Original subtitles

Last time... PARTY BLOWER TOOTS

...it was Free-From Week. Not done a vegan cake before.

And while Mo got the party started...

I wouldn't know that's gluten-free. Oh, wow.

...Gabe's chocolate cake...

It's perfect. ...stole the show...

Gabe.

...bagging his first Star Baker crown.

I can't believe it. Ah!

Connie's calamities... Damn.

...put her in danger... It's very claggy.

...but it was Gary...

That's terrifying. Don't want mine to end up like that.

...who was late to the party...

You obviously got into time trouble. Yeah.

...and left the tent.

I just didn't expect to get this far.

ALISON: This time it's a caramel quarterfinal...

Mm! That is a dentist's nightmare, innit?

...with a traditional treacle signature...

I just hope I don't get a soggy bottom.

...an extravagant technical...

One day, you're going to be a millionaire. Fingers crossed!

...and a stunning nougatine show stopper.

Oh, come on. Whose caramel will carry them to the semifinal?

Buzzing. And who will crack...

GABE YELLS

Just breathe, Connie.

...under the pressure?

Oh, dear.

It's Caramel Week. It's week eight.

We are officially quarterfinalists. You know what?

This is a moment that we're never going to forget.

I can't believe we're here.

I cannot believe I'm in the quarterfinals of

The Great British Bake Off. Wild.

This has been the best experience of my life and meeting you guys.

Get a grip. LAUGHTER

It's a little bit of a pinch me moment.

Oh, my gosh.

I'm the last girl standing and also,

I'm doing it for us over-60s - bringing it.

To be doing it with a little Star Baker in tow,

I feel quite smug actually. I'm like, "Ha-ha!

"What do you mean? Yeah, quarterfinalist. Here we go."

Love ya. Love you too. Ah!

Still no Star Baker yet. Honestly, I don't really,

I don't really mind, cos I kind of would like not to get Star Baker

and then win the whole thing. Literally... Everyone's going to be

like, shocked. Like, "Where did this guy come from?"

Hello, lovely bakers. Welcome back to the tent.

It is Caramel Week

and a chance to dance in the glow of sugary goodness.

Now, for your Signature Challenge,

the judges would love you

to make a beautifully decorated treacle tart.

Your tart must be made with a short buttery pastry.

And because it's Caramel Week, the judges would like you

to make a golden syrup from scratch.

They would also like your tart

to be served with a tasty accompaniment.

Noel. Yeah? If I was a tart,

would I be your tasty accompaniment?

You can't be the tart and the tasty accompaniment.

You're one or the other. Noel, am I your tasty?

LAUGHTER

You have two and a half hours.

On your marks... ..get set... ...bake!

I made a treacle tart with my nan when I was a kid

and I didn't really like it, so I didn't make it again.

I had no idea what it was.

It's like breadcrumbs with golden syrup. It's very ghetto.

Treacle tart is one

of those quintessential British desserts.

That sweet, luscious, nubbly filling exerts a sort of nostalgic pull.

We are in the quarterfinal now. We want the bakers

to really show off what they know about caramel.

Golden syrup traditionally is used to make treacle tart,

but we're asking the bakers to make their own.

No-one's ever made golden syrup before.

I've never made golden syrup before. You just buy it from the shop.

You start off as if you were making any sort of caramel,

sugar in a pan with a bit of water,

but it's very important you have the patience

to let it go a deep amber.

Too pale, it won't taste good. Take it too far,

it'll be too bitter. You've got to find that balance.

Of course, treacle tart needs beautifully baked buttery pastry,

but if it's underbaked, we run into soggy bottom territory.

If you have a soggy bottom, they ain't going to be happy, are they?

They've got to make an accompaniment.

Now, obviously ice cream, compote, ganache - it could be anything,

but you've got to be careful with your flavours.

The rich sweetness needs to be offset

to be properly enjoyed.

It's not just a question of taste.

It's a question of showcasing

the treacle tart in all its splendour.

Morning, Connie. Hi, Connie. Morning. Hi, Connie. Hey.

So, Connie, tell us all about your treacle tart.

I'm going down the traditional root, school dinners. Yeah.

Nothing wrong with that at all.

I'm not doing any... Anything fancy.

...jazz up. There'll be some nice vanilla custard.

Lumpy custard then? It's going to have so many lumps in it,

you're going to go, "Connie, what's wrong with you?"

NOEL: With a place in the semifinal at stake,

Connie's adding a dash of decadence

to her traditional tart,

with double cream in her treacle filling

and extra butter in her pastry, which she'll also use

to create an intricate decorative top.

If I can pull it off the way that I did it at home...

Was it good? Oh, my God. Really?

Myke was hammering that down like... In heaven. Oh. I can't wait.

Good luck. Thank you.

While Connie sticks to the classic...

I'm hoping that the judges won't think, "She's playing it safe,"

but my God, we're in the quarterfinals.

I ain't going to risk it!

...Mo's feeling fruity.

I'm doing apple crumble treacle tart. I'm using a Pink Lady apple,

but then, Google said that you're meant to use Granny Smith

for cooking. So, I was like, "Why not do both?"

As well as adding a layer of apple compote, Mo will serve

a side of rich brown butter pecan ice cream in

an attempt to bring his treacle tart screaming into the 21st century.

I just thought it was like some old people thing.

NOEL LAUGHS An old person's dessert.

We don't need breadcrumbs and golden syrup.

Breadcrumbs and golden syrup.

What's Nana got left in the cupboard?

Yeah, it's just medieval food, like.

NOEL CHUCKLES

Mo might be risking a twist on tradition,

but Tom's ripping up the rule book completely.

I'm making peanut butter and jam treacle tart.

I am quite a connoisseur of a peanut butter and jam sandwich.

It's like one of my obsessions.

My favourite to go with it is a cherry conserve.

You get a full, like, little cherry in your sandwich - gorge!

Served with a tangy cream cheese vanilla ice cream,

Tom's recreation of his top sarnie

will see him spread sour cherry jam on top of his sweet pastry case,

before topping with a treacle filling

packed full of nutty flavour.

It's going to be peanut butter

and peanuts folded into the treacle tart mixture.

You love your peanut butter, don't you? I love peanut butter.

Yeah, it's my favourite.

OK, so the texture of the peanut in the treacle as well. Mm-hm.

Are you using whole peanuts or are you chopping them or...?

Blitzed. Interesting.

Yeah. OK.

Well, I'm looking forward to it. Good luck, Tom. Thank you.

Good luck, my darling.

Thank you. I think they're intrigued.

That's what we want. We want to keep them intrigued.

CONNIE: This is my golden syrup.

This has got to go a nice amber colour.

