This was the week! The first episode of the new season of The Great British Baking Show! (It has also been referred to as Great British Bake-Off or GBBO)
This is a highly anticipated moment for fans of the show of whom I am one.
The show, which has been running since 2010, is a reality show in which amateur bakers from across the British Isles (including Ireland, Scotland and Wales) participate in a baking competition.
Twelve bakers are chosen among thousands of applicants and arrive at a location in England to bake a wide range of goods during 10 competitions.
They bake in various types of weather in a large tent. Each contestant gets his/her own oven, work space, and utensils. They come from a variety of backgrounds from teachers to military, stay-at-home parents to physicians and more.
There are two judges. Paul Hollywood has been on the show since it began. His specialty is bread and each season they dedicate an entire episode to it. The other judges have been Mary Berry, Prue Leith, both of which I admire greatly. All of the judges have written countless cookbooks (in England they call them cookery books) and been in the baking industry for decades. Prue Leith’s restaurant was awarded a Michelin star – one of the food industry’s highest ratings for quality.
Prue who is a senior citizen with a clothing style that I copy because I’m mad about bright colors as well, has decided to leave the show. While that is sad for the great number of us who appreciate her expertise and kindness to contestants (she could almost always find an encouraging word for them), starting this season Nigella Lawson will take her place.
Having watched Nigella Lawson’s cooking shows on Britbox (sadly, they are no longer available there) and enjoyed her and her method of cooking, and having looked through a couple of her cookbooks that I own (Forever Summer and Nigella Bites), I’m eager to watch her now on my beloved show.
If the show was solely about competition and ambition among contestants and the judges appeared long-suffering with their work among the ‘peasants’, I would not watch. There is much more to it than that.
I turned to this show because I had heard much about it on Facebook. People were excited and I decided to see what the fuss was about. I’m so glad I did.
I watched it at first due to curiosity. I returned to it again and again because it is so much more than a competition. It is a happy show that opens with light-hearted music, whimsical pastoral scenes of sheep gamboling in a meadow, birds singing.
Then there are the presenters which put the show on another level. Noel Fielding and Alison Hammond chat with the contestants who are often nervous or stressed about the assignments. They often joke with the contestants but also comfort them when bakes don’t go as planned.
I love this show.
I’ve watched every season and some seasons more than once to not only learn baking techniques, but also to smile and even cry when someone achieves a masterpiece – referred to as a ‘showstopper.’
But I also love the kindness that is shown by everyone. I realize the show’s editors may leave out nastiness, but I’m great with that. I don’t need to see more of that in my world.
So, in honor of this epic week, I pulled out my vintage cookbooks and found a chocolate cake recipe in honor of the two-layer chocolate cake displayed at the opening of GBBO.
This luscious recipe is from the “Pillsbury 100 Prize-Winning Recipes” booklet. It was hard to narrow my choice of recipes to make from this book because all of the recipes looked scrumptious.
I admit, this was the most complicated recipe I’ve worked on for this blog in three years. I had a huge number of pans, dishes, utensils to wash because of the three steps – cake, filling, frosting.
But it was worth it. The creamy filling between layers of this luscious chocolate cake and the mocha frosting on top were divine.
I did make a couple of changes, mainly making the cake three layers, rather than two. The layers were still more than one inch thick so it worked well. The only thing it affected was the filling which was thinner than with two layers.
Otherwise, it turned out well. This dessert will be served to my family as we’re having a small reunion this weekend. Yay!
See My Notes for more tips.
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Enjoy!
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My Notes:
- Instead of coffee which I had run out of, I substituted skim milk. Great results.
- As mentioned in previous recipes, I keep powdered buttermilk in my refrigerator. When mixed with water (directions are on the side of the container), it works well.
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1951 Cream-Filled Chocolate Cake
2 ½ cups flour
1 ½ cups sugar
½ cup cocoa
2 teaspoons baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
2/3 cup shortening
2 eggs
1 cup buttermilk
½ cup water
1 teaspoon vanilla
Ingredients for Cream Filling (not pictured)
2/3 cup milk
2 tablespoons margarine (I used butter)
¼ cup flour
¼ teaspoon salt
1/3 cup sugar
1/3 cup cold milk
1 slightly beaten egg
½ teaspoon vanilla
Ingredients for Mocha Frosting (not pictured)
3 cups powdered sugar
½ cup cocoa
¼ cup melted margarine (I used butter)
3 tablespoons warm coffee
1 teaspoon vanilla
Assemble cake:
In large mixing bowl cream shortening, eggs, buttermilk, water, vanilla.
In small bowl combine flour, sugar, cocoa, baking soda, salt.
Add flour mixture to wet ingredients a small amount at a time, mixing with mixer at low speed until well blended.
Beat mix at medium speed for three minutes.
Pour batter into two well-greased and lightly floured 9-inch round layer pans at least 1-inch deep.
Bake at 350 degrees for 30-35 minutes.
Remove from oven and cool on baking rack.
Spread Cream Filling between layers:
Heat 2/3 cup milk and two tablespoons margarine in saucepan.
Combine ¼ cup flour, ¼ teaspoon salt and 1/3 cup sugar.
Add 1/3 cup cold milk to flour mix and stir until smooth.
Add to hot milk mix in saucepan.
Cook over low heat, stirring constantly until thick.
Remove one-fourth cup hot mix with spoon and mix with one slightly beaten egg in small bowl. Stir gently; return mix to saucepan.
Cook two minutes, stirring constantly; remove from heat and cool.
Stir in ½ teaspoon vanilla.
Frost top and sides with Speedy Mocha Frosting:
In large bowl combine three cups powdered sugar and ½ cup cocoa.
Blend in ¼ cup melted margarine, three tablespoons warm coffee and 1 teaspoon vanilla.
Mix until well blended.
Yield: two 9-inch round layers
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