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The Great British Baking Show Season 13 Episodes
Season 13 Episode Guide
12 Episodes 2022 - 2023
Episode 1
Cake Week
Fri, Sep 5, 202568 mins
It is apropos that the twelve new bakers to the tent are asked to make, in their first challenge, the signature, in Cake Week, twelve individual cakes, namely sandwich cakes. They are given free reign on almost aspects of the challenge in the judges wanting to see who they are as bakers, the only item in the brief being that all twelve should be identical to each other. For the technical, they are moving across the pond in being asked to make one of the most iconic of American cakes, the red velvet, this one to be towering at six layers sandwiched with cream cheese frosting. The biggest issue may be the amount of food coloring each will use as the judges have not specified the amount but are looking for a specific coloration. And the bakers are figuratively going home in each being asked to make as the showstopper a three-dimensional representation in cake of a home in which they have lived. They will have to choose a sponge that will be conducive to the weight in some of the structures being tall, yet ensure that the cakes cool completely before they carve and/or stack, denser cakes which may provide that structure but take longer to cool.
Episode 2
Biscuit Week
67 mins
For Biscuit Week, the bakers are asked to make eighteen identical decorated sandwich macarons apiece for the signature. While they are allowed free reign on flavors, the one mandatory item in the brief is that they must look like something other than macarons in that decoration. For the technical, they are each asked to make a dozen identical Garibaldi biscuits, sometimes referred to as squashed fly biscuits for the resemblance of the dried fruit filling to squashed flies. Most will have seen and eaten them before, but may not have ever made them as being seen more as supermarket staples. While challenge-setter Prue cautions the bakers to stick to the recipe in it being a classic, she issues a slight twist from the traditional in asking for a feathered effect of chocolate, which two take literally. And for the showstopper, they are each to make a three-dimensional mask made out of biscuits, which, when presented, must be upright on a stand as opposed to being flat on the presentation table. In needing to be presented as such, the bakers must be careful about the choice of biscuits used as they must be sturdy enough to withstand the force of gravity.
Episode 3
Bread Week
57 mins
Two bakers, in being under the weather, will miss facing the wrath of Paul in dealing with his favorite baked goods, bread. In the signature, they are each asked to make two identical shareable sized pizzas in the vein of how it is known in Europe as opposed to North America, meaning a thin crust with a minimal of toppings. While a few bakers enter into the classic debate of whether pineapple is indeed a pizza topping, others will push the envelope further in using toppings that go far beyond pineapple. For the technical, they are to make twelve pain aux raisins apiece. Paul and Prue will be looking for the dough to be properly laminated without the butter leaking out, a smooth crème pâtissière filling, and no "tail", having one which is a sign that the dough was not rolled and sealed properly or that the dough was over-proofed. And for the showstopper, each baker is to make a smörgåstårta, literally translated meaning sandwich cake. It is a sandwich filled with largely savory items but that is decorated to look like a cake. The bakers not only have to be cognizant of the flavors both of the bread and the fillings, but the textures of both, especially the fillings not being too wet to sog out the bread. The question after the three challenges is how the absence of two contestants will affect the elimination of a baker this week.
Episode 4
Mexican Week
67 mins
The bakers are figuratively heading across the pond as it's Mexican week. Despite most being familiar with Mexican food to some extent, what they are asked to make may be foreign as some are only familiar with the "exported" savory fare, such as fajitas. For the signature, they are each to make twelve identical pan dulce, a large class of Mexican sweet breads made with enriched dough. They may be getting into more familiar territory for the technical in making something savory, namely grilled beef tacos, although even if they've made tacos before, it most-likely was with store bought tortillas or hard taco shells. They not only have to be cognizant of making each of the five components, the corn tortillas and the four different fillings, properly, but they have to have the proper ratio of fillings to tortilla, the temptation to overfill. And for the showstopper, they are each to make a highly decorative tres leches cake, a "three milk" cake using sweetened condensed milk, evaporated milk and heavy cream. The potential pitfall of the challenge is that the cake needs to be at least four layers, undersoaking the sponges which may not provide what Paul and Prue know to be the traditional tres leches cake, while oversoaking them may lead to them falling apart, especially when the bakers attempt to stack them.
