The Great Housekeep Bake Off is Back!
Although The Great British Bake Off is over, we are only just getting started in the Housekeep office (better late than never, eh?) Yes, that’s right, The Great Housekeep Bake Off is back, so if you need to continue your baking obsession, you’ve come to the right place!
We are preparing ourselves for the delights which will come into the office in the coming weeks and the amount of sugar we will undoubtedly consume! We’ve dusted off our cookbooks, greased our cake tins and fired up our ovens, so let the best baker win!
Now, without further ado...on your marks, get set…BAKE!
Week 1 - Sticky Toffee Apple Caramel Cake
Kicking off the first week of this year’s GHBO is Freya! Freya’s a keen baker, often bringing cake to keep us going in the office. We’ve already had Gin & Tonic and Prosecco & Strawberry cake this year, which we all loved (nothing to do with the alcohol!) When she’s not trying to find you the Housekeeper of your dreams, she’s probably pondering over the next bake!
Freya really put her baking skills to the test, making a sticky toffee and apple caramel cake! The cake went down an absolute treat; imagine sticky twoffee pudding in cake form and with toffee apples! The cake was lovely - moist on the inside with a layer of caramel and cream-cheese butter cream running through it, as well as being coated with it. It was also topped with apples and had caramel drizzling down the side.
This entry has turned up the heat in the Housekeep office (even with the aircon on) Freya’s already one to watch - we could have the next baking superstar on our hands!
Week 2 – Mini Victoria Sponges, and Coconut and Raspberry Muffins
Week 2 of GHBO could only mean one thing - another brilliant bake, this time courtesy of Lydia!
Lydia’s not the most confident baker but we love her and her creations nevertheless! She’s already treated us this year by bringing us sugary treats and goodies from Tuscany. We could all tell that she must have cooked up a storm this weekend as she surprised and spoiled us by baking (after a very boozy brunch) not just one, but two bakes!
The mini Victoria sponges were mini mouthfuls of heaven! Lydia presented us with a classic Victoria sponge - fluffy, light and filled with raspberry jam and cream! Next were the sweet coconut and raspberry muffins which were wonderful. Although not the most visually striking bakes, they did not disappoint in the taste department, as the sweetness of the coconut and the fierce, fruity flavour of the raspberries complemented each other perfectly!
Lydia is a definite contender in the competition, and she should be very proud of these bakes. Whether or not they’ll be enough to put her in the Housekeep hall of fame though, only time will tell!
Week 3 – Chocolate and Salted Caramel Cake
BAKING NEWS. The bake off was delayed this week, as Beth’s niece found the chocolate ganache in the kitchen, and yes, you guessed it…as soon as it hit her ga-nashers, it was all gone! This meant we didn’t get our usual Monday fix of sugar (sigh) but it was well worth the wait! Beth certainly went ‘cocoa loco’ this week, and created a death by chocolate cake which any chocoholic would love!
The Chocolate and Salted Caramel Cake was DEE-LICIOUS! The chocolate cake had a touch of coffee with a lovely layer of salted caramel in the middle, topped with chocolate ganache and shavings. The combination between the chocolate, coffee and salted caramel led to a very sweet cake with a soft and moist interior. I wouldn’t have complained if Miss Trunchbull had forced me to eat this cake!
Beth baked an absolute, divine, chocolate dream! Will this bake make Beth this year’s winner? You can do it Bruu…I mean Beth!!