Original subtitles

Hello, viewer.

I hope you're as excited as we are about Patisserie Week.

I love patisserie.

I love tiny French cakes.

Smaller, the better.

I like them so small you can only see them under a microscope.

I've written a song about patisserie.

-Wanna hear it? -No.

♪ I eat patisserie Sometimes in my lingerie ♪

-Gonna stop you there. -Why?

I found it needlessly surreal.

-Was up all night writing that. -Should've gone to sleep.

[both] Welcome to The Great British Baking Show.

♪ I like patisserie Sometimes in my lingerie ♪

♪ I like patisserie with you ♪

♪ Yes, yes ♪

-Biff. -[chuckles]

[Matt] Oh!

-With a place in the final at stake... -Come on.

[Matt] ...the bakers must produce perfect patisserie...

[Peter] Concentration station.

[Matt] ...with an elegant French signature...

Hermine says, "savarin" and I go, "sav-rin." [chuckles]

-[Matt] ...a bewildering technical... -Makes no sense.

[sobbing] I don't have a logical brain.

[Matt] ...and as temperatures in the tent soar...

It's getting hot again.

...a scorching showstopper...

[Peter] Please be good. Please be good.

[Matt] ...guaranteed to cause a meltdown.

[Hermine] Doesn't look set inside.

Don't even wanna carry on.

Is this gonna look like a complete mess?

[gasps] Oh, my God.

[sighs wearily]

What a nightmare.

[opening theme music playing]

[indistinct chatter]

[Peter] I'm looking forward to this week.

Patisserie is an exciting thing.

It's not home baking any more, it's perfection, precision,

that's patisserie.

[exhales]

[Laura] I'm not feeling too confident.

I'm just a home baker, so this is out of my comfort zone.

It would be a killer to go out just before the final.

I'm feeling more nervous that it's the semifinals

than the fact that it's Patisserie Week.

But I think we're all worried about Hermine because she is patisserie.

She's really good at what she does.

It's supposed to be the week I enjoy the most,

but I need to make it to the final, so pressure's on. [chuckles]

Hello, kids. Congratulations, you've made it to the semifinal.

Whoo!

Which means that three of you are gonna be in the final

and one of you is gonna have to spend the rest of their life

as Prue's live-in butler.

[chuckles]

[Noel] Imagine that.

Ma'am, your buttered crumpet.

[mimicking Prue] Oh, it's not worth the calories.

Thank you, ma'am.

The judges would like you to make 12 identical patisseries

using pâte à savarin, which is a yeasted enriched dough.

-[Matt] Your savarin... -[Noel chuckles]

...can be any shape or flavour you like,

but once baked, should be soaked in a syrup of your choosing.

This is the semifinal, kids,

so the judges are looking for high-end and they want an exquisite finish.

You have two hours and 45 minutes.

-On your marks... -Get set...

Bake.

We're in the semifinal. This is pretty awesome.

Stressed.

I doubt that many home bakers do patisserie.

Not something I've really done before.

[Prue] Patisserie is one of the hardest challenges.

It's neat, it's exquisite, it's elegant.

[Paul] Some may not know what a savarin is,

but think rum baba. That base is a savarin.

It's a yeasted enriched dough baked and cooked in a mould.

Hermine says, "savarin" and I go, "sav-rin." [chuckles]

[cockney accent] Doing the old savarins this week, ain't we?

Shove 'em in the oven, the old savarins.

[Paul] It's all about the proving, the softness of the sponge

and beautiful, delicate flavours.

That's what patisserie's all about.

[Prue] Almost the worst challenge is they're baking in a heatwave

which means that proving times will probably be shorter.

They ought to watch that.

[Paul] Gonna be interesting to see who steps up to the plate

and creates something that deserves its place in a patisserie

anywhere in the world.

[Prue] But any of our four bakers could go through to the final.

I think these four are as good as we've ever had. I really do.

[Dave] Strange dough to work with. It needs to be pipeable.

If done right, it bakes beautifully.

Normal dough, you can knead it. Can't touch that.

It's very, very wet.

Just looking for a really silky smooth, stretchy dough

and I'm pretty much there.

-[Paul] Hi. -[Hermine] Hello.

Hello, Prue.

[Paul] Tell us about your savarin.

So I'm doing a baba au rhum.

Oh, lovely. I do like a rum baba.

And I'm gonna glaze it with, erm, an apricot jam

to kind of give it the shine.

Hermine, this should be your day.

This is such a classic French thing.

I hope I can deliver. [chuckles]

[Noel] Hermine's chosen to make rum babas for her savarin.

She's keeping things traditional, filling them with vanilla crème pat

and decorating with piped Chantilly cream and tempered chocolate.

You've won Star Baker twice. Nobody else has done that.

You feeling confident going into the final?

I don't want that to give me a big head so... [chuckles]

-You've had a handshake, as well. -No.

But then you can let things like that distract you, isn't it?

Exactly. Don't think about that.

Just concentrate on today, relax,

-do your best. -Yes.

Say "apricot" for us one more time?

Apricot.

-That's a handshake. [laughs] -Thanks, Hermine.

[laughing] You're welcome.

[Matt] But Hermine's got competition in the battle of the babas.

She just keeps copying me.

Someone's gonna have to say something to her.

Hermine, you learnt all you know from me, right?

-Yeah. See? -I did.

[both chuckle]

[Matt] Laura's giving her rum babas a tropical twist

with a filling of poached pineapple, kiwi, and passion fruit.

To finish, she's adding pipettes of syrup

to inject an extra kick of rum into her bake.

[Prue] Tell us about your dough.

A fairly standard savarin dough.

I used fresh yeast 'cause it gives a nicer rise.

[Paul] Really?

Why do you think fresh yeast is better?

Er...

You think it gives a better rise?

-Just say yes. -[Laura] Yes.

-[Prue chuckles] -Oh.

[Noel] That was horrible. Like you're being interrogated.

I was sweating, weren't you?

-"Why do you use that yeast?" -Don't let him get in your head.

[Laura] He's really good at it.

He's got eyes like the nightwalker.

Make you doubt yourself.

[Noel] To create a savarin to savour...

[Dave] In for the first prove.

[Noel] ...the bakers need to prove their dough

long enough to achieve a light, open texture.

