Nadiya Bakes (2020–…): Season 1, Episode 2 - Indulgent Desserts - full transcript

We all know life can be tough,

but when I bake, somehow it makes me

feel that little bit better.

A soothing slice of cake.

Double layered deliciousness.

The smell of freshly made bread.

Oh!

The comforting crunch of a biscuit
straight out of the oven.

Sometimes when you want something
really sweet,

you want it to hit the spot.

For me, baking really is
my happy place.



And I want it to be yours too,

which is why I'm returning
to my first true love.

It's the little details
that make it look beautiful.

You're going to love it!

From easy everyday treats...

Oh, gosh - that's good.

..to indulgent desserts to share.

Sometimes you've got to just throw
all the chocolate at it.

There will be bakes
for every occasion.

Oh, my goodness!

Plus, I'll be showcasing some
of the bakers and pastry chefs

I most admire from across the UK.

Once I've finished a cake,

it's that kid in a sweet shop
moment.



I love that.

So let's bake, eat and be happy.

Today, my most sumptuous sweets

for when you want to enjoy
a truly special treat...

There's no denying
that this is indulgent.

But who says that you can't have
this occasionally?

..a lavish steamed pudding...

It's like some things
are just meant to be together.

And this is one of those.

..a zhooshed-up, syrup-doused
exotic pastry...

That is everything you want
in a dessert.

..and finally, my perfect pavlova.

Kind of does its own thing,
but it makes it look so beautiful.

# You know your smile, woman

# Treat me so darn, darn fine... #

First, I'm updating a true classic.

Cheesecake in any form is a winner.

And this delightful recipe
is completely foolproof

and a real crowd-pleaser.

My frozen no-cheese cheesecake
with zesty blueberry topping

is sure to turn any teatime
into a special occasion.

So, you've got baked cheesecake

and then you've got fridge
cheesecake.

But this...

The reason why I absolutely
love this is because

it's neither of the other two.
This is frozen.

This base is slightly unusual,

so I've got whole hazelnuts
and oats

and I'm just toasting these
really gently.

You know me - I like to change it up
a little bit.

Now you want to whizz the toasted
nuts and oats to a fine crumb.

I've used 160g of each.

OK.

Yes - there you go.

Add 185g of golden syrup
and a pinch of salt to balance it.

Plus 60ml of vegan-friendly
coconut oil in place of butter.

As if I don't already love
this recipe enough,

not only is it delicious,
it's also vegan.

And you've got to have a couple
of vegan recipes up your sleeve.

I'm just saying. I've been caught
short a couple of times.

Then tip your oaty mixture into a
greased and lined loose-bottom tin.

Take just a jar that's got
a really good kind of edge,

and then really press it...in.

The first time I ever made
Abdal a cake...

And we didn't really know each other
that well.

I said, "Shall I bake you a cake?"
And he said, "Yes, bake me a cake."

And what I didn't expect was that
he's going to eat the whole thing.

Like a full eight-inch - the lot.

He ate the lot. Nothing left for me.

And I have baked him a cake
every day ever since.

But he does also run seven miles
every day to eat cake.

I'll stick it in the freezer.

As this is a vegan bake, for the
filling, instead of cream cheese,

I'm going for something I always
have in my freezer - bananas.

Sometimes I buy too many bananas
and then I just have to end up

freezing them because there is only
so much banana bread a girl can eat.

So I've got seven bananas in here.

If you want to go super-sweet,

you can add two tablespoons
of golden syrup.

OK, stop!

See, it doesn't stop!
Golden syrup never stops.

It's a thing, seriously.

Told you.

For a chocolate hit, add a
tablespoon of cocoa powder

and a sprinkling of cinnamon
for spice.

And what we SHOULD get is
this delicious instant ice cream.

The difficult bit is not to eat it
straight out the processor.

Blitz until it's smooth,
and that's the filling done.

OK. Now I need to get my base,

and all I want to do is just
put the two together.

I'm going to pour my mixture
straight in.

And now straight into the freezer.

My frozen cake needs a topping,

so I'm doing a delicious
fruit compote.

You just need 250g
of any soft fruit you fancy.

I'm using blueberries...

..the zest and juice of a lemon...

..plus 100g of caster sugar,
and gently heat.

Got that vibrant blueberry colour.
It's just like a feast for the eyes.

I don't want to pop them all,
but I want to encourage a couple,

just so I can get them to bleed
into the sugar.

It's done.

And now for my "how to get a frozen
cheesecake out of the tin" hack.

