The Great British Baking Show: How did the contestants perform during Chocolate week?

The Great British Baking Show cranked up the heat and softened a few tempers as Chocolate Week arrived in the tent. This time, bakers had to demonstrate that they could manage the most dramatic ingredient of all: cocoa. The program began with mousse cups for the signature, followed by a technical that required a faultless white-chocolate tart. It then concluded with a showstopper in which participants created whole fondue displays that were nearly too beautiful to eat.

Chocolate Week on The Great British Baking Show isn't for the faint of heart or temperament. One incorrect move and your glossy ganache becomes gritty, your tempered shells fracture, or worse, everything melts into a sad puddle under the studio lights. Judges Paul Hollywood and Prue Leith didn't give away pity bakes either; every spoonful had to have the right combination of flavour, delicacy, and flair.

Each round finished with the typical highs and lows, with one baker receiving the Star Baker handshake and another saying farewell to the tent, perhaps still scraping chocolate from their apron.

This episode revealed clear frontrunners, while others struggled with technical execution. Tom continued his consistent performance, earning his first Paul Hollywood handshake. Aaron surprised judges with his strongest showing yet, ultimately claiming Star Baker. Meanwhile, Nadia faced elimination after struggling across all three challenges, unable to recover from repeated technical difficulties with her chocolate work and construction methods.

What were the challenges on The Great British Baking Show during the Chocolate week?

The signature on The Great British Baking Show required solid chocolate cups filled with chocolate mousse and a baked component. Tom, Aaron, and Lesley all picked tiramisu-flavored dishes, with Tom and Aaron serving them in coffee-cup forms. Aaron's design included a dark chocolate cup with a white chocolate top that resembled a Starbucks coffee, as well as a little croissant-shaped cookie for dipping. However, his mousse failed to set correctly, resulting in scathing condemnation from both The Great British Baking Show judges.

Tom's cups lacked Aaron's photorealistic detail but delivered on flavor and texture. His perfect execution included a stenciled coffee design in cocoa powder on top. Paul praised the balance of sweet and bitter flavors, awarding Tom a coveted handshake, his first of The Great British Baking Show season. Toby earned praise for his white-chocolate shell shaped like an orange, filled with chocolate-and-orange mousse and Earl Grey sponge. Judges noted the mousse needed more setting time but still commended his work. Iain created Belgian beer glasses filled with Black Forest gâteau elements, receiving positive feedback despite not finishing his cream topping in time.

Nadia struggled with a strawberry mousse and pistachio cream combination that turned out too loose. Paul compared it to a fool rather than proper mousse. Lesley attempted 16 different elements in her cup, resulting in a busy, unfocused dessert with split ganache that resembled, as judges noted, something unappetizing.

The technical introduced a controversial "gingham pantry" twist. Bakers made white-chocolate tarts with shortcrust pastry, then selected toppings from the pantry, but everything they chose had to be used. This format departed from traditional technicals, which typically have all contestants make identical items for direct comparison. Instead, bakers created individualized tarts, essentially turning the technical into a second signature round.

Several The Great British Baking Show contestants struggled with pastry thickness. Nadia made her casing too thick initially, ran out of time remaking it, and had to revert to the problematic first attempt. Iain created an attractive tart with raspberries and white chocolate but dropped it while transferring it to his display stand.

Both Nadia and Iain landed at the bottom. Judges criticized Nadia’s flavors, textures, and excessive pastry thickness. Aaron placed third with passion-fruit purée decoration, while Tom took fourth with blackberry cream topped by crisscrossing chocolate lines. Lesley won the technical despite Prue comparing her tart’s flavor to Key lime pie rather than white chocolate, an assessment that seemed contradictory given the stated objective.

What was the showstopper?

The showstopper on The Great British Baking Show demanded an edible pot, chocolate fondue, three baked dipping elements, and additional cake components. The challenge became a two-person elimination race between Nadia and Toby, both facing repeated technical difficulties.

Nadia attempted a high-heeled shoe bowl, but her chocolate repeatedly broke when removed from molds. Her tiramisu filling proved too runny, preventing her chocolate case from staying together. While judges praised her chocolate's appearance and flavors, she couldn't present a complete shoe. Toby designed a camp stove with marshmallows, graham crackers, and churros for a s'mores theme. His chocolate also kept cracking. When Paul sliced his cake, the entire structure crumbled. His churros were overdone, graham crackers hard, and cake both dry and poorly flavored.

Nadia's elimination from The Great British Baking Show came after weeks of struggle, though Toby's showstopper arguably performed worse. His earlier signature success likely saved him for another week. Aaron won Star Baker with an intricate chocolate piano displaying consistent quality across all three challenges. Prue highlighted his Chinese five-spice Florentines, while Paul praised his chocolate sable biscuits. Despite not receiving a handshake, Aaron's overall consistency earned him the crown.

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