The whole point of it is you make it like a bread-type cake

and then you soak it in syrup.

All the flavour comes from the syrup.

The rum is spiced but I'm adding some spices as well to the mix.

[Noel] While Hermine and Laura are aiming to perfect a French classic...

Yum.

[Noel] ...Dave is taking his savarin all the way to Mexico.

Tequila.

[Noel] Dave's savarins will be soaked in honey tequila

before being set on a mango-passion fruit curd

and crowned with a honey and cocoa Chantilly cream.

Mango, passion fruit, chocolate and tequila.

[Dave] And tequila, yes.

Hmm.

Quite a mix.

You think you'll get into the final?

It's in sight, but there's tough competition here.

I'm just gonna try my best.

I tell you what, Dave, you are looking so much more confident.

-Thank you. -Different from when we first met you.

-Good luck. -Right, cheers.

-Thank you. Tequila. -Tequila. Come on.

[Noel whistles] Now you're talking. Jiminy Christmas.

[Matt] While Dave, Laura, and Hermine are all banking on booze...

[Hermine] Whenever I make syrup, I always add my alcohol last

because I don't want the alcohol to evaporate too much.

I want it quite strong, trying to make Prue happy.

[Matt] ...to meet the demands of Patisserie Week...

[Peter] I'm not overcomplicating it today.

I wanna get something out that's really clean and looks professional.

[Matt] ...Peter's chosen to keep a clear head.

[Peter] Not soaking it in alcohol.

In here, I've got elderflower cordial, lemon juice, water, and sugar.

I don't drink very much myself

so I thought, we'll go for a teetotal savarin.

I'm the one that goes to the club sober, leaves after an hour.

I'm really boring. [chuckles]

[Matt] He may think he's a square,

but Peter's hoping rectangular savarins will help him pass this exam.

He's soaking them in an elderflower syrup

before finishing with elderflower and strawberry crème diplomats.

I would like to see the old Peter today.

We've got a bit of heat in the tent.

You just gotta concentrate, ignore that and just don't make mistakes.

Do you like that advice? "Don't make mistakes."

-It sounds... -[laughs]

-As easy as that. -It's so simple.

-We can do it. -[Paul] Thank you.

Don't make mistakes, yeah?

That's the plan.

I'm gonna bring back week-one Star Baker and show them what I can do.

That's your yeasted enriched dough.

-Is it proving now? -[Laura] It is. Wanna see the best bit?

-Go on. -Imagine it's Paul's face.

-[chuckling] Oh! Really? -[chuckles]

-And then you go, boof. -Oh, poor Paul. Oh, my Lord.

-[Laura] Wanna do it? -Okay, here we go.

-Go for it. -Biff.

-Oh! -[chuckles]

-[Laura] You can keep that. -[Matt] Wow.

-I'm gonna sell this on eBay. -[laughs]

[Matt] With the first prove finished...

[Peter] I'm gonna get this into a piping bag

and you'll see how we can pipe such a substance.

[Matt] ...the savarins can begin to take shape.

[Hermine] It's not easy to pipe because it's quite elastic

but I want it to be consistent.

[Dave] I'm just making each one even in weight.

They should all rise identically.

That's what I'm hoping for.

Right, so, that's me done.

I've gotta prove these until they double in size.

[Noel] But the savarin might be ready sooner than expected.

'Cause it's getting really hot now, could be as little as 30 minutes.

We have to wait and see.

[Noel] High temperatures in the tent

mean the bakers risk over-proving their dough...

It had 30 minute during practice.

I'll give it the same and then have a look.

[Noel] ...resulting in flat, collapsed cakes.

[Laura] They're not gonna buy rustic this time.

It's gotta be perfect.

[Noel] But stop proving too soon

and they'll rise too quickly in the oven, causing them to tear.

[exhales]

So warm in here. [chuckles]

Bakers, you have 4,950 seconds left.

Is that real? [chuckles]

Matt, how long do we actually have?

Hmm?

-Oh, you're halfway through. -Thank you.

[Matt] With their dough rapidly rising...

-[Dave] Did you try and work that out? -No.

[Matt] ...they'll need every second to create their fillings and toppings.

Mmm.

[Laura] It's about balance with flavours.

Quite a lot going on with the rum, fruit, the dough, everything,

so the Chantilly cream just breaks it up a bit.

[Dave] The savarin is gonna be set on a mango and passion fruit curd.

So, like a fruity custard.

[Hermine] I'm making a crème pat.

I'm worried that they might say it's simple, but it is a classic.

A classic is simple.

[Matt] Ever seen Babar?

Yes, when I was young.

I still watch it now.

I love Pingu. I watch Pingu. Do you ever watch Pingu?

-No. -Love Pingu.

[gibbering in voice of Pingu] Pingu.

Ooh, yeah, they're definitely well-proved.

[Dave] They've really risen but they're all even.

[Laura] Think that's proved.

So, they're going in for 15 minutes at 175.

I think that is quite hot, but it's for a quick bake.

[Hermine] I'm baking them for 14 minutes.

Ten to 12-ish minutes until they're nice and dark golden brown on top.

[Laura sighs]

[Noel] Look at you go.

-You're so laid-back. -Am I?

Think you're gonna win this?

Who knows. It's in the hand of the universe.

I love that you trust the universe.

What about old good flavours Laura?

Gonna have to... [makes snapping noise] Aren't you?

Gonna have to... Bang!

-Oh. -You do what you've

-gotta do in this business. -No, that's not nice.

[laughs]

It's gotta be a proud win.

Universe win.

They look golden. Keep them in for a few more minutes.

[Hermine chuckles] They're rising nicely.

Maybe talking too early. [chuckles]

[Peter] They're looking very golden and lovely.

Gonna make sure that they're not under.

I'd rather them be slightly over and a bit drier.

[Dave] Right, I need to take these out.

[Laura] Yeah, they're cooked.

[Peter] Looking good. Puffed up nicely.

Hopefully nice, light and airy.

Feeling good. Really good.

They're the colour you want?

Yes, they are.

Probably Paul will say they're too dark...

Say that you've modelled them on his tan. I dare you.

You might not get a Hollywood handshake, but you'll get one from me.

[Hermine] From the look of them, I've underproved it.

Oh. Dear, dear, dear.

