The Great British Bake Off/Baking Show – Dessert Week 8 – 2025

Week 8 is dessert week and the quarter final. As Jasmine said in the last episode, the margin for error is so small with only five bakers remaining.

Signature challenge: Highly decorated Basque cheesecake

The bakers were tasked with making a burnt Basque cheesecake with decorative elements – they needed to have something to do while the cheesecake baked and cooled, because Basque cheesecakes typically are not decorated. Tom went for a ‘goth’ cheesecake that was black through and through, with black sesame for the flavoring. The judges adored Jasmine’s passionfruit and lime pairing but thought Toby’s flavor needed more punch. Aaron’s plum sake cheesecake had a balanced flavor and a great smooth texture, with Paul saying it had a “perfect jelly wobble”. Iain went overboard with orange flavoring and his cheesecake was too sour for the judges’ liking.

Darcie: I adore black sesame, but I was not keen on the all-black look of Tom’s cheesecake. The judges thought it looked better than it tasted, which was not what a baker wants to hear in the quarterfinals. Jasmine was smart to put a lot of flavor into the cheesecake itself and not just in the garnishes – although you can go too far, as Iain discovered.

Technical challenge: Gluten free orange & cardamom puddings with crème Anglaise set by Prue Leith

No one received totally negative remarks, but some puddings were underbaked. Aaron was fifth, Jasmine was fourth, Toby was third, Iain was second, and Tom redeemed himself by taking the first spot in the technical.

Darcie: Even though I have never made a steamed pudding, I have cooked enough things in a water bath to know that the water needs to come part way up the sides of the baking dish. A major point of using a water bath is that water carries the heat more evenly than air so you need to have it well in contact with the dish.

Showstopper challenge: A freestanding trifle

The bakers had 4.5 hours to make a freestanding dessert with all of the elements of a trifle: jelly, custard, and cake. Jasmine kept it fairly simple with strawberry and lemon layers that the judges praised for both flavors and texture. Iain and Toby went all out with decorative sponge collars and jelly art. Iain’s jelly art was deemed flavorless while Prue liked his joconde sponge but Paul – not so much. Toby’s textures were off but the flavors were good; the judges felt he had too much cake and not enough custard.

Aaron received positive marks for his peaches set in jelly at the top, but the remaining elements didn’t impress the judges. One jelly was too rubbery and another too soft, the custard’s flavor didn’t come through, and the cake was dry. Tom had a towering structure that the judges again thought lacked flavor – the almond extract was the only thing they could taste.

Darcie: Style never prevails over substance in the Bake Off tent. Working too much on the design and not enough on the flavors and textures will land you in hot water every time. Still, to create those elaborate structures in 4.5 hours is incredible. It would take me two days of work to make all of those elements. Bravo to all of the quarter-finalists.

Iain was eliminated in the quarter-final, and Jasmine was named Star Baker.