Can you believe it is Finals week already in the big white baking tent? It is extra sad this year, because as this seventh series draws to a close, it also brings with it an end to an era for the Great British Bake Off. I do wonder what will happen in 2017 to the format and its presenters and its move to Channel 4. I really hope it will continue to be first class entertainment as it has been on the BBC. Of course there are also rumours that the BBC will start a new show with Mary and possibly Mel and Sue. All I do know, is that it is all change which I think is a shame.
Anyway, enough doom and gloom, back to tonights show. So the theme was Fit for a Queen and the baking categories were:
Signature : A filled meringue crown (3 layers)
Technical : Victoria Sandwich
Showstopper :
As I write this a couple of hours before the final episode is aired, I am thinking that Candice is my favourite to win BUT I do think that Andrew has really come back in the last couple of weeks, and I think he could be the surprise winner. Anyway, by the time this is published it will be over and the 2016 winner will be crowned.
Talking of crowns, I have made a rather abstract cake this week , going on what I read about this weeks themes and having chatted with some other #GBBOBloggers2016, I decided to incorporate possibly two of the categories into one bake. I have no idea if this is right of course, the is the trouble baking ahead of the show, BUT what is done is done, and there is no going back! Last Sunday, I decided to get creative and make a Victoria Sponge with 4 layers, and instead of being flavoured with vanilla, the sponge contained elderflower cordial. I layered it with Strawberry jam and then once sandwiched together, I covered the cake in elderflower flavoured buttercream.
Now, I wanted to make a Meringue crown to sit on top of my cake. I had no idea if I was actually going to be able to construct this from meringue, but I gave it a go anyway. I made a base , the size of which made by tracing the 8 inch sponge tin that I made my Victoria sponges in, which was like a pavlova which was all chewy and mallow like – scrumptious! Anyway, so with the remaining meringue mixture i placed it inside a piping bag and piped long, thin triangle and some straight lines, which I hoped I would be able to stick onto my base to make my crown peaks. Well, once baked, these piped meringue pieces were too fragile and crumbly, so I had to just use the tops of each triangle which is why they are not as elegant or tall as I had initially planned for!
Before ‘crowning’ my cake I melted some white chocolate and spread all but a small bit of it over the top of the cake, and allowed some to drip down the sides. I stuck silver edible balls on to the drips, and some strawberry slices. I don’t know with hindsight, if this was a good idea. Maybe I should have just left it plain, with only the buttercream surrounding it, but in for a penny and all that! As I say, this is a rather abstract cake!
I stuck the meringue base on to the top of the cake, and then I whipped up some double cream which I flavoured with more elderflower cordial, and spread that on to the meringue. Then using the remaining melted white chocolate, I stuck the meringue shapes on to the front and front sides of the meringue base, and stuck a silver ball to each one too. Finally, I added some more sliced strawberries to the cream and some more silver balls – for some extra bling – and sprayed all over it with some edible gold glitter spray.
It is not perfect by any means. A little rough around the edges, but I think it fits the brief. It was totally off the cuff, I had an idea for a cake and it kind of worked. Whether the Queen would be happy to be presented with it, well she might look at it and think how odd it looks, but it tasted delicious! I think it is a typical Mummy Mishaps kind of cake!
Here is how I made this epic Strawberries and Cream Meringue Crown Cake
- *Cake*
- 400g butter
- 400g caster sugar
- 8 eggs
- 2 tsp Elderflower cordial
- 400g self raising flour
- strawberry jam
- *buttercream*
- 75g butter
- 150g icing sugar
- dash of milk
- 1 tsp Elderflower Cordial
- *meringue*
- 4 egg whites (I used the 4 yolks in one of the sponges)
- 125g caster sugar
- 125g icing sugar
- *decoration*
- 300ml double cream
- 2 tsp elderflower cordial
- 1 punnet of fresh strawberries
- edible silver balls
- 125g white chocolate
- edible gold glitter spray
- *for the meringue*
- Preheat the oven 110oC / 100C (fan)
- Place the 4 egg whites (save the yolks for the cake sponges) into a large clean mixing bowl and beat them on a medium speed with an electric hand whisk until the mixture stands up in stiff peaks when the whisk is lifted.
