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Thu 8:52 PM 2,899 Views 1 Comment

IT WAS THE SECOND last Great Irish Bake Off this evening and we were BESIDE ourselves with nerves for the remaining four.

Stephen, Oonagh, Maryanne and Will were battling it out for a place in the final, and this week they were asked to chronicle their bake off experiences in “journey cakes”.

There’s a bang of notions off that, but we’ll go with it for now.

Last week Barbara and Aoife were told to fork off after a challenging set of patisserie tasks.

But now it’s all about the final four. Could Stephen be beaten? How panicked could Will look?

Let’s catch up…

9:01PM · 31 OCT 13

Okay, for the penultimate time, we’re off.

Is anyone else going to really miss Anna’s “I Believe I Can Fly” arms at the beginning of each episode?

9:01PM · 31 OCT 13

Paul says he’s not going to hold back with his remarks this week. YEAH PAUL! LET EM HAVE IT!

9:02PM · 31 OCT 13

Like we said, they have to bake a cake that symbolises their journey through the bake off. And, like we said… NOTIONS.

9:03PM · 31 OCT 13

Despite the fact they’re all sweating buckets, Anna’s cracking jokes and they’re all laughing nervously and slightly manically.

9:04PM · 31 OCT 13

Is that a GREEN cake Will? It’s far from green cakes we were reared.

9:05PM · 31 OCT 13

Oonagh says “I feel like I can actually bake now”. Well we should hope so. It’s a baking competition.

9:06PM · 31 OCT 13

Oonagh also says that she “listens to the cake” to allow it to tell her if it’s done or not.

A TALKING CAKE! WE’RE ALL GOING TO BE RICH LADS!

9:07PM · 31 OCT 13

According to Maryanne:

Once you get past your mid thirties, shorts are not an option

Eh, we beg to differ Maryanne!

9:08PM · 31 OCT 13

Maryanne asks the others if they find they use “ten times more baking parchment than you would at home”

That’s because you’re not paying for it Maryanne!

If you were, you’d be squirrelling leftover bits of it away in that drawer in your kitchen where all the old birthday candles, bits of tinfoil and takeaway menus are kept, aka the sh*t drawer!

9:10PM · 31 OCT 13

Both Will and Stephen are making chiffon cakes, so-called because they’re so light and fluffy.

Will’s will represent both the Dutch and Irish flags – blue, red, green, gold and white. Hmmmm.

Meanwhile Maryanne’s making a Fraisier cake. (Not – to our disappointment – a Frasier cake).

9:12PM · 31 OCT 13

A fraisier cake is ”an incredibly pretty French cake filled with delicious strawberries and crème pâtissière”

Source: BBC Food

9:16PM · 31 OCT 13

That ominous music can only mean that they’re coming close to the end of the challenge.

Maryanne is making icing roses and leaves, which look lovely…

9:17PM · 31 OCT 13

While Stephen is drawing faces on his macaroons.

We’re not going to lie… we’re not convinced about this Stephen. Not convinced at all.

9:18PM · 31 OCT 13

OH GOD! Maryanne forgot to put the praline in, and she’s going for perfection so she’s taking the top layer off her cake.

OUR NERVES!

9:19PM · 31 OCT 13

She did it. She did it. God bless us, everyone!

9:21PM · 31 OCT 13

Now it’s time for the judges to cast their eyes and gobs over the cakes.

Paul tells Oonagh that her macaroon hearts are a bit cracked. She counters with:

They’re supposed to be… they’re broken hearts.

Come off it Oonagh. You’re pulling a fast one.

9:21PM · 31 OCT 13

Will’s cake is next.

Is this the way it’s supposed to look?

Ouch, Paul. Ouch.

9:22PM · 31 OCT 13

Stephen’s macaroon faces have gone down a treat. That’s us told.

9:30PM · 31 OCT 13

Paul and Biddy’s tough criticisms aren’t going unnoticed:

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9:31PM · 31 OCT 13

Technical challenge time, and they’ve been challenged to make a seaweed tart and a moss-flavoured mousse for desert.

Moss-flavoured mousse. More notions right there.

9:32PM · 31 OCT 13

The technical challenges come out of Biddy’s love for foraged ingredients. Not bits of sticks and old nappies though… fancy stuff like wild garlic and samphire.

9:34PM · 31 OCT 13

The pastry for the tart is made using the rubbing in method.

We all remember that from school, right? Once you’re finished rubbing it in it has to look like breadcrumbs. We’re right back in Sr Brigid’s Home Ec class…