I'll do another batch.

This is the semifinal, so I do want it to be perfect.

Let's start again.

Okay, bakers, you've only got one hour left.

[Dave] Time flies when you're having fun.

[Hermine] Let's try again and see this time.

I mean, the weather's not helping.

Hopefully, this one will be all right.

[Noel] While Hermine's babas are starting at the beginning...

This time, I'll just give it 15 minutes.

[Noel] ...the rest of the bakers will now find out

if theirs passed the final test.

[Dave] Just dip them in.

The whole point is to saturate it.

So you want no dry spots.

It just holds onto as much syrup as it can.

[Laura] Get down.

[Dave] Soaking them for 30 seconds each side.

They should soak up enough syrup.

I'll be soaking them for four minutes,

which, for tiny things, is a long soak.

But they're gonna be absolutely bursting with this lovely syrup.

Only concern is if they hold their shape.

[in high-pitched voice] Bakers, you have 30 minutes left.

Was that okay?

[Hermine] Gonna get them in now. Don't take long to cook.

Hopefully, we're good this time.

[Dave] These need to go in the fridge to firm up and set more

and then the savarin will sit on the curd.

I need to focus now 'cause this is the tough bit, the fancy bit.

[Peter] Concentration station.

[Hermine] I'm gonna get my decoration ready.

So as soon as I soak my savarin, I'm ready to go.

[Dave] The mango curd's set nicely. Happy with that.

[Peter] They look pretty uniform.

[Laura] Deep breath.

[Hermine] These are also popping off.

I'm just gonna pick the best ones.

Okay, bakers, you have five minutes left.

What? Oh, God, my hands are shaking so much.

[Dave] I need to make 12 mango flowers.

It's just really fiddly to roll these up.

[Peter] I wanna make sure I get this absolutely bang on.

[Hermine] This one is leaning.

These are little pipettes to just get a bit of extra syrup.

Okay, bakers, your time is up.

Please step away from your bakes.

[Laura in sing-song voice] I did patisserie.

I can't believe I've just done that.

[Dave] Where are yours?

-[Hermine] In the freezer. -Oh, are they?

[Matt] The bakers' soaked savarins will now be judged by Prue and Paul.

Hello, Hermine.

-Hello, Prue, Paul. -Hey, Hermine.

They look really interesting

-and very elegant. -[Paul] Mmm.

-And quite modern. -[Paul] I love the pipe work on them.

There's a little irregularity with the colour on these.

Let's have a look.

I love the little tempered chocolate disk on the top.

I quite like the flavour. Alcohol's just enough to give it a kick.

The Chantilly and crème pat work beautifully, nice and creamy

and the texture's all good.

The savarin itself, it's slightly under-proofed.

The air holes inside are very tight, they should be a little more open.

-[Prue] I find it a little tough... -[Paul] Mmm.

...and too bread-like. Flavour's lovely.

-Thank you. -Thank you.

-I love that cream. -Well done.

[whispers] Well done.

At first glance, I think they're really pretty.

I love the combination of colours.

They're golden brown. They really do look scrumptious.

They're a little bit messy on the icing. Likewise with the actual bake.

They all look different sizes. That one looks bigger than this one.

Let's have a look.

-[Prue] So what's in the little pipette? -[Laura] Rum syrup.

-[Prue] Squeeze and it'll get more? -[Laura] Yeah.

That's a lovely, light sponge. That's beautiful.

[Paul] Got some spice in there?

-[Laura] I put star anise and cinnamon. -Cinnamon? Mmm.

You slightly overdid it with some of the spices.

-Okay. -[Paul] It's little things.

You're like a rough diamond. Need polishing up a little bit.

-[Prue] This is a very good rum baba. -Thank you.

Nobody would send it back in a restaurant.

I probably would. Just to meet the chef.

-Oh, no, stop. -[laughing]

-A compliment from Paul. -See? Lowered your hopes,

raised them at the end.

-Well done. -Thank you.

They look unusual. They're different. Bold, strong colour.

Ripped it there getting it out of the mould.

-Yeah. -I think they look really sensational

and fun.

Well, the texture of the cake is so light.

It's almost impossible to get it onto the fork.

-I think it's lovely. -[Prue] Mmm. So do I.

[Paul] I don't get the curd sitting at the bottom.

-I know it's a design thing... -Yeah.

...but I would've put that inside and topped it with chocolate.

But, you know, the thing that surprises me

is I thought you had too many flavours in this.

-It's not. It really works. -Really, thank you.

-Cheers. -There you go.

[Paul] I think they look very neat and very uniform.

It looks like they're quite soaked, which is good.

-[Prue] That looks light. -[Paul] Lovely.

[Prue] Look at that.

I didn't think I was going to like

a savarin without any booze in it. [chuckles]

-But it's delicious. -[Peter] Fantastic.

-[Prue] Mouth-watering. -Yeah.

You got such a nice texture to that. Very open inside,

which is classic savarin.

All I can say, Peter...

-Oh, wow. -Welcome back to the tent.

Thank you so much.

And welcome back to the Peter standard.

He told me I wasn't allowed to clap when someone gets a handshake, but...

Well done.

Ba-boom. Yeah! Handshake. [giggles]

Usual comments, tastes nice, looks a mess.

Getting a bit bored of that, to be honest.

[Hermine] It's disappointing.

But hey, you win some, you lose some.

I'm feeling overwhelmed now.

This is incredible that I managed to do so well.

So going into the technical, I'm going in with confidence.

It's gonna definitely be a tough technical, I think.

Yeah. Bring it on.

[Noel] For the bakers, the pressure of Patisserie Week is about to rise

as they face their toughest technical yet.

[Matt] Bakers, it's time for your semifinal technical challenge.

And this one has been set by Paul.

Paul, any words of advice?

It's quite methodical, this challenge. It's about precision.

-Has he finished? -Well, he went on for quite a long time.

-For him. -Yeah.

As ever, this technical challenge will be judged blind,

so we're gonna have to ask these two to pop out of the tent.

Off you go.

-Where they going? -It's all right. Calm down.

[whimpers] Where they going?

-They'll be back. -[Matt] I don't want them to go.

-Pull yourself together. -[whimpers]

-Finished? -No.

[whimpers] Okay, I'm finished.

