Doing My Own (Beginner) Bake Off
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Anonymous
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I've been watching The Great British Baking Show (I know I'm very late to the party on this) and I'm obsessed. I've never baked much of anything from scratch aside from an apple pie one Thanksgiving when I had to take a dessert somewhere and a chocolate cake for my DH's birthday once. I was fascinated by how those two items were significantly better than anything from a store, and better than they would have been had I used a store-bought crust or a cake mix.
So ... I asked ChatGPT to make me a 15 week challenge for a very beginning baker, inspired by that show, going from easiest to most difficult. I'm excited to say that I start this weekend with a Victoria sponge cake filled with jam and buttercream. If anyone is inclined you should join me in this! |
Anonymous
| What's your recipe for Victoria sponge? |
Anonymous
I used chat for that as well, lol. Classic British Victoria Sponge Cake This is a staple in British baking—light, buttery sponge with jam and cream in the middle. Here’s a version that's perfect for beginners. Ingredients: 1 cup (225g) unsalted butter, softened 1 cup (225g) granulated sugar 4 large eggs 1 tsp vanilla extract 2 cups (225g) all-purpose flour (or self-raising flour*) 2 tsp baking powder (if not using self-raising flour) Pinch of salt 2–4 tbsp milk (just enough to loosen the batter) To fill: Good-quality strawberry or raspberry jam Whipped cream or buttercream (optional) Powdered sugar for dusting Step-by-Step Instructions: 1. Prep Your Pans and Oven Preheat your oven to 350°F (180°C). Butter and line two 8-inch round cake pans (or one tall one and slice it later). 2. Make the Batter In a large bowl, cream together the softened butter and sugar with a hand mixer or stand mixer until light and fluffy (2–4 minutes). Add the eggs one at a time, mixing well between each. Add vanilla with the last egg. Sift the flour, baking powder (if using), and salt into the bowl. Fold it in gently with a spatula or spoon. Add a splash or two of milk—just enough to make a smooth, soft batter that drops off the spoon easily. 3. Bake Divide the batter evenly between the pans. Smooth the tops and bake for 20–25 minutes until golden brown and springy to the touch. A skewer or toothpick should come out clean when inserted in the center. Cool in the pans for 5–10 minutes, then turn out onto a wire rack to cool completely. 4. Assemble Place one cake layer on a plate or stand. Spread jam generously over it. Top with whipped cream or buttercream if using (totally optional). Place the second cake layer on top. Dust with powdered sugar. |
Anonymous
| Mary Berry has a couple GBBO cookbooks you could try |
Anonymous
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Sounds like great fun! I love GBBS. Tell us how it goes.
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Anonymous
| Yum!! I may make this just because it sounds delicious. Keep us posted. |
Anonymous
| Thanks all. I'm making the sponge this weekend. I may do two weeks of Victoria sponge, or I might move on next weekend to my second "challenge" lol, which is "classic shortbread." |
Anonymous
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Fun! There's tons of British Bake off recipes online.
Can you post the list of challenges? We can maybe even suggest recipe versions we've tried so you don't need to use dubious chatgpt recipes. |
Anonymous
| Please keep us updated, this is such a fun idea! I might try to do this also. |
Anonymous
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The Sally’s Baking Addiction blogger offered a challenge to her readers. You might find it interesting.
https://sallysbakingaddiction.com/category/sallys-baking-traditions/sallys-baking-challenge/ |
Anonymous
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I just love this!
Mary Berry got her start as a person that would go out and show housewives how to use their new oven after it was installed and she would make the victoria sponge as her demo. If the little anecdotes on the show are correct. Also, I feel like I remember that the bake a victoria sponge in each oven each morning to make sure they are all calibrated the same and correctly. |
Anonymous
Don't do two weeks of sponge OR the shortbread. Just because chatbot put it on your list doesn't mean you need to make shortbread. It's not very good, you will never make it for guests and it's not necessary in a repertoire these days. (some people may argue but if you want something similar that's not very sweet and great with tea/coffee/sweet wine then do koulourakia). I would look at the PP link for baking addiction and pick something from there! (easy, since you're going easy to difficult!) |
Anonymous
love shortbread. arguing right here. fight me. |
Anonymous
Each challenge is meant to teach certain baking skills ... the focus isn't on what is "very good." But I like it, anyway. |
Anonymous
Yes! Here it is: 1 Victoria Sponge Cake / Creaming, folding, whipped cream 2 Classic Shortbread / Dough mixing, chilling, even baking 3 Muffins or Quick Bread / Mixing method, moist batter 4 Cupcakes with Buttercream / Piping, portioning, decorating 5 Drop & Cut-Out Cookies / Soft dough, shaping, baking times 6 Swiss Roll / Rolling sponge, filling, timing 7 Viennese Whirls / Piping delicate dough, butter texture 8 Cream Puffs or Éclairs / Choux pastry, stovetop dough 9 Fruit Galette / Rustic pastry, shaping, fruit filling 10 Brioche Buns or Cinnamon Rolls / Enriched yeast dough, proofing 11 Custard Tart / Blind baking, custard filling 12 Scones / Quick dough, flakiness, handling 13 Rough Puff Pastry / Rolling, chilling, layering 14 Danish Pastries or Kouign-Amann / Laminated dough, shaping 15 Croissants or Pain au Chocolat / Full lamination, timing, proofing |