If you’re a fan of “The Great British Bake Off,” then you already know it’s one of the most soothing, heartwarming reality shows around. But in addition to the jaw-dropping Showstoppers and those biscuits that stay perfectly crisp, the tent has also played host to some of TV history’s most unforgettable baking disasters.
Season 16 has already given us new faces, great bakes and of course some major misses. And to be very clear, that is part of why we love it. These home bakers lay everything on the line each week, and when things go awry, it’s all at once hilarious and heartbreaking.
Let’s revisit 15 of the most notable flops on the Great British Bake Off, moments that drew gasps, laughter and in some cases, tears – an interesting case study in culinary misadventure.
1. Hassan’s Collapsed Chocolate Swiss Roll (Season 16, Episode 1)
One sees that Hassan’s chocolate, coffee, and caramel composite, which was supposed to culminate in an elevated Swiss roll, fell victim to structural failure when the caramel didn’t set. His call away from a cooling period set in motion a chain of complications which had spectators in a state of emotional upheaval while Hassan tried to patch up his preparation, and ultimately resulted in him being taken out of the race later on in the week.
2. Avalanche Cake by Iain Hitchison (Season 16, episode 1)
In a situation where any one confectionary misstep might be enough cause for analysis, Iain’s ambitious, topographical cake design came crashing down altogether. The substrate-a sponge made too aerated-lacked the necessary load-bearing capacity, leading to an edible analogue of a landslide. Quick, if makeshift, refrigeration solved the situation just enough to stave off elimination.
3. Hobnob Nightmare (Season 16, Episode 2) by Pui Man.
During the Technical challenge Pui Man had difficulty with the structural assembly of chocolate Hobnobs. Her rearranging layers and prematurely pouring chocolate caused solidified, melted pieces – a result that demonstrates how much confectionary timing can affect its textural quality.
4. The Broken Paris Brest (Season 15, Episode 5) by Andy Pickering
Andy’s Showstopper-a Paris-Brest with a toffee “stand”-was a failure on both an aesthetic and structural level and collapsed under its own weight. The ensuing collapse of the presentation was a key element to the end of his run on the show.
5. Messy Marshmallow Biscuits by Keith (Season 14, Episode 2)
While bakers of his time used moulds to create geometrically precise marshmallow sandwich cookies, Keith broke from conventional methodology. The end product was a viscous, amorphous blob that was far, far from achieving culinary elegance and sealed his fate during Biscuit Week.
6. Crystelle Oil-Soaked Focaccia (Season 12, Episode 10)
Previously a formidable finalist, Crystelle’s recurrent challenge was a focaccia suffused in olive oil. The excess of fat content made it difficult to bake properly and she lost her laurels if she ever had a chance to win.
7. Unfamous Celebrity Busts (Season11, Episode 1)
This contractual exercise required the artistic sculpting of the cakes in the likeness of celebrity figures. The general collapse of the challenge, be it due to the laxity of the producers or by the incorrect adoption of design protocols used by bakers, highlights an inherent mechanism in the failure of the programme.
8. The Brownie Disaster (Season 11, Episode 4)
Despite the fact that brownies are generally considered a near zero failure bake, in the episode in question there was widespread overengineering, leading to almost universal critical commentary from Paul Hollywood on almost every contestant’s submission.
9. Mark’s “Avo Baby” (Season 11, Episode 6)
Mark’s kawaii-themed avocado infant cake, while aesthetically pleasing, was not enough to counteract the larger criticism of the show’s “Japanese Week” thematic design, resulting in his eventual removal from competition.
10. Sussex Pond Puddings (Season 11 Episode 8)
The idea of hiding an entire lemon in a suet pudding created an unusual Technical challenge that no one in the competition was able to successfully navigate; the task has remained a notable, if not unusual, event in the history of the challenge.
11. Steph’s Soufflé Meltdown (Season 10, Episode 10)
In the last episode of her season, Steph’s Stilton souffle met with a catastrophic fizzle, turning into a cohesively liquid mass. Such a collapse precipitated a palpable sense of disappointment among her supporters.
12. Terry’s Eiffel tower disaster (Season 9 episode 2)
Terry, known fondly as the “sweet old man” of Season 9, tried to build an Eiffel Tower-themed confection. The structural integrity failed, but Terry managed to survive a few more episodes.
13. Salmon Coulibiac Disaster with Dan (Season 9, episode 6)
Dan’s Salmon Coulibiac, although meant to be a visually striking piece, ended up with an unappealing profile that resulted in Prue’s complete abstention from consumption.
14. Ruby Falls Vegan (Season 9, Episode 7)
Ruby’s towering vegan cake, a signature of the week’s theme, crumbled dramatically on camera; she pressed on, however, and made it to the finals.
15.
(Season 9, Episode 7)
Chris’s fortune cookies were awful to the point that both Paul and Prue (an unprecedented event) spat them out of their mouths, a decided vindication of the difficulty in making perfect baked goods.