- Turn the speed up and gradually add the sugar slowly, just a spoonful at a time, alternating between caster and icing sugar
- Do not over whisk!
- When it is ready, the meringue mixture should be thick and glossy
- Line 2 baking trays with greaseproof paper, and on one draw round the base of an 8 inch sponge tin *(the same as the ones used for the main cake). Pour on ¾ of the meringue and smooth to for inside the circle you have drawn.
- Fill a piping bag with the remaining meringue and pipe some tall peaks - fingers crossed these will work for you!
- Bake for approx 1 1⁄2-1 3⁄4 hours until the meringues sound crisp when tapped underneath
- Leave to cool on the trays or a cooling rack.
- *To make the cakes*
- Pre heat the oven to 180oC / 160oC (fan)
- Grease and line your 4 x 8 inch baking tins (or, as I did, use my 2 x 8 inch tins twice)
- Cream together your butter and sugar until pale and creamy
- Add your eggs and the elderflowers cordial and beat well
- Add sifted flour and fold until just combined
- Pour into your prepared cake tins and bake until cooked - about 20-25 minutes
- Leave to cool
- *make the buttercream*
- beat the butter for a few minutes until it is soft
- add the icing sugar, slowly and in smaller quantities , and add the elderflower cordial and beat until smooth .
- add the milk - just a little to start with until your buttercream is soft and smooth and a nice consistency.
- Once cool, sandwich each sponge with jam and then cover the entire cake, from top to bottom and all over, with the buttercream
- Chill in the fridge for about 30 minutes
- Melt the white chocolate, and also whip the double cream with the elderflower cordial, until thick but not stiff and leave to one side
- Remove your cake from the fridge
- Pour over the white chocolate (but leave a small amount about a spoonful) and if it drips down the cake thats fine
- Put the meringue base on top of the cake to sit on top of the melted white chocolate
- Cover the sides of the cake with some strawberry halves and silver balls.
- Top the meringue with the cream
- Add the crown peaks and stick to the meringue with the remaining white chocolate, and stick a silver ball to each peak
- Then top the cream with strawberry slices and more silver balls
- Spray the cake and the meringue with the gold spray for a regal look
I used ingredients purchased from Tesco this week – I have to be honest I do most weeks ! So thank you to them for my voucher . I use their value strawberry jam in all my bakes (and Jenson’s sandwiches) I think it is great, and I always buy their value chocolate for baking because it lets well and tastes really nice.
On your marks, get set and baaaaaake!!!!!
So as it is finals week at last, I can reveal the magnificent prizes that have been kindly donated by my #GBBOBloggers2016 sponsor – Tesco who have been brilliant at allowing 30 of us to receive a £20 gift voucher to bake with during this series bake along. Thank you to them again, because here are the 3 prizes which 3 lucky bloggers will win if they are named Star Baker by an independent judge – yes I will not be judging the final , a person from Tesco bakery will instead 🙂 I think you will agree that these prize bundles are amazing!
So here are the rules for this final bake along linky for 2016:
Anyone of you who have linked up at least once to my #GBBOBloggers2016 linky is allowed to enter to be in with a chance of winning one of these prize bundles. You need to enter a bake inspired by tonights i.e., the final show – you can be abstract like me or follow a recipe more closely. You know how it works, as many of you have done this a few times now. I have extended the deadline so you have a week from today to link up your amazing showstopper.
