The Great Canadian Baking Show (2017–…): Season 2, Episode 6 - Chocolate Week - full transcript
It's the quarter finals, the five remaining bakers who are entering chocolate week, it a temperamental ingredient. The signature challenge has the bakers making multi-serving chocolate tarts in two hours. Chocolate must be the star of the tarts, and whatever other flavorings are added should complement the chocolate. The judges will be looking for properly tempered chocolate in whatever chocolate decorations are added. And if the bakers will be making a chocolate crust, they have to be careful in terms of baking time as the dark color of the ingredient itself can fool them in terms of doneness of the crust. For the technical challenge, the bakers will be staggered in their starting times by regular intervals as what they will be making should be served immediately out of the oven: a chocolate soufflé. They will have one hour and forty minutes apiece to complete the challenge. The soufflé should have the signature rise above the top rim of the dish, and the texture should be light and airy, and cooked just to the point where the batter is no longer liquidy. For the showstopper, they will have three and a half hours to make reimagined versions of a classic chocolate dessert: the black forest cake. It must have the traditional components of chocolate cake, cherries, whipped cream, multiple layers and kirsch, but be elevated from the traditional. They have to find that right balance of creativity and what Bruno and Rochelle will still be able to classify as a black forest cake.
Dan, did you know
that the scientific term for
cocoa tree translates directly
to "food of the Gods"?
I did not, no.
In 1947, hundreds of
Canadian children went on strike
because the price
of a chocolate bar
went from 5 cents to 8 cents.
All of that
makes sense to me.
And during
the Revolutionary War,
sometimes soldiers
were paid in chocolate.
Sorry, how
are you being paid?
What?
I need to call my agent.
They offered me
milk or dark.
Okay,
no need to rub it in.
I picked dark.
Last time, the bakers
pursued pastry perfection.
Would you like to
try some almond croissant?
Oh, wow, that was a bite.
Mmm!
Andrei's scrumptious
Showstopper won him the crown.
Did you ever
consider moving to Paris,
opening your own bakery?
No.
Maybe you should.
Others found
themselves in trouble...
Agh!
...and it was
Devon who had to say goodbye.
It's been incredible.
What an experience.
Now
the five remaining bakers
face off for Chocolate Week.
I can do this!
I'm so nervous
right now.
Ha!
What could be difficult?
Oh, my God,
I can't breathe anymore.
Who will survive
to claim their spot
in the semi-finals?
The glaze is perfect.
We're gonna
be fighting over it.
And who will
melt down under the pressure?
I think I burnt this.
Oh, my God...
Oh, God...
I feel like you're
just pushing the eggs
around the chocolate.
I know, Dan!
Quarterfinals.
It's getting
harder and harder,
'cause everyone's
really good at this point.
It's a lot.
Preparing for this
week I was finding chocolate
on my shirt,
and I was waking up, and,
"What is this on my pillow?
Oh, it's chocolate!
"How did it get there?"
I like all
kinds of chocolate.
Milk chocolate, dark chocolate,
chocolate with chili,
chocolate with salt,
chocolate with caramel.
Mmm, love it all.
Good morning, bakers,
and welcome to the
sweetest week of all.
Why?
Because chocolate.
Mmm, today you've
been asked to put your
signature style on a crisp
and tasty chocolate tart.
Now that's one tart per baker
so don't be making like
12 individual tarts just
so that I could have one,
'cause that would be crazy.
Well, not to worry, Dan,
because it just so happens
that these tarts have to be big
enough for multiple servings.
They can be any size
or shape you like
and you can use
any ingredient
as long as it
complements the chocolate.
Remember that
the chocolate decorations
must be tempered,
and chocolate must be the star.
You have two
hours on the clock.
On your marks...
Get set...
Bake.
I'm doing good.
Good, good, good.
I love this week.
Oh, yeah,
me too.
Chocolate...
Are you a chocolate fan?
Yeah, it runs
through my blood.
This is body by chocolate.
My first baby steps
in the chocolate world
were when I was 15 years old,
so I know what it takes to make
a good chocolate dessert,
and I think I might be
one of the hardest critics
of their work.
I feel like time
management is always important
in this tent.
Today is no exception
just because if the tart's,
like, ugly, like...
they're gonna
call you out on it.
When I think chocolate
tart, I expect a luscious,
velvety filling,
a beautifully crispy pastry,
and chocolate's the star.
This week is so important
because it's going to determine
who goes through
to the semifinals.
I think
it'll be a fun week.
My husband and kids
love chocolate
so I bake a lot with it.
First thing is the crust
cause it's gotta cool.
So this pastry is quite
crumbly so when you eat it,
it's like a melt in your mouth
kind of thing.
I don't want it
to be too tough.
I want it to be, you know,
a little bit crispy and flaky.
The crust is a dark
chocolate cookie crust.
Baking with cocoa powder,
it is a trick
because you have
to do it by time
because you can't see
when it is cooked.
Andrei's West Coast
inspired chocolate tart
will be decorated
with chocolate sails
to represent
his favourite hobby,
and filled with a
dark chocolate ganache.
I am flavouring
my ganache with passion fruit.
Okay.
In order to balance
the tartness
of the passion fruit,
I had to mix bitter
and milk chocolate together,
and I hope I got
the combination right.
Oh, shoot,
that was horrible.
Beautiful.
It's gonna be a perfect storm
of everything happening
all at once, I think, 'cause
it's a short amount of time
to do a lot of work.
Sachin's Chocolate
Mocha tart will be crowned
with a white
chocolate lotus flower
and filled with
mocha ganache
mixed with crunchy
feuilletine flakes.
What exactly
is feuilletine?
Very, very
fine crumbled wafer.
Oh, I could get into that.
You could.
You could get into it.
There you go.
Literally
could get in to it.
Let me just take
a little bit of this.
It's very
crisp and sugary and...
Mmm.
Why has no one
made that a cereal?
Probably a lot of cavities
in kids I would imagine.
Well, hey,
that's what I'm here for.
There we go.
Yeah, we're good.
We're good.
Oh, my God.
Oh, my God.
There you go.
It's in.
When I bake,
I trust my nose a lot
and my eyes a lot more
than timers.
I am
working on my ganache,
which is the next layer.
Chocolate ganache
is a smooth and velvety mixture
of heated heavy cream
and chocolate.
Simmer, please.
Once the cream
melts the chocolate,
flavours can be added.
So I'm making
a mocha ganache
with some milk chocolate.
It looks good.
Smells like chocolate.
It's creamy.
I'm just letting
the chocolate sit in the cream
for a little bit.
Okay, so we're
on track then?
We'll see.
I don't know.
I really hope
everything works out.
I do too.
I'm not laughing at you,
I'm laughing with you.
Mengling will be
drawing on her favourite
flavours to fill
her tart shell,
infusing her dark
chocolate ganache
and toffee layers
with Thai tea.
Oh, that's so good.
Thanks.
Do you like drinking tea?
Uh, I don't
really drink tea.
I just use tea in
my baking actually.
Oh, really?
Because I find
making tea, it's such a hassle.
You have to boil the water.
It's not really
your cup of tea?
Timothy is also
flavouring his chocolate tart
with tea.
So this is just
the cream for my ganache.
The tea flavour has to be there
because if I'm saying
there's gonna be Earl Grey
and there's no Earl Grey,
then they're
gonna call me out.
Timothy will add
Earl Grey tea leaves
to his chocolate ganache.
It will be housed in a
crispy chocolate tart shell,
and be topped with
a refreshing lemon curd.
Can I try
your lemon curd?
Is that good, Julia?
Oh, was that...
Just feel
like I'm pacing.
Six degrees away.
I am making espresso,
dark chocolate, orange,
salted caramel,
crunchy tart.
Megan's
multi-layered tart
will be topped with tempered
white and dark chocolate stars
and her family's
favourite
homemade crunchy
sponge toffee.
Look at it.
Jiggle, jiggle, jiggle.
You see that?
This is crazy.
It's cool, right?
The magic of baking.
30 minutes remain, bakers!
30 minutes remain.
Okay, let's
just check it.