The treacle tart's key ingredient, golden syrup,

is a test of concentration and patience.

If you mess up on your golden syrup,

then you've got to start again really, ain't ya?

I did practice. My first attempt,

it ended up setting like a really hard caramel.

My mum was just like, "What the hell have you done?"

And I was like, "I can't clean this. Can you clean it?"

And it has just crystallised. So, let's start again.

And now it's bubbling away, I can concentrate on my pastry.

I just want it to all come together.

I don't want to overwork it because if you overwork it,

then you, uh, have a really tough pastry.

So, it's going to be like a sweet shortcrust.

I kept it really simple with this one cos I felt like

it's the signature, you don't need to do anything crazy.

Just, flour, butter, icing sugar, a little salt and a vanilla bean.

And it's also Paul and Mary Berry's recipe, so it's good.

Moyin's sticky toffee-style treacle tart is packed full of dates,

black treacle and orange zest.

And with his sights set on the semifinal,

it's not just the magic of Mary Berry he's channelling.

It's going to be like Harry Potter-themed, cos

Harry Potter's favourite dessert is treacle tart.

I've cast a spell that I'm going to win Star Baker

from Paul and Nigella.

Pastry's looking good, it's a nice texture.

Nigella and Paul are expecting thin, beautifully baked pastry.

Oh, it's looking good.

But a treacle tart presents a challenge.

There's a lot of liquid that can soak into pastry

and make it soft and gummy. So, we're not aiming for that.

Can't afford a soggy bottom.

ALISON: To ensure their pastry case is crisp...

Put all of these in here.

...blind baking is essential.

Going in. 15 minutes. Start.

GABE: It's bake time, baby.

Oh, look how clean you are! Who have you become?

Are you like a Star Baker?

It's, it's almost like I've got a STAR!

Um... I'm so happy for you. Thanks. Me too. Honestly.

How does it change your life being a Star Baker?

How has this week changed for you?

Well, my week has changed mainly that we've had loads of noise

complaints from my neighbours, cos I keep just screaming about it.

What just keep going...? They're just like, "Gabe! Please!"

NOEL: Looking to build on last week's success,

Gabe's going all-out with flavour.

He'll serve stem ginger ice cream alongside his treacle tart,

packed full of zesty orange and almond.

NIGELLA: What form does the almond take?

Um, so I've got ground almonds going in and then a little bit

of almond extract as well, just to bump the flavour.

And how much extract are you putting in?

Half a tablespoon. Uh, half a teaspoon rather.

I was going to say. I was going to say, "Wow. Punchy."

You've got lots going on. Yeah, yeah. When haven't you?

Yeah, truly. Good luck, Gabe. Thank you very much. Good luck.

I think they're a bit hesitant about the almond,

but I think it's a delicious take,

so I'm not going to let any sort of like outside influence bother me.

Bakers, you are halfway through.

Blind bake should be done. I think it's looking good.

It's doing what it's supposed to do.

It's got another four minutes.

Shape's a bit off. She's looking perfect.

Bit brown but I suppose that's what we want, in't it?

Going to give it an egg wash.

This is a Paul Hollywood trick.

It creates a barrier that denies liquid entry.

This is the bouncer for the pastry club. "Sorry, mate,

"if you ain't got your ID, you ain't coming in."

Popping it back in for five.

Ten minutes. And it should be good.

Making the filling for the tart now.

These are dates for the sticky toffee pudding flavour.

I'm going to blend it with some orange juice.

However the bakers flavour their fillings...

I've got my almond extract. Into the lovely caramelly deliciousness.

...not only will Nigella and Paul expect perfect golden syrup...

I don't really do a lot of research into what to look for.

I just watched two TikToks.

...the filling's trademark texture must be on the money too.

And that comes from the addition of breadcrumbs.

I'm just going to break up my stale bread.

It's better to use fresh bread. Don't know why,

but that's what the recipe said.

I think it needs to be STALE bread.

All of that deliciousness soaks into the bread.

But Tom's taking the texture of his filling

somewhere no treacle tart has been before.

I'm like a naughty child, aren't I? That's my peanuts blitzed.

Nice and toasty.

Deep roasted.

I like that.

I think it's nice just to get a bit of texture in there.

The judges are going to go nuts for my nuts.

The pastry is baked, so now I'm just going to add the filling.

It's going in.

This is sort of looking about right to be honest.

This is how treacle tarts looked when I was growing up.

Yeah, I'm happy with that.

So, that's going in the oven. This is the final bake now,

so I'm going to put it on for half an hour.

Bake that at 150 for 40 minutes.

25 minutes to 30 minutes.

I just hope I don't get a soggy bottom.

Lovely. Bakers, you've got half an hour to finish your treacle tarts.

Is that all? They are lovely bakers, aren't they?

They are lovely bakers. All of them.

You're a lovely host.

With their tarts in the oven... I think it's looking good.

...the bakers can make a start on decorations...

You just cut the pastry out.

And then you bake it separately and put it on top?

It's pretty, isn't it? Gosh, I might have to get one.

Meanwhile, we're making our ice cream.

...and their tasty accompaniments.

Ice cream, ice cream.

I've got whole milk, double cream, bit of cream cheese.

It's not too sweet. Anybody can do it at home.

These are my pecans. When I was like,

13 or 14, I went to a restaurant

and they had brown butter pecan ice cream on the menu

and I fell in love with it.

And 14-year-old me just threw everything into a pot

and I figured it out. You know what,

if they don't like the tart, they should like the ice cream.

These are my decorations. It's going to have like a lightning bolt,

after the famous wizard. What are these? Are they peanuts?

They are peanuts! I know, I went to art school.

I can recognise a peanut shape... Oh, yeah, you're an artiste.

...when one's put in front of my eyes.

While Moyin and Connie's pastry decorations join their tarts in

the oven, Gabe's still making his.

The filling's going to bake

for about 20 minutes, which is ideal cos

the pastry's going to take about the same.

As Gabe's tart hits the heat...

I've got to do the decorative element.

...Mo's making a hasty exit.

I'm doing a very last-minute panic decoration of apples on a crumble.

I've got some milk and some cream. Making ice cream.

You literally just blend it

and get it straight into the ice cream machine. Gorgeous.

Bakers, you have 15 minutes left.

It's me. Bakers, you've got 15 minutes left.

So, I've just put my tart into the oven. Ooh!

It's my decorations but I definitely burnt some of them,

so I'll make some more.

Ice cream's looking good. Ooh! Look at that.

I love stem ginger, but when I used it in the bread and butter pudding,

Paul said, "A bit overpowering."

So, I've just got to be conscious about not doing too much.

Right. Let me start on my custard.

I've got to ask you, you haven't got a Star Baker yet. Not yet.

