Tue, Sep 18, 2018
This, the first week, is cake week, as the judges believe cakes will provide a good initial test to gauge the bakers' overall skill level. The signature challenge is to make an elevated version of a traditional fruit upside down cake. The contestants have two hours to complete the challenge. The challenges with this bake are getting the correct ratio of fruit to cake, picking the right fruit not only for flavor but also liquid content and cooking time which may affect the cake batter, and to prepare their pans so that the cake with the fruit releases properly from the pan to display what will be the attractive top. For the technical challenge, the contestants are required to make in two hours an orange chiffon cake. The judges will not only check for the proper cake texture and intense orange flavor, but also the additional garnishes of the glaze and the candied fruit. The biggest issue may be the cake texture, especially in maintaining the air beaten into the egg whites, and cooling the cake in an inverted position so as not to let the cake deflate on its own weight. And for the showstopper challenge which they are provided four hours, the contestants are required to make a birthday cake of their choice containing at least three layers and at least two different flavors. This challenge will demonstrate to the judges what each baker is all about.
Tue, Sep 25, 2018
It's biscuits and bars week, which to some are better known as cookies and squares. For the signature bake, the bakers, in two hours, are required to make a dessert bar with at least three distinct layers to be cut into twenty-four individual servings. Some of the technical issues they may encounter are different baking times for the different layers, applying some of the upper layers onto warm bottom layers, and cutting the bars neatly into the individual servings. For the technical challenge, the bakers are required to make eighteen digestive biscuits in ninety minutes. The judges will be looking for identical looking biscuits, a well defined imprint on the biscuit layer, a nice crisp biscuit, well defined crosshatches in the chocolate layer, and a shiny looking chocolate meaning that the chocolate has been tempered properly. For the showstopper, the bakers have four and a half hours to make an edible biscuit box filled with thirty-six identical cookies, the bakers to be judged on both the cookies and the box. In terms of the box, the judges will be looking for creativity as well as the box maintaining its shape when presented.
Tue, Oct 30, 2018
For the semifinals, the four remaining bakers will have to contend with French pastries. For the signature challenge, they have two hours to make a mille crepe cake, which will be a little less than a thousand as the name implies in that it only needs to have at least twenty-five crepes. The crepes themselves need to be thick enough to withstand the filling, while thin enough to still be considered a crepe and not a pancake. As they cannot use dowels or skewers to hold the cake together, the filling must be firm enough to act as a glue to hold the cake together when it is served. For the technical challenge, they will have two and a quarter hours to make twelve joconde cakes. This challenge will largely be one of time management as they have to contend with three different elements - the joconde sponge, the raspberry mousse and the raspberry gelee - many which have to have time to set, the mousse in particular which needs to be placed in the mold well in advance of the time allotment so that the cake does not collapse as the mousse largely is what holds the joconde together. And for the showstopper, they must make a savory canape platter consisting of twelve each of a tartlet, a puff pastry bite and a finger sandwich. With only four hours, this challenge also will be one of time management as they have to start the puff pastry and the bread early enough to complete the challenge. The top three bakers this week will move onto next week's finale.
Tue, Nov 6, 2018
It's the finals and three bakers remain standing: Andrei Godoroja, Sachin Seth and Megan Stasiewich. The judges are looking for the bakers to incorporate all that they have learned since being in the tent to the finale challenges, and as such issue three very different challenges covering the vast array of baking. For the signature challenge, the bakers will have to make twelve each of two different varieties of mini Swiss rolls in two and a half hours. Beyond amazing flavors and beautiful presentation, the judges will be looking for the right ratio of filling to sponge, a light and moist sponge, and the classic roll shape which means the filling should swirl around the sponge in layers in as round a shape as possible. For the technical challenge, the bakers will have two and a quarter hours to make a Princess cake. This challenge will be one largely of time management as they will have to make several different components - the sponge, the filling, the pastry cream, the marzipan, the tempered chocolate, and the fondant rose adornment - while having enough time to assemble the cake so that it will be set in time for serving. They also have to ensure the finished product looks like a Princess cake, which they may never have seen before. For the final bake, the showstopper, the judges ask the bakers to make a choux pastry tower in four and half hours, the finished product which must contain at least two different shapes of choux pastry, at least three different fillings, and have at least three distinct tiers. The added pressure on this specific day is the heat, which could easily melt the usually cream filling and other components holding the tower together. The finalists' friends, family and the eliminated contestants are on hand for the announcement of the Greatest Canadian Baker season 2.