Join me as I bake through the Great British Bake Off.
Sfogliatelle, meaning "small, thin leaves" in Italian, perfectly describes these delicate laminated pastries that are popular in Naples. In this version, half are filled with a traditional semolina-ricotta cream flavored with chocolate and Amarena cherries. The other half encase a French almond cream reminiscent of almond croissants. Try either one ... or both!
Featuring the "tricolore" of Italy's flag — red, white and green — pizza Margherita is synonymous with the city of Naples. From its thin, crisp crust to fresh toppings of mozzarella, basil, and San Marzano tomatoes, this recipe evokes Old World charm and authentic flavors.
Yes, you can make cannoli without a pasta machine! These cannoli shells (with three different fillings!) came out perfectly thin, crisp and authentically bubbly. Try them with one or all three fillings: limoncello, tiramisu, and chocolate-orange.
These mini mousse cakes are light as a feather but pack a real flavor punch. Caramel Macchiato Mousse Cakes have both coffee and vanilla mousse layered atop a chocolate sponge, with a salted caramel ganache on top. Lemon-Berry Mousse Cakes feature a berry-flavored mousse on a lemon sponge, with raspberry gelée hidden inside!
Mary Berry's marjolaine is a 7-layered delight featuring four layers of almond-hazelnut dacquoise sandwiched with praline buttercream and chocolate ganache. Overall, a delightfully nutty, crunchy, creamy concoction that presents itself with elegance and panache!
The classic Bakewell tart, with its layers of short crust pastry, jam, frangipane and icing, hails from the town of Bakewell in Derbyshire, England. While its origins may be the source of some contention, most such arguments fade over a cup of tea and a warm slice.
With chocolate ladyfingers enfolding a mango Bavarian cream, topped with a layer of passionfruit jelly, this Charlotte Russe would have been my entry for the showstopper challenge in Victorian Week on the 2015 season of The Great British Bake Off.
Tennis cakes were a big hit in the late 1800s, when lawn tennis became a popular sport that men and women could play together. The cakes were elaborately decorated with candied fruit or royal icing in the shape of tennis balls and racquets. This was the technical challenge for Victorian week in The Great British Bake Off 2015.
My elk and ale pie is inspired by the classic British steak and ale pie. In Victorian times, raised game pies made for elaborate feasts for aristocracy, but the invention of the sprung metal pie mold made them available to the middle class.
The bakers in the Great White Tent were given the challenge of making 24 éclairs — 12 each of two different flavors. I chose to make Key lime éclairs topped with toasted Swiss meringue and chocolate éclairs filled with a stracciatella cannoli filling.
