Report By Katie Scott
My white chocolate and butterscotch blondies
My name is Katie, and I have an addiction. To baking. I absolutely love it. It could merely be because I have a penchant for cake, muffins and doughnuts due to my incredibly sweet tooth, but I also enjoy playing around with flavours and watching my calorific creations develop in the gentle light of a toasty warm oven. Plus, it makes your kitchen smell amazeballs. Period.
With The Great British Bake Off once more gracing our screens, there was no way Wychelm was not going to get involved – not under my watch anyway! With this in mind, I pencilled in our very Bake Off competition, where members would bring along their baked goods, certificates being awarded to ‘Star Baker’, ‘Best Decorated’ and ‘Best Flavour’. With the shiny certificates and a Sharpie stowed in my Yonex bag, and my tin of treats under the other arm, I was prepped and ready to get this bake off going.
Frank’s banana bread
With my husband buying me the most recent GBBO book, it was only natural that I brought along something from within it’s delicious recipe pages. I decided to whip up some white chocolate and butterscotch blondies, decorated with fresh raspberries. I have so say, I was very impressed with the flavour, and they came out much better than I thought considering I didn’t have the right sized tin! Frank also got involved with the cake like action, bringing his famed banana bread, that was a wonderful mixture of squelchy and moist banana flavoured sponge in the centre, the edges baked a firmer golden brown. It’s little surprise that Frank’s classic took home the ‘Best Flavour’ award.
Ex member and occasional visitor Jess also got involved, although due to time restraints, she brought along fancy shop bought nibbles instead, including mini chocolate and hazelnut meringues, ginger thins as well as pancake cookies, which tasted pretty much like mini naked profiteroles. Nick also bought with him some shop bought flapjack bites as well, which always go down a treat.
Jess’s munchies
Welsh baker David L also opted for something classic, picking Welsh cakes – one I hadn’t tried before. Looking and tasting a bit like a gently spiced, squashed scone, these were yummy, the neat round shape and scattered sultanas earning David the ‘Best Decorated’ category.
But who was our ‘Star Baker’ I hear you ask! Novice baking newbie Stuart E absolutely wowed us all with his phenomenal lemon drizzle sponge. It was beautifully light, soft and fluffy in a very desirable and crumbly way, the citrus flavour so spot on that it didn’t overpower or make the cake bitter, but just enhanced it in every way. Cut into generous fingers, it was pure perfection and well worthy of our top prize of the night.
Giving our Star Baker his certificate!
Thanks to everyone who made the effort to take part – as always, it’s you guys that make the socials so much fun, no matter what they are!
