Bake-Off Blunders: Cheltenham Michelin Starred Chef Reveals Key Tips To Avoid Bake-Off Mistakes

22 October 2025, Cheltenham: With the semi-finals of The Great British Bake Off fast approaching, Multi-Michelin Starred, Executive Head Chef at The Nook on Five, John Burton-Race, dishes up his expert advice to help home bakers avoid the most common Bake Off blunders.  

A list of eight mishaps from this year’s series, ranging from soggy bottoms to collapsed sponges, John serves them up alongside his top tips for turning baking disasters into star bakes. 

Week 1 – Cake Week 

Blunder – Hassan’s Swiss Roll: Hassan became the first casualty after presenting a Swiss Roll in the signature bake that Paul Hollywood described as something that looked like it was “dropped out of a tree”. While the flavour impressed, the presentation fell flat – quite literally – thanks to a classic technical misstep: rolling the sponge before it was cooled properly. The result – a messy start to Hassan’s Bake-Off journey. 

John’s tip – “The key to a perfect Swiss roll is patience. If you try to roll it while it’s still warm, the sponge is too flexible and will dry and crack as it cools. The filling will melt, and you’ll end up with leaks everywhere. Let it cool slightly – it should be just warm to the touch – then roll gently with baking paper for support. Once cooled, it’ll hold its shape beautifully. My favourite version is a classic bûche de Noël with chestnut purée and diplomat cream – simple, elegant, and never cracks if you treat it right.”

Week 2 – Biscuit Week 

Blunder – Pui Man’s Messy Biscuits: In week two, Pui Man’s chocolate caramel hobnobs failed to impress the judges after she opted to shape her biscuits post-bake, causing a crumbly mess. Her attempt to cut neat circles from a baked oaty sheet left her with broken biscuits and an uneven batch, far from the precision the technical challenge demanded.   

John’s tip – “Cut biscuits into shape before baking – once they’re cooked, they’re brittle and will just fall apart. The exception is a Breton-style shortbread: its high butter content gives a full-butter, crumbly texture that can be trimmed post-bake. For those looking for cleaner edges that a pre-cut biscuit can offer, bake on a sheet of parchment paper and cut while slightly warm.”

Week 3 – Bread Week 

Blunder – Pui Man’s disappointing glazed doughnuts: This week saw the demise of Pui Man at the hands of her over-fried and under-proofed doughnuts, despite many contestants encountering the same problem with their technical bakes.  

Johns tip – “Under proofing ruins a doughnut before it even hits the oil. If the dough hasn’t risen enough, it’s dense and can’t expand when fried – that’s why you get a heavy, greasy texture and no white ring. The trick is temperature control. Dough proves best at around 29–30°C – any cooler and the yeast slows down, any hotter and it dies. Give the dough time and warmth to double properly; you’re building air into it before the fry. When done right, you’ll get that beautiful light ring and soft texture inside.”

Week 4 – Back to School Week 

Blunder – Toby’s Sunken School Cake Sponge: Back to School Week proved stressful in the technical challenge, with many contestants struggling to make their own sprinkles. But it was Toby who stumbled early, falling into the classic trap of overloading his classic school cake sponge with baking powder – a common baking error which caused a dramatic dip in the centre of his bake.   

John’s Tip – “Adding more baking powder doesn’t make a cake rise more – it actually does the opposite. Once it reaches its limit, the excess gas in the baking powder breaks the gluten structure, and the middle collapses in on itself. It’s one of those classic ‘the more the better’ mistakes. Think of baking as chemistry: every ingredient has a role and a ratio. If you throw it off, even slightly, you’ll never get the texture you want. The lightest cakes come from precision, not guesswork.”

Week 5 – Chocolate Week 

Blunder: Iain’s Woeful White Chocolate Tart: Tasked with creating a beautiful white chocolate tart as part of week five’s technical challenge, Iain left the judges thinking it’d been dropped, after serving them a melted tart. Although impressing them with his flavour combination, he was let down by, in Paul’s words, the ‘non-existent base’.  

John’s Tip – “For pâte sucrée (sweet shortcrust) you need the right thickness – roll too thin and it won’t hold your filling and might even contract and crack; roll too thick and you risk a soggy bottom. Puff pastry behaves differently (it’s more forgiving because of the layers), so choose your pastry to suit the filling. A good guide is to roll your pastry to about the thickness of a coin.”

Week 6 – Pastry Week 

Blunder – Aaron and Natalia’s Gushing Gala Pies: Pastry week tripped up a number of contestants for a variety of reasons in the technical challenge to create a glorious gala pie; from incorrect egg placement and cutting the pie too soon to poor crimping and a lack of steam vents. It was the latter that proved a particular challenge, causing an infamous soggy bottom for both Aaron and Nataliia. 

John’s tip – “Always vent pies so steam and meat juices can escape. For a classic pork pie, a tip is to use shoulder meat (around 40% fat), so the filling stays moist without leaking. A useful trick: leave one vent hole and once the pie is cold, place a little tinfoil ‘hat’ over your pie and use a funnel to pour in hot jelly through the hole – go slowly, topping up every five minutes or so to ensure you don’t overfill. This helps bind the filling without drowning the pastry.”

Week 7 – Meringue Week 

Blunder – Lesley’s Sunken Soufflé: Lesley’s self-confessed struggle with meringue-related bakes led to her elimination from the tent; a particular challenge for the fan favourite, and for others in the ten, came in the form of a flat, lumpy soufflé in the technical challenge, caused by an overwhipped meringue. 

John’s tip – “Soufflés rely on correctly whipped egg whites – aim for soft not stiff peaks. If you overwhip they go granular and the soufflé won’t rise evenly. For boozy flavours (I like orange and Grand Marnier), stabilise your filling with a crème pâtissière using the 50% cornflour: 50% flour method. This holds alcohol without breaking down. Work in halves, clear the rim of your mixing bowl, and fold gently.”

Week 8 – Dessert Week *SPOILER ALERT* 

Blunder – Aaron’s Soggy Steamed Pudding: Although last night saw Iain sadly depart the Bake-Off tent, it was Aaron who failed to impress the judges with his orange and cardamom steamed pudding in the technical challenge. Caused by under steaming his dessert, Aaron presented Paul and Prue with a raw bake alongside a runny creme-anglais.  

John’s tip – “There’s a set cooking time for a steamed pudding depending on the size and weight of the basin. Keep the bain-marie topped up and cover it tightly with a lid. If you undercook the pudding, it’ll collapse when you turn it out, and the texture will be gooey. A large pudding usually takes about an hour and a half, depending on what you put into the bottom – individual puddings, though, only need around 45 minutes.”