Episode 5
Dessert Week
57 mins
It's Dessert Week, desserts as a category which Brits often call their puddings. As coincidence would have it, the bakers are each asked to make steamed puddings for the signature challenge, they to be served with some sort of accompaniment. The difficulty is not being able to check the doneness of the puddings themselves while they're steaming, the bakers only being able to check once they've unmolded the puddings at which time it's too late if they're not done. For the technical, they are each asked to make what challenge setter Prue considers a classic, namely a lemon meringue pie. This may be the shortest technical challenge ever for the show in one key aspect much to the bakers' consternation. And for the showstopper, they are each to make a mousse-centric dessert with at least three other elements, one which must be baked and one which is a surprise not visible on the exterior. They have to be careful about the surprise in that it should be present in every serving. Some bakers may make the fatal mistake of using too much gelatin in their mousse which, while providing structure that will hold the mousse together, will yield a rubbery end product.
Episode 6
Halloween Week
57 mins
It's the show's first ever Halloween Week, and according to one baker, the more revolting the better and not just with the appearances of their bakes. For the signature, each baker is to make an apple cake using fresh apples. The judging will assess in part whether apple is the dominant flavor, and not any of the traditional spices the bakers may use, and whether what they present is indeed a cake, and not a pudding, a tart or other dessert, the inadvertent risk being most-likely the former with the excess moisture in fresh apples. For the technical, Paul, the challenge setter, sends them across the pond in asking the bakers each to make eight reimagined s'mores, reimagined in that the marshmallow component is not melted into a gooey mess but is to retain its structure, only blow-torched on the sides to resemble the campfire look. And as a baking show, they must make each of the three components of the digestive biscuits, the chocolate ganache and the marshmallows from scratch. And for the showstopper, they are each to make an edible hanging lantern with at least two types of homemade sweet treats hidden inside, displayed when the lantern is smashed like a piñata. Because the finished product will be hanging, the bakers must choose a foundational element that can withstand the gravity of being hung, but must be fragile enough that it will easily break when hit with a stick, or in this case a rolling pin.
Episode 7
Custard Week
57 mins
The bakers will have to perfect tempering eggs as it's Custard Week. For the signature, they will each be making eight îles flottantes, translated floating islands, which are poached meringues, the "islands", in a sea of crème Anglaise. Beyond the basic technical elements of the meringues and custard, they will try to stand out from the crowd with the flavors they choose. They have the unusual factor of a staggered start and finish at five minute intervals for the technical as the judges want to eat the finished product at its peak, not giving any one baker an advantage. It's because what they are each asked to make is ice cream, more specifically six pistachio and praline ice cream cones. The pitfall the bakers may make is trying to cool their hot crème Anglaise in the freezer which will raise the freezer temperature, preventing their ice cream from freezing after churning. And they are each to make a layered gâteau, the baked element, whether it be a sponge or something else, sandwiching a set custard element which is to be the star of the finished product. And with any showstopper, it has to look great.
Episode 8
Pastry Week
57 mins
It's Pastry Week. First and foremost regardless of what they are asked to make, the bakers have to ensure that the pastry is of exceptional quality. They are each to make twelve vol-au-vents for the signature, they needing to rely on rough puff pastry instead of full puff due to the time constraints. The other twist is that while vol-au-vents are generally savory in nature, the judges have asked for a sweet filling of their choice instead. The bakers have to be careful in their choice of filling so as not to make the puff pastry, which they will have worked so hard to make flaky and crispy, soggy. Prue states in introducing the technical that there are twenty-nine ingredients which have to be balanced properly. While they do have to do so, they have to worry more about the pastry in making eight spring rolls apiece, as too much water in the dough will result in excessive bubbling in the pastry as the water tries to escape while deep frying. And for the showstopper, the bakers will have to make a three dimensional representation of a favorite childhood fairy tale which must be easily recognizable as such. The structure of each creation must contain at least eight pies of their choice.