Get a jar.

Any jar, as long as it's
really tall.

And then you just kind of gently
just coax it off.

Peel off the paper

and then just pop that
onto the plate.

I still get so excited about just
this last little bit.

Almost too pretty to cut into,
but that never stopped me.

Oh! Look at that.

There is only one thing to do now.

That's my slice,
and I am going to eat it.

My sumptuous banana cheesecake
with a crunchy, chocolaty bass

topped with a zesty
blueberry compote

delivers happiness
in every mouthful.

Mm!

There's something so perfect
about that frozen banana ice cream

meets the warm compote.

Just a party in my mouth.

And then there's the crust.

The chewy, oaty, nutty,
delicious crust.

This is everything a cheesecake
should be, and more.

Now I'm stepping up a baking gear,

taking a cherished family classic
and adding in a layer of luxury.

What can I say about jam roly-poly?

It's my husband's absolute
favourite - hands-down.

My indulgent roly-poly
with fluffy dough

and a perky fresh-fruit filling
is edible joy.

It's the kind of pudding that sticks
to the roof of your mouth.

And I like that kind of pudding.

As this is a steamed pudding, fill
the base with some boiling water.

It's going to create a lovely,
steamy atmosphere.

So whack that in there.

I've got the oven on at 160.

Onto the dough.

Rub 50g of butter into 250g of
self-raising flour,

and you're on your way to creating
a pretty perfect pudding.

There's a distinct difference
between dessert and pudding.

For me, I think pudding is when
you eat something with a spoon

and it's always covered in custard.

And the secret to this pudding's
moreish texture is suet.

I'm using 50g
of the vegetarian variety.

What happens is, when it sits there
and it steams,

those little bits of fat will melt

and create more steam
in your pudding,

making it just a little bit lighter.

For sweetness, just a tablespoon
of sugar

spiced with a teaspoon
of vanilla bean paste.

Make a well in your mixture
and pour in 150ml of milk,

before bringing the dough together
with a knife.

The trick here is not to work
the dough.

It's quite tempting to just
get in and knead.

But what we don't want to do is

we don't want to develop the gluten
in here.

Otherwise what you get is like
a weird, stretchy jam roly-poly.

And nobody needs
a stretchy jam roly-poly.

And roll it out into a rectangle.

So, traditionally, you just whack a
load of jam in there, roll it up.

But I'm going to use 100g
of fresh raspberries.

I just want to give it a bit of
a kind of lift.

I just gently crush the fruit
with a fork.

This is one of my favourite smells.

It hits you in the face.

I love that smell. So fresh.

Add a tablespoon of sugar and the
zest of an orange for a citrus hit.

Whenever Abdal goes into the kitchen
and finds something, he'll say,

"Turn it into a pudding, love."

That was my worst
northern accent ever!

I can do the numbers. I can do...

20, 30, 40.

I can do that quite well.
I can't do anything else.

And I'm just going to spread that
all across the poly.

And then gently, just roly our poly.

I've got some foil lined with baking
paper that I've greased at the top.

And you want to put it
seam-side down.

What we want is a little gap.

You want to leave that
tiny bit of room

cos it's going to steam and expand.

The water-filled tray has been
working its magic in the oven.

Look at all that steam!

Quickly, don't want to lose
any of that.

The roly-poly needs an hour
to steam and bake.

An indulgent pudding like this is a
great way to spoil someone special.

Let's get it out, let's get it out.

OK, time to open this thing up.

Look, look, look, look, look!

You can smell the raspberries

and you can definitely smell
the orange.

Can you see where it's steamed?

It's like the way the suet is melty
and it's like a little bit bready.

And a bit roly-poly.

A sprinkling of crunchy caster
sugar will contrast perfectly

with the super-soft pudding.

When I first made a jam roly-poly,
I asked my husband, "How big does

"this thing need to be?" And I gave
him the thinnest slice,

and he was disgusted! A big...

..chunk. Look at that!

Oh-h-h! You've got the lovely swirl
in the middle

and those raspberries
that we crushed in there

have turned into jam!

There's only one possible thing
you can have with this,

and it's good old-fashioned custard.

This kind of pudding is not
a table-and-chair type situation.

No, no, no.
You've got to put your feet up

and get yourself on the sofa,

cos that's exactly where I'm going.

And there it is, my jam roly-poly
filled with fresh raspberries,

wrapped in a comforting,
vanilla-scented blanket.

Just the thing for an extremely
indulgent night in.