Coming
out of the oven.
It looks okay.
I can see that it's firm
and crispy around the edges.
It seems a little
bit black on the edges.
I think I burnt this tart.
Can't serve a burnt tart.
I'm just
making my crust again.
I'm gonna have to
work very, very fast.
Temper time.
I find it really hard
to temper chocolate, period.
It's very sensitive
to the temperature in the room.
It's finicky.
I hope it's in temper.
Who knows?
God knows.
Just kidding, I should know.
I'm really
hoping that it will set.
The bakers
will have to work quickly
to create their
elaborate decorations
before the chocolate sets.
Running out of time.
These
are just my curls.
I have to let it set
to a point where if I curl it,
it won't like drip down.
Ugh...
I have a lot going on.
These will curl into
leaves for my lotus flower.
In Indian or Hindu
mythology, uh,
a lotus flower is representative
of one of our goddesses,
the goddess of
wealth and prosperity,
and so I thought, let's
bring her into the game too.
15 minutes
left on the clock.
Okay, well,
I'm behind, uh,
because I had to make
the crust a second time.
I'm not getting any sign
that it's solidifying yet.
Everything here seems to be
turning into a disaster.
Oh, my God, oh, my God.
Oh, my God.
I'm gonna be working
until the very last minute.
There's five minutes left.
Don't panic.
You can panic a bit.
Okay, I can do this.
This is baked.
Ooh, are these?
Yes, extra, take.
Yeah, that's working.
I'm shaking so much.
Oh, my God.
5 seconds.
5...
4...
3, 2, 1!
Time is up.
The time has come
to part with your tart.
Should we hug it out?
Yes.
I think we
should hug it out.
Oh!
I got a Dan hug!
Yeah.
Yay!
After a nail-biting
Signature bake,
the judges will now determine
whose chocolate tart
has hit the mark.
It's so elegant.
The height is beautiful theatre.
It's very well tempered.
Very good chocolate skills.
Thank you.
The tart shell's
really lovely and biscuity.
The chocolate compliments
the passion fruit
so beautifully.
Great combination.
Thank you, Andrei.
It looks very
clean and elegant.
The shell is a bit...
tough to cut.
Maybe a bit overcooked.
Okay.
So you have
nice layering.
It's just beautiful.
The pastry, the ganache
and the honeycomb,
it all just melted away in my
mouth and was really lovely.
Oh, good.
Okay.
It looks so pretty.
It's just so elegant.
There's a beautiful
snap on that.
The lotus petals
are perfectly tempered.
I see a nice bake.
Beautiful.
The ganache
has a burst of coffee.
It's delicious.
Chocolate is the star.
Thank you very much.
Wonderful.
It looks clean.
It's refreshing.
The chocolate
looks beautifully tempered,
with a lovely snap.
It's beautifully baked.
It's crispy
all the way through.
The Earl Grey is
not coming through.
It's way too subtle.
The lemon
and chocolate balance very well.
However, your chocolate
ganache is very firm
and your curd is very soft.
Okay.
Thank you.
It's very elegant.
Your piping skills
are exceptional.
Yes.
It's perfect.
Yay!
I love
the feathering in the glaze.
That is so aromatic.
You've used the tea
really well in that cream.
It's a very nice,
rich chocolate ganache.
I've got
in there quick.
You're eating all of it.
Look at this.
That's mine!
Oh, my gosh!
We're gonna be
fighting over it.
Excuse me.
Well done.
Thank you.
They liked my baby!
They liked my chocolate tart
baby!
So I'm really happy.
It's not like I had
a total bomb of a bake,
which I have in the past,
but I think I have
to do well to ensure
that I'll still be
here next week.
I'm so relieved.
No, really.
I was expecting disaster.
I feel pretty good now.
Alright, bakers,
we are one challenge
into Chocolate Week,
which means
it's time to get technical.
It also means
that Bruno and Rochelle,
we'll have to kindly ask
you to leave the tent.
Bye.
Because what you'll
be making is time-sensitive
and must be
served immediately,
we will be staggering
your starts.
So, Megan, Sachin,
Andrei, and Timothy,
if you could please
leave the tent.
Am I first?
Am I first?
What?
Oh, my God!
Oh, my God,
it's so spooky.
Bye.
I'm first?
Oh, no!
Mengling,
Bruno and Rochelle
would like you to make
a chocolate souffle.
No!
Yes, my love!
You have 1 hour
and 40 minutes.
Oh, my God.
Okay.
On your marks...
Get set...
Bake.
Bake, Mengling.
Okay.
Oh, my God.
Um...
Oh, my God.
What?
I have never made
a souffle before.
I'm in trouble.
I'm just gonna
read these instructions,
'cause this is a nightmare.
Yes, please.
"Make chocolate
pastry cream,
"make meringue, make souffle."
Uh-huh.
Would we call
them instructions,
or just someone telling
you to make a souffle
on a piece of paper?
Either way,
good luck.
So, Bruno, technical
challenge for chocolate week,
we're throwing them
a curveball with a souffle.
And remember
souffle creates
fears in bakers' minds.
We are looking
for four things--
the beautiful rise,
great chocolate flavour,
a smooth texture,
and a perfect incorporation
of the egg whites.
That's what really
gives us that light and creamy
maximum lift
that we're looking for.
It's silky.
It's soft.
So one of the
tricky things about souffle,
particularly
a chocolate souffle,
is knowing when it's ready.
It's gonna be such
an interesting challenge
for these bakers.
Sachin, the judges
would like you to bake
a chocolate souffle.
On your marks...
Get set...
Bake.
I don't even think
I like chocolate souffle.
I'm just going on my knowledge
of each individual item
that makes up a souffle
and putting it all together,
and, uh, fingers crossed
that it works out.
Trying
to remember how to make...
how to make pastry cream.
The chocolate
pastry cream is the essential
flavour component
of the souffle.
The bakers will have
to rely on their memory
to get the recipe right.
I don't
know what I'm doing.
Shoot.
Alright, Timothy,
Rochelle and Bruno
would like you to make
a chocolate souffle.
On your marks...
Get set...
Bake.
It says make
chocolate pastry cream.
I just don't know what to do
with the pastry cream.
At this point I have
to get this in the oven
so it has enough time to bake.
So I'm gonna
whip up my egg whites,
and then make a meringue.
Meringue gives
souffle its light, airy texture.
Whipping the egg whites
to soft peaks
allows the batter to continue
to rise in the oven.
Oh, God.
Megan...
Hi.
Your technical challenge
today is a chocolate souffle.
On your mark...
Get set...
Bake.
Yay,
souffle.
Um, I've never made one.
I've never eaten one either.
I'm like on
the verge of crying.
So, next, I'm just
gonna take these egg whites
and work them into
this pastry cream,
but what you don't want to do
is introduce them all at once.
What would that do?
It would deflate it,
so I'm taking just a little bit
and lightening the pastry cream.
Okay.
And then I'm going to
fold in the rest gently.
Shoot.
I'm so nervous
right now.
Oh, God,
this is gonna look horrible.
No.
Oh, God.
I feel like you're
just pushing the eggs
around the chocolate.
I know, Dan!
Do you mind if I watch you
for support in this process?
I need immense
emotional support right now.
Andrei,
you're our final baker.
You will be making
a chocolate souffle.
On your marks...
Get set...
Bake.
I've never
made chocolate souffle
ever in my entire life.
None of the individual steps
in making a chocolate souffle
is terribly difficult because
you just make pastry cream,
which is not
so difficult to make--
I make pastry cream
all the time--
and then you
beat egg whites,
and then you
fold them together
and you put them
in a souffle dish, so...
Ha!
What could be difficult?
I think it's good.
Alright...
What is the string for?
I have no idea.
The recipe didn't say.
Go into the oven.
That is so weird.
Do you know what
to do with the string?
I think you, like,
because this thing
wraps so high,
you actually have to create
a cage around your dish,
and you-- I think you might
tie it so it doesn't fall off.
I see.
That's what
the string is for.
My hands are
just so flipping shaky.
Okay.
I'm just gonna copy him.
