The semi-final. The Bake Off is almost over. Who was to be the final baker to leave before the last episode. As much as I didn’t want to say it I thought it was going to be Selasi as the other bakers had been stronger throughout.
The week was about patisserie with bakes of Palmiers, Savarin Cake and fondant fancies. Each baker had a little bit of trouble but it was Andrew who got the star and Selasi who went home. I’m not sure who will win but I would like it to be Andrew.
My first challenge was to attempt the technical Savarin cake. A Savarin is a yeast cake soaked in sweet syrup and covered in cream and fruit. When I was watching the show I thought it was going to be a big challenge however using the Bake Off recipe it wasn’t that hard. It had a few components to it but really that was just the decoration. Having the cake proof enough to fill the tin but not over-proof was probably the hardest part. I believe that mine did over-proof as when it was baking it came out of the tin more than it should but it didn’t affect the cake.
While the cake was cooling I prepared some fruit syrup and caramel. I didn’t have the same trouble as Jane with the caramel but mine did brown slightly too much. The cream for the top and centre was chantillie cream and to finish it was topped with sliced fruit (orange, strawberries, kiwi, raspberries and blueberries) and the caramel shards.
In the end it looked good and smelled glorious. I would make this again and I think that the marjolaine cake certainly prepared me for making this. The marjolaine had so many steps it could be quite overwhelming but this cake had most of the steps in the decoration meaning it didn’t have to be so strictly timed to complete.
The second challenge of my week was to be the palmiers. I have always wanted to make these and did not realise that they came in more shapes than the elephant ears. I had the same trouble as Andrew in that the butter kept coming through the pastry. I think I managed to save the pastry but almost lost count of all the turns and folds.
I decided on a filling of goats cheese and caramelised onions. I did not think I had enough pastry for two fillings but when cutting them out I ended up with 24 palmiers. Lesson learned for next time. I think I’ll try a pesto filling next time.
I believe that this week went well however my puff pastry needs a lot of work. I can see why chefs buy in good quality puff pastry rather than make it.
Now bring on the final challenge.