But you don't need Star Baker to win the show that's the thing.

Very true. So, you've been watching the show, ain't ya?

Yeah, I have.

Come on, baby. Thicken up for me.

Ice cream looks banging. Great stuff! Need to demould this.

Bakers, this is it, you've got one minute.

Connie, can you help me quickly?

My God! Oh! I've got it, I've got it, I've got it.

Cherries. It's just for decoration purposes.

Thank you. Crisis averted.

Exactly the consistency I was hoping for.

It's a bit anaemic. I feel like it should be more colourful.

Moyin. Yes. Can you just come and grab the bottom bit?

I can't get my bottom off.

Oh, there's a bit in the middle.

It's the bit... Yes.

Maybe leave it on.

Probably going to be soggy underneath.

Give a nice clean scoop for the judges.

Bakers, your time is up.

Please step away from your treacle tarts.

I can't get the bottom off but...

Yeah, I'm happy with that. Happy, happy, happy, happy, happy.

I feel like the decoration could've been better.

Well done.

Mm! Thank you for helping me. It's OK.

Sorry I couldn't get it off. Listen, they got a treacle tart.

The bakers' treacle tarts now face the judgment of Nigella and Paul.

Gabe. Hello. Hello, Gabe.

Do you know? I love it.

It has a kind of harvest festival feel about it.

Right. I've got almond and orange treacle tart.

With a stem ginger ice cream.

With the ice cream,

I quite like it. I mean, there's a lot going on.

Breaking news! There's a lot going on here. Ah!

I just think the almond is probably a little bit too strong.

I would question whether you needed the extract in there at all.

There's a bit of chew missing.

You want to hear your dentist saying, "No!"

As you can feel it sticking onto your back teeth.

Maybe if it had teeny bit longer... Yeah.

...it would've got that slight balance in textures. OK.

That cut out looks like a rather fabulous double knuckle-duster.

Yes, yeah!

Only think about Nigella wearing a knuckle-duster now.

THEY LAUGH

Let's have a look.

Thank you very much.

Oh, it's set. Thank you, Jesus.

So, that bit goes here. Oh, yeah. There you go.

Let's hope she likes it. Absolutely.

We have a soggy bottom. I know!

Do you want me to give you a soggy top as well

with custard? Yes, please. Yeah.

That is what I expect a treacle tart to be like.

However, because it's raw underneath...

Oh, don't. ..it makes it soft all the way through... Yeah.

...which is a real shame. Yeah.

Scrape a bit of the filling

and put it on a bit of the knuckle-duster.

That's what you were going for.

Yeah, yeah. Mm! I think overall it's a nice flavour. Just watch the bake.

Yes.

I rather love that. Pastry looks bronzed.

I like the decoration as well.

My treacle tart is peanut butter

and cherry jam with soft serve vanilla ice cream.

Was it soft serve on purpose?

Yeah. I wanted it to be a bit like a McFlurry.

If I didn't know the name of the challenge,

I don't know that I would know there was meant to be

a treacle tart in there somewhere. OK.

But I love it. The peanuts are really punchy

and then the cherry jam as well. It has created something unique

and with the ice cream,

it's a very pleasurable thing that to eat. Well done, Tom. Very good.

Stunning. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you.

There's a lot going on, isn't there? Yeah. It's busy.

Let's see what it's like inside.

My treacle tart is an apple crumble inspired tart.

And then, the ice cream is brown butter pecan ice cream.

Very thin pastry, but I'd have given that a little bit longer.

You've got apple sitting on top

of that, which will automatically make it a little bit soggy.

So you can afford to take that further with the colour. Yeah.

The apple crumble treacle tart hybrid actually works very well.

Your ice cream, you can feel the fat on your lips, which is

a good indicator it's a nice ice cream. But it is very, very sweet.

If you'd had a bit of cooking apple with the eating apples...

Yeah, blending them together to give a bit of tang. Yeah.

But overall, it's a nice-looking treacle tart

and it's unusual. Well done, Mo.

Really good flavours. Thank you.

I thought that was Aladdin Sane. Bowie. David Bowie.

A reference. I don't even know what that is. David Bowie. Oh, OK.

It looks very neat. Thank you.

It's a nice, strong, bold colour. Looks a bit like you, Paul.

More like me!

This is my sticky toffee treacle tart

with vanilla creme fraiche ice cream and a sticky toffee sauce.

It's a good bake on that.

It's a really nice pastry and I really like how short it is.

It's Mary Berry's recipe,

the one that you and her did, like, years ago.

What am I going to say then?

I like the flavours. Mm-hm.

This ice cream is perfect with it.

Even though it may be Mary Berry and Paul's recipe...

Love child. But what I mean is, is that you deserve...

Well done, son!

You deserve credit for baking it beautifully.

I'm feeling quite emotional. Yeah. Thank you. I can't believe

you didn't give your own... Thank you. ..your own child a handshake.

I'm happy. That went well.

I feel like they just liked the whole combination

of everything together, and it worked.

Paul said that my bake was pleasurable. Who says that?

I'm really proud of the ice cream. So, for Paul to like it,

14-year-old me had, was onto something.

Forever doing the most, that's my issue.

I'm always doing the absolute most.

Trust Connie to get a soggy bottom.

So, I'm focusing on the technical.

I hope when that gingham cloth comes off,

I will look at it and I will be able to go,

"Oh, actually, I can do something with this."

Whilst the bakers could plan their treacle tarts...

It doesn't look like a lot of stuff, does it?

...their next challenge is a gingham-clad mystery.

Welcome back to the tent, bakers, for your Technical Challenge,

and this one has been set by the smoothest man of all.

In fact, smoother than caramel. It's Mr Paul Hollywood.

Paul, you got any words of wisdom?

This is all about the settings on every single layer.

What a silky, sexy, caramel voice.

So, as always, this challenge is judged blind. So, unfortunately,

Nigella and Paul, you've got to leave. See you, pals!

So, for your Technical Challenge, the judges would love you

to make a beautiful millionaire's shortbread.

The judges will be looking for buttery shortbread.

Topped with a salted caramel

and finished off with marbled chocolate.

In the world of millionaires, time is money.

How much money do the bakers have?

They've got one hour and a half.

That's about 35 euros. On your marks...

...get set... ..bake!

This recipe...

Do you know what? I expect a little bit of something.

Give us a temperature for the caramel.

We have to set each layer - bake it, chill it.

I don't know if that's possible.

We haven't got enough time. Well...

I don't think we have enough time. But whatever. I will try.

Millionaire's shortbread. I mean, a true classic.

Yours obviously are very beautiful.

It is a classic. You have a shortbread base,

you have a caramel and then you have the chocolate top.