The judges would like you to make a Danish cornucopia,

a traditional Danish celebration cake

otherwise known as the Horn of Plenty.

Now, the classic horn shape is achieved by stacking rings of dough.

Your dough needs to be firm on the outside, but chewy on the inside.

You have two hours and 15 minutes.

-Bake. -On your marks.

Get set.

[chuckles]

[Dave] Danish cornucopia? No, I've never heard of one.

I can't really think of what it's gonna be.

[Hermine] I've never even heard of it before, so...

All my guess, really.

[Peter] I need to read the instructions

to get an idea of what it's gonna look like.

But no, it's not a clear picture in my head right now.

Never heard of it. Never eaten it.

Never seen it. It's gonna be fun, innit?

Paul, Danish cornucopia, what's all this about?

[Paul] It's a perfect challenge, I think, for the bakers.

It's got no flour in it. It's basically ground almonds in there.

Once you've made the dough, they've got to divide it up

and then shape it.

Shape it into a round, bit like a cigar,

just taper the ends so they bind together.

When you do the cigar shape, you encourage a little bit of a slope.

So as you piece them all together,

the slope begins to curve and that's how you get that shape.

-[Prue] They're thicker in one side. -[Paul] Exactly.

If they don't, they'll end up being very flat.

And you won't get that depth which you see here

in the Horn of Plenty all the way along.

Do you wanna try some of my horn?

-[grunts] You can have that piece. -[Prue] Thank you.

This is lovely and chewy and very almondy.

You've got this gorgeous, soft, chewy almond filling

with this light, crispy exterior.

You've got so many different textures in there.

I'm sure we're gonna get some bakers in there

who'll struggle with the shape,

but I hope they don't struggle with the overall texture.

Paul, I think it's a really good challenge

and especially for the semifinal.

Not easy, very delicate, absolutely delicious.

Right, where am I? Oh.

Just says, "Make the dough."

Icing sugar, egg whites, almond extract and ground almonds.

Never made a dough without flour before.

[Hermine] I've never seen a biscuit like this before

and I've certainly never baked one before.

I understand what he means by crisp outside, chewy in the middle.

It's kind of like an amaretti biscuit that's not quite baked.

We're gonna have to work fast, there's lots of shaping to do

and we've got two hours fifteen, which is not a long time.

-Hello, Noel. [laughs] -How did you know it was me?

You're still elated from the handshake, aren't you?

It was like this.

Whoo. And then you went, "Aah."

And then did you get on his shoulders?

Did you kiss him? Did you get his number at least?

That was your moment. He softens for a minute.

You've got like a window to get his email, get his number, try his clothes on.

[Laura] That'll do.

[Hermine] I've made the dough now.

[Peter] So the next step is to start shaping this.

Gotta use these templates.

"Measure 18 grams of dough and shape it into a cigar shape."

"Press the ends together..."

[Peter] "...overlapping by half a centimetre to form a ring

that's approximately half a centimetre the height..." No.

[Dave] Gotta get my head round this.

"Press the ends together overlapping by one centimetre."

Er...

[Hermine] This is like rocket science.

Makes no sense.

I just read that and I have no idea what I actually read,

so I'll reread that probably about six times.

This is literally my worst nightmare.

I don't have a logical brain. I can't do this.

[exhales wearily]

[Peter] I think I know what I'm doing.

Where I'm joining the two bits of dough, it's gonna be thin.

So it's gonna be like a circle,

thick at one end, thin at the other.

[Dave] And I'm guessing like that.

Right, got it.

[crying]

How's it going?

Stressful, innit?

[Laura] I just don't have a logical brain.

This is literally my worst fear

of not being able to present anything on the technical.

But you are gonna present something, aren't you?

Yeah.

You can do it. There's something in you that'll get you to the next step

because if there wasn't, you wouldn't be here.

-You're gonna smash it. -Thank you.

Don't literally smash it. That'd be a disaster.

-I'm quite clumsy. It could happen. -If you literally smash it.

-Bless you. You're the best. -See you later.

Thank you, Matt.

Oh.

I love him.

So I can start shaping.

I'm going with that.

When you join it together, you get a smaller and a thicker side.

-[Hermine] This will have to do. -[Laura] Like that?

-[sighs] -[Peter] I feel good about that one.

-[Laura] This is number two. -Eleven in total, there should be.

One, two, three, four, five, six, seven, eight, nine, ten, eleven.

If I achieve this, I'm gonna have the biggest glass of gin...

and sambuca chasers.

Obviously, it all comes down to the bake.

Going in.

Gonna check that in about ten minutes.

I'm gonna put them in for 15 minutes, but I'll check it after ten.

[Hermine] I think I'm gonna freestyle and see.

[Laura] Forgot to put the oven on.

I think we'll whack it up a bit.

I'm just gonna do my chocolate. Save some time, be a bit strategic.

"Place a sheet of acetate

over the template provided and pipe chocolate scrolls."

[Hermine] Melting my chocolate.

-[whispers] Hi. -Hi.

[in normal voice] You okay?

Yeah.

Shall I get on your shoulders?

It's all right.

You get on my shoulders. Trench coat.

Your head out the top.

Buttons pop open, Horn of Plenty comes out.

[chuckles]

Yes or no?

Right, I'll get that stuff ready.

Boulangers. Vous êtes demi... the way through.

Was that okay, Hermine?

No.

[Peter] Gonna leave them in. The more they're baked,

the stronger they have the chance of being.

Going in for another ten minutes.

[Laura] It's nearly there. They're gonna have to go in.

I'm sure I had another timer.

Oh, well, we'll just... Until they're brown.

"Spoon the chocolate into a piping bag."

"Pipe chocolate scrolls."

I don't mind doing this stuff, it's quite nice.

It gets better as I go along, I think.

[Laura] They look brilliant.

[Peter] Ooh, that one's a bit wonky.

Whoo.

[Hermine] I think it's about time to come out now.

I'm pulling them now.

Quite sort of golden. They don't look burnt.

No point not being happy, so let's stay happy.

They look a bit cracked. Are they supposed to be cracked?

[Dave] No, they need a little longer.

Just do a couple of minutes at a time

because that extra minute... You can go over too much.

[Laura] Mmm. Brilliant.

All cracked.

[exhales]

[Dave] It's the right colour. Any more, it would've burnt.