I think I almost
failed Outdoor Ed
'cause I can't tie knots.
Oh, God.
I am not good at this.
Oh no.
This is how you do it,
I guess, sort of.
Okay.
Going in the oven.
If I messed up,
then it's too late.
Oh, it's
not gonna rise as much.
That's for sure.
How do we feel?
It is what it is.
In, two, three...
Out, two, three.
In just five minutes,
the judges will blind taste
the first baker's souffle.
Just
watching my souffle.
You don't wanna open it.
No, if I open it now
that's a death sentence
That's like
the cardinal...
The suspense
is killing me.
I'm really worried.
No, that looks so ugly.
Baker number one,
your time is up.
So we've
got a decent height,
although it's not
a symmetrical rise.
You can see
the edges are a bit dark.
Good flavour.
I mean, good amalgamation
of the egg white, but uh,
it's maybe a little overdone.
The fold was
a bit too vigorous,
which tends to make
the souffle a bit heavy.
A decent effort.
Baker number two,
your time is up.
The souffle
has good height.
Good flavours; however,
there is some egg white
that wasn't folded properly.
Yeah.
There's quite a few bits of
meringue we can see here.
And quite
crispy as well,
so you know it's been in
the oven a bit too long.
Yeah.
I think this baker
had some big issues.
Yeah.
We've got crack,
but there's no rise on that.
It's very heavy.
Very dense.
And you can see
the inside is quite dry.
It has a good flavour.
However, the texture
is a bit gummy.
Could have something
to do with how they treated
their egg whites.
Maybe a mistake
in the recipe?
Yeah, I think so.
Big problems.
Oh.
Beautiful texture.
Definitely a good
aeration into the mixture.
Looks much less
dense than the last one.
That's really
nice and light.
Great chocolate flavour.
I think that baker knew how
to fold the egg white properly.
There is a good
technique in the folding.
Great job overall.
Very good rise.
Looks like it might have come up
quite a bit in the middle
and wants to expand over,
but we can tell
they used the paper.
It has
a beautiful aeration.
Mm-hm.
It's very light.
Mm-hm.
Beautiful
incorporation of the egg whites.
Slightly overdone,
but otherwise excellent.
It has a great
chocolate flavour.
It does.
Overall, a very,
very good effort.
It's good.
Bruno and Rochelle
will now rank the souffles
from bottom to top.
In fifth place,
whose is this?
Timothy.
No rise, good flavour,
but the texture
was too dense.
Sorry.
And in fourth place?
Whose is this?
Sachin!
Rise was good,
but the egg white
was not homogeneously
incorporated.
In third place,
whose is this?
Mengling!
A good rise,
but a bit slanted.
In second place?
Andrei, this had
a beautiful rise.
Really soft and silky
in the centre.
Just a little bit
dark on the edges.
And in
first place, Megan.
Beautiful souffle,
great flavours, beautiful rise,
great texture.
Great job.
Thank you.
I feel good.
I'm glad they liked it.
That's my third
Technical I've won.
I've never even tasted
one of those things before.
My souffle
sank a lot.
"Deflated" is
an understatement.
All I have to do is pull off
a Showstopper that's flawless
and stunning.
Here we go.
So, five bakers remain,
and at this point,
it almost feels like
there's no middle anymore.
Definitely not.
So now that we're
going into Showstopper,
who do we think might be in
the running for Star Baker?
I think
it's anybody's game.
We have seen all of our bakers
put signatures and technicals
behind them and focus
on the job at hand.
I do know
the four semifinalists
will be creative,
ambitious, and innovative.
Those are some
big boxes to tick.
Alright, bakers,
welcome to the ultimate
in Chocolate Week challenges,
your Showstopper.
Now, like the reboot
of a beloved sitcom,
you will be reinventing
a classic:
the black forest cake.
A delight.
Mmm!
Now you'll need
to incorporate all
the traditional elements:
the multiple layers,
whipped cream,
cherries and chocolate,
but the judges are
looking for an update.
Something modern
and sophisticated.
And remember,
this is the Showstopper,
so make it high-def.
You have three
and a half hours.
On your marks...
Get set...
Bake.
Oh, it's pouring
rain outside.
It's like the type of day
you'd want to sit home
in front of the fireplace
with a good book...
but I'm here baking.
I don't think
I've been more excited
about any single Showstopper
than this one today.
I love black forest cake.
Dark chocolate, cherries,
cream, Kirsch...
I want these bakers to reimagine
the black forest cake
and to go where
nobody's gone before.
Ooh, shaky, shaky.
If your hands
aren't moving in the tent,
it feels like
something's wrong.
You should have five things
all going on at the same time.
So for us to be wowed,
we need to see
amazing creativity.
However, we still want
to taste the classic flavour
of a black forest cake.
Semifinal is huge.
There is only four
spots available.
The best bakers
will rise to the top.
A lot of pressure,
a lot of baking to come.
The bakers
will have to interpret
the black forest cake's
traditional flavours
of chocolate, whipped cream,
cherries and Kirsch
into their own
unique creation.
Black forest cake,
it's a fun one.
I always used to get in trouble
for stealing off the top
of all the cakes and not letting
anyone else have any.
I remember having one
that was for my birthday
just from the supermarket
when I was five, and, uh,
that's my impression
of black forest cake.
The first thing I've got
to do is I have to make a cake
and I have to
get in the oven.
Every baker
has their own technique
for the perfect
chocolate cake.
My secret is to use
really good quality
cocoa powder.
To me, a good
chocolate cake just has to have
good flavour,
moistness, chocolate.
Gotta get the chocolate.
Oh, my gosh,
my chocolate cake
is amazingly moist,
and it's 'cause I use
oil in it actually.
I am doing a chocolate
miso black forest cake.
I've always wanted
to bake with miso,
and I feel like miso
and chocolate and cherries
will work
really well together.
Mengling's
four-layer chocolate cake
will sit inside a pink
tempered chocolate collar
and features
mascarpone cream
and a sweet
miso caramel.
I wanna try
some of that sweet miso.
Yeah, you can.
Try it!
Would we call that sweet?
It's not
really sweet, it is salty,
but it is a lot less
salty than normal.
I was expecting
something sugary, and that...
No.
Thanks, Mengling.
Have you made
this cake before?
I've made this cake
before, so I feel at comfort.
So...
You know, traditionally,
whenever people have felt
super comfortable...
No, no, I...
...with a bake...
Hey, now.
...it's...
Hey, now!
Let's not go there.
I'm just saying.
You don't have it
till you have it.
You can't count your
chickens before they've hatched.
Sachin is designing
a black forest entremet,
covered in a marbled
mirror glaze.
Inside, layers of
cherry gelee,
chocolate cake,
and mousse,
are all drenched
in liqueur.
I even
used some Kirsch,
which I think is
very important in this.
Essential!
And I remember being
a kid eating black forest cake
back in the '80s and they
would load that bottom layer
with Kirsch and sugar water.
You could ring the...
Yes, it was so good!
...the
liquid out of it!
It was
the good old days.
I'm just getting
my cake batter in the pans
and in the oven.
Gotta get the cake baked before
you really do anything else.
Is there a time crunch?
Yes, there is a time crunch.
It's the name of the game.
Megan is creating
a giant version
of the black forest cake's
signature fruit--
a mirror-glazed cherry
that hides chocolate cake
and layers of cherries
and Kirsch cream.
Are you gonna cook
the cherries, or...?
No.
Raw?
No, raw.
I prefer them raw.
That was
a question, or...?
Um... I'm waiting to
get an answer off your face.
Are you testing me?
Alright, good luck, Megan.
Thank you very much.
See you later.
Good luck.
When I bang them, I'm
getting rid of any air bubbles
that might be in the cake.
Four of
the quarter-finalists
are staying true to the notion
of cake for their Showstoppers.
Goin' in.
But one baker
is going his own way.
So, I realized
for black forest cake
we couldn't put a twist on
any element of the cake itself,
so instead of doing
a chocolate cake,
I'm doing a chocolate
choux pastry.
