Rav delights with Yorkshire Pudding in Great British Bake Off

For the first time in the Great British Bake Off, the contestants have to ‘batter’ their way through the heat in the big white tent.

Their first bake is the puffy Yorkshire Puddings, and our British Asian baker Rav has done us proud!

As usual, Rav injects a unique Asian twist into his creation, calling it the Thai Tofu Panang Yorkshires.

While judge Mary Berry notes the flavour is ‘quite different’, fellow judge Paul Hollywood praises: “I love it! The flavour is fantastic!”

However, he fails to bring the same level of brilliance and consistency to the Technical challenge.

With twelve heart shaped lace pancakes to make and almost no measurements indicated for the ingredients, the bakers think long and hard before dipping into their one and only test batch.

Rav says: “I have used all the sugar. I don’t know if that’s right. I honestly have no idea!”

It’s time to put the batter to test on the frying pan. While some bakers go for a high heat hoping to give their pancakes a crisp texture, others prefer a medium heat to make sure they are well cooked.

They flip and they turn, but not all pancakes turn out the way the bakers intend, as Kate expresses: “This could be a heartbreaking challenge!”

At the blind judging, Rav is in last place because his pancakes are overcooked and too sweet for Mary and Paul.

Benjamina, who has nailed every detail from the lace design to the colour, comes first thus winning the challenge.

When it’s time for the Showstopper challenge, Rav knows he must uses every trick in his cookbook to convince the judges he deserves another week on the popular show.

The Desi baker turns to the East for inspiration, making a Three Dip Match Pistachio Churros.

The three different dipping sauces are Mango and Passion Fruit, Wasabi and Chocolate, and Pistachio.

Instead of piping the batter on a baking sheet to ensure consistency in shapes and sizes, he pipes straight into the boiling hot oil.

Multitasking is key to success in this part of the show. The churros must be crisp, and the accompanying sauces must complement the overall flavour while holding onto the churros.

Paul is not a fan of Rav’s output at all, saying: “Some of the shapes are a bit strange, we’re looking for consistency.

“The flavour is not good – it tastes quite savoury.”

But the silver lining comes from Mary who enjoys his passion fruit dip.

Yet, Rav is not the only contestant who stumbles over this heavenly Spanish delicacy. Selasi, who fries his batter from frozen, disappoints with a raw interior and burnt exterior.

The others are criticised by the judges for either making runny sauces or oily and fatty dough.

Benjamina rises to the challenge with her Tropical Churros, served with coconut, passion fruit and mango dipping sauces.

Having delivered a solid overall performance in Batter Week, she is naturally the well-deserving Star Baker!

Sadly, Kate is being sent home. Batter may not be her strength, but we will miss her beautiful bakes and designs dearly!

Catch the fifth episode of The Great British Bake Off on September 21, 2016 at 8pm on BBC One.