In an hour and a half, they're going to be pushed.

Get the shortbread done, bake it for about 20, 25 minutes.

A good bake to give you that snap.

What I love about shortbread,

and what I love about this, it's melting... Mm, yeah. ..and tender.

That caramel for me is perfect. Amber is not enough.

Halfway between amber and hazelnut.

Yes, because if they don't take it that far, it'll never set. Hmm.

And obviously, the Nigella saltiness in there as well,

which highlights the caramel. Beautiful.

Where do you think they're most likely to go wrong?

The chilling process is going to be critical.

The last thing we want is melted chocolate all over

the place, the caramel not set.

I know it's warm today but the fridge is their friend.

Yeah. You're all heart, aren't you?

So, I'm going to make

the shortbread cos that's going to have to bake and then cool.

It's three parts flour to two parts butter to one part sugar.

So, I'm doing a creaming method.

And then, I'm just going to add the flour in.

I'm just going to rub it.

But you don't want to mix it too much or it's going to be tough.

Like, now I would go in with my hands.

When you use your hands, you can just be gentler.

So, I've made my shortbread

and I'm literally just going to like press it straight in.

Millionaire's shortbread.

That could be a nickname for you, couldn't it? Yeah, I mean... God!

One day you're going to be a millionaire.

Fingers crossed! Fingers crossed! And you're my little shortbread.

Yeah. Who you calling short?! THEY LAUGH

I want to get it as flat as I can. I want neat slices,

that are all the same thickness.

Shortbread went well in Biscuit Week. I did get a star,

so, really, my biscuits should be good, shouldn't it? Going in.

I don't really know how long to bake it for.

I feel like shortbread is quite hard

because it's meant to be pale usually.

Oven at 160. So, I'm going to start with 17 minutes.

I think it'll be longer cos it's quite thick.

So, you've got to bake that

and then you've got to make the caramel.

I think I'm going to do a dry caramel method

because there's no water quantities in the recipe.

So, I've got the sugar on a medium heat.

I'm just trying to melt this all down without crystallising,

so it's just about being patient, which is something

I am notoriously bad at.

You can't move it around cos if you move it around,

it'll do horrible things.

Oh, Lord.

She's burnt her sugar.

I just need another saucepan now.

Let me just wash it off.

Oh, no, but you're going to solidify it now. Oh, God.

ALISON LAUGHS

Are you not supposed to do that?

No. No.

Hold on. OK!

I've got this.

Alison and Connie cooking in the kitchen.

Don't worry about a thing.

I just want to get these last bits of sugar dissolved.

And then I'm going to drop in the butter,

and then I'm going to add in the cream.

I don't know if that's how it's supposed to look.

What I'm worried about is the salt.

Cos they've not given us how much salt they want in it.

I don't want it to kill it.

One time I made salted caramel for, like, one of my family friends.

I think it tasted just fine.

They tasted it and said, "Are you trying to kill me?"

So I've got to be careful.

I did, like, half a teaspoon

and we're going to taste it once it's a bit more cool.

TIMER BEEPS Ooh! I can't even see anything.

I mean, it looks like a shortbread, don't it?

I think it's baked.

Oh, my day.

I just saw you without your glasses on. You did.

It was like seeing Clark Kent. Can I see it again?

Oh, my gosh!

It completely changes you, doesn't it? Does it actually?

I'm going to say we should chill the biscuit for a bit

before we pour the caramel in.

Do I wait or do I just go for it?

Paul said it's all about the setting, so I'm going to give it...

Even if it's just like five minutes in the freezer.

Bakers, you're halfway through.

Oh, my Lord.

With their shortbread cooling,

the bakers can turn their attention back to caramel.

I'm not sure how long we're supposed to do it for. Doesn't say.

My brain is telling me, "Let it cook and it'll thicken."

The caramel must be cooked to 112 degrees Celsius.

Just remembered we've got one of these.

Look, Tom's got his thermometer in.

Anything less and it won't set.

But I didn't realise the thermometer has, like, tips.

Now, do we want a soft crack or a soft ball?

You can kind of see. The caramel has, like...

It shapes up into, like, a ball.

So hopefully, when you slice it, it holds.

Right. I'm going to pour this on now cos it needs to go in the fridge.

Look at that! Nice, dark caramel.

That's the colour of Paul's skin when he came back from holidays.

Terracotta.

Noel, we've got to show you something.

Oh, my God. Doesn't he look amazing?

It's like a different person. Go on, you put 'em on.

This is Moyin's world. For some reason... They look good on her,

don't they? Oh, yeah, they look good on you.

For some reason, I don't know why it's making me do this,

but I want to run.

You'd better get back here with them glasses!

Oh, my God! That was 9.6!

Should I, should I chase her?

BANGING My lovely bakers...

Do you want to make a bit more noise while I...

IN BRUMMIE ACCENT: Lovely bakers, you've got half an hour left.

With their caramel cooling...

Fingers crossed it sets. I'm going to start chocolates.

...the bakers can begin the final layer.

And they want a marbling pattern. Not my first rodeo.

I melted the majority of the chocolate,

but I left some out, cos I was like, "Oh, if I leave some out,

"I can add cold stuff to hot stuff to reduce

"the temperature quickly so it should temper."

I hate tempering chocolate. It's different tempers for, like,

every single kind of chocolate,

so these are not going to do it the same way.

This is, like, knowledge that's like in the back cabinets of my head.

That's the dark chocolate all done. How many minutes we got?

You have 15 minutes left.

Before the bakers can add the final chocolate layer,

the caramel needs to have set.

The actual shortbread itself is still warm,

so the caramel's not really going to set.

Too soft, and they risk the layers mixing into one another.

It wouldn't be much of a Caramel Week if you smush out

the caramel, right?

Freeze!

I heard someone say freeze spray.

Trying to freeze this, cos this thing does not want to freeze.

My caramel's set, so I am going to pour this on.

Nigella and Paul are expecting

a thin layer of beautifully marbled chocolate that cracks when cut.

I feel like the amount of chocolate in the recipe wasn't enough,

so I've melted a bit extra.

But the more the bakers add, the longer it'll take to set.

So, they want marble. Mixy, swirly, get around.

This is called shoving it on.

I'm just going to do lines and get, like, a skewer

and just start going crazy with it.

No method to the madness.

Look at me, I am Jackson Pollock.

Now, I'm just going to try and get it as cold as possible,

and I'm going to slice it at the last second.

Bakers, you've got five minutes left.

Urgh!

It's really soft!

Come on, do your thing.

It's not going to set in time.

Mine is literally liquid. I can't cut that.

Oh, my gosh. No, no, no.

I've got no choice, got to cut.