I'm worried that there's gonna
be four cakes in the room
and then a choux pastry
bake, but, uh...
I'm kind of locked in here.
Timothy is doing
a play on a St. Honore,
swapping out the cake
for chocolate
and vanilla cream puffs.
It will be topped with
tempered chocolate,
cherries, and choux
pastry swans.
They look okay
so far, Rochelle?
I just
wanted to have a look.
Ah!
I can't say.
We'll give you the seal
of our approval a bit later.
Now, the bakers
move on to their fillings
for their
black forest creations.
Pittin' some cherries.
My pastry cream
is starting to happen.
I'm gonna give it
another hit.
Timothy is getting
tipsy today!
I am working on
my vanilla bean mousse.
So soft.
So I think it was
a little bit too warm,
so I'm just trying again.
Talk
black forest to us.
Okay,
so what I'm doing is
I'm kind of making
an entremet.
So I have layers of cake
and layers of mousse
and then covered
with a mirror glaze.
When
we cut into this,
it's going to be
pretty incredible.
Well, if you see
all the layers
and it doesn't fall apart!
Okay, well,
fingers crossed on that.
Yes.
Andrei's black forest
mousse cake featuring
chocolate and cherry
Kirsch mousse
will be covered
in dark chocolate
tree decorations,
and a white chocolate
mirror glaze.
What a day it is for us
that get to sample.
Mm-hm.
Well...
You guys have
a slightly harder job.
Yes.
Coming out.
Some of them
I piped a bit too flat.
Second choux
is in the oven.
My cakes
didn't rise at all.
I gotta do it again.
It'll be a close call,
but we'll make it work.
Bakers, better get those
cakes whipped into shape.
There is one hour left.
While Megan
races to re-bake her cake,
the other bakers cool theirs
and start on decorations.
These are little
citrus lace cookies.
These will be decorations
on top of my cake.
Keep your steady hand.
Yeah, my chocolate's
kind of setting on me here.
Ah, that looks good.
Oh, my God.
Oh, yes!
Perfect.
Thank you so much.
I really hope it's tempered.
If it's not,
then I don't know.
Hope you can
see the forest
for the trees, bakers.
You have 15 minutes left.
Mucho better.
Thank God.
I'm pretty sure
I'm ready for assembly.
Okay.
This one's
still a bit warm.
Oh, my God.
I need to stuff 12 of these.
This is quite stiff,
which is good for structure...
but I'm also very weak.
So I'm just filling
my second layer of choux.
Our tower has risen.
Oh!
There's still a lot to be done!
Yes.
There's five minutes left.
This is nerve-wracking.
Moment of truth.
Wow.
Oh, my God,
I can't breathe anymore.
Two minutes, bakers.
Holy panic mode.
My fingers
are in pain.
Oh, God,
I'm shaking so much.
Oh, geez.
The collar is falling apart.
Oh, my God.
5, 4, 3,
2, 1!
Time is up on your
black forest gateau, bakers.
Oh, Mengling,
gorgeous, hun.
Nobody look at
this side.
Oh, my God.
You know what it looks like?
It's a rustic
version on that side.
The
Showstopper is over,
and the judges will now take
a walk through the black forest
to determine the final four.
Andrei, if you could
bring your cake to the front.
It's an
amazing concept
because I can see
that it's cake in the forest.
The cake is
spectacular in its simplicity.
The glaze is perfect.
So it cuts very nicely
and you can see beautiful,
defined layers.
You got good flavour
with the cherry.
Okay.
It's clean,
it's refreshing.
Okay.
However, the sponge
is quite dry.
Dry.
Okay.
The chocolate
mousse is amazing.
It's a beautiful interpretation
of a black forest cake.
Thank you.
Well done.
This is a very ambitious
and creative interpretation
of a black forest cake.
Yes.
You've paid
homage to choux pastry
with the little swan.
Classic.
There's a void in the middle
of it that's distracting me.
I would've encouraged you to
fill the middle with something.
Yeah.
Let me check your
chocolate tempering skills.
Definitely well
tempered on the dark.
Very snappy.
So your choux paste...
Is empty.
Okay.
I must have missed it.
I'm so sorry, Rochelle.
So it's supposed
to look like that.
Yeah, 1 in 12
was an accident.
I am so sorry.
That is
really bad luck.
You got the beautiful
filling on that one.
It's a very generous
amount of cherry mousse.
However, I cannot
taste distinctively
a cherry flavour.
Okay.
Your chocolate
choux paste is a bit
flat on the bottom.
You don't have
a nice rounded shape
that we like to see
in a choux paste.
Right.
Thank you.
Thank you.
Great conceptual cake,
and I love the creativity
you put into the design.
Tempering's a bit underdone.
It's not very snappy.
It's very soft.
The chocolate cake
itself looks so incredible.
Your cake is dense,
but still very moist.
Now,
where's the miso part?
Um,
there's miso caramel,
and I also folded it
into the cream.
There's no marriage
between the cherry and the miso,
nor the chocolate
and the miso,
so it doesn't add
anything to the cake.
Ah, that's too bad.
But what does work
is your elegant presentation.
Thank you.
This glaze,
this two-tone mirror glaze,
it's so pretty.
It's very clean,
and it's very appealing
to the eyes.
So your glaze is
so thin and delicate.
Your cherry mousse
has good flavour.
Right balance of acidity,
cream, and sweetness.
Works well together.
It's a beautiful cake.
For an amateur baker,
you should be very proud.
Thank you.
It's so
bold and generous.
I love the way
you've used an airbrush
to create the different layers
of colour on the cherry.
There are a few
little air bubbles.
A little toothpick
can just pop them
and they'll just... disappear.
Okay.
Oh, my gosh.
It's so soft.
The cherry buttercream
is quite sweet.
However, the cream itself,
it's perfect,
and the chocolate cake
is just very delicious.
Great.
So, in here
you've got raw cherries.
It would be a little nicer
if you'd just cooked them down
a little bit just to
create more of a compote.
Okay, cool.
I will.
I'll try it for sure.
Yeah, well done.
Okay.
Okay, so really
ambitious challenge,
reinterpreting
a black forest cake.
Who really
impressed you today?
Sachin made a cake on
a very high professional level.
Megan also showed us
pretty impressive technique
with that air brush to create
this depth of colour.
You know, that's not something
that home bakers can do.
And for Andrei's cake,
just the fact it was a cake
surrounded by a forest...
Mm-hm.
...was just
a genius idea.
And the glaze, it's
almost like a snowfield.
Can we maybe talk
about who is struggling?
I believe Mengling
has a great conceptual idea.
However, the miso flavour
was a big distraction.
And Timothy,
he reimagined the black forest
with all the elements
in such a creative way,
but it didn't quite
come together.
So we are heading
into the semifinals;
you both have a very
tough decision.
We're kind of
still debating.
It's just
getting harder and harder.
Bakers, thank you all
for another amazing week
in the tent.
This week's Star Baker
started off
at the back of the pack,
but ended up
winning the race
with their truly
awe-inspiring reinvention
of the classic
black forest cake.
Congratulations...
Sachin.
You are this week's
Star Baker.
I knew it.
Oh, my gosh.
Ow!
Thank you.
Thank you,
thank you, thank you.
Now we wish you
all could stay,
but only four of you can
move forward to the semifinal.
The person we have to say
goodbye to, sadly today,
is...
Timothy.
Oh!
Sorry, Timothy.
It's all good.
Hate to see you go.
It's been really fun.
It's been really fun.
You're amazing.
Oh, I loved
having you here.
I have to wonder,
like, how many 19-year-olds
really can say that they've had
such an experience as this.
And for that,
I'm super grateful for.
Well done.
After week one,
I never thought
I'd make it
to quarter-finals,
so the fact that I'm here
shows that maybe, like,
I can start believing in myself
a bit more in everything I do.
I'm just really happy
with the run I had.
You should
be proud of you.
Timothy did so well
in the competition.
He was very ambitious,
extremely creative;
he took so many bold risks.
It was a very hard
decision to make.
Sachin
deserves Star Baker
for his Showstopper cake.