So next step is to make royal icing.

Whisking together icing sugar and egg whites.

That's gonna be decorating the biscuits themselves.

"Pipe zigzag patterns onto the cooled rings and leave to set."

[Laura] Good with icing. Can do icing.

Good start.

It's very messy, isn't it?

-[Peter] I don't love that one. -Bit scruffier now.

[Laura] Well, that'll do.

Ah. Look at that. What a day.

Bakers, you've got half hour left.

It's not long.

"Step 12, make caramel."

-[Dave] The caramel will glue it together. -So I need 200 grams of sugar.

I'm gonna do my caramel. I'm just gonna do it by eye.

I need this to be liquid

whilst I'm sticking things together, but have some tackiness to it

so that it's gonna bind and set on there, not just run out everywhere.

[Dave] It's crystallised.

[exhales]

Caramel just never goes right for me.

Gonna start making the old tower of doom.

"Dip the bottom flat side of ring number eight in the caramel

and place it on top of ring nine so that they are joined base to base."

-[Matt] Do you want me to say it? -That might be helpful.

[in Scottish accent] "Repeat the ring by ring process

while gently supporting the horn to each ring."

[Dave] Right. I have to stick this and leave to set.

[Laura] Right. That'll do.

[Hermine] It's not the prettiest of jobs.

[Peter] It's stuck.

Sugar.

That's gonna be on the bottom anyway,

so they won't see it.

Bakers, you have five minutes left.

-[Laura] This is dangerous. -[Dave] This is a bit crazy.

[Hermine] I'm not convinced about what I'm doing here.

It's a bit leany, isn't it? Oh, well.

I wouldn't say it's the most horn-like thing I've ever seen.

And then, I'm supposed to stick the horn to the stand.

[Peter] That feels very precarious.

[Hermine] Supposed to be like that?

-That's how you know it's a horn, right? -[sighs]

-[grunts] -Bakers, you have one minute left.

-All right. -I'm sticking the chocolate scrolls on.

Oh, gosh. It's not gonna stand, it's just too hot.

-[Laura] I can't peel them off. -[Dave groaning]

Oh, my God. Still not cool enough.

[Hermine] Lordy...

I'm just gonna pipe over them.

Try and swirl it on.

Not sure if that's what they want, but it's what they'll get.

My face says it all.

Bakers, your time is up.

Please bring your Horns of Plenty down to the front

and place them behind your photographs.

Horrible challenge. Worst one yet.

I thought the matcha pancakes were bad. It's an abomination, that is.

[Noel] Prue and Paul are looking for beautifully decorated cornucopia

in a classic horn shape.

I should've looked around.

[Noel] Crispy on the outside and soft and chewy inside.

[Paul] Let's start with this one, which is, erm...

[laughs]

[all laughing]

Stop it, Paul.

It has no chocolate on it.

It should've been sitting more like that.

[Prue] In which case, it was the right shape.

[Paul] The graduation of the rings are there to the top.

I think you might break your teeth on that.

-[Paul] Hugely overbaked. Bone dry. -[Prue] Yes.

-Shame. -Lovely flavour, though.

-I love that flavour. -Hmm. That almond's lovely.

Right.

[Prue] I'm sure that chocolate was...

-[Paul] Standing up at one point. -Yeah.

The icing's much nicer.

The graduation's okay but there's no horn shape to it.

[crunching]

Little ones are overbaked, top ones aren't.

You can't bake them all at the same time

-because they're different sizes. -The fat ones are good.

-[Paul] Hmm. -[Prue] Chewy.

-Neat. And they have the chocolate on 'em. -[Prue] Hmm.

[Paul] Moving on. This is a bit of a mess.

Chocolate's gone all over the place,

-but the royal icing's terrible. -Gone all over the place.

[Paul] The colour of the rings are all over the place.

That does look as if the baker just didn't understand at all

what they were trying to do. [crunching]

-Hmm. -Almost raw.

[Prue chuckles]

-Like marzipan. -[Paul] Hmm.

There's been issues with that one.

Last one, we have a nice shape here.

They do look overbaked, though.

But there is chocolate on there.

-It is fairly neat. -The icing's not good,

-because... -No.

The whole idea of the icing is to come down the sides

so that you can see it.

The flavour of that one's okay. It's softer.

[Matt] Paul and Prue will now rank the Horns of Plenty

from worst to best.

In fourth place, we have this one.

Laura, almost everything was wrong with this.

It did look like a mess.

Funnily enough, it was the only one that was underbaked.

It was not your finest hour.

In third spot, this one.

David, they were a little bit solid.

-Yeah. -All the way through.

In second place is this one. Who's that?

-[mouths] Me. -Hermine, this was so nearly there.

The decoration was really awful

but it was nicely baked, and the right shape.

-[mouths] Thank you. -So in first spot is this one.

Peter, you forgot to put the horn shape but they were delicious.

The look of them with the icing,

you even managed to do some nice little swirls of chocolate on there as well.

-Well done. -[clapping]

[laughing] That's not been a bad day. Yeah.

But I don't wanna be complacent. There's only four of us,

and anything can happen.

[Hermine] I'm really, really happy.

I can't complain, and Peter deserves it.

He's really good with detail,

which I'm not particularly, so you can't take that away from him.

Third isn't too great in technical.

It's getting tougher as we go along, but I had a good signature,

so I'm comfortable going into the showstopper tomorrow.

Glad that's over.

It's not ideal, but there's always tomorrow.

Gonna have to smash that.

[Matt] There's just the showstopper challenge left

before Prue and Paul decide who's destined for Star Baker

and who will miss out on a place in the final.

[Noel] Hello bakers, welcome back.

It's time for your semifinal showstopper challenge.

[Matt] Today, Paul and Prue

would like you each to make a cube cake.

This should be comprised of at least 25 mini cube-shaped cakes.

[Noel] This is all about precision.

So the cubes need to be sharp and uniform and very neat.

We're looking for an exquisite finish.

Your mini cakes can be flavoured and decorated however you like.

And you can use non-edible supports to help stack the layers.

But you will get extra points if the whole thing is edible.

I'm on a diet so I'll just eat the supports.

[chuckles] You have four and a half hours, which seems like a lifetime.

-On your marks... -Get set...

