’re clear… ‘A good finish,’ Paul says of Andy’s glossy finger biscuits, saying the ‘hazelnut comes through nicely’. Prue agrees, adding the ‘good flavour’ has left her mouth ‘still watering’.
Georgie, ‘Favourite Chocolate Bar’: Another one you definitely can’t find in your local newsagent. After a few struggles getting her biscuits out of the mould, the ones that made it onto Georgie’s display ‘are really neat and nice,’ Prue says. ‘Beautiful,’ adds Paul. ‘A lovely caramel biscuit.’ Too messy for a handshake, though.
Dylan, ‘Oats with Pineapple’ Caramel Biscuits: A simple name for a complex creation, featuring a tuille to impress the judges. ‘They’re fascinating, like a little canape,’ Paul muses. Flavour wise, texture wise, you’re spot on,’ he says after taking a bite. ‘But the overall look is like the UFO convention.’ ‘Delicious,’ Prue confirms.
Illyin, ‘Almond Florentine’ Caramel Biscuits: After some struggles with the caramel, Illyin pulled through and created caramel biscuits that ‘look absolutely exquisite,’ Prue says. Both judges complimented the ‘florentiney’ flavour, with Prue calling them ‘a little triumph’.
Mike, ‘Dad’s Favourite’ Caramel Biscuits: Featuring more homegrown flowers from Mike’s farm (did you know he’s a farmer?), Paul immediately criticised the biscuit’s, ahem, bulging. But they tasted lovely, the judges agreed. ‘Just mind the bulge,’ Prue noted. Bit personal, eh?
Gill, Fruit & Nut Millionaire Caramel Biscuits: Gill’s Fruit & Nut biscuits were too big for Paul, but just ‘northern portions’, Gill reassures. He really liked the taste though, calling them ‘borderline billionaire shortbread’. Indulgent indeed.

Noel, Prue, Sumayah (Channel 4)

Technical Challenge: Pear Tart Tatin

Prue set this week’s challenge, which she teased is all about ‘timing and temperature’. The judges are looking for crisp, flakey pastry and well cooked pears in the Technical Pear Tart Tatin. But it’s not just a caramelly tart they’re after: the judges asked for a walnut caramel ice cream, too. Easy peasy? Not so. This is a particularly fiddly technical with lots of moving parts. After a smashed-jug incident between Nelly and Noel, here’s who came out on top (and who found the whole process a little too sticky):

Georgie
Christiaan
Sumayah
Illyin
Dylan
Nelly
Mike
Gill
Andy

Paul and Prue in The Great British Bake Off - Series 15 Ep4

Paul and Prue (Channel 4)

Showstopper: Caramel Mousse Cake

Mike and Nelly were on the chopping block going into the Showstopper, while Dylan, Georgie and Christiaan were somewhere on the podium. Is all of that about to change? And who sprint to the finish to snag the gold? Let’s see…

‘Your caramel mousse cake must be complete with spectacular sugar work creations,’ says Alison, with ‘at least two types of caramel,’ Noel adds. The bakers were given four and a half hours to create their caramelly mousse cakes.

‘It’s a celebration of caramel,’ Paul explains, ‘but because this is Bake Off we need a baked element, too.’ Enter: the sponge cake. Thank you for at least admitting this is hardly a baking challenge, Paul. Prue adds she is looking for ‘a light cake’ that can still hold the weight of the caramel – so hopefully the bakers won’t make anything stiff or stodgy.

Here’s how the caramel creations were received:

Georgie, ‘Glass Rose Mirror’ Mousse Cake: Georgie’s mousse cake ‘looks very professional and eye catching’, says Prue – if a bit small. The ‘cake is very good, the textures are lovely, and the flavours are there,’ Prue summarises, and Paul agrees, especially regarding the size. It’s ‘a good starter’, he says, but not a showstopper centrepiece.
Andy, ‘Lonely Tree’ Mousse Cake: Andy’s tree-shaped, not-banoffee-pie mousse cake looked ‘fantastic,’ says Paul, and was ‘perfectly set’. Prue added the baker had created ‘a lovely light mousse, really soft and delicious’, but neither judge was sold on the daquoise. Meanwhile, Paul could stomach the super-sweet apple candyfloss tree canopy, though Prue called it ‘really truly horrible.’ Don’t mince your words, Prue. Luckily, she can forgive him, she laughs.
Sumayah, ‘Banoffee Pecan’ Mousse Cake: Inspired by glass artist Dale Chihuly, artistic Sumayah strikes again – but it’s all style over substance this week. ‘I like the decor, I like the colour, but I see a problem,’ says Paul, slicing into the mousse cake and describing the mirror glaze as ‘like rubber’. In the end, Prue described the sponge as ‘a stodgey cake’ and both judges said there wasn’t enough mousse.
Gill, ‘Sticky Toffee’ Mousse Cake: ‘I like the look of it, it’s really quite fun,’ Paul says of Gill’s very caramelly looking mousse cake. (‘I’m not subtle,’ the baker laughs.) The ‘mousse is a little bit too thick,’ Paul adds, however. Prue agrees it is all ‘a bit too sweet’. But overall an OK round for Gill.
Nelly, ‘Behind Every Great Woman’: ‘Very professional’ and ‘so neat’ Paul immediately compliments Nelly’s mousse cake. Cutting into it and taking a bite, he described the flavour as ‘beautiful’ and the toffee as ‘so rich it’s almost like coffee’. ‘Well done,’ he said. Prue, meanwhile, called the cake ‘so satisfying and so lovely,’ adding ‘the inside looks just as elegant as the outside’. It seems Nelly is safe.
Mike, Coffee Popcorn Mousse Cake: Inspired by his favourite cocktail, a series of unfortunate events during the four and a half hour challenge led to a surprisingly pleasing looking mousse cake for Mike. ‘It looks like a Christmas cake,’ says Paul. And that’s where the compliments end. ‘Where’s the mousse?’ Prue asked. ‘A mousse cake should be at least half mousse,’ she says, explaining she’d be disappointed if she bought it in a shop and describing the creation as ‘all too sweet’ anyway.
Illiyin, Caramel and White Chocolate Mousse Cake: A mid-challenge Alison hug for Illiyin revitalised the baker (rather than the downward spiral we saw from John last week…). Her mousse cake turned out ‘nice’ looking, Paul said, though both judges were unsure about the crown lodged into the top. ‘Not as neat as it could be,’ Paul concluded, adding the pistachio flavour didn’t do as much as it could have. But not a disaster by any means.
Dylan, Lemon Honey & Ginger Mousse Cake: Inspired by travels in Italy this week, Dylan’s bake slightly resembled a cough sweet in its description, but was complimented for being ‘wonderfully ambitious’ from the start, according to Prue. Another disappointingly small cake packed a big punch, though, with Prue saying it was ‘amazingly packed with flavour’ and Paul describing the mousse cake as ‘like being punched in the face with a lemon’. Somehow that was a compliment, with Paul anointing Dylan the ‘flavour king’ of the series so far.
Christiaan, ‘Tropicaramel’ Mousse Cake: Featuring limes from his garden, Christiaan’s mousse cake ‘looks great’ says Paul. It’s ‘a great looking cake with one thick layer of caramel,’ he laughs. ‘The lime jelly is just wonderful, and the caramel is delicious,’ Prue agrees.

Who Got Star Baker?

Georgie bagged Star Baker this week after a very rocky time during Bread Week, just beating Dylan to the punch this time around. Well done, Georgie.

Who Went Home?

Mike left the tent this week, offering a teary farewell to his fellow bakers.

A tough and frankly disappointing Showstopper all around left the judges puzzling over who to send home. Despite a teary Sumayah telling the camera she’s sure she’s going home (and the judges considering it), the farmer ultimately got the chop.

Mike left the Bake Off tent this week. (Noel, Alison, Mike; Channel 4)

What’s Happening Next Week?

Pastry Week is back next week – another tricky classic filled with filo, choux and a special surprise.

‘It’s Pastry Week and the bakers tackle a frangipane tart and Paris-Brest, complete with a freestanding podium,’ Channel 4 teases. ‘Who’ll be put on a pedestal, and whose dreams will flake away?’