I want to thank each and every one of you who has supported this bake along – it would not work without your bakes, your time and love of the show and I love our little #GBBOBloggers community. I also want to thank Tesco and the other brands who have generously supported this bake along, it means so much to me. I really hope we will be able to do this again next year . Good luck to you all and I cannot wait to see all of your magnificent bakes xxx
Looks amazing Jenny
Thank you x
Wow, that’s amazing, Jenny. I just told my Mum about this cake and how mine would look like a pile of gravel because everything would collapse, haha.
Thank you Carolin 🙂 and I am sure your cake would be marvellous!!! x
That looks so clever!!! ANd I love the little silver balls on it, looks gorgeous.
Thank you Tanya, and yes i love those silver balls, takes me back to my own childhood x
Jenny, a crown celebration cake fit for a queen if ever I saw one:) How clever to have combined the first two challenges a victoria sponge and meringue crown, You are so clever coming up with these ideas before the show has even aired. I also adore elderflower cordial so I have a feeling this cake tasted amazing too.
Thank you for running the bloggers bake off I have really enjoyed taking part each week and being part of the friendly community of bloggers you have formed. Still not sure what I am doing myself yet.
Thank you Jacqui very much for your lovely comment 🙂
Thank you also for finding us and going in each week, your recipes are amazing and photographed so beautifully x
It’s been a real pleasure. Just linked up my post and what a marathon bake that was! Rather sad it’s all over.
My goodness this looks truly amazing. Love love love. We haven’t caught up with the GBBO as much this year as we have. Gutted about that xx
Thank you Susan. xx
Your cake looks fab – so very regal! I have made meringue crowns today, and they are indeed very fragile!
I agree with you on the value chocolate, I buy it all the time as it melts better than many more expensive brands!
Thank you Helen thats lovely of you to say so 🙂
yes that cheap chocolate is brilliant for the money x
Love your cake! And thanks so much for organizing this. I have really enjoyed baking along xx
That looks spectacular Jenny and I bet it tasted amazing too. Thanks so much for hosting this each week as it has been so much fun to join in.
Thanks for hosting again this year – I’m glad I got to join in a bit finally, I love the combination sponge and meringue crown.
Wow that is a showstopper of a cake. It looks absolutely delicious!
Your cake looks perfect and so tasty Jenny, thank you for all your help x
Your crown cake looks amazing. I bet it was so good, especially with the strawberries. Thank you for all of your hard work and hosting great bloggers bake off xx #bakeoftheweek
What a fabulous bake Jenny, you know had you not confessed I wouln’t have know that your meringue triangles forming the crown should have been larger – it really looks great and those lovely silver balls finish it off a treat.
Angela x
Love your cake Jenny, it looks so regal and perfect for a afternoon tea for for a queen. Thanks for hosting the bake off again, it haas been really fun and lovely to chat with all the other bloggers.
Such a lovely cake, I’m glad you went with the little balls and strawberries around the sides, it looks so pretty. I love elderflower too, yum! Thanks for hosting the GBBOBloggers2016, I’ve really enjoyed baking along.
really loved joining in – sorry couldn’t keep up after dessert week as there was no way i had the skills or knowledge of where to start with desserts! I have actually baked for the final week but am desperately trying to find the time to link up. Might try to do it tomorrow before the linky closes! thanks so much for hosting such a lovely linky each week and like you i am sad that it is the end of an era although slightly also in denial – did you ever see the last episode of men behaving badly – im like the lady in the office that kept saying ‘i can’t see that happening’ when their office was closing down. I keep thinking that in a bizarre twist of events that it will all be ok and go back to the bbc.
thank you Jenny for hosting again this year. I love linking up with all you guys and being part of it all! Your cake looks amazing and I am so glad that I linked up for the final.. It’s been an rough few weeks, but baking really helps with the stress! I’m off to check out the other links! X
I love the abstract look! The gold shimmer on the strawberries is such an elegant touch too. Thanks so much for being part of #bakeoftheweek – Am really excited you are joining me 🙂 x
Wow that looks amazing, just perfect for a final bake! Thank you for hosting this great link up with so much baking inspiration! xx
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