Yeah, that's not set.

Bakers, one minute left.

One minute? Sorry, dance break.

Oh, come on, mate. Come on, you've got this.

Oh, my gosh.

It's just going to have to do.

Do you know what? I'll put my nice ones from

the corners at the front of the plate.

That is atrocious.

I'm struggling to get 'em on this plate, you know.

You just can't see the layers.

We need to step it up in the Showstopper tomorrow.

Bakers, your time is up.

Please bring your millionaire shortbread

and place them behind your photos.

That looks amazing. Thank you. I'm going to have to fight you.

Oh, Lordy, Lordy.

At least we got something on the plate. Yay! Yay! Ha-ha!

It's time to judge the bakers' millionaire shortbreads.

NOEL: OK, it's time to welcome our lovely judges back into the tent.

NIGELLA: Oh.

Nigella and Paul are looking

for equal layers of buttery shortbread

and salted caramel,

topped with a thin layer of marbled chocolate.

OK, let's look at this puddle. Wow.

I can't see any caramel in that at all.

No, I can't.

Unless the chocolate's mixed with an unset caramel.

I think it has got caramel on, or... Mm, it has.

...or stock syrup or something. Mm.

I mean, the flavours are good.

Minus the caramel. Yes. And the biscuit's baked. Yeah.

Moving on to number two.

Same issue.

Although there is some caramel in that.

Look at you - Mr Positive all of a sudden.

A very chewy biscuit but that's probably because they're

so short, it's mixed with the caramel.

Yes, it's quite odd because the caramel is chewy.

But it looks disastrous with that chocolate on the top.

They've really struggled.

OK, moving on to number three.

Beautiful marbling. You can see the caramel layer.

Yes. You can see the biscuit layer and the top.

A thin layer of chocolate.

And it is holding.

That cuts very neatly.

I'm sorry, I'm going to have to go in whole.

But the biscuit is short but it needed a little bit

longer in the oven. Mm. It's too soft.

Moving on. Again, you can see the layer of caramel vividly.

Yeah. And it is holding.

It's very soft shortbread.

Very claggy. Yeah. You can hear in my voice.

I can. That's one way to shut me up.

It's made the caramel sandy cos it's that short, it needed longer.

I know. OK, moving on.

These look set. They do.

Nicely equal amounts of caramel to biscuit.

Yeah. Cuts well.

Hmm.

Biscuit's not baked enough. I know.

It should be short... No. ...but it should be baked.

And it has the makings of a really wonderful shortbread there.

Hmm, everything's in the right place.

NOEL: Paul and Nigella will now rank the millionaire shortbreads

from worst to first.

OK, in fifth spot we have this one. Whose is this?

Mo, disaster. Didn't find any caramel.

Chocolate was a mess. Timing was all out.

Although your biscuit wasn't too bad.

This is number four, whose is this?

Connie, it's a timing issue.

The biscuit not bad, though.

In third spot we have this one.

Gabe. Actually, you had all the elements there

but it was very sandy.

Second place, whose is this?

Moyin, really that shortbread needed a lot longer in the oven.

But you still came second. I did.

And in first place, Tom.

Not bad, but the biscuit needed longer in the oven.

But you did have all the elements and the actual

overall look was nice.

But you still came first.

You wouldn't know it from that review, would you?

THEY LAUGH

But it's not quite as bad as bread week.

Mad, the best of the bunch.

Again! I mean, I was surprised to come first

because when they actually tried mine,

there were things that were off.

I feel like I am getting closer and closer which is the good thing.

So, I just have to make sure I smash the Showstopper tomorrow

and who knows, I might get Star Baker this time,

knock Tom off the spot.

I'm not surprised that I came last.

Yeah, it was just a puddle.

That was a bit of a car crash.

It's all to play for. I don't think I'm out of it

but in order to survive for next week, no room for error.

I'll tell you what I love a bit of caramel.

Well, that's why I'm here, babes.

That's why I was brought in to this whole situation.

That's what I was... What I was talking about.

So, who's impressed you both this week?

Tom's gone, he's already in the semifinal. He's flying.

He's... He's almost disappeared into the distance.

And what about Moyin?

Moyin's the only baker without a Star Baker.

Could this be his week?

He is certainly one to watch. He's very calm.

I think Tom and Moyin are in a very similar bracket.

And I think the people in trouble are Gabe and Connie.

She has, every now and then, got into time trouble.

But Nigella, she literally is constantly on the go.

But time management is not the same thing as being busy.

Yeah, exactly. I wouldn't write off Gabe

cos he's a right scrapper.

That's why the quarterfinal is fascinating.

Because they are all really talented.

I think this Showstopper Challenge is going to be very decisive.

OK, bakers, it is time for your caramel Showstopper.

Inspired by the Hungarian grillazstorta

the judges would love you to make a beautifully decorated

nougatine structure.

Did you say gorilla's daughter?

No! Grillazstorta is inspired by the Hungarian confection

usually used for weddings, birthdays and other special occasions.

Lovely. Also, the judges would love you to make

a beautiful praline dessert.

You have four hours.

On your marks. Get set.

Bake!

This nougatine sculpture has been the bane of my life.

This is the most nervous I've felt about any of the bakes.

I think everyone is feeling that way.

We're all very sort of like... Ah!

I'm dreading it.

I'm trying to move as quick as I can but I feel stressed already.

Today's Showstopper Challenge is a hard one.

We've asked the bakers to make a nougatine sculpture.

And nougatine is nuts blended with a caramelised sugar.

Traditionally almonds, hazelnuts,

they could use peanuts if they wish.

Sesame seed, anything.

NUTS RATTLE Oh... Oh, I just lost two.

Nougatine - done properly - looks stunning.

So we're testing the bakers on their artistry, engineering,

we want them to show us how they can manipulate

sugar into something that looks and tastes amazing.

The nougatine is going to be the most challenging part.

Being really organised is important.

I'm not that person.

But I have to be today.

As if it weren't hard enough, we've asked for

a praline dessert to go with the sculpture.

Praline is essentially nougatine, but it is chopped into

a sort of wonderful smoky fairy dust.

That incorporated into a cream with a light sponge is beautiful.

And we want the bakers to really show off to us today

but the four hours will pass extremely quickly.

There's an awful lot to do.

It's very hard, but, you know, you would expect

the Showstopper Challenge in the quarterfinals to be hard.

Good morning, Tom. Morning. Morning, Tom, darling.

Right, Tom, tell us all about your nougatine structure.

So, my nougatine structure is based on the Otley Run,

which is a famous pub crawl where I live.

So, I'm making it look like a pub.

What makes it look like a pub from a house?

It's got a nice little banner on it that says... Pub.