Episode 9
Patisserie Week
57 mins
It's the semi-finals, with one baker receiving the difficult news at the end of this week's challenges that he/she has not made it over this final hurdle to reach the finals. It's also Patisserie Week, arguably the most finicky week in the judges expecting precision in the look of the final products. For the signature, each baker is to make six identical mini charlottes in the flavors of their own choosing. For the technical, the bakers may be confused even after reading the brief in each being asked to make four identical what challenge setter Prue calls vertical tarts. Being vertical, the bakers will have the challenge of gravity, and while still being circular of making the tarts stable when placed in that vertical position. And for the showstopper, the final challenge before the announcement of the three finalists, each baker is to make their version of the Swedish krokan, which traditionally is made with almond flour and marzipan, and has a distinct texture of being crisp on the exterior while chewy in its interior. The brief states that the final product must be at least sixty centimeters in height (converted, twenty-four inches), meaning that it has to be structurally sound or risk it collapsing.
Episode 10
The Final
58 mins
It's the finale, and the final three bakers standing, Sandro Farmhouse, Abdul Rehman Sharif, and Syabira Yusoff, have three challenges left, numbers twenty-eight, twenty-nine, and thirty for the season, to impress the judges who will solely use these remaining challenges to pick a winner. In an effort to promote sustainability, the theme across all three challenges, the judges ask each baker for the signature to prepare a summer picnic using seasonal ingredients from across the United Kingdom. The picnic must include six decorative mini-cakes, six individual serving vegetarian pies, and six finger sandwiches using a homemade classic white loaf, with one loaf to be presented whole. The true challenge seeing as the to multiple components will be to complete it within the time allotted. For the technical, they are each to make a summer pudding bombe, again the assigned flavors being summer in the UK. Challenge setter Paul warns them that there is no room for a second chance if they make an error. What they will learn is that their white bread loaf for presentation with the signature is to be used in this challenge. For their final showstopper, each baker is to make an edible sculpture on the theme of "our beautiful planet". The foundation of the sculpture must be cake based, and the final product must contain at least three other baked elements. And for the first time since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020, family and friends, including some familiar to the tent, are on hand to witness the naming of the Season 13 Bake Off winner.
Episode 11
The Great Christmas Bake Off
57 mins
In honor of the fortieth anniversary of Channel 4, five of the network's celebrity personalities convene for a one weekend only Christmas special competition of Bake Off: Terry Christian, Miquita Oliver, Sir Tony Robinson, Gaby Roslin, and Claire Sweeney. After several such celebrity specials in previous years, Paul and Prue are not expecting much from their five competitors, especially as many of this lot profess never having baked anything in their lives. The five are asked to make eight edible Christmas baubles made out of filled and decorated cake sponges for the signature, the finished product only needing to resemble such i.e. they are not necessarily to be hung on a Christmas tree. They indeed are given a challenge for the technical in needing to make rough puff pastry to make a cranberry filled pastry Christmas tree, the broken off stems which are to be used as dippers for a pastry rung, rosemary studded baked block of Camembert. And for the showstopper, they are each given the option of using meringue and/or choux pastry as the foundation for an edible Christmas wreath.
Episode 12
The Great New Year's Bake Off
58 mins
Four friends of the tent return to compete in the annual new year's edition of the bake off, each of the three bakes which would be appropriate for a New Year's Eve or New Year's celebration. For the signature, each baker is to make a savory Wellington, they free to use what type of filling and pastry they want. The issues with this challenge are the potentially different baking times to cook the filling and the pastry properly, and the need to protect the pastry from any liquid that would leach out of the filling. For the technical, they are each to make a vegan Baked Alaska. While the obvious issues are that each of the standard elements of the cake sponge, the ice cream, the ganache, and the meringue are not naturally vegan, the vegan versions which may react differently than their non-began counterparts, it is timing which may be the most problematic element. And for the showstopper, they are each to make a reimagined Bûche De Noël as an entremet with at least four different dessert-type elements. After the three challenges, Paul admits this competition one of the most difficult to choose a winner among four winners with not a terrible bake among the twelve they judged.
