The semi-final of The Great British Bake Off put the four remaining bakers through their paces during a challenging Patisserie Week. The first hurdle was the Signature Challenge, which required them to bake two batches of cream horns, a delicate pastry that proved difficult in the record-breaking heat of the tent. The bakers had two hours and forty-five minutes to create twelve elegantly decorated cream horns using laminated pastry and creamy fillings.
Judges Paul Hollywood and Prue Leith were looking for finesse, delicacy, and great flavors. However, the high temperatures made working with the butter-based rough puff pastry a major struggle for most, leading to a clear divide in performance.
The Signature Challenge: Cream Horns
The bakers were tasked with making two batches of six cream horns each, with each batch requiring at least two complementary fillings. The challenge was not just about flavor but also about achieving the perfect laminated pastry—a flaky, buttery texture that is difficult to master, especially in warm conditions.
The intense heat in the tent was a recurring problem, causing the butter in the pastry to soften too much, which risked ruining the delicate layers needed for a perfect horn.
How the Bakers Fared
The four semi-finalists—Jasmine, Aaron, Tom, and Toby—faced a mix of praise and criticism from the judges.
Jasmine’s Winning Pastry
Jasmine received high praise from the judges for her nearly flawless execution. She made mocha and raspberry pistachio cream horns. When Paul cut into her pastry, he noted a “nice flake,” indicating well-executed lamination. Prue loved the flavors, calling the coffee and chocolate combination “simply delicious” and praising the “really good balance of flavours” in her raspberry and pistachio batch.
Prue Leith said, “Well done, Jasmine! That is really good. Balance of flavors. The raspberry is great. Pistachio is terrific. And I think the pastry is nicely baked. I think you’ve done a really good job. And they look pretty.”
Aaron’s Mixed Review
Aaron decided to reimagine classic pudding flavors in his horns. While the judges were impressed with his pastry technique, his flavor combinations received criticism. Prue noted that while the individual flavors were “absolutely delicious,” she didn’t think they went well together. Paul agreed that Aaron had achieved a “really good rough puff” that was baked well.
Tom’s Cakey Texture
Tom, who is often noted for his precision, faced some setbacks. His horns, which featured chocolate and clementine and lemon raspberry cream cheese, were criticized for their texture. Both judges found the pastry to be more “cakey” and “a bit dry” rather than flaky. However, they did appreciate his flavor combinations.
Toby’s Recipe Gamble
Toby had a particularly difficult time. After a previous bad experience with Paul’s puff pastry recipe, he opted to use a rough puff recipe from Gordon Ramsay. This decision backfired. Prue found the texture of his pastry “too hard,” though she loved his lemon and chocolate coffee flavors. Paul, upon learning of the recipe switch, remarked that you should “never trust a pastry recipe from a chef.”
The Aftermath of the Signature
The Signature Challenge set the tone for the rest of the semi-final. The clear divide between the bakers’ pastry skills became evident, with Jasmine and Aaron pulling ahead based on their technical execution, while Tom and Toby found themselves at the bottom due to issues with their pastry textures. This early struggle placed Tom and Toby in a vulnerable position heading into the notoriously difficult Technical Challenge.
The judges’ feedback in this round was crucial, highlighting the immense pressure of the semi-final. As one recap noted, “The judges were more critical than earlier in the season, finding some fault with all of the bakers’ work.”
Also Read: Love Island Australia 2025: No Eliminations Yet as Season 7 Takes a Slow-Burn Approach