Hands down one of the most
incredible entremet cakes
I've ever seen.
Second time,
Star Baker.
I'm so happy.
This was just the way I
wanted to end chocolate week.
Semi-finals.
I'm super proud just
to make it this far.
I can't believe
I've made it this far.
Next time...
Oh, dear.
The bakers
practice their French
for semi-final week.
You
have honoured French Patisserie!
But they'll
have to take their skills
to the next level...
I didn't count.
I'm just putting them on
until I run out of crepes.
...and try not to
collapse under the pressure...
Miscalculation.
It clearly
has collapsed.
...to prove
they have the culinary chops
to earn a place
in the final.
This is a party
I would like to attend.
that the scientific term for
cocoa tree translates directly
to "food of the Gods"?
I did not, no.
In 1947, hundreds of
Canadian children went on strike
because the price
of a chocolate bar
went from 5 cents to 8 cents.
All of that
makes sense to me.
And during
the Revolutionary War,
sometimes soldiers
were paid in chocolate.
Sorry, how
are you being paid?
What?
I need to call my agent.
They offered me
milk or dark.
Okay,
no need to rub it in.
I picked dark.
Last time, the bakers
pursued pastry perfection.
Would you like to
try some almond croissant?
Oh, wow, that was a bite.
Mmm!
Andrei's scrumptious
Showstopper won him the crown.
Did you ever
consider moving to Paris,
opening your own bakery?
No.
Maybe you should.
Others found
themselves in trouble...
Agh!
...and it was
Devon who had to say goodbye.
It's been incredible.
What an experience.
Now
the five remaining bakers
face off for Chocolate Week.
I can do this!
I'm so nervous
right now.
Ha!
What could be difficult?
Oh, my God,
I can't breathe anymore.
Who will survive
to claim their spot
in the semi-finals?
The glaze is perfect.
We're gonna
be fighting over it.
And who will
melt down under the pressure?
I think I burnt this.
Oh, my God...
Oh, God...
I feel like you're
just pushing the eggs
around the chocolate.
I know, Dan!
Quarterfinals.
It's getting
harder and harder,
'cause everyone's
really good at this point.
It's a lot.
Preparing for this
week I was finding chocolate
on my shirt,
and I was waking up, and,
"What is this on my pillow?
Oh, it's chocolate!
"How did it get there?"
I like all
kinds of chocolate.
Milk chocolate, dark chocolate,
chocolate with chili,
chocolate with salt,
chocolate with caramel.
Mmm, love it all.
Good morning, bakers,
and welcome to the
sweetest week of all.
Why?
Because chocolate.
Mmm, today you've
been asked to put your
signature style on a crisp
and tasty chocolate tart.
Now that's one tart per baker
so don't be making like
12 individual tarts just
so that I could have one,
'cause that would be crazy.
Well, not to worry, Dan,
because it just so happens
that these tarts have to be big
enough for multiple servings.
They can be any size
or shape you like
and you can use
any ingredient
as long as it
complements the chocolate.
Remember that
the chocolate decorations
must be tempered,
and chocolate must be the star.
You have two
hours on the clock.
On your marks...
Get set...
Bake.
I'm doing good.
Good, good, good.
I love this week.
Oh, yeah,
me too.
Chocolate...
Are you a chocolate fan?
Yeah, it runs
through my blood.
This is body by chocolate.
My first baby steps
in the chocolate world
were when I was 15 years old,
so I know what it takes to make
a good chocolate dessert,
and I think I might be
one of the hardest critics
of their work.
I feel like time
management is always important
in this tent.
Today is no exception
just because if the tart's,
like, ugly, like...
they're gonna
call you out on it.
When I think chocolate
tart, I expect a luscious,
velvety filling,
a beautifully crispy pastry,
and chocolate's the star.
This week is so important
because it's going to determine
who goes through
to the semifinals.
I think
it'll be a fun week.
My husband and kids
love chocolate
so I bake a lot with it.
First thing is the crust
cause it's gotta cool.
So this pastry is quite
crumbly so when you eat it,
it's like a melt in your mouth
kind of thing.
I don't want it
to be too tough.
I want it to be, you know,
a little bit crispy and flaky.
The crust is a dark
chocolate cookie crust.
Baking with cocoa powder,
it is a trick
because you have
to do it by time
because you can't see
when it is cooked.
Andrei's West Coast
inspired chocolate tart
will be decorated
with chocolate sails
to represent
his favourite hobby,
and filled with a
dark chocolate ganache.
I am flavouring
my ganache with passion fruit.
Okay.
In order to balance
the tartness
of the passion fruit,
I had to mix bitter
and milk chocolate together,
and I hope I got
the combination right.
Oh, shoot,
that was horrible.
Beautiful.
It's gonna be a perfect storm
of everything happening
all at once, I think, 'cause
it's a short amount of time
to do a lot of work.
Sachin's Chocolate
Mocha tart will be crowned
with a white
chocolate lotus flower
and filled with
mocha ganache
mixed with crunchy
feuilletine flakes.
What exactly
is feuilletine?
Very, very
fine crumbled wafer.
Oh, I could get into that.
You could.
You could get into it.
There you go.
Literally
could get in to it.
Let me just take
a little bit of this.
It's very
crisp and sugary and...
Mmm.
Why has no one
made that a cereal?
Probably a lot of cavities
in kids I would imagine.
Well, hey,
that's what I'm here for.
There we go.
Yeah, we're good.
We're good.
Oh, my God.
Oh, my God.
There you go.
It's in.
When I bake,
I trust my nose a lot
and my eyes a lot more
than timers.
I am
working on my ganache,
which is the next layer.
Chocolate ganache
is a smooth and velvety mixture
of heated heavy cream
and chocolate.
Simmer, please.
Once the cream
melts the chocolate,
flavours can be added.
So I'm making
a mocha ganache
with some milk chocolate.
It looks good.
Smells like chocolate.
It's creamy.
I'm just letting
the chocolate sit in the cream
for a little bit.
Okay, so we're
on track then?
We'll see.
I don't know.
I really hope
everything works out.
I do too.
I'm not laughing at you,
I'm laughing with you.
Mengling will be
drawing on her favourite
flavours to fill
her tart shell,
infusing her dark
chocolate ganache
and toffee layers
with Thai tea.
Oh, that's so good.
Thanks.
Do you like drinking tea?
Uh, I don't
really drink tea.
I just use tea in
my baking actually.
Oh, really?
Because I find
making tea, it's such a hassle.
You have to boil the water.
It's not really
your cup of tea?
Timothy is also
flavouring his chocolate tart
with tea.
So this is just
the cream for my ganache.
The tea flavour has to be there
because if I'm saying
there's gonna be Earl Grey
and there's no Earl Grey,
then they're
gonna call me out.
Timothy will add
Earl Grey tea leaves
to his chocolate ganache.
It will be housed in a
crispy chocolate tart shell,
and be topped with
a refreshing lemon curd.
Can I try
your lemon curd?
Is that good, Julia?
Oh, was that...
Just feel
like I'm pacing.
Six degrees away.
I am making espresso,
dark chocolate, orange,
salted caramel,
crunchy tart.
Megan's
multi-layered tart
will be topped with tempered
white and dark chocolate stars
and her family's
favourite
homemade crunchy
sponge toffee.
Look at it.
Jiggle, jiggle, jiggle.
You see that?
This is crazy.
It's cool, right?
The magic of baking.
30 minutes remain, bakers!
30 minutes remain.
Okay, let's
just check it.
Coming
out of the oven.
It looks okay.
I can see that it's firm
and crispy around the edges.
It seems a little
bit black on the edges.
I think I burnt this tart.
Can't serve a burnt tart.
I'm just
making my crust again.
I'm gonna have to
work very, very fast.
Temper time.
I find it really hard
to temper chocolate, period.
It's very sensitive
to the temperature in the room.
It's finicky.
I hope it's in temper.
Who knows?
God knows.
Just kidding, I should know.
I'm really
hoping that it will set.
The bakers
will have to work quickly
to create their
elaborate decorations
before the chocolate sets.
Running out of time.
These
are just my curls.
