Great British Baking Show is back for Cake Week

The Great British Baking Show is back for season 14 and with this premiere, it feels like the show is getting back to its roots. But there were a few changes this year. Alison Hammond is the new host along with Noel Fielding, and of course, Paul Hollywood and Prue Leith are back as judges. The one other big change is that there is now a BSL (British Sign Language) translator on the set as one of the contestants (Tasha) is deaf.

One thing that didn’t change is that the episode started off with the Signature Challenge. The bakers had to make a vertical cake which is pretty much just a Swiss roll that’s tipped on it’s end and then covered in buttercream. Most of these looked spectacular, and the flavors sounded as delicious as you might expect. A few were lopsided, but at this point, it’s not a big deal. Dan’s rhubarb cake was probably the standout.

On to the technical! You know that cake that’s at the beginning of each episode of the Great British Baking Show? The chocolate one that’s covered in raspberries? That’s what the bakers had to make in the Technical Challenge. Also, apparently, there is a raspberry missing on the top of the cake. I… have never noticed that. Guess I’ve been too focused on the chocolate cake.

The bakers did extremely well during this first technical. Sure, there were some runny ganache fillings, but beyond that, most of the cakes looked very good, and…Dan came out on top!

Great British Baking Show is back for season 14

Time for the showstopper! For this challenge, the bakers had to make a cake shaped like an animal of their choosing. There was everything from dogs to whales to beavers (No comment). And while there were definitely some cute ones, there were a few disasters as well. The biggest issue was Amos’s whale cake. He just could not get it to stand up, and unfortunately, it cost him because he was sent home.

Dan won the challenge with his shaggy dog cake, and if first episodes are anything to go by, he is definitely the one to beat.

Next week is Biscuit Week AKA Cookie Week, so it will be interesting to see what challenges the judges have in store for the bakers.

As for the tone of the show overall, it felt as cozy and comfortable as you expect from the Great British Baking Show. Some of the contestants are just way too cute and adorable. And Alison fit right in! I can’t wait to see more of her as the season goes on.

There was also one “what?!” moment when Prue complimented a baker for giving a blueberry dessert enough flavor. She said that blueberry desserts are usually lacking in flavor. Is this a British thing?? Is this like when they thought peanut butter and chocolate didn’t go together?? Prue clearly needs to try more blueberry desserts.

What did you think of this week’s episode of the Great British Baking Show? Stay tuned to Guilty Eats for all the latest food TV news!