A soggy signature bake spelled the end for one baker on this week's Great Irish Bake Off.
Play School teacher, Sandra O’Reilly is the seventh baker to leave The Great Irish Bake Off.
Sandra’s Signature Bake, a Vienna inspired Esterhazy Torte turned into a soggy mess, leaving her
fearful of her place in the competition.
Things didn't get any better when it came to the Technical Challenge and her Upside Down Pineapple Cake also failed to impress judges Paul Kelly and Lilly Higgins - it was ranked 7th out of the seven bakes.
Judge Paul Kelly, Executive Pastry Chef at The Merrion Hotel, admitted to poorly predicting how well some of the contestants would do during the blank recipe Technical Challenge and felt the standard had risen among the bakers. As a result he found it was a lot easier when it came to deciding who was being sent home as it was clear who couldn’t handle the pressure.
Speaking afterwards, O'Reilly said: “I will just keep baking; nothing will stop me baking, no matter what, if I had gone in the first week it wouldn’t have stopped me baking. Absolutely no regrets, I have loved every minute.”
Meanwhile Monaghan native Cathy McKenna was thrilled to be crowned Star Baker and commented: “I’m delighted now to have Star Baker, it’s brilliant, after 5 weeks they have finally gone, ‘well her presentation isn’t going to get that great so we might as well focus on the flavours’.”
Next week is Party Week on The Great Irish Bake Off. With a place in the semi-final at stake, the bakers are under pressure to produce their best creations so far.
First, judges Paul Kelly and Lilly Higgins set the bakers a Technical Challenge of Gluten-Free Irish Ingredient Pizzas and Traditional Italian Calzones.
Then they face their third Showstopper Challenge - at 5 hours, their biggest so far – they must create a Mad Hatter's Tea Party with 30 individual elements.
The Great Irish Bake Off, Sunday, TV3, 9pm.
