It's all about the addition of plants into the bakes for Botanical Week. That addition will have to be a visual as the bakers are asked to make a dozen sandwich cookies featuring pressed edible flowers as the decoration for the signature, most bakers adding another botanical element to accentuate the theme. They are going primarily for the interpretation of a botanical in being asked to each make sixteen chebakia for the technical, it a deep-fried Moroccan treat which evokes the shape of a rose. Other true botanical elements to the chebakia are orange blossom water and honey. And for the first time this season, the bakers are asked to make an illusion bake for the showstopper, in this case a cake that resembles something botanical. While some bakers match the flavor to the illusion, others are staying away from the actual botanicals in their bake to have that disconnect between the visual and the taste.
—Huggo