I have to let it set
to a point where if I curl it,
it won't like drip down.
Ugh...
I have a lot going on.
These will curl into
leaves for my lotus flower.
In Indian or Hindu
mythology, uh,
a lotus flower is representative
of one of our goddesses,
the goddess of
wealth and prosperity,
and so I thought, let's
bring her into the game too.
15 minutes
left on the clock.
Okay, well,
I'm behind, uh,
because I had to make
the crust a second time.
I'm not getting any sign
that it's solidifying yet.
Everything here seems to be
turning into a disaster.
Oh, my God, oh, my God.
Oh, my God.
I'm gonna be working
until the very last minute.
There's five minutes left.
Don't panic.
You can panic a bit.
Okay, I can do this.
This is baked.
Ooh, are these?
Yes, extra, take.
Yeah, that's working.
I'm shaking so much.
Oh, my God.
5 seconds.
5...
4...
3, 2, 1!
Time is up.
The time has come
to part with your tart.
Should we hug it out?
Yes.
I think we
should hug it out.
Oh!
I got a Dan hug!
Yeah.
Yay!
After a nail-biting
Signature bake,
the judges will now determine
whose chocolate tart
has hit the mark.
It's so elegant.
The height is beautiful theatre.
It's very well tempered.
Very good chocolate skills.
Thank you.
The tart shell's
really lovely and biscuity.
The chocolate compliments
the passion fruit
so beautifully.
Great combination.
Thank you, Andrei.
It looks very
clean and elegant.
The shell is a bit...
tough to cut.
Maybe a bit overcooked.
Okay.
So you have
nice layering.
It's just beautiful.
The pastry, the ganache
and the honeycomb,
it all just melted away in my
mouth and was really lovely.
Oh, good.
Okay.
It looks so pretty.
It's just so elegant.
There's a beautiful
snap on that.
The lotus petals
are perfectly tempered.
I see a nice bake.
Beautiful.
The ganache
has a burst of coffee.
It's delicious.
Chocolate is the star.
Thank you very much.
Wonderful.
It looks clean.
It's refreshing.
The chocolate
looks beautifully tempered,
with a lovely snap.
It's beautifully baked.
It's crispy
all the way through.
The Earl Grey is
not coming through.
It's way too subtle.
The lemon
and chocolate balance very well.
However, your chocolate
ganache is very firm
and your curd is very soft.
Okay.
Thank you.
It's very elegant.
Your piping skills
are exceptional.
Yes.
It's perfect.
Yay!
I love
the feathering in the glaze.
That is so aromatic.
You've used the tea
really well in that cream.
It's a very nice,
rich chocolate ganache.
I've got
in there quick.
You're eating all of it.
Look at this.
That's mine!
Oh, my gosh!
We're gonna be
fighting over it.
Excuse me.
Well done.
Thank you.
They liked my baby!
They liked my chocolate tart
baby!
So I'm really happy.
It's not like I had
a total bomb of a bake,
which I have in the past,
but I think I have
to do well to ensure
that I'll still be
here next week.
I'm so relieved.
No, really.
I was expecting disaster.
I feel pretty good now.
Alright, bakers,
we are one challenge
into Chocolate Week,
which means
it's time to get technical.
It also means
that Bruno and Rochelle,
we'll have to kindly ask
you to leave the tent.
Bye.
Because what you'll
be making is time-sensitive
and must be
served immediately,
we will be staggering
your starts.
So, Megan, Sachin,
Andrei, and Timothy,
if you could please
leave the tent.
Am I first?
Am I first?
What?
Oh, my God!
Oh, my God,
it's so spooky.
Bye.
I'm first?
Oh, no!
Mengling,
Bruno and Rochelle
would like you to make
a chocolate souffle.
No!
Yes, my love!
You have 1 hour
and 40 minutes.
Oh, my God.
Okay.
On your marks...
Get set...
Bake.
Bake, Mengling.
Okay.
Oh, my God.
Um...
Oh, my God.
What?
I have never made
a souffle before.
I'm in trouble.
I'm just gonna
read these instructions,
'cause this is a nightmare.
Yes, please.
"Make chocolate
pastry cream,
"make meringue, make souffle."
Uh-huh.
Would we call
them instructions,
or just someone telling
you to make a souffle
on a piece of paper?
Either way,
good luck.
So, Bruno, technical
challenge for chocolate week,
we're throwing them
a curveball with a souffle.
And remember
souffle creates
fears in bakers' minds.
We are looking
for four things--
the beautiful rise,
great chocolate flavour,
a smooth texture,
and a perfect incorporation
of the egg whites.
That's what really
gives us that light and creamy
maximum lift
that we're looking for.
It's silky.
It's soft.
So one of the
tricky things about souffle,
particularly
a chocolate souffle,
is knowing when it's ready.
It's gonna be such
an interesting challenge
for these bakers.
Sachin, the judges
would like you to bake
a chocolate souffle.
On your marks...
Get set...
Bake.
I don't even think
I like chocolate souffle.
I'm just going on my knowledge
of each individual item
that makes up a souffle
and putting it all together,
and, uh, fingers crossed
that it works out.
Trying
to remember how to make...
how to make pastry cream.
The chocolate
pastry cream is the essential
flavour component
of the souffle.
The bakers will have
to rely on their memory
to get the recipe right.
I don't
know what I'm doing.
Shoot.
Alright, Timothy,
Rochelle and Bruno
would like you to make
a chocolate souffle.
On your marks...
Get set...
Bake.
It says make
chocolate pastry cream.
I just don't know what to do
with the pastry cream.
At this point I have
to get this in the oven
so it has enough time to bake.
So I'm gonna
whip up my egg whites,
and then make a meringue.
Meringue gives
souffle its light, airy texture.
Whipping the egg whites
to soft peaks
allows the batter to continue
to rise in the oven.
Oh, God.
Megan...
Hi.
Your technical challenge
today is a chocolate souffle.
On your mark...
Get set...
Bake.
Yay,
souffle.
Um, I've never made one.
I've never eaten one either.
I'm like on
the verge of crying.
So, next, I'm just
gonna take these egg whites
and work them into
this pastry cream,
but what you don't want to do
is introduce them all at once.
What would that do?
It would deflate it,
so I'm taking just a little bit
and lightening the pastry cream.
Okay.
And then I'm going to
fold in the rest gently.
Shoot.
I'm so nervous
right now.
Oh, God,
this is gonna look horrible.
No.
Oh, God.
I feel like you're
just pushing the eggs
around the chocolate.
I know, Dan!
Do you mind if I watch you
for support in this process?
I need immense
emotional support right now.
Andrei,
you're our final baker.
You will be making
a chocolate souffle.
On your marks...
Get set...
Bake.
I've never
made chocolate souffle
ever in my entire life.
None of the individual steps
in making a chocolate souffle
is terribly difficult because
you just make pastry cream,
which is not
so difficult to make--
I make pastry cream
all the time--
and then you
beat egg whites,
and then you
fold them together
and you put them
in a souffle dish, so...
Ha!
What could be difficult?
I think it's good.
Alright...
What is the string for?
I have no idea.
The recipe didn't say.
Go into the oven.
That is so weird.
Do you know what
to do with the string?
I think you, like,
because this thing
wraps so high,
you actually have to create
a cage around your dish,
and you-- I think you might
tie it so it doesn't fall off.
I see.
That's what
the string is for.
My hands are
just so flipping shaky.
Okay.
I'm just gonna copy him.
I think I almost
failed Outdoor Ed
'cause I can't tie knots.
Oh, God.
I am not good at this.
Oh no.
This is how you do it,
I guess, sort of.
Okay.
Going in the oven.
If I messed up,
then it's too late.
Oh, it's
not gonna rise as much.
That's for sure.
How do we feel?
It is what it is.
In, two, three...
Out, two, three.
In just five minutes,
the judges will blind taste
the first baker's souffle.
Just
watching my souffle.
You don't wanna open it.
No, if I open it now
that's a death sentence
That's like
the cardinal...
The suspense
is killing me.
I'm really worried.
No, that looks so ugly.
