I am besotted with: The Great British Baking Show

8/16/17 Cook’s Corner

Betty Kaiser

I am besotted with The Great British Baking Show. It’s on my weekly must-watch-list and I’m not alone. This PBS show, filmed in England, has captivated American audiences as well as British. It is totally unlike American cooking shows. It’s a basic baking contest­ where I learn something new every week from non-professional bakers who are talented and civil. There is no yelling, throwing, or insulting. Amazing.

At the beginning of each season, 12 amateur bakers from around England are chosen in Bake Offs to appear on the television show. On the show, professional bakers and judges Mary Berry and Paul Hollywood challenge them to weekly prepare a variety of baking assignments. The baking takes place in the picturesque (and often wet) English countryside under a tent.

All contestants have one thing in common—they love to bake. Their age and experience are all over the place. Individuals range from a London firefighter to a gifted teenager, a Scottish grandmother and beyond. The kitchen tent studio is so huge that each baker has his or her complete cooking unit with all the necessities including a proof oven!

  

The Bake Off is divided into a three-challenge format. The signature recipe is a familiar, tried-and-true home-made style bake. The technical recipe involves obscure pastry and cake recipes. The showstopper recipe speaks for itself—it is always complex and elaborate. Sometimes a recipe is a relatively simple Yorkshire Pudding. Next could be to a Battenburg Cake assembled in a pink and yellow checkerboard pattern each frosted with Marzipan.

Hosts Mel Giedroyc and Sue Perkins keep the atmosphere light because there is a time crunch for preparing each of three recipes. The pressure is on with each tick of the clock. The tense atmosphere is also softened by the camaraderie amongst the bakers. They are more helpful than hostile! At the end of the week, a Star Baker is chosen (no financial reward) and the losing baker is politely asked to leave with hugs all around.

The following recipe is a variation of a beloved British baking classic served at tea time. The baking notes all say that a good Victoria sponge should be well-risen, moist and light as air.  The filling recipes, however, are all different. Judge Mary Berry’s recipe calls for only 4 tablespoons of jam. I like more. Some call for a butter cream filling topped with jam. My favorite is the whipped cream and strawberry jam filling. The choice is yours. Enjoy!

A CLASSIC VICTORIA SPONGE CAKE

Cake:

3/4 cup unsalted butter, softened, plus additional for greasing

3/4 cup white sugar

3 eggs, at room temperature

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour

1 teaspoon baking powder

1/2 teaspoon salt

Filling:

8 ounces whipping cream

2 tablespoons powdered sugar

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1/2 cup seedless strawberry or raspberry jam

Directions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Grease two 8-inch round cake pans and line with parchment paper.

Beat 3/4 cup butter and white sugar together in a large bowl with an electric mixer until pale and creamy, about 2 minutes. Add eggs (one a time), mixing well between each addition. Add 1 teaspoon vanilla extract; beat briefly until well-blended in the batter. Continue beating batter until bubbles appear on the surface, about 2 minutes more.

Sift flour, baking powder, and salt into the bowl. Gently fold into egg mixture with a spatula just until smooth. Divide the batter evenly between the prepared pans, smoothing the tops with a cake spatula.

Bake in the preheated oven until cakes are golden brown and a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean, about 20 minutes. Cool in the pans for 5 minutes before inverting onto a wire rack to cool completely, about 30 minutes.

Meanwhile, beat whipping cream until stiff, adding powdered sugar and vanilla toward the end.

Turn both cakes with the flat tops facing you. Spread strawberry jam evenly on one cake with a spatula. Spread whipped cream in an even layer on the other cake. Sandwich the two cakes together. Dust with powdered sugar. Serves 8. Refrigerate leftovers.

 

Keep it simple and keep it seasonal! Betty Kaiser’s Cook’s Corner is dedicated to sharing a variety of recipes that are delicious, family oriented and easy to prepare.