Bake.

One last challenge before the potential final.

I'm just gonna have fun today.

Bake from the heart and what will be, will be.

[Noel] This is right up your street.

If you can't pull yourself into the victory spot today,

-there's something wrong. -Let's see what happens.

[Paul] We've set the bakers a four- and-a-half hour, gruelling, hot challenge.

And they have to make a cube cake, straight edges, flat sides.

Think Rubik's Cube.

And in Patisserie Week, we are looking for that precision,

that artistic flair, and obviously, their baking skill.

This is a sponge cake.

And sponge has to be, as always, beautifully flavoured

and beautifully textured.

Inside that sponge, we'd like to see something like a mousse

or a melted chocolate or a ganache.

The four bakers are amateurs.

I want to see them pushing themselves into that world of professionalism.

I think there's going to be a real fight to get into the final,

and they need to fight for it.

-[Prue and Paul] Hello. -[Peter] Morning.

Tell us about your cube cake.

I'm making a chocolate, raspberry and pistachio cube cake.

-Yes. My favourite. -Erm...

Magic. Erm... [chuckles]

We've got the three flavours running through the entire cake.

I've got three different sponges, mousses and glazes.

Wow. Clever.

[Matt] Peter's going big to avoid going home

with the tent's most ambitious cube cake,

made up of three types of cube.

Each will contain a different combination

of chocolate, raspberry and pistachio sponge,

mousse and mirror glaze.

-It sounds wonderful. -[Paul] It does.

-That's a lot to do. -So cracking on.

It is. Yeah, good luck.

Thank you.

I promise I won't disturb you at all.

Except you know I will.

[chuckles]

The strategy for today is to go out hard and fast,

so that by the end, I'll have time to get that patisserie precision

that the judges are looking for. It's gone well in practice.

[Noel] While Peter's hoping practice makes perfect,

for one baker, today's showstopper will be a step into the unknown.

There's been a change of plan.

When I practised, it didn't go quite well.

So everything I'm doing today is literally...

-New. -...new.

When did you decide to change your recipe?

-I wrote it yesterday morning. -Yesterday?

[Noel] Hermine's gambling everything

on a cube cake made up of two different varieties,

both featuring her favourite flavours,

coffee and praline, and cherry and chocolate.

They sound delicious.

-If it works, that'll be amazing. -Very good luck.

[chuckling] Thanks.

-Sometimes, you have to take risks. -True.

-Fortune favours the bold. Good luck. -Thank you. [chuckles]

[Matt] Not only must the bakers' sponges pack plenty of flavour...

I always add a bit of coffee in my chocolate sponge

so it brings the flavour out.

[Matt] ...texture must be spot-on, too.

I'm making my pistachio friand.

It's gonna be like a frangipane. Very moist, very soft.

[Laura] Always thinking about textures.

They're really important, I think. It's not just about flavour.

[Matt] Deliciously delicate, yet able to hold their shape when layered.

[Dave] This is the joconde sponge,

so that's just gone in at 190 for 12 minutes.

Today, I'm gonna be making a chocolate cube cake.

I love chocolate, so this is just to celebrate all things chocolate.

[Matt] As well as chocolate sponge and mousse, Dave's cubes will also contain

either a white, milk or dark chocolate liquid caramel centre,

but with temperatures in the tent rising,

is Dave risking a meltdown?

-It's gonna be hot today. -I know it's gonna be hot today, yeah.

Try to get most of it done before the heat starts rising.

-Good luck. -Yeah. Cheers.

That's for my praline mousse.

Don't have a clear vision at the moment, so it's just keep going and don't stop.

[Noel] With so many elements to juggle...

[Dave] This is for my chocolate hazelnut mousse.

[Noel] ...the bakers can't relax for a second.

[Peter] I always listen to my cakes and hear them bubble.

If they bubble too much, they're not done.

[Laura winces]

If they don't bubble at all, they're overbaked.

[Noel] The smallest lapse in concentration...

I've done that wrong.

[Noel] ...could spell disaster.

[Dave] I meant to split the cream. Heat half, and whisk half.

-[Noel] Hello. -Hello, vampire.

That's strong booze you've got going on there. Whew!

-This is for Prue. -What is it?

Kirsch. Yeah.

She might require a little shot of that on the side

if you really wanna blackmail her. A jug. Jug of kirsch.

[Laura] Put lots of kirsch on. If you're gonna do it, do it.

I'm doing a Black Forest gâteau- inspired cube cake.

I like the flavours, the dark chocolate and cherries.

They work nicely together. It's one of my dad's favourite things.

This one's for him.

[Noel] Although Laura's cake is made up of just one type of cube,

each contains five layers, including a biscuit crumb,

chocolate sponge, two mousses and whole cherries.

All decorated in a dark chocolate mirror glaze.

-I'm looking forward to this one. -Good.

It's one of my favourite cakes.

And it's sort of important that you do it really well, Laura.

Yeah, it's one of my favourite things that I've, like, made.

I'm really proud of it.

Good. That's the spirit.

-[Paul] Excited. -Hope you like it.

I already like it. I haven't even ate it yet.

-Ate it? -And I already like it.

[Laura] Thank you.

I'm confident with the flavours of this one,

it's all about the setting time.

That's the big concern with the mousse, that it doesn't set.

I'm using gelatin. It's got two and a half leaves in each

of the mousse-es, moussi... meesse.

[Laura] It's a delicate balance with the gelatin

'cause you need it to set but if you put too much in,

then it'll just be rubbery. That's not very nice.

[Hermine] 'Cause I'm not really following a recipe,

I don't even know if the quantities are all right.

Hopefully, this whole concoction will work.

[Noel] Easy on the gelatin. Easy.

You know exactly how many to use, don't you?

I mean, I eat sheets of it as a snack.

-Fancy one? -But not everyone's like me.

I used to wear boots from the '70s made out of gelatin.

In hot weather, I'd get shorter.

[Laura] That's looking good.

Does look nice, I wanna eat it just like it is.

Right, how's this going? Caramel's a big part of the cube cake,

so it needs to go right today.

I've still got my biscuit to make for the cube cake stand

so I'm just gonna start prepping that.

[Hermine] This is gonna be my cherry mousse.

Hopefully, it sets nicely.

I feel I'm behind.

