The turtle cake look so naturalistic , I aboveboard did n’t want them to rationalise it …
It’s officially fall becauseThe Great British Bake Offis back, and I instantly feel cozier. From a delightful new host, Alison Hammond, to an extremely talented group of bakers to a course correctioneliminatingthe show’s country-themed weeks, the season is already off to a great start.
As always, the first week was Cake Week, and the bakers were first challenged with baking vertical layer cakes, followed by a technical challenge for the ages: They were tasked with baking THE iconicGBBOopening credits cake, missing raspberry and all.
And it wouldn’t be aBake Offepisode without an awkward innuendo moment:
Speaking of beavers, it was the showstopper challenge that really wowed me. The challenge was to make ananimalout of cake, and the results ranged from super realistic to adorably cartoonish and everything in between. The animal bakes were so much fun that I just had to put together some side-by-side comparisons of the drawings and the final bakes.
The drawings are , of form , doneafterthe final bakesby illustrator Tom Hovey(aka the man with the cool job ever ! ) . He oncetold Vulture , “ My job is to illustrate what the bakers plan to create , not what they in reality broil in the tent . " So I just think it ’s pretty cracking to see a side - by - side of what the baker had planned next to how things turned out .
1.Keith’s “Maisie” Cake:
2.Cristy’s “Raspberry Ripple” Duck Cake:
3.Matty’s “Marty the Cocker Spaniel” Cake:
4.Rowan’s “Cosmopolitan Lobster” Cake:
5.Saku’s “Tikiri the Turtle” Cake:
6.Dan’s “Bruno” Cake:
7.Josh’s “Mum’s Highland Cow” Cake:
8.Dana’s “My Amazing Gracie” Cake:
9.Abbi’s “Herbert the Herdwick” Cake:
10.Amos’s “Orca on a Wave” Cake:
11.Nicki’s “Beavering Around” Cake:
12.Tasha’s “Robin” Cake:
As you can see, it’s a TRULY gifted group of bakers this season so far, and I’m so excited to see what they bake next. Dan was named star baker, and sadly, Amos — despite coming in second place in the technical challenge (yes, I’m still bitter about this) — was sent home.
And if you enjoy these drawings as much as I do, check out artist Tom Hovey’s workon his websiteandhis studio site, and follow him onTwitter(or X, I suppose) andInstagram@TomHoveyArt.
