Where There's Cake, There's Hope...Bake Off 25

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The new series starts on Tuesday 2nd September and the bakers have been named. A few weeks earlier than recent seasons, so taking us nicely from late summer through to the cosiness of autumn.

No change to the team of Paul, Prue, Noel and Alison, which I thought worked well last year - it was a warmer and kinder programme than it has been for a few years.

The usual eclectic mix of contestants, but less of an age spread than some years - a lot of 30 somethings, no-one under 20 or over 60.

Anyone else excited for this season?

The Great British Bake Off confirms return date for season 16 and reveals cast | Radio Times

There seems to be a clear division between the top set and the bottom set ... but someone could always drop their showstopper.

Tom is aspiring to Bake Off The Professionals, isn't he?

I make them all! I'm ridiculously obsessed.

Really enjoyed this episode

Jessicka to go

Iain to go

Very happy to see Jasmine win. Ooh, I was wrong about Iain.

I'm sorry to see Jessika go as she was brilliantly creative and had great ideas. She is definitely better than some of the others. I always think it's a shame when a good baker has a bad week and there's no choice but to send them home.

Jasmine was outstanding. Tough choice for elimination, there were a few who didn't have a good week.

I liked the school cake challenge. That sort of task sorts out who can do the baking basics to a high standard.

Jessika!

I know, I corrected it 😁

Sorry Jessika went. I really took to her.

I liked this week, the bakes all seemed achievable to the average home baker

A good episode. Less gimmicky and more about the baking.

Jasmine is on a roll.

Iain was quite lucky to escape this week.

I agree, although making sprinkles was a bit of a gimmick!

I liked less gimmicks. Like PP I’m a bit bored with trust-fund Tom and whilst I can admire the achievements I struggle to see how the over engineered apple reflects flapjacks in anything other than a few oats bunged in. Toby’s carrot flapjacks stretched the brief whilst still being “real” flapjacks.

I will miss Jessica’s creativity but she did have a bad week. I think Iain dodged a bullet after that show stopper. Before the showstopper I thought Nadia or Natalia might be for the chop. I had hoped Aaron would have a chance of starbaker this week, its a shame he fell at the last hurdle. Much as I admire Jasmine’s beautiful bakes, I quite like to see a new star baker each week.

Considering how close Aaron came to the drop zone a couple of weeks ago, he's really improved. I'm so glad, now, that he stayed.

I knew how to make sprinkles in theory having read about them in a vegan cookbook, so I would have known to pipe a long line and cut it up. I'd have done the biscuiteers thing and dried them out on a low oven if I was short on time. But I would have struggled with the ratio for baking powder to flour, I always use SR. I had 2 tsp to 8oz of flour in mind but the Borwick's Baking Powder tin says 3 tsp so mine would have been a bit flat. A good bakerly challenge.

I liked this weeks. Tom is too slick. Those apple flapjacks were unfinished and his coconuts were not set either.

Iain made a real mess with the plastic pool and computer mouse.

He's very, very ambitious but not quite pulling it off. Google says he's "stepped back from the advertising agency he set up" and reconnected with his first love of food - so maybe another Dylan hoping to find a career from his time on bake off, though he is not quite as good as Dylan at this stage. Lots of time for them all to develop though.

I was glad Iain hung on for anther week but the use of the plastic keyboard and fairly messy black square was very poor. I thought Jessika would go the distance but she didn't have a great week so fair decision I think.

Does “stepped away” mean the business is successfully being run by managers, or it’s closed down, I wonder.

I guess he could also have sold it?

I forgot about Dylan. Does anyone know what happened to him?

I think he'd got a job in a Michelin starred restaurant before the show came out and then had to be quiet about it all while they saw him on telly.

Thanks. I prefer enthusiastic amateurs to ambitious interviewees hoping to improve their career prospects.