...the name of the pub. It says Otley Run.

There's going to be cut out windows which'll have that yellow glow

that you always get. You're going to get pub vibes.

Built from almond and hazelnut nougatine,

Tom's pub will hide an ambitious cake containing

hazelnut joconde sponge,

hazelnut praline feuilletine,

hazelnut praline cremeux and whipped chocolate ganache.

You've given yourself a lot of work.

I know.

And you've practised this, did it all on time?

No. I practised it. Not on time.

Great. If you could just give us an extra half an hour.

You know he's not in charge right?

He's just like Colonel Sanders.

He's just like the figurehead. I'm just... I'm just the face.

You're just the eyes, let's be frank!

Just the eyes basically.

And we could take them out and put them in anyone so...

It's like Jeepers Creepers.

Moyin's bake is also ambitious.

I'm doing a praline opera cake.

There's lots of layers, lots to do.

And like Tom, time has been a problem in practice too.

Just the structure took me six hours to make.

Not even with the dessert. So, if I pull it off,

like it's a great, great bake.

But that's only if I pull it off.

With hazelnut praline packed into every layer,

Moyin's opera cake will sit beneath a sapphire encrusted nougatine

crown that's inspired by a very special song.

SINGS IN YORUBA

Yeah! It's a song my grandma sings for me.

And it's called Omo Oba, and Omo Oba means child of a king.

She just made it up for you? Yeah, she made it up for me, yeah.

Got your own song. I've got my own song.

Oh, my gosh! You are loved, aren't ya? Yeah.

What are the women like in your family,

do you really look up to them?

They're all amazing. Are they? Yeah. Every single one of them.

And now you've got Connie.

Is she part of the family now? Of course she is.

Do you think you'll be friends for life? Of course we will.

CONNIE: He's my boy. I love him.

He is like the son every mother would want.

He's just so lovely.

But Connie's dedicating her bake to the other main man in her life.

It's a thank you to Myke. Yeah.

For just being an amazing husband and just supporting me

throughout the whole of this.

Stop it! And he loves cake and, uh...

We love Myke.

Myke's favourite cake, featuring genoise sponge,

hazelnut feuilletine and a hazelnut praline mascarpone

filling, will sit inside a nougatine box decorated

with beautifully intricate piped icing.

I am nervous about the time.

I'm just working on the cake at the moment.

My aim is to finish this as soon as possible

so I can start on the nougatine.

Or not.

Then I can do my sponge.

This is joconde.

Normally made with almonds but this one is made with

hazelnuts cos obviously we're doing a hazelnut cake.

The cornerstone of their cakes,

the bakers' sponges must be light and fluffy.

The secret is making sure you've got loads of air in the initial whip.

But also, you've got to fold in the flour.

I don't want to knock all the air out of the cake.

But keeping the air inside's just the first test.

Right, get that in the oven ASAP.

The sponges must be baked to perfection too.

It's very thin in't it. Ten-minute bake.

It's going in for ten minutes.

Oh. I'm having difficulty putting it in.

So, they're in at 180. They're going to go for about 12 minutes.

Aghh!

While Connie struggles with her sponge...

Oh, my God.

...with his sights firmly set on a place in the semifinal,

Mo's decided one baked element isn't enough.

So, I'm making profiteroles.

The theme is a baby shower,

so I'm doing a box made of nougatine

and then a present made from profiteroles.

Filled with praline cream, Mo's profiteroles will sit atop

his gift box,

complete with nougatine ribbons and teddy bears.

But there's nothing childish about the cake inside -

a sophisticated combination of coffee sponge

and dark chocolate ganache.

Look at those gloves. Yeah.

NOEL LAUGHS Sexy!

How are ya? I'm good.

If you get through this week, someone's in the semifinal.

Who, are you? I don't even know any more.

Do you recognise yourself? No.

You've gone through a transformation, like a butterfly.

I'm a Transformer.

Slightly glowing, maybe you're pregnant.

It's just sweat. I had morning sickness too.

Right, my joconde sponge, she's got a nice bit of golden colour to her.

We're on it with the nougatine now.

I've got my caster sugar in a pan.

Despite containing just two key ingredients...

Got my nuts weighed out. That is a lot of nuts.

...producing perfect nougatine isn't easy.

Stir it. Stir it. Oh.

Crucial to both texture and taste...

Uh, that one's going as well.

...the caramel's colour must be taken to a deep amber.

I'm still 30 degrees behind.

Undercook their sugar and not only will the bakers' nougatine

lack flavour, it won't set hard enough.

Can't do that in the quarterfinals.

That's going home time.

Soon as this gets to a nice colour, I can put my nuts in.

Normally it's traditionally made with like almonds

but I'm doing a hazelnut dessert so why would I use almonds?

I'll use hazelnuts of course.

While the rest of the bakers add their nuts,

to give his nougatine a unique look, Gabe's gone for seeds instead.

I'm making a black sesame nougatine sculpture.

It'll be like a boat at sea.

I am doing a sort of dedication

to Grimsby's fishing heritage.

My grandparents were all dockers.

Fishing heritage and, like, maritime is very much in my blood.

Gabe's black sesame nougatine fishing boat will cover

a torte built from layers of genoise sponge

and black sesame praline buttercream,

decorated in a bright blue tinted white chocolate mirror glaze.

It's such a great idea and I think you are so artistic.

Yeah. And I think the flavours are great, so best...

OK, well I'm going to do what I can.

And would you love to get into the semis?

I would love to get into the semis. Yeah.

I'm really fighting for this like. Yes. Be in it.

Visualise. Visualisation. Be in it. Be the structure.

Yeah. Be the boat. Be the star.

Be the boat. Be the boat!

Good luck, Gabe.

Fab, thank you very much.

Bakers, you are halfway through.

You've got two hours left.

Tight.

I think my cakes might be coming out.

The cakes look done.

I'm happy with that.

As the bakers' sponges cool...

I've got nowhere to put it. Uh...

...it's full steam ahead with fillings.

I'm going to start my praline.

So, I've got hazelnuts. I've got some caramel here.

And then I can put it in the food processor.

Woohoo.

A lot of the flavour of the dessert comes from this praline.

This is going to get whipped into the buttercream

and it should give it a really rich sesame flavour.

It's caramel week, they want praline flavours.

So, that's what I'm going to give 'em...

Onto the nougatine. Need to get the nougatine done.

The building blocks for their sculptures,

the nougatine must be rolled and shaped while warm and malleable.

So, I'm just trying to do the sides of the box.

Hmm. That is a dentist's nightmare, isn't it?

Yeah, that's why I don't eat it. Oh, yeah. I'm too old for that.

My whole teeth will come out!

Come on.

But it's hot, hard work.

