SQUEEZING a bright-blue piping bag with my right hand, I attempt to disgorge an ornate ring of forest green buttercream around the base of my vanilla sponge cake.
For the last 90 minutes, my friend James and I have been mixing cake batter, folding buttercream, and getting creative with fondant icing as if we’re contestants on the hit Channel 4 show, The Great British Bake Off.
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Thankfully, Paul Hollywood won’t be carving our vanilla sponge to smithereens because we’re on a day out at The Big London Bake East, in Haggerston, East London.
Here, you can tackle Bake Off-style challenges with friends or colleagues, under the watchful guidance of an expert baker.
Creative fun, no experience required. Ideal for birthdays, work days out or other occasions.
Our Christmas theme is a Festive Wreath Cake.
Sponge layers
But the first challenge was finding the elusive tent.
Its entrance is hidden behind a retro fridge door, leading to a bar where we enjoy a festive cocktail before the main event.
Inside the main baking tent, which looks just like the one on TV, are 12 baking stations, each equipped with every baking utensil a baker could wish for.
Pine garlands decorated with fairy lights hang from the walls, while a Christmas playlist gets us properly into the festive spirit.
All our ingredients have been pre-weighed and we’re given a comprehensive list of instructions – there’s no room for any Christmas miracles here.
After our head baker gives us a rundown of what we’re producing that day, we’re left to bake.
While making the cake batter and buttercream icing is simple enough, the real fun is had in Creation Corner.
As the name suggests, one corner of the room is filled with cake-decorating supplies – liquid flavourings and decorative toppings like crushed Oreo, ground Biscoff, tiny pretzels, chocolate-covered nuts and dried fruits.
Every so often our head baker – channelling the TV show’s vibe as created by Paul Hollywood and fellow judge Prue Leith, as well as hosts Alison Hammond and Noel Fielding – tells us how long is left on the clock.
But despite the time pressure, it’s all about fun here and we order another cocktail to our station using the QR code on the bench.
We harness the festive feeling in the room to give our cake its finishing touches – adding the charming Christmas characters my friend James has crafted using fondant.
Even though it feels like it has all passed in a flash, our time is then up and our cakes are to be judged and a winner decided.
The head baker cuts into each cake, commenting on the sponge layers, buttercream and decoration.
Our sponge and buttercream are both complimented, which leaves me pleased.
We aren’t named star bakers, but the fact we get to take our scrumptious cake home is reward enough.
We feel like winners, regardless.
- Christmas Bake Specials at The Big London Bake East from £49.90pp. Also available at their London South, Manchester and Birmingham venues. See thebigbakes.com.
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