It's crystallised. I just don't know what it is with this caramel.

I've not stirred it or disturbed it and it just does that.

Caramel's not my friend at the moment. [exhales]

[Noel and Matt] Bakers, you are halfway through.

Oh, sorry, you say it.

Bakers, you are halfway through. Yeah.

I've made every single component, it's now just assembly.

[Dave] I'm currently lining the moulds with the joconde sponge.

I decided not to make cube cakes in a mould because I tried it once at home

and I just found it an absolute nightmare to get them out.

So I decided to go with the cake frame

and then I can slice them and get them nice and neat and square at the sides.

Looks pretty good, don't it?

[Laura] White chocolate bavarois is now going in.

It's just the assembly. My stomach's in knots.

Must remember to be neat.

[Dave] I'm just balling out a hole in the mousse for the caramel to sit in.

I wanted a gooey centre, almost have a little bit of a chew.

[Laura] I'm not cutting the cherries up.

I'll get marked down for that, but that's how I like it.

It's getting hot again in the tent.

-It is. -Just in the last ten minutes,

-it's started to get a bit watery. -[Laura] It's melting.

-Temperature's creeping up again. -Yeah.

Ooh, what's that?

-Cherry mousse. -Ooh.

[Hermine] Yeah, well.

Are you allowing yourself to think about being in the final yet?

Er, not quite,

'cause there might not be any final if this doesn't go to plan.

-No, there would still be a final. -Well, not for me, I mean.

-[Matt] Not for you. -That's it.

Do you want us to cancel the final if you're not in it?

[Peter] Rinky dink. Into the freezer we go.

[Laura] They just need to stay in as long as possible.

-[Hermine sighs] -[Peter] Going pretty good.

Got the raspberry glaze chilling down, the chocolate glaze is on.

I'm weighing out ingredients for the pistachio glaze.

More gelatin. This is for my mirror glaze,

so I think there's 24 sheets of gelatin going into that.

Basically, you'll be able to see yourself in it.

Mirror glaze is a bit tricky. I'm not looking forward to it.

I'm preparing the shapes for my cube cake stand.

I need to make three platforms and then I need to make some cubes.

I'm a square guy.

I don't know if this is how it's supposed to look, my mirror glaze.

Oh, it's such a messy business.

Don't think it's supposed to look this gloopy.

[Peter] That's the raspberry mirror glaze complete.

That just has to cool down.

Let's crack on.

Come on. Just this bake and then it's final.

I know. It's so close.

-[Noel] How's it going? -It's all right so far.

This bit always goes fine. It's just all this assembling...

-It's just the judging. -[both laughing]

Oh. What a nightmare.

[Matt] Oh, no, viewers. Where's Noel?

[Noel] I'm in here.

Huh?

Oh!

-Not really. -You were there.

Bakers, you have half an hour left.

Yeah, that's not good.

It hasn't set,

but I don't have time, so I'm gonna keep adding the layers.

[Laura] I'm just gonna try and get these out,

get the mirror glaze on. Job's a good 'un.

[Hermine] I'm a bit worried now.

I'm not gonna have the cakes

because they're not gonna set.

[Laura] Oh, this is gonna take longer than I thought.

[Dave] They don't release very well from these,

so unfortunately, I have to butcher 'em.

[Laura] Oh.

[Peter] Happy. It looks good. Looks really, really good.

[Hermine] Doesn't look quite set inside.

Ah, it's not going too well, is it?

[Noel] Till you've seen a man getting cubes

out of a silicone mat, you've not lived.

[Dave] Do you know how much each silicone mat costs?

-[Noel] How much? -Like, nearly £9.

-£9? -Yeah.

[Noel] Who pays for that? Prue?

[Dave] Yeah, Prue did, yeah.

-I've been sponsored by Prue. -Have you?

[Noel] My whole life, yeah. I walk her dogs.

I shampoo her hair.

Put her husband's waistcoats in a neat pile.

Get in the wardrobe so they don't see me.

Get sucked into Narnia, which is a nightmare

'cause it takes about three hours to get out.

You have to bargain with some sort of lion king.

It's a disaster, really.

But it's an interesting life, I wouldn't change it.

Race to the finish.

As usual.

[Peter] Let's glaze these puppies.

[Dave] So there's eight in the milk, eight in the dark and nine in the white.

I've gotta speed up a little bit now. There's not a lot of time left.

[Hermine] This is just not gonna happen.

[Peter] Please be good. Please be good.

[Laura] They looked better without, didn't they?

Not happy at all with that.

[Hermine] They look a bit jelly-like, but I might be able to get them out.

[Dave] This is for the chocolate support.

[Peter] They look good.

[Laura] Oh, it's just not staying on.

This is gonna look like a complete mess.

Oh, my God.

[Hermine] I think I've got a bit too much gelatin.

Don't know if I can glaze those ones.

[Laura] I honestly don't know what's happened.

It hasn't gone like this in practice.

[Hermine sighs]

[Laura] What's wrong? Are you okay?

-Don't even wanna carry on. -[Laura] Come on.

You can do it. I believe in you.

Bakers, you have ten minutes left.

[Peter] I think they're looking good. Is it perfection?

Probably not quite, but it's not far off.

[softly] Just keep going. It's good. It's getting a bit tight so...

Okay.

[Peter groans softly]

[Laura] Oh, dear.

Can't believe I'm done.

Bakers, you have one minute left.

Fit, fit, fit.

Snug as a bug in a rug.

[Laura] If the mirror glaze had worked, I would be so proud of these.

Bakers, your time is up.

So upset.

Please step away from your bakes.

Good? Happy?

-[whispering] Yeah. Are you happy? -Yeah.

[Laura] Absolutely gutted.

Oh, that would've looked so good if that mirror glaze had worked.

[Peter] How'd it go?

Nightmare. I never had such a disaster.

I've definitely earned my crown as the messiest, messiest baker.

[Matt] It's judgement time for the bakers' showstopping cube cakes.

Dave, would you like to bring up your showstopper?

-I think they look great. -Cheers, thank you.

[Paul] Neat, tidy, uniform.

The chocolate is holding which is amazing considering the heat.

That was a brave choice.

I like that you made the base, too.

So it looks quite neat.

[Matt] Mmm.