Go on babes. Yes, Gabe.

Keep the sweat out my face.

You've got to work really quickly.

As it cools, it gets harder and harder.

Ah!

I'm trying to just get everything done before this sets.

I always say I work well under stress and I'm certainly stressed.

I'm not feeling the love in the tent today. I know.

Everyone's really stressing, aren't they? I know.

I am being really ambitious because I want to win

Star Baker again.

But how many times have you got it?

Three but I want four.

I want to assemble my cake with like nice even layers.

Sponge is cut so I'm just going to give all a bit of

a brush with this creme de cacao, a white chocolate liqueur.

Here we've got the mascarpone cream and praline

and then I'm also just soaking it with a bit of coffee milk

cos I was a bit worried about the coffee flavour

not being punchy enough.

This is my cremeux.

Spread a bit more chocolate on and shove another sponge on top

and then it can go in t'freezer.

HEAVY CLATTER

With their desserts chilling,

most of the bakers can make a start on their sculptures.

Should probably try and get a boat built.

I'm trying to shape the crown points.

Oh, my God. I have no hands left.

Right, is this off? Yeah.

But Connie's still making nougatine

and she hasn't even started constructing Myke's cake.

Oh, BLEEP.

No, it's fine.

It's fine. Argh...

Oh, my lord.

Right, OK.

There's a lot going on. It is really tough.

But I need Connie to get a grip really, really badly.

I need her to calm down.

Come on Connie, think.

What are you doing?

Ah. It's really hard now.

Connie. Sorry, I'm... I was a bit flustered there.

Right. You see this path that goes down, all the way down,

there's a little bridge. Have you seen it?

Yeah. Sit on there and look at the water for five minutes

then come back. OK. I'll do that.

Thank you. All right. Thank you.

SHE BREATHES SHAKILY

Just breathe, Connie, just breathe.

Connie's taking a little five minutes.

It's not nice seeing her sort of like needing that...

That break but I'm glad she's taken it.

BIRDS CHIRP

Come on, you can do it.

I struggle a lot but going to work as well,

I told her I don't know how you do it.

But she needs to get back into her head today

and smash it cos she can.

She is so, so good.

Lovely bakers, you have one hour left.

Are you having me on?

Putting windows in.

There's definitely not going to be double glazing.

Little jewels for the crown.

Wow, look at that. Yeah, that's it.

That's come out nicely. It's sort of a boat, isn't it?

All right, time wise? Don't know. Lost.

MANIC LAUGHTER

Ahhhhh!

Um, yeah, I'm fine.

OK. Where were we?

We are strong, we can do this.

Absolutely.

I'm just going to have to put my cake together

and then it'll be constructing the box.

I've got the sides and I've got everything cut out.

Might not have any details on it but...

Got to get this in the fridge really quickly.

You've got this, you've got this.

Yeah, looks like a pub, don't it?

I did the Otley Run for my 25th birthday in my schoolgirl outfit.

My mum decided to bow out last minute cos she

wanted to come as a stuffed dolly but she couldn't find

the costume for it.

So, this top bit is meant to be a present.

So, I'm going to do the little bow. I've made the base.

Mo, it looks... That's you and that's Noel.

Thank you! Aw. That's... Oh, you've done - that's me? Yeah.

The...

We can redo it.

Bakers, you've got half an hour left.

Oh, come on, come on, come on.

MOYIN SINGS HIS SONG

Feel like I'm getting on OK. As long as it doesn't shatter.

If it shatters, I'm done cos nougatine loves to shatter.

Look at this one, Noel. I like that, look.

Looks so good. You love that...

NOUGATINE SHATTERS

Oh, no. Oh, my God.

It's all right, I've got a spare.

Does that mean that's available to eat? Yeah.

Waste not, want not.

Cake's stacked. Right, I'm going to start my box.

You can't eat all of that, your teeth will break.

Oh, that is delicious.

We're getting there. Ah!

Ah, I think this is going to be a very unfinished challenge.

I'm making my Otley Run sign cos I feel like it needs

to at least look like a pub.

It's as good as it's going to get. People, I have a box!

Well done, Con. Woohoo.

You know, it looks as rough as chips but I'm going to let that cool.

I was able to fix the bear.

Quite mental how he died.

Bakers, you've got ten minutes left.

Ah...!

It is going to be absolutely up to the wire. Wire is at my neck.

I don't think I'm going to get my bows up.

This is my mousse-y cakey thing.

Oh, God, it needs way longer than how much time we've got now.

This is amazing. Thank you.

This is a white chocolate mirror glaze that'll add

to that white chocolate flavour.

We're channelling calm blue oceans.

That is beautiful. Thanks, mate.

It's a beautiful blue.

I hate it.

Show 'em the cake, hopefully loads and loads of nice layers.

Yeah.

Bakers, you've got one minute left.

Urgh!

Oh, come on.

It's a bit wobbly. Oh, no, it stands.

Woo!

It's standing!

Bit of ivy.

Gold dust.

I'm trying to get it to fit on, is the main issue now.

I'm scared to lift it up.

OK, bakers, your time is up.

Yes!

Please step away from your nougatine sculptures.

THEY LAUGH

Babe.

SHE LAUGHS

How the hell did we do that?

Well done, everyone.

Well done. Well done.

No more nougatine ever.

It's judgment time for the quarterfinalists'

nougatine sculptures and praline desserts.

Mo, please bring up your baby shower Showstopper.

That's wonderful.

I love the way you've got such movement

in the ribbon on top.

It's like when you see wonderful renaissance sculpture

and you can see folds in material.

Absolutely. I love the bears. It's excellent.

So, I've got a coffee cake with chocolate ganache,

mascarpone cream and a hazelnut praline

and the outside is hazelnut nougatine.

CRUNCHING

That hazelnut nougatine is fantastic.

Strong hazelnut flavour.

Eating that makes me really long to try the cake.

Want to have all the layers so...

Those flavours are so perfectly modulated,

it's got real depth and yet the cake is very light.

I'm going back in. Paul, I can't talk for the foreseeable.

Overall, I really like the cake.

The coffee flavour comes through beautifully,

that little bit of chocolate. Not getting too much of the praline.

It does need more of a punch. Yeah.

Sorry to do this, quite interested in trying one of these choux buns.

Hmm, get the praline in the choux, that's lovely. That's lovely.

OK, you've made a right mess.

Thank you very much, Mo. Delicious.

Well, it's a boat.

I like the idea of the waves.

It's got a good effect.

It looks like it's lacquered.

It's rather wonderful.

So, my nougatine structure is black sesame.

Wow. And there is a six layer torte

with vanilla sponge soaked with white chocolate liqueur

and a black sesame praline buttercream.

