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Cape Town – Episode two of The Great SA Bake Off saw bakers creaing their best biscuit bake.
But it was judge Zola’s simple yet very complicated tuile that crumbled the dreams of a few of the contestants.
Outshining his competitors in the technical bake and the showstopper bake, secured Durbanite Cameron Snyman this week’s title of Star Baker.
We had a quick chat with Cameron about his unexpected Biscuit Week win.
You seemed surprised to win Star Baker in Biscuit Week. How confident were you going into the showstopper challenge?
I wasn’t that confident about it because, what they didn’t show on the TV was that I actually had to bake the biscuit in a curve so there was a lot that could go wrong.
I had to basically bake the biscuit for five minutes to set it, otherwise if I put it straight onto the curve the butter would just melt and the biscuit would collapse so I baked it for five minutes, took it out, put it on the curve and then baked it for a further 10 minutes.
And the arch I had to do in pieces because the oven wasn’t high enough and it was just really very challenging in the tent so I was just happy to get something out, never mind actually winning Star Baker.
Do you feel a certain amount of pressure now to maintain the Star Baker standard you’ve set?
No not at all. I just said to myself, ‘every week is different and just focus on what is in front of you.’ And the judges don’t actually care about previous weeks, they want to see what you can do next.
What was the most difficult part of the three challenges?
I would say the tuile because I’ve never even made one before, I don’t think anyone really even buys them anymore. It’s just something I’m not familiar with at all, so ya it was just an accident that I won really.
What is your top biscuit baking tip?
For me it’s always about the ingredients. Use proper butter, use good ingredients, don’t skimp on things or leave things out and you should be okay.
What is your favourite type of biscuit?
Shortbread. You can’t beat a good shortbread.
Who do you see as your main competition in the show?
I think it’s too early in the competition to tell who is the ‘worst’ and who is the ‘best’. I mean, you can be shocking at biscuits and still perform well, so it just depends on where your skill set lies and the type of week your having.
I wasn’t really too concerned with it either, I was just concerned with focusing on myself and trying to put my best foot forward.
Watch The Great South African Bake Off every Tuesday on BBC Lifestyle (DStv 174) at 20:00.
(Photos: Supplied by BBC)