[Prue] Look at that caramel in the middle.

Personally, I think they're a triumph.

The caramel is delicious. It's just the right melting point,

so it oozes, but it still holds.

The mousse is perfectly set.

[Prue] And the amount of mousse and filling is quite a lot,

so when you get a mouthful, it's all fudgy.

[Paul] Everything together...

-Very good. -Thank you.

[Paul] You've improved a lot actually, David.

Yeah, I think I have, as well. I feel that I've improved myself.

-Well done. -Cheers. Thank you.

[Matt and Noel] Well done.

[Noel] Well done.

The heat's taken its toll.

It's really difficult because it's melting,

it looks a little bit messy.

-[Paul] This is Patisserie Week. -I know.

-So it's gotta look good. -[Laura] I'm so disappointed in the look.

[Prue] Mmm.

Absolutely delicious.

I love the flavours going through there.

[Prue] The textures are terrific.

The whole cherries, that was brave, but it's really delicious.

[Paul] Not the best you've ever made, but the flavours are really good.

Worth all the calories.

-Yay! [chuckles] -[Paul] Thank you.

Well done, Laura.

-Thanks. You, too. -[Hermine] Well done.

[Laura] Thank you.

That is so clever, Peter.

And so complicated.

[Paul] The overall look is effective

'cause you've got a nice shine on all of them.

And it's set beautifully.

Sponge and the mousse are gorgeous.

-[Prue] Mmm. -[Paul] Really nice.

I just wanna see what one of the other one's like.

Let's go for the chocolate one.

[Peter] It has pistachio mousse and a raspberry sponge.

Works beautifully.

Can I ask that you try the final one? It's my favourite.

So that's pistachio cake, chocolate mousse, raspberry glaze.

Like a sort of friand cake.

-Oh, that one quite disappoints me. -Oh, no.

-Only joking. -[all laughing]

-[Prue] I love them. -[Paul] Very clever. Well executed.

-Thank you. -[Matt] Well done.

[Prue and Noel] Well done.

-Smashed it. -Well done, Peter.

[Hermine] Well done, Peter.

Erm, well, it doesn't look great, does it?

No. Not my finest, I'm afraid.

[Prue] The mousse hasn't quite set here.

[Paul] The bottom is collapsing with the weight as it's melting.

But before it melts too much, let's have a quick look.

That, for me, tastes more like raspberry than it does cherry.

It's the outside with the raspberry on it, I love the flavour.

These do feel like panna cotta. It's really odd.

It's actually quite stodgy and bouncy.

It's got too much gelatin in it. It's like a rubber ball.

-It's a shame. -[Prue] To be honest,

-I'm really disappointed... -I am, too.

...because you are so good at patisserie

and this is, by your standards, it's a failure.

I think it goes without saying I'm really disappointed in myself.

I haven't had any disastrous bake.

This is my first one. It's a shame that it happened in week nine.

If I do make it to the final, it would mean a lot.

But it's really 50/50.

[Peter] I'm happy. Yeah.

It's been a really good week.

Got my first handshake, first in the technical.

I think I've got a really good shot for Star Baker.

[Dave] That was phenomenal.

I am so proud that I even managed to pull that off.

Paul said it was a triumph. And that's gonna stick with me forever.

[Laura] That went a lot better than expected.

Prue said it was worth the calories.

That's the golden comment you want from Prue,

so it's gonna be close.

I'm certain it's between me and Hermine going home.

Hopefully, it'll be enough.

[Matt] Let's start with who's had a good week.

I think the lads had a good week.

David and Peter have both done very well.

He struggled from the off. To come up with that in the semifinal?

[Prue] Absolutely delicious, and it's such a sophisticated thing to do.

The other thing that was really good was Peter's.

[Paul] I liked the fact that he had different mousses going in.

Each one, the flavours were amazing.

I would like to give Star Baker to both those boys.

But what I found so disappointing is Hermine.

This is Patisserie Week. It should've been her finest hour, really.

[Paul] This is basically a rubber ball.

But in her defence, Hermine made two things.

Laura did one cake.

Doesn't look brilliant,

but when you bit into that, that was absolutely delicious.

But how many times have we said

Laura's got to save herself in the showstopper? Five times?

Hermine did have a better technical.

This is a tricky one. This could go either way.

-[Matt] Really? -Yeah.

And this is the worst time to go out, isn't it?

-It's heartbreaking. You're just there. -It's brutal.

But that's the position we're in.

Well, it's time for me to tell you who has been Star Baker this week.

There are a couple of candidates, but this week's Star Baker is...

Peter.

Well done, Peter.

That leaves me with the horrible job of announcing

the baker who will be leaving us.

It's especially hard because the person who's leaving us

is not gonna get to the final,

and you've all been so fantastic to get this far.

But sadly, there can only be three.

So the person who is leaving us...

is Hermine.

Aw.

-[Hermine] It's been a pleasure. -[Dave] It has.

I'm disappointed 'cause, er, I didn't want to leave.

-[Laura] Sorry. -It's fine.

I'm so sorry.

I believe everything has a reason,

and it was the right time for me.

You are so good and that was just a bad day, wasn't it?

When I go home and I have time to reflect,

there will be, you know, a lot of happy memories,

a lot of proud moments.

You've been an inspiration, you really have.

[Hermine] Thank you.

I take a lot of good things away from this.

Well done for getting Star Baker.

I've hit Bake Off jackpot this week.

[Prue] You are such a clever lad.

Thank you very much, Prue.

I think it'll take a while to sink in. It feels a bit surreal.

This whole thing is surreal.

I mean, we're locked down in a country estate

with Prue Leith and Paul Hollywood eating your bakes

and Matt Lucas coming round to make you laugh with Noel.

[laughs] It's bonkers.

-[Matt] Congratulations. -Thanks.

[Matt] You made the final.

Like, genuinely I can't process it all right now.

[laughing] It's mad.

Er, like I'm in the final of The Great British Bake Off.

Like, the actual final.

Like, yeah. It's, erm... [speaks gibberish]

[laughing]

Maybe it's sinking in a little bit now.

You are flying. Think of that. The final.

[Dave] I know. Yeah.

Hasn't sunk in yet.

I can't express how happy I am.

[exhales]

It's just unreal. Just can't believe it.

[closing theme music playing]