# Suddenly I see
Suddenly I see

# This is what I want to be

# Suddenly I see
Suddenly I see

# Why the hell... #

I can see why Abdal loves this
so much.

Just the steamed soft pudding
and the raspberries

and then the hot custard,

just... It's like some things are
just meant to be together.

And this is one of those.
You need to snuggle up on the couch

with your big steaming bowl
of jam roly-poly and custard,

and not one husband in sight!

SHE CHUCKLES

All for me.

One of my favourite lavish
sweet treats has to be eclairs,

and some of the most scrumptious
I've seen are made

by award-winning French pastry chef
Joakim Prat.

When I'm baking, I don't see
the time any more.

I could spend the entire night
without sleeping, just baking

and just realise
it's 7:00 in the morning.

For me, it's not a job,
it's more like playing.

Joakim's love of choux pastry,

plus his wild imagination,
has seen him take the eclair

into uncharted territory.

The choux is like very, very old
and traditional French pastry,

but the thing is to make
more than a dessert.

You can really play with the shape,
you can play with the colours.

For the past five years,
his stunning edible creations

have been sold in a handful
of specialist eclair shops.

And his success starts
with perfecting the pastry.

So, I'm making the choux pastry
to make the eclair shell.

We've got the milk and the butter.

So we're going to bring
everything to the boil.

And as soon as it's boiling,
we put it in the machine.

I grew up with my big brother
and my mother, only the three of us.

My mother, she was working
really hard,

so everybody had to do something
in the house.

So me, I went in the kitchen
because, yeah, I like that.

So I got the eggs...

So we're going to pour it
very slowly.

If I pour it too fast, the dough is
going to lose its strength, so it's

going to be too soft, then
I won't be able to pipe the eclair.

So that's it.

I always wanted to work
in a kitchen,

playing, like, the scientist,
you know?

So, basically, when I'm piping,
you don't make any pressure

on the piping bag
because he's very liquid,

so if you push a bit too much, it's
going to be too big, the eclair.

Yeah, I started in the kitchen
when I was 15.

And two years later, I went
into pastry because it was more

technical and more impressive,
so I wanted to learn the pastry.

Then, as soon as I got into
the pastry,

I never came back in the kitchen!

So this is what we're looking for.

They're really smooth on top and
they're crispy as well.

I'm going to empty it properly in
order to put all the garnish inside.

So I've been executive pastry chef
in one- two-

and three-Michelin-star restaurants.

To become a good pastry chef,
I think you need to love

what you're doing and you need to be
really precise as well.

So, for the filling, I'm going to
stuff some roasted pistachios

to give some texture. What I like
the most is trying new recipes,

trying flavours, new techniques.

Joakim's experimentation has paid
off with this extravagant eclair.

He's created a pistachio praline
by first caramelising

and then blending the nuts.
So this is a raspberry compote here.

It's going to make the balance,
it's going to give some acidity.

This is a vanilla cream layer,
so it's like a creme patissiere.

This is one of my favourite
combinations, basically,

so I really love doing it.

You can express yourself, I think
you can be very, very creative

in the pastry and you have no
limit.

We just lighten it with some
whipped cream...

..berries...

..coriander cress...

I love using fruit and herbs
together, definitely.

I think it works very well.

And to finish, just going to put
the raspberry compote here,

so, inside of the raspberry.

So, that's it. Now they finish,

so I'm quite happy with them.

They look cute, nice and fresh.

It's really fun doing something
indulgent for me.

When I see other people
like my pastries,

it's maybe the most enjoyable
feelings that I can have.

I've never loved the look
of an eclair more.

Joakim's skill and creativity
are mind-blowing.

Whether you're a master patissier
or a humble home cook,

a passion for baking
is all you need.

Sometimes I want to make a dessert
that's guaranteed to impress,

and these Lebanese treats
are so beautiful, they blow my mind

every time I make them.

These exotic pastries
filled with fragrant orange cream

are drenched in a cardamom
and saffron syrup

crowned with crunchy pistachios.

I'm starting off
with a lot of cream.

I think all good desserts
should start or end

with a lot of cream.

I've got 1.2 litres to cook up
and reduce by half.

I went to a Middle Eastern
restaurant

and saw this on the dessert menu,

and so I made a little note
in my phone,

went home and I googled it,

and there I was at seven o'clock
in the morning on a Sunday

making it for breakfast.

When the cream's thickened,
add 120g of rice flour.

Any dessert where you're using rice,

it just feels so close
to some of the stuff I grew up with.

A lot of our sweet treats
are made with rice.

