The Great Irish Bake Off (2013) s01e08 Episode Script
Episode 8
'Last week, the bakers faced a tough semi-final with Biddy's technical challenge' Beautiful combinations, beautiful flavours.
'Maryanne was our Star Baker and Oonagh became the ninth baker to leave the tent.
Now, just three battle it out in today's final.
' We're going into the final with three strong candidates.
We're looking for the person who can produce overall the best two bakes.
'I'm going to be a very tough judge.
' I'm looking for so much detail and improvement, that they've listened.
'With everything to bake for, Maryanne, Will and Stephen must face their last ever technical and showstopper challenge before one can be crowned winner of The Great Irish Bake Off.
' 'After eight weeks of rubbing, kneading, glazing and baking in this tent, 12 bakers have now become three and we are just two challenges away from finding Ireland's best amateur baker.
'I feel absolutely great, making the final.
' It's what I wanted.
It shows all my work's paid off.
'I'm excited, actually.
I don't feel at all nervous today.
'Amazing to make it this far.
Honestly, when I filled in the form' if I'd been called for an audition I would've been proud.
A bit of a shocker to get this far.
It's not over yet.
It would mean everything.
I've never won a thing.
'Not any competition in my entire life.
It'll prove to myself I can do it and I'm a good baker and I'm worthy of being here.
' All I want now is to win this.
(BREATHES HEAVILY) Hello, bakers.
Welcome to the final of The Great Irish Bake Off.
Congratulations to you all on getting this far.
You all deserve to be here, so well done.
This is your technical challenge.
As Goliath said to David after their fight, "It's all about the little things.
" This technical challenge is all about the little things.
Petit fours to be precise.
Your petit fours for this challenge must include vanilla fudge, poppy seed tuiles, fruit tartlets, and salted caramel white chocolate lollipops.
Paul, what can you tell our bakers about petit fours? (CHUCKLES) Well, I love petit fours, so I'll be looking for precision, perfect presentation and most of all, beautiful flavours.
And Biddy, this is the final.
Please, please, follow Paul's instructions precisely to the letter.
My one piece of advice is is all about attention to detail.
OK, this technical challenge, as you know, is blind judged, so I'll ask Biddy and Paul to leave the tent.
Bakers, this is the final, you have 2.
5 hours for this technical challenge.
On your marks, get set, bake! 'Small, bite-sized pieces of confectionary perfection, petit fours are served at the end of a meal.
With identical instructions on ingredients, not only do they have to make four different types, they must make five of each and all in just 2.
5 hours.
' To be honest, we were expecting something like this, but maybe 24 of the same.
It's a tough ask.
'Petit fours I've never really done before.
' It's making sure you get it the right sort of size.
The taste is very important as well because they're so small.
I've never made them before.
We make certain aspects of it, but actually making them I've never done.
There may be four pastry chefs alone working on them in a restaurant, This is high-end work.
The detail involved in this is remarkable.
Petit fours are the ultimate challenge.
It's so difficult.
You're looking at four different desserts.
Are there ground rules you have to follow? So, they've got to be perfect in size, perfectly all the same size.
This has to be easy for whoever's eating it.
It's one mouthful, a nice bite and a beautiful memory from that.
I'll be looking for nice straight lines.
When I look down the line, I want to see all the fruit in the same place.
Would you like to taste? I love fudge.
I know you love fudge.
(BOTH LAUGH) How is it? It's gorgeous.
Isn't it beautiful? It's quite sweet but quite small, so it's only a small amount.
It's heavenly.
I'm going to check the lollipop.
Mmm.
This is gorgeous as well.
You can see how uniform they are.
Almost too beautiful to eat.
That's just crumbling.
Delicious pastry.
How's the orange curd? The curd's gorgeous, What you really get is the fresh fruit.
Each baker should have a nice poppy seed, sesame seed tuile, like that, the same shape.
And a nice crack.
Beautiful.
Yes.
Oh, wow.
Such a nice flavour coming across.
Beautiful.
This is a tough challenge, the ultimate.
You're a tough taskmaster.
(BOTH CHUCKLE) It is the final.
It has to be at this level, and it's exactly what we're looking for.
Almost perfection.
Yes.
'Flavoured with vanilla, raisins and white chocolate, the fudge is made by heating milk, 'Anything higher and the fudge will burn.
Anything lower and the mixture won't set.
' Melt down, you butter.
Melt.
Well done for getting to the final.
Doing it for the girls.
For the girls.
It's good, but this is starting to frighten me now.
Really? Yeah.
I'm trying not to panic, but there's a lot of components I've never made.
Really? Yeah.
I'm not going to have it as polished as if I were doing it at home.
'35-year-old lab manager and lecturer Maryanne got her love of baking from her mother.
' 'I come from a big family.
My mum was constantly at the range.
' Always baking, always food on the go.
'Our mum is a great cook and Maryanne was always helping.
As she got older, she deviated towards the baking side of things.
She makes banoffee cupcakes to die for.
That'd be my pick.
Oh, my God! That's beautiful! I got Star Baker.
It was fantastic.
'Although she made Star Baker for the second time last week' OK, time to take this out.
