Cake week
Week 1 of GBBO 2025 was cake week, of course. I opted to make Crunchie chocolate cupcakes, using a Jane's Patisserie recipe and utilising my new Progress stand mixer which was a 30th birthday present from my family. Honestly these couldn't have turned out better; the bake was super easy and they were the ideal texture, and decor wise I was really happy with them too. This was literally the very first time I had used a piping bag, too - so I was honestly quite happy with how the buttercream looked on top! They were absolutely delicious and I plan on making them again for sure. I did Crunchie spread in the middle (don't recommend having this in the cupboard as it's simply TOO delicious) and chunks of Crunchie on top. Splendid effort for week one.
Biscuit week
I wasn't sure what to make for week 2, biscuit week - so I asked my fiancée (now my wife at the time of posting this because I did literally get married in the middle of a bake off season) what she fancied. Her favourite biscuits are the Fox's Viennese chocolate sandwich ones, so I thought I would make something similar but hopefully easier. I used this Viennese biscuit recipe, dipping one end in milk chocolate. The dough was straightforward to make, and then I had to pipe them out onto greaseproof paper on a tray. This was my second ever time piping and honestly, it could have been better but they did turn out pretty good if I do say so myself. I think I was cautious and not applying enough pressure at first, so they didn't come out as thick as I would have liked meaning I re-piped some, which is why they're definitely not even looking. Wouldn't win any Bake Off technical awards but hey, they tasted lovely (if not quite as sweet as we might have hoped) and the texture was genuinely spot on.
Bread week
For GBBO week 3, it was bread week. I've never made bread before but there's a first time for everything! I opted for focaccia, and I already had everything I needed - you only need flour, yeast, water, salt and oil. I mixed the flour, yeast and water in my stand mixer, letting it knead for 15 minutes using a dough hook. Honestly, if it wasn't for this mixer, I don't know what I'd do. Then I transferred it to an oiled bowl, letting it sit for half an hour - around 20 minutes into this time frame, I filled by baking dish with boiling water to let it warm up. At the half an hour point, I emptied the water from the dish and dried it, then put the dough in there to prove for another 30 minutes. Just before popping in the oven, I pressed my fingers into the bread to dimple it and topped with more oil, salt, mixed herbs and also some chopped peppers to make a flower and sun design. This bread was unreal and I can't believe how simple it was to do, and I've made it MANY times since!
Back to school week
Bake Off week 4 was a new one in the schedule - back to school. Of course my first thought was classic school cake, so I ordered a square tin and again followed a Jane's Patisserie recipe to make the cake. I didn't actually let it cool long enough before adding the icing, so it was very runny and didn't really stick to the top of the cake properly - but otherwise, this was another success and it tasted delightful.
Chocolate week
Week 5 (and at this point I was very impressed to have stuck at this every week in the midst of planning a wedding AND working full time) was chocolate week; I really didn't want to do anything too complicated, so I went with a biiiggggg fat chocolate orange cake. I used the Jane's Patisserie basic chocolate cake recipe, adding some orange essence into the chocolate buttercream and decorating with Terry's segments. I was so proud of everything about this cake - it tasted and looked absolutely fantastic, and we were living off it for days. Possibly my favourite one!
Pastry week
When it came to pastry week, I'll admit I failed Paul Hollywood and cheated by using pre-made pastry. I've never made pastry in my life, and at this point it was 2 weeks before the wedding and work had ramped up big time, so pre-made pastry to the rescue! I opted to make sausage rolls, but to jazz them up a bit I did mix the sausage meat with some sage & onion stuffing. Honestly they were a delight, and of course this was a super easy recipe - though I did have to separate an egg for the first time to do the egg wash/glaze, so that was a new skill for me.
Meringue week
This was the week of our wedding, so I went simple with what turned out to be basically meringue blobs - made in my mixer, of course, and topped with a chocolate drizzle and fresh raspberries. The meringues took ages to whip into a stiff peak in the mixer, like honestly an absurd amount of time, but otherwise this was really easy to do. It was also only my second ever time separating eggs, so that was a new skill for me! I did add sprinkles to the meringue mixture but they didn't really show up much or taste that good, so I wouldn't do that again.
Dessert week
Week 8 was dessert week and this was just 3 days after my wedding - I was in Poland, and had absolutely not had the time to try making any sort of dessert for the occasion which was such a shame as I could have definitely put something delicious and chocolatey together...
Patisserie week
Another fail on my part - in my defence, this was a few days after we got home from Poland, and we'd been to a gig AND I was straight back to work, so my time was completely eaten up. Not so devastating because I honestly don't have a *clue* what I would have been able to make for this one!
The final
Aaaaah, the final! SO pleased Jasmine won, what a superstar - as there was no given theme for this week, I went with a basic (and sensational) Victoria sponge with some granny chic, chintzy floral piping on top. *Still* practicing my piping skills, though I'll be honest I don't really seem to be improving at all. I feel like it's something you need three hands for?! Also the cake just wasn't level at all, but it's rustic and a 10/10 for taste.
And that's it done - until 2026, when I'll definitely be attempting this again, hopefully with even better results and with every week ticked off. I've learnt new skills, tried a lot of new things, and added some amazing regular recipes to my roster! And for that, I'm calling this challenge a success.