Turn the heat down and get whisking.

It should come away from the sides.

You know it's done,
and the rice is cooked.

I like my cream sweet and scented,

so in go 100g of caster sugar

plus the zest of an orange.

Just look at the colour
once you've got that zest in.

I love it.

While that cools, crack on with
creating the pastry parcels.

So, I've got some filo

and it's just
the pre-packeted stuff.

I didn't make it myself

and I am never going to try.

There is just no point.

Cut the filo sheets in half,

then spread them out.

I really like anything
that requires some repetition.

Whenever me and my sisters turn up
at our mum's house, she's like,

"Right, I need some samosas making,
please,"

and we'll have a natter
and we'll do this.

We have a production line
of pastry and filling,

and this is the kind of stuff
that I love to do.

For my parcel production line,
I'm just dolloping the orange cream

into the middle
of each pastry square.

Really easy to fold.

Literally just going to go over,

and what we want is these
little, neat, square parcels,

so just go over again...

..and then go over again.

Easy!

When they are all wrapped up,

brush the baking tray with ghee -
clarified butter.

Ghee is something that we grew up
eating a lot of,

especially on special occasions.

Brush a bit more on top
for crispness,

before popping in the oven.

While they bake, I'm going to make
a really delicious simple syrup

to go all over it,

so they soak up all that
deliciousness.

My scented syrup is so easy.

Just 200g of caster sugar
plus 200ml of liquid

using the orange I zested earlier
topped up with water.

Just give the sugar a little mix.

Just encourage it to dissolve.

Then, it's time to fancy it up...

So one of the first spices
I'm going to put in is cardamom.

This is like a total staple
in our house.

You have to have it.
These are good for sweet desserts,

but they're absolutely essential
in cooking Bangladeshi curries.

Take the black seeds
from three cardamom pods...

They are what's packed with flavour.

..and smash them up.

But I'm not done with spicing up
my syrup just yet.

Saffron - I love this stuff.

A little bit goes a really long way,

and when it hits
any sort of warm liquid,

it not only gives you
this delicious flavour,

this aroma, but it also makes it
this beautiful bright yellow.

Wow.

To add a final floral freshness,

a tiny splash
of orange blossom water.

It just enhances all of those
citrus flavours

and it works really well
with saffron.

Baking really is my happy place.

I can bake all day
and it never feels like a chore.

Ooooh, yes!

Oh, look at these.

That smell of the clarified butter
and the filo pastry,

just like, "Whoo!" - it hits you.

And that cream in the middle,

and bits of it have oozed out.

And now for the syrup...

That filo is now a magnet
for this syrup.

There's no denying that this
is indulgent, but who says

that you can't have this
occasionally?

Sometimes, when you want
something really sweet,

you want it to hit the spot,

and this is that dessert.

To give this Middle Eastern treat
an authentic topping,

I've got 50g of crushed pistachios
to sprinkle on top.

Look, look, look, look.

Oh! Look, look, look!

NADIYA LAUGHS

I won't hear a bad word

against syrupy desserts.

Let's get a bit more
of that syrup in.

These sticky, crispy and gooey
squares oozing orange and saffron

are definitely a decadent way
to end your day.

This is the best way to eat it,

when the kids aren't around.

Mm! Mm!

That is everything you want
in a dessert.

I love that syrup.

The filo has just crisped up
with the ghee,

but the filling is rich and creamy

and that zest, that hit of orange,

is just enough to balance
that syrupy sweet flavour.

This has got everything.

It's hard to improve on
the pudding with everything,

but I think my final bake
does exactly that.

It's a total knockout.

If I want to show off, a wonderful
pavlova always does the trick.

Now, they have a reputation
for being difficult to bake,

but with my simple tips,
you can't go wrong.

A crown of mallow meringue
filled with a cloud of cream

and laced with candied treats,

this dessert is the ultimate
in indulgent endings.

There's something about meringue
and cream that I absolutely love,

but traditionally a pavlova
would have lots of fruit on top,

like fresh soft fruit,
and what have I done?

I am encasing it and enveloping it

in delicious dried fruit,
mixed peel, nuts,

to give us that lovely
tutti-frutti colour

and a completely different texture.

My first secret to a successful
pavlova is prep.

Start by lining your baking tray
with greaseproof paper.

Got a 25cm cake tin
with a loose bottom,

but you could use a dinner plate
too.

Use a pencil to draw a circle
around the tin.

Then, very lightly,

grease my tray,
just to make the paper stick.

