Mmm...Chocolate. I do love chocolate with my favourite being chocolate covered almonds and Coffee Crisp. But do our quarterfinalist also love chocolate? Let's recap the chocolatey baking action.

Signature Bake

The Bake: Chocolate Tart - one large one with tempered chocolate and it must be the star

The Time: 2 hours

What I would bake: This would be similar to my bar and it would be a grasshopper or mud pie. It would be a white chocolate mint fudge tart with a chocolate crust. I would tint the chocolate green and topped with a TBD decorative tempered dark chocolate. But for a dinner party, I did make Mary Berry's famous orange chocolate tart and it was a smashing success.

What the contestants bakes and judges thoughts:

Of the bakers tarts, Sachin, Megan and Mengling's sound the most appealing to me.

Timothy: Early grey and lemon chocolate tart topped with a lemon curd. Rochelle said the Earl Grey was too subtle and Bruno noted the ganache was too firm and his curd too soft.

Megan: Exploding chocolate crunch tart that is packed with so many different stuff like toffee and dark chocolate. Bruno called it clean and elegant but noted the shell was overcooked. Rochelle says the whole tart melted in her mouth.

Sachin: Ode to Laskhmi mocha tart topped with a white chocolate flower and filled with feuillitine flakes. Bruno noted a burst of coffee in the tart.

Mengling: Tea and toffee tart with dark chocolate ganache infused with chai tea. Bruno called the tart very elegant and piping skills exceptional. Rochelle loved the feathering in the glaze and said she used the tea very well. The two judges were fighting over her tart.

Andrei: A passion for sailing chocolate tart filled with a dark chocolate passion fruit ganache. Bruno said the chocolate was well tempered. Rochelle thinks the chocolate compliments the passionfruit beautifully.

Technical Challenge

The Bake: A time-sensitive bake with staggered starts. Mengling starts first then Sachin then Timothy, then Megan and finally Andrei. They all have to make a chocolate souffle.

The Time: 1 hour and 40 minutes

How I would have fared: I have never heard made a souffle and with those instructions I would fail miserably. I am totally like Mengling in this situation and I would come last.

How our bakers fared:

5. Timothy

4. Sachin

3. Mengling

2. Andrei

  1. Megan

The Showstopper Challenge

The Bake: The Black Forest Cake but a modern sophisticated update

The Time: 3 hours and 30 minutes

What I would bake: I've made a Black Forest Cake before but not a sophisticated or elevated one. So my lack of creativity will fail me here as I cannot think of a single thing to elevate it.

What the contestants bakes and judges thoughts:

Timothy's is the one that sounds the most interesting and intriguing.

Sachin: Marbled Black Forest entremet. Rochelle liked the mirror glaze. Bruno liked the mousse and said Sachin should be proud of the cake.

Andrei: Winter Wonderland entremet with white chocolate mirror glaze. Bruno called it an amazing concept and Rochelle calls it spectacular in its simplicity. Bruno liked the flavour of the cherries but the sponge was quite dry. Rochelle called the mousse amazing.

Timothy: Black Forest St. Honore. with cream puffs. Bruno called it a creative interpretation of the black forest cake. Rochelle was distracted with the hole in the middle and felt Timothy could have filled it with something. Rochelle noted that her Choux pastry was empty of filling but Bruno cannot taste the cherry flavour in his cream.

Megan: Her black forest cake is literally in the shape of a cherry. Rochelle noted the cake was soft and Bruno called it delicious. Rochelle also noted the cherry should have been cooked like a compote.

Mengling: Chocolate Miso Pink Cherry Cake. Bruno noted the tempering was not done as well and said the cake was moist. Rochelle felt the miso didn't add anything to the cake but liked the presentation.

In the running for Star Baker: Sachin, Megan, Andrei

In danger of going home: Timothy, Mengling

Star Baker: Sachin

 

Going Home: Timothy

As predicted, Timothy has gone home. Not too surprised as he has been skating by week to week. So in the semi-finals are Megan, Andrei, Mengling and Sachin. Considering that Mengling was mentioned as being in danger, she is definitely not making it into the finals. I do want Mengling to make it into the final as she is such a delight to watch. Maybe the show will prove me wrong and she makes it to the finals. Next week looks to be French week and the only French pastry I've ever made were Canales and it doesn't look like the bakers are making those.