Party week
Technical Challenge - Chocolate Caterpillar Cake
Technical Challenge
Paul Hollywood said "We want the bakers to make a chocolate caterpillar cake. The caterpillar should be made of a chocolate swiss roll sponge filled with a chocolate meringue buttercream and then coated in a silky-smooth ganache. The caterpillar should feature decorations to bring it to life."
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The bakers were given 2.5 hours to complete the task.
Paul Hollywood "The trick is getting the bake of the swiss roll sponge just right. Overbaking it by just a minute will make it bone dry. Also, it's important to create the ridges and if the bakers follow the recipe, it steps them through the process. Inside there is a Swiss meringue buttercream and then a silky chocolate ganache on top.
Scroll down to find a link to Paul Hollywood's recipe.
What we heard from the bakers ...
Making the Sponge
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"I've whipped my eggs and sugar and now I'm folding in the cocoa powder and flour - being careful not to knock the air out" (Cristy)
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"I don't want any lumps in the sponge batter ... and at the same time I don't want to knock the air out" (Josh)
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"Overmix the sponge and the results will be dense" (Alison)
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Chocolate Ganache
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"I need to heat the cream to the point where it melts the chocolate" (Matty)
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"I spread the ganache with my palette knife instead of pouring - I prefer the extra control." (Tasha)
Swiss Meringue Buttercream
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"I've not made a swiss meringue in forever" (Dan)
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"When you're making a swiss meringue, you are whisking sugar and egg whites together over a double boiler" (Matty)
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"I think it's done when there is no sign of sugar crystals" (Cristy)
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"Once the swiss meringue is made, I just add the butter and tip in the melted chocolate" (Tasha)
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Assembly
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"My sponge cake cracked - bummer." (Dan)
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"It's important to roll the sponge really slowly, just a little at a time" (Josh)
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"I had to take a second go at the sponge, so I'm rolling while it's still warm!" (Cristy)
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Cooking Times​
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Paul Hollywood's recipe stipulates that the swiss roll sponge needs 10 - 12 minutes.
"Swiss roll sponges bake very quickly, so I'm not giving it very long" (Tasha)
"I'm trying 10 minutes" (Matty)
"I'm putting it in for 12 minutes" (Dan)
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Judging
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Matty - Too much buttercream and over-cooked sponge
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Cristy - Antenna missing! Soft sponge and good buttercream. Lovely ganache, but all messy.
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Tasha (Winner) - Sponge wonderfully light. Good decoration. Delicious. A delight for a kid's party.
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Josh - Some legs missing. Looks messy. Cake is a little dry.
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Dan - Looks a mess. No ridges. Terribly thin. Too much buttercream. Sponge overbaked.
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