For a stress-free, mess-free
magnificent meringue,

you do need to follow a few rules.

Just grab a paper towel,
a bit of vinegar,

and give the inside of the bowl
a really good wipe,

because egg whites, meringues,

do not like grease.

To make my meringue,
I need four eggs,

and this is the bit
where you have to be careful.

You don't want to crack the egg yolk

cos the yolk is where you've got
all the fat.

Whisk the egg whites
till they're frothy.

OK, so that's it.

Now add 250g of caster sugar,

just a spoonful at a time.

What we're trying to create
is a light, airy, sweet meringue.

I want every sugar crystal
to be melted into the egg whites.

Last little bit of sugar...

Another tip of mine is to add
two teaspoons of cornflour

and one of white vinegar
to help stabilise the egg whites.

This just all helps to give us
that lovely, crisp outside

and chewy inside.

Plus, a teaspoon of vanilla extract
for a fragrant hit.

Right, last little whisk.

There's that moment right now
where it's starting

to look totally different.

You've got this glossy,
shiny, stiff peak,

and it looks like this -
you're perfect.

Do not be tempted to go any further.

Make my meringue a simple circle?

Oh, no... I'm going all out here.

I just kind of do these dollops
all around the edge

and then I'll just fill in
the middle.

Can you see, we've got that raised
edge,

but we've got a little dip
for the cream,

and then create some lovely peaks.

It kind of does its own thing,
but it makes it look so beautiful.

And we have our pavlova crown.

Gently slide the crown
into the oven.

After an hour, it's done,

but don't take it out.

So, I've switched the oven off and
I've just stuck a spoon in there,

just allowing the heat to come out,

and I'm just going to leave this
here till the pavlova

is completely cooled
and the oven is cold.

Now, I can crack on with the cream,

the basis of my
tutti-frutti topping.

This is the fun bit -
the tutti frutti.

See? Just say the word.
Say, "Tutti frutti."

Tutti frutti...

You want 350ml of double cream,

two tablespoons of icing sugar,

and a nifty little trick...

Add a tablespoon of cornflour, too.

This acts as a stabiliser.

So, this will stop our cream
from going a bit weird.

The cream just holds itself
a lot better.

Give it a whizz.

You want soft,

just billowy light cream.

So, keep an eye on it because,
in just seconds, it can turn.

That's it. That's perfect.
I'm not even going to stir it.

Now for the tutti-frutti
fabulousness.

When we were younger,

my mum would buy these packets
of tutti-frutti cakes

and they would be laced

with nuts and glace cherries.

That was my inspiration.

For colour, intense flavour
and crunch,

I've got 100g each
of chopped pistachios,

glace cherries and mixed peel.

They're sweet, they're tart, they're
tangy, they're zesty, they're nutty.

It's like all tutti frutti
in your mouth.

Now, what we're going to do
is mix it

and ripple all this loveliness
through.

Ha-ha! Look at that.

It's like a meringue-y,
egg white-y, pavlova crown.

If I didn't want to eat it,
I would wear it on my head.

Spoon on that tutti-frutti cream.

Pile it high!

But I'm not done yet.

More tutti frutti on top

and some chocolate curls.

Go mad.
Get someone else to do the cleaning.

Just look at that.

Isn't that just spectacular?

Dog Days Are Over
by Florence + The Machine.

My tutti frutti pavlova
is a total crowd-pleaser.

Crisp and light
marshmallow-y meringue

crowned with billowy cream,

but studded with fruit and nuts
and topped with chocolate.

Pure indulgence.

This is the bit I really like
cos you've got lovely, soft cream

but then it's the crunch...

SOFT CRUNCH

That.

There's no real neat way
of doing it,

although
I think I did quite a good job.

Look at that tutti-frutti goodness
and the light meringue.

Mmmm-mmmmm!

It works so well
with the kind of chewy cherries

and then the crunch from the nut.

It just hits the spot.

As much as I could eat this
all by myself,

which I could - don't test me! -

but, I know you guys,
I know you all want some.

Come on, Rob.

How can I socially distance
feed you?

Get stuck in.

Like a sweet cloud of tutti frutti.

Mmm.

Oh, my God! He's actually shy!

Oh, it's all soft in the middle.

Really good.

I told you it was a crowd-pleaser.

Next time,
my moreish savoury bakes,

a pie to end all pies...

Look at it, look at it!

..delicious tray-bake noodles...

This is when I really love my oven.

..and a taste of summer
on a plate...

Perfect to eat in the sun.