The Great British Bake Off Series 15, Episode 4 Recap | Who Left?

Alison, Noel, Paul and Prue (Channel 4)

ByOlivia Emily

16 hours ago

Who will be left in a sticky situation?

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Another week, another episode of The Great British Bake Off. And with three bakers down, there are just nine contestants left in the show – and the competition is only set get stickier with the arrival of Caramel Week. Here’s everything you might have missed in episode 4 of Bake Off series 15.

Getting ahead of yourself? Find our recap of episode three here, episode two here and episode one here.

Noel and Alison (Channel 4)

Bye, bye Bread Week: Caramel Week reared it’s gooey head this week, putting the bakers to a fickle, buttery, sticky test. Caramel is notoriously tricky, Georgie reminds us. ‘It can split, it can burn, it can crystallise,’ she says.

‘It’s Caramel Week and the bakers make irresistible caramel biscuits and turn up the heat with showstopping mousse cakes,’ Channel 4 teases. ‘Who gets a taste of sweet success, and whose mousse cuts them loose?’ Let’s find out…

OK, let’s address the elephant in the room: making caramel isn’t baking – so it’s time to flash back a few weeks to biscuit week with this Signature Challenge.

The bakers have been tasked with whipping up a set of caramel biscuits, which can take inspiration from existing biscuits (like the classic millionaire’s shortbread) or they can make something new up to impress the judges. The bakers can choose ‘any type of biscuit they like,’ Prue explains, ‘but the dominant flavour must be caramel.’ She adds she’s looking for ‘elegant’ and ‘not clumsy’ bakes.

The bakers also have to ensure their finished product is firm enough to hold in your hand. ‘If you can’t pick it up, that’s not a biscuit,’ Paul adds. ‘That’s more of a pudding.’

Here’s how they got on:

Noel, Prue, Sumayah (Channel 4)

Prue set this week’s challenge, which she teased is all about ‘timing and temperature’. The judges are looking for crisp, flakey pastry and well cooked pears in the Technical Pear Tart Tatin. But it’s not just a caramelly tart they’re after: the judges asked for a walnut caramel ice cream, too. Easy peasy? Not so. This is a particularly fiddly technical with lots of moving parts. After a smashed-jug incident between Nelly and Noel, here’s who came out on top (and who found the whole process a little too sticky):

Paul and Prue (Channel 4)

Mike and Nelly were on the chopping block going into the Showstopper, while Dylan, Georgie and Christiaan were somewhere on the podium. Is all of that about to change? And who sprint to the finish to snag the gold? Let’s see…

‘Your caramel mousse cake must be complete with spectacular sugar work creations,’ says Alison, with ‘at least two types of caramel,’ Noel adds. The bakers were given four and a half hours to create their caramelly mousse cakes.

‘It’s a celebration of caramel,’ Paul explains, ‘but because this is Bake Off we need a baked element, too.’ Enter: the sponge cake. Thank you for at least admitting this is hardly a baking challenge, Paul. Prue adds she is looking for ‘a light cake’ that can still hold the weight of the caramel – so hopefully the bakers won’t make anything stiff or stodgy.

Here’s how the caramel creations were received:

Georgie bagged Star Baker this week after a very rocky time during Bread Week, just beating Dylan to the punch this time around. Well done, Georgie.

Mike left the tent this week, offering a teary farewell to his fellow bakers.

A tough and frankly disappointing Showstopper all around left the judges puzzling over who to send home. Despite a teary Sumayah telling the camera she’s sure she’s going home (and the judges considering it), the farmer ultimately got the chop.

Mike left the Bake Off tent this week. (Noel, Alison, Mike; Channel 4)

Pastry Week is back next week – another tricky classic filled with filo, choux and a special surprise.

‘It’s Pastry Week and the bakers tackle a frangipane tart and Paris-Brest, complete with a freestanding podium,’ Channel 4 teases. ‘Who’ll be put on a pedestal, and whose dreams will flake away?’

You can stream Bake Off series 15 episode 4, and all episodes of The Great British Bake Off, at channel4.com

Series 15 episode 5 will air on Tuesday 22 October 2024 at 8pm on Channel 4 and channel4.com

Culture

By Olivia Emily

Culture

By Olivia Emily

Culture

By Olivia Emily