Baker number one,
your time is up.
So we've
got a decent height,
although it's not
a symmetrical rise.
You can see
the edges are a bit dark.
Good flavour.
I mean, good amalgamation
of the egg white, but uh,
it's maybe a little overdone.
The fold was
a bit too vigorous,
which tends to make
the souffle a bit heavy.
A decent effort.
Baker number two,
your time is up.
The souffle
has good height.
Good flavours; however,
there is some egg white
that wasn't folded properly.
Yeah.
There's quite a few bits of
meringue we can see here.
And quite
crispy as well,
so you know it's been in
the oven a bit too long.
Yeah.
I think this baker
had some big issues.
Yeah.
We've got crack,
but there's no rise on that.
It's very heavy.
Very dense.
And you can see
the inside is quite dry.
It has a good flavour.
However, the texture
is a bit gummy.
Could have something
to do with how they treated
their egg whites.
Maybe a mistake
in the recipe?
Yeah, I think so.
Big problems.
Oh.
Beautiful texture.
Definitely a good
aeration into the mixture.
Looks much less
dense than the last one.
That's really
nice and light.
Great chocolate flavour.
I think that baker knew how
to fold the egg white properly.
There is a good
technique in the folding.
Great job overall.
Very good rise.
Looks like it might have come up
quite a bit in the middle
and wants to expand over,
but we can tell
they used the paper.
It has
a beautiful aeration.
Mm-hm.
It's very light.
Mm-hm.
Beautiful
incorporation of the egg whites.
Slightly overdone,
but otherwise excellent.
It has a great
chocolate flavour.
It does.
Overall, a very,
very good effort.
It's good.
Bruno and Rochelle
will now rank the souffles
from bottom to top.
In fifth place,
whose is this?
Timothy.
No rise, good flavour,
but the texture
was too dense.
Sorry.
And in fourth place?
Whose is this?
Sachin!
Rise was good,
but the egg white
was not homogeneously
incorporated.
In third place,
whose is this?
Mengling!
A good rise,
but a bit slanted.
In second place?
Andrei, this had
a beautiful rise.
Really soft and silky
in the centre.
Just a little bit
dark on the edges.
And in
first place, Megan.
Beautiful souffle,
great flavours, beautiful rise,
great texture.
Great job.
Thank you.
I feel good.
I'm glad they liked it.
That's my third
Technical I've won.
I've never even tasted
one of those things before.
My souffle
sank a lot.
"Deflated" is
an understatement.
All I have to do is pull off
a Showstopper that's flawless
and stunning.
Here we go.
So, five bakers remain,
and at this point,
it almost feels like
there's no middle anymore.
Definitely not.
So now that we're
going into Showstopper,
who do we think might be in
the running for Star Baker?
I think
it's anybody's game.
We have seen all of our bakers
put signatures and technicals
behind them and focus
on the job at hand.
I do know
the four semifinalists
will be creative,
ambitious, and innovative.
Those are some
big boxes to tick.
Alright, bakers,
welcome to the ultimate
in Chocolate Week challenges,
your Showstopper.
Now, like the reboot
of a beloved sitcom,
you will be reinventing
a classic:
the black forest cake.
A delight.
Mmm!
Now you'll need
to incorporate all
the traditional elements:
the multiple layers,
whipped cream,
cherries and chocolate,
but the judges are
looking for an update.
Something modern
and sophisticated.
And remember,
this is the Showstopper,
so make it high-def.
You have three
and a half hours.
On your marks...
Get set...
Bake.
Oh, it's pouring
rain outside.
It's like the type of day
you'd want to sit home
in front of the fireplace
with a good book...
but I'm here baking.
I don't think
I've been more excited
about any single Showstopper
than this one today.
I love black forest cake.
Dark chocolate, cherries,
cream, Kirsch...
I want these bakers to reimagine
the black forest cake
and to go where
nobody's gone before.
Ooh, shaky, shaky.
If your hands
aren't moving in the tent,
it feels like
something's wrong.
You should have five things
all going on at the same time.
So for us to be wowed,
we need to see
amazing creativity.
However, we still want
to taste the classic flavour
of a black forest cake.
Semifinal is huge.
There is only four
spots available.
The best bakers
will rise to the top.
A lot of pressure,
a lot of baking to come.
The bakers
will have to interpret
the black forest cake's
traditional flavours
of chocolate, whipped cream,
cherries and Kirsch
into their own
unique creation.
Black forest cake,
it's a fun one.
I always used to get in trouble
for stealing off the top
of all the cakes and not letting
anyone else have any.
I remember having one
that was for my birthday
just from the supermarket
when I was five, and, uh,
that's my impression
of black forest cake.
The first thing I've got
to do is I have to make a cake
and I have to
get in the oven.
Every baker
has their own technique
for the perfect
chocolate cake.
My secret is to use
really good quality
cocoa powder.
To me, a good
chocolate cake just has to have
good flavour,
moistness, chocolate.
Gotta get the chocolate.
Oh, my gosh,
my chocolate cake
is amazingly moist,
and it's 'cause I use
oil in it actually.
I am doing a chocolate
miso black forest cake.
I've always wanted
to bake with miso,
and I feel like miso
and chocolate and cherries
will work
really well together.
Mengling's
four-layer chocolate cake
will sit inside a pink
tempered chocolate collar
and features
mascarpone cream
and a sweet
miso caramel.
I wanna try
some of that sweet miso.
Yeah, you can.
Try it!
Would we call that sweet?
It's not
really sweet, it is salty,
but it is a lot less
salty than normal.
I was expecting
something sugary, and that...
No.
Thanks, Mengling.
Have you made
this cake before?
I've made this cake
before, so I feel at comfort.
So...
You know, traditionally,
whenever people have felt
super comfortable...
No, no, I...
...with a bake...
Hey, now.
...it's...
Hey, now!
Let's not go there.
I'm just saying.
You don't have it
till you have it.
You can't count your
chickens before they've hatched.
Sachin is designing
a black forest entremet,
covered in a marbled
mirror glaze.
Inside, layers of
cherry gelee,
chocolate cake,
and mousse,
are all drenched
in liqueur.
I even
used some Kirsch,
which I think is
very important in this.
Essential!
And I remember being
a kid eating black forest cake
back in the '80s and they
would load that bottom layer
with Kirsch and sugar water.
You could ring the...
Yes, it was so good!
...the
liquid out of it!
It was
the good old days.
I'm just getting
my cake batter in the pans
and in the oven.
Gotta get the cake baked before
you really do anything else.
Is there a time crunch?
Yes, there is a time crunch.
It's the name of the game.
Megan is creating
a giant version
of the black forest cake's
signature fruit--
a mirror-glazed cherry
that hides chocolate cake
and layers of cherries
and Kirsch cream.
Are you gonna cook
the cherries, or...?
No.
Raw?
No, raw.
I prefer them raw.
That was
a question, or...?
Um... I'm waiting to
get an answer off your face.
Are you testing me?
Alright, good luck, Megan.
Thank you very much.
See you later.
Good luck.
When I bang them, I'm
getting rid of any air bubbles
that might be in the cake.
Four of
the quarter-finalists
are staying true to the notion
of cake for their Showstoppers.
Goin' in.
But one baker
is going his own way.
So, I realized
for black forest cake
we couldn't put a twist on
any element of the cake itself,
so instead of doing
a chocolate cake,
I'm doing a chocolate
choux pastry.
I'm worried that there's gonna
be four cakes in the room
and then a choux pastry
bake, but, uh...
I'm kind of locked in here.
Timothy is doing
a play on a St. Honore,
swapping out the cake
for chocolate
and vanilla cream puffs.
It will be topped with
tempered chocolate,
cherries, and choux
pastry swans.
They look okay
so far, Rochelle?
I just
wanted to have a look.
Ah!
I can't say.
We'll give you the seal
of our approval a bit later.
Now, the bakers
move on to their fillings
for their
black forest creations.
Pittin' some cherries.
My pastry cream
is starting to happen.
I'm gonna give it
another hit.
Timothy is getting
tipsy today!