Mm, this is great.

I love the cake but I can't feel any praline crunch.

There's very little flavour at all.

The problem is with the white chocolate.

You expect to taste the sesame but what overwhelms it

is the white chocolate.

I think the overall design is excellent

but unfortunately, it has no real flavour.

Yeah.

The design is fantastic.

The sapphires are brilliant.

This is my hazelnut nougatine structure.

There's a hazelnut opera cake underneath.

Very neat. Wow.

You've got a hazelnut joconde, hazelnut praline French buttercream,

praline feuilletine crunch,

blonde chocolate ganache and then a glaze. Mm.

Mm, it's a dainty little cake

but the flavour really sort of packs a punch.

Thank you.

You've certainly got the praline coming through.

I would've been tempted to use more of a dark chocolate. Mm.

The bitterness would marry up really well with the hazelnut.

The flavour of the nougatine is fantastic.

It's toasty and it's smoky and it's got the right crunch.

But overall, design, flavour, spot on.

Thank you.

I mean, the box is there.

It's a bit broken down at the bottom.

Well, no, there's a story. Go on.

I made this for Myke and I just wanted to have some bits

so that he could actually have a little sneak peek just

to see what's in there. Ah. That's the reason.

Right. Nice try.

Had to.

OK. Oh, oh, if you just hold it at the bottom.

Maybe not.

There we go. That looks rather wonderful.

So, it's an almond structure with a genoise sponge,

with a mascarpone hazelnut frosting

and chocolate ganache with hazelnuts.

You haven't taken that nougatine far enough.

OK. You don't really get the caramel,

but I love the cake.

Yes! Oh, sorry. THEY LAUGH

It's a very creamy, bright cake,

which is such a lovely jubilant note

given that it's also a love message.

Well done, Connie. Thank you.

You ran out of time? Yeah.

You need to plan when it comes to finishing off Showstoppers.

But at least you've done the front.

Windows look marvellous. Yeah. Really tobacco stained.

My Showstopper has hazelnut and almond nougatine.

It's a teeny bit on the blonde side.

It was on amber, needed to go little bit further.

OK.

Oh, dear. That's not neat enough.

It's got a nice shine. Just dig in, Paul.

The inside cake is hazelnut joconde sponge,

cremeux, which has got my hazelnut praline in,

feuilletine dark chocolate crunch, a whipped chocolate ganache

and then a milk chocolate mirror glaze.

I think you chose something over-ambitious.

It's quite difficult to get a taste of it

because it is all slightly squodged together. OK.

And the flavours are quite nice but that sponge is not good.

It's a bit too chewy.

Not your best work. But I love the pub.

Thanks.

Thank you, darling.

I just feel deflated.

But got to have a disaster at some point, haven't I?

I'm absolutely not at peace with the idea of going home.

Absolutely not. Like I...

I want to be here till the end now.

I was absolutely expecting the worst.

But, yeah, they loved my cake.

They liked the cake. They loved the cake.

I would love to think that it's enough.

But, yeah, I'm not holding out a lot of hope.

There was a few surprises in that Showstopper. Yeah.

Let's talk about Tom. You didn't know what to say.

I don't know what to say even now.

For someone who has been Star Baker three times...

And was on for Star Baker again. Yeah.

I think it might be good for him.

How can you get better if you don't learn? Yeah.

And I hope this is a learning circle for him

because he's not in line for Star Baker.

Two other people have eclipsed him.

Mo's nougatine was amazing.

But he came last in the technical.

But having said that, I think because of this today,

he's put himself in line for Star Baker - it's that good.

Moyin did a great job.

That smoky and sultry nougatine was just wonderful.

And he's doing really well. He's showing his skills now, isn't he?

Yeah. Consistency in the last three challenges.

But also, I think he's listened and he's learnt. Yeah.

In whatever arena in life,

it's tenacity and sort of just being on it.

But then on the other hand when you look at Connie,

the cake inside was delicious.

But unfortunately, the gold box needed to go

much further with the sugar.

While we're on the nougatine itself,

may I say I thought Gabe's was ambitious

but the cake, that was a pity.

That didn't work. We wanted it to taste of praline

and it just wasn't there.

So, the two people in trouble are Gabe and Connie.

It's incredibly difficult.

Tough... Tough call.

Cheers for not having to do anything.

NOEL LAUGHS

Well done, Bakers.

We have absolutely loved Caramel Week.

I've got the great job of announcing this week's Star Baker.

And the Star Baker is...

...Moyin.

ALISON LAUGHS

That means I've got the horrible job of announcing

which baker will be leaving us.

It was a really tough decision for the judges.

The baker who will be leaving us this week is...

...Connie.

Sorry... Sorry, Connie. No.

I knew it would be.

SHE CHUCKLES

Thank you. You did really well, Connie.

Thank you.

Yes... What can I say?

It's just been the best time ever.

It's fine. Never mind.

Not a lot of people get to stand where I am today.

It is just the best experience in the whole world.

But I leave with no regrets,

just completely contented and happy.

Oh... I'm going to miss you.

And, oh, my God, the other bakers...

I have made friends for life.

I've just been so blessed to be around these guys.

My baby!

Especially Moyin, who's like...

He's like my adopted son now.

Oh, Mo, come on, bubba.

Don't cry!

Oh, please don't cry.

It's really say to see Connie go.

It is, yeah.

Come on. Come on. Come on.

It's bittersweet.

Like, I got Star Baker, then also, Connie went home.

Everything. Yeah.

She means everything. I love her so much.

Listen, you're going to be absolutely amazing.

I'm going to be with you every step of the way. Yeah?

Just going to be so sad without her.

It's just like a piece of furniture's gone.

She's just so full of joy

and it, like, radiates out.

It's going to be a huge loss.

You're inspirational and you're also a really lovely human being.

And I love all of you, as well!

LAUGHTER

Mwah!

All right, Connie, you can stay.

LAUGHTER

Just thank you. Just thank you for the experience.

Thank you for the memories.

Give it up for Connie, everyone!

CHEERS AND APPLAUSE

Connie! Connie! Connie! Connie!

And just thank you for allowing me to be part of the

Great British Bake Off family.

Thank you.

Next time...

Ooh-hoo!

...it's the semifinal.

Battling on till the very end.

As the competition heats up...

It's too darn hot.

...who will keep their cool...

The heat is absolutely killing me.

...to create patisserie perfection...

Ooh, your buns look nice, Mo.

Oh, thank you.

...and who will see their dream...

These are not looking good.

...of reaching the final...

The pace. I need to keep up the pace.

...melt away?

Now, this is a disaster.

Oh, God.

Argh!

Help me!

Subtitles by Red Bee Media