The Return Of GBBO

Who's excited? I'm excited.

Yesterday was like the arrival of Christmas... only better! The drool-inducing baking programme that has become a firm fixture in the living rooms of Britain is back with a vengeance. IT'S GREAT BRITISH BAKE OFF TIME!

DISCLAIMER: I will not be available on Wednesday evenings until further notice.

I have literally been counting down to the return of my beloved Mary Berry, the slightly terrifying Paul Hollywood (don't be tricked by his beautiful eyes)... and the delightful, yet risque innuendo of Mel Giedroyc and Sue Perkins.

Yes it's the time of year when I watch from my kitchen stool thinking "I could bake biscuits, or tarts, or pastry if I tired", as I ice yet another celebration sponge cake. As my tweet yesterday revealed, I watched the whole episode with a shop bought eclair... because I never said I was a patissier did I.

The Great British Bake Off is so much more than cake, with so many challenges, sweet and savoury along the way... but yesterday was my realm of baking - CAKE WEEK!

Whilst watching people shovel betroot and cardamom into their cakes, and battling with burning caramel before wrapping their pieces de resistance in choclate collars (yum), it dawned on me that what I do... isn't that amazing!

So with a quiet trepidation after watching Dorret's mousse disaster, I will be taking it upon myself to introduce some new ingredients to my Kitchen Aid! This year... I'm gonna be playing a new game each week....

Bake-A-Long with Bake Off

Providing I have no other cakes on in that week (and next week I have two), I'm going to be taking on Mary Berry/Paul Hollywood sized challenges! I've written down the challenges of the tent this week and have a Saturday of Madeira, Gateaux and Walnut Cake ahead of me!

Signature Bake: Madeira Cake
I will be trying to incorporate apricot into my Madeira cake, sweet juicy fruit... could be in for a soggy bottom disaster. Then I'm going to attempt to crystalise some apricot pieces for the top, and if I've not burnt the house down by this point... some salted caramel sugarwork.

Technical challenge: Walnut Cake
Surely I have the recipe for this somewhere in one of my fifty Mary Berry books. New challenges - that marshmallow looking frosting. Tip to myself: chop your nuts fine or face the wrath of Paul Hollywood.

Showstopper: Black Forest Gateau
Or Schwarzwälder Kirschtorte as the Deutsch say. Normally I get my Black Forest Gateaux in a box from Iceland and pick off the cherries. Challenge 1: work with an ingredient you don't like. I'm plotting chocolate sponge sandwiched with black cherry jam, and pear - yes pear buttercream (not at all influenced by the pear fruitella I'm currently chewing on). Then if the purse strings stretch coat the cake in white chocolate ganache.

SIMPLES! GBBO 2016.... I'm coming for ya!