I am working on
my vanilla bean mousse.
So soft.
So I think it was
a little bit too warm,
so I'm just trying again.
Talk
black forest to us.
Okay,
so what I'm doing is
I'm kind of making
an entremet.
So I have layers of cake
and layers of mousse
and then covered
with a mirror glaze.
When
we cut into this,
it's going to be
pretty incredible.
Well, if you see
all the layers
and it doesn't fall apart!
Okay, well,
fingers crossed on that.
Yes.
Andrei's black forest
mousse cake featuring
chocolate and cherry
Kirsch mousse
will be covered
in dark chocolate
tree decorations,
and a white chocolate
mirror glaze.
What a day it is for us
that get to sample.
Mm-hm.
Well...
You guys have
a slightly harder job.
Yes.
Coming out.
Some of them
I piped a bit too flat.
Second choux
is in the oven.
My cakes
didn't rise at all.
I gotta do it again.
It'll be a close call,
but we'll make it work.
Bakers, better get those
cakes whipped into shape.
There is one hour left.
While Megan
races to re-bake her cake,
the other bakers cool theirs
and start on decorations.
These are little
citrus lace cookies.
These will be decorations
on top of my cake.
Keep your steady hand.
Yeah, my chocolate's
kind of setting on me here.
Ah, that looks good.
Oh, my God.
Oh, yes!
Perfect.
Thank you so much.
I really hope it's tempered.
If it's not,
then I don't know.
Hope you can
see the forest
for the trees, bakers.
You have 15 minutes left.
Mucho better.
Thank God.
I'm pretty sure
I'm ready for assembly.
Okay.
This one's
still a bit warm.
Oh, my God.
I need to stuff 12 of these.
This is quite stiff,
which is good for structure...
but I'm also very weak.
So I'm just filling
my second layer of choux.
Our tower has risen.
Oh!
There's still a lot to be done!
Yes.
There's five minutes left.
This is nerve-wracking.
Moment of truth.
Wow.
Oh, my God,
I can't breathe anymore.
Two minutes, bakers.
Holy panic mode.
My fingers
are in pain.
Oh, God,
I'm shaking so much.
Oh, geez.
The collar is falling apart.
Oh, my God.
5, 4, 3,
2, 1!
Time is up on your
black forest gateau, bakers.
Oh, Mengling,
gorgeous, hun.
Nobody look at
this side.
Oh, my God.
You know what it looks like?
It's a rustic
version on that side.
The
Showstopper is over,
and the judges will now take
a walk through the black forest
to determine the final four.
Andrei, if you could
bring your cake to the front.
It's an
amazing concept
because I can see
that it's cake in the forest.
The cake is
spectacular in its simplicity.
The glaze is perfect.
So it cuts very nicely
and you can see beautiful,
defined layers.
You got good flavour
with the cherry.
Okay.
It's clean,
it's refreshing.
Okay.
However, the sponge
is quite dry.
Dry.
Okay.
The chocolate
mousse is amazing.
It's a beautiful interpretation
of a black forest cake.
Thank you.
Well done.
This is a very ambitious
and creative interpretation
of a black forest cake.
Yes.
You've paid
homage to choux pastry
with the little swan.
Classic.
There's a void in the middle
of it that's distracting me.
I would've encouraged you to
fill the middle with something.
Yeah.
Let me check your
chocolate tempering skills.
Definitely well
tempered on the dark.
Very snappy.
So your choux paste...
Is empty.
Okay.
I must have missed it.
I'm so sorry, Rochelle.
So it's supposed
to look like that.
Yeah, 1 in 12
was an accident.
I am so sorry.
That is
really bad luck.
You got the beautiful
filling on that one.
It's a very generous
amount of cherry mousse.
However, I cannot
taste distinctively
a cherry flavour.
Okay.
Your chocolate
choux paste is a bit
flat on the bottom.
You don't have
a nice rounded shape
that we like to see
in a choux paste.
Right.
Thank you.
Thank you.
Great conceptual cake,
and I love the creativity
you put into the design.
Tempering's a bit underdone.
It's not very snappy.
It's very soft.
The chocolate cake
itself looks so incredible.
Your cake is dense,
but still very moist.
Now,
where's the miso part?
Um,
there's miso caramel,
and I also folded it
into the cream.
There's no marriage
between the cherry and the miso,
nor the chocolate
and the miso,
so it doesn't add
anything to the cake.
Ah, that's too bad.
But what does work
is your elegant presentation.
Thank you.
This glaze,
this two-tone mirror glaze,
it's so pretty.
It's very clean,
and it's very appealing
to the eyes.
So your glaze is
so thin and delicate.
Your cherry mousse
has good flavour.
Right balance of acidity,
cream, and sweetness.
Works well together.
It's a beautiful cake.
For an amateur baker,
you should be very proud.
Thank you.
It's so
bold and generous.
I love the way
you've used an airbrush
to create the different layers
of colour on the cherry.
There are a few
little air bubbles.
A little toothpick
can just pop them
and they'll just... disappear.
Okay.
Oh, my gosh.
It's so soft.
The cherry buttercream
is quite sweet.
However, the cream itself,
it's perfect,
and the chocolate cake
is just very delicious.
Great.
So, in here
you've got raw cherries.
It would be a little nicer
if you'd just cooked them down
a little bit just to
create more of a compote.
Okay, cool.
I will.
I'll try it for sure.
Yeah, well done.
Okay.
Okay, so really
ambitious challenge,
reinterpreting
a black forest cake.
Who really
impressed you today?
Sachin made a cake on
a very high professional level.
Megan also showed us
pretty impressive technique
with that air brush to create
this depth of colour.
You know, that's not something
that home bakers can do.
And for Andrei's cake,
just the fact it was a cake
surrounded by a forest...
Mm-hm.
...was just
a genius idea.
And the glaze, it's
almost like a snowfield.
Can we maybe talk
about who is struggling?
I believe Mengling
has a great conceptual idea.
However, the miso flavour
was a big distraction.
And Timothy,
he reimagined the black forest
with all the elements
in such a creative way,
but it didn't quite
come together.
So we are heading
into the semifinals;
you both have a very
tough decision.
We're kind of
still debating.
It's just
getting harder and harder.
Bakers, thank you all
for another amazing week
in the tent.
This week's Star Baker
started off
at the back of the pack,
but ended up
winning the race
with their truly
awe-inspiring reinvention
of the classic
black forest cake.
Congratulations...
Sachin.
You are this week's
Star Baker.
I knew it.
Oh, my gosh.
Ow!
Thank you.
Thank you,
thank you, thank you.
Now we wish you
all could stay,
but only four of you can
move forward to the semifinal.
The person we have to say
goodbye to, sadly today,
is...
Timothy.
Oh!
Sorry, Timothy.
It's all good.
Hate to see you go.
It's been really fun.
It's been really fun.
You're amazing.
Oh, I loved
having you here.
I have to wonder,
like, how many 19-year-olds
really can say that they've had
such an experience as this.
And for that,
I'm super grateful for.
Well done.
After week one,
I never thought
I'd make it
to quarter-finals,
so the fact that I'm here
shows that maybe, like,
I can start believing in myself
a bit more in everything I do.
I'm just really happy
with the run I had.
You should
be proud of you.
Timothy did so well
in the competition.
He was very ambitious,
extremely creative;
he took so many bold risks.
It was a very hard
decision to make.
Sachin
deserves Star Baker
for his Showstopper cake.
Hands down one of the most
incredible entremet cakes
I've ever seen.
Second time,
Star Baker.
I'm so happy.
This was just the way I
wanted to end chocolate week.
Semi-finals.
I'm super proud just
to make it this far.
I can't believe
I've made it this far.
Next time...
Oh, dear.
The bakers
practice their French
for semi-final week.
You
have honoured French Patisserie!
But they'll
have to take their skills
to the next level...
I didn't count.
I'm just putting them on
until I run out of crepes.
...and try not to
collapse under the pressure...
Miscalculation.
It clearly
has collapsed.
...to prove
they have the culinary chops
to earn a place
in the final.
This is a party
I would like to attend.