The desserts round, we all know, was a disaster for me.
A meltdown on so many levels.
Don't, please don't come over.
I thought I couldn't sink lower, then I had the Bavarois, You are in seventh place.
But, of course, I'm still here.
'Now, there's just one thing she fears might stop her going all the way.
' I'm terrified of the technical challenge, because God only knows what will be pulled out of the bag.
It's going to take ages to come up to 115.
Takes forever to boil.
Watched pots.
'Once the right temperature has been reached, before pouring the fudge into a lined tray and leaving it to set.
' Looks like the right consistency.
What I've done is attempt to scrunch it up in one area so that I can cut it into cubes rather than a very thin slice.
I don't know if this is right, but it's how I envisaged it would look.
Did you put yours in half of the tray? Yeah.
Bit thin.
And it's hot.
Hot sugar, hot finger, not a good call.
'With fudges cooling in the fridge, the bakers must carry on preparing the other petit fours elements.
Oh, Christ.
I'm going to work on the salted caramel then the orange curd.
Once it's up to temperature, they can add in cream and salt.
' Paul loves salted caramel.
He's said it so many times, we need to be very precise.
How does everyone feel she's so happy.
Really? Yeah, and so is my dad.
'28-year-old data manager Will if not for his girlfriend Joanne.
' Everything I've done is because of her.
She hounded me for weeks to apply for this.
If he got to the first round, that'd be amazing.
Then he got to episode four and now he's in the final.
I can't believe it.
He's just done brilliant.
'However, he's had some anxious moments.
' That looks like sponge cake, almost.
It does, it's very thick.
It doesn't really work.
'It was halfway through Will found his baking mojo.
' That's lovely.
Desserts was my best week.
I managed to pull things back with that.
The Star Baker this week is Will.
'And since then he's had many highs.
' That is quite nice.
I love your idea.
I think it's fantastic.
At the beginning when he started, he was very doubtful of his ability.
I think he's proved to himself he can do it.
I'm a total different person, I've done a 180.
I'm calmer, not so much under pressure.
Will, did your caramel go that colour as it got darker? It needs to be lighter.
I'm terrified it'll burn.
I'll leave it at that.
Over the past few weeks.
All the tricks I've given, the advice.
'Prove to me they've been listening.
' It's still too hot to squeeze in, the chocolate will just melt.
'With the caramel needing to be fully chilled the next step is the orange curd for Paul's mini tarts' I just don't get it.
I can't do anything till it dissolves.
'.
.
Mixing, sugar, egg yolks, bitter orange puree and butter in a saucepan.
' Whoa, that's bitter.
'The bakers must then continuously stir until it simmers slightly and the mixture thickens.
' 'It's definitely one of the most intricate bakes I've attempted.
' It would mean a lot to me to win, to my family as well.
It's so even between everyone, it's going to be tight.
'Reaching the final has given a welcome lift to 21-year-old Stephen and his family, still coming to terms with the death of his father last year.
' He'd be incredibly proud of him to be able to watch him.
Given us a different focus.
'Having taken up baking two years ago, There's a lot of technical skill in that.
For most of the competition, I've taken big risks.
'It's not always worked but that's what the judges like.
' Oh, yummy! That's bringing my palate back to life.
'Having been Star Baker twice, he's been one of the most consistent throughout.
' Stephen.
'However, it wasn't all smiles.
' The smiley faces are the saviour of the cake.
The semi-final was the lowest point.
The macaroons are a little bit dry.
They're a bit powdery as well.
I was very nervous at that point, thinking I'd screwed it up.
'But his gran and mum are always there for him.
' He'll apply himself and give it the best shot that he has.
He went for the short-sleeved option, I went long.
There's a Bewitched theme going on, which I like.
Yeah, it's good.
It's so tiny.
'The tiny short-crust pastry base for the tarts is really fiddly work.
' 'I'm not great at doing stuff like this.
' It's so intricate.
With hands are like shovels, it's very hard to get it right.
It just says to duck it and bake it, so I'm getting them in early cos no doubt I'll screw them up.
I want to be able to get them in a couple of times.
'Obviously, the challenges set for this week are quite difficult.
' Any one of them could win.
They know that.
I hope they all rise to that challenge.
'The final element before assembling can begin is the poppy and sesame seed tuiles.
' Did you do your tuiles? Yeah.
Did you use all the butter? They're a strange mix.
Flour and orange juice, the bakers have been told to make five tuiles that each weigh just six grammes.
' Whoa, that's 20 grammes.
Bakers, there's half an hour remaining.
30 minutes to go.
(EXHALES SHARPLY) I'm going to watch them like a hawk.
'The tuiles are so thin, they need only a few minutes in the oven and must be removed and shaped before the icing sugar cools and sets.
' What am I saying? Of course the judges'll notice.
It's very hard to do it.
Extremely hot.
Are you happy with the shape? Yeah, they're quite big, but I weighed them.
It says six grammes each and they're six grammes.
Perfect.
OK.
I'll have to go with those again.
This is definitely the worst technical bake so far.
And the last technical challenge for the bakers.
' I haven't a clue what I'm doing, I'm just winging it.
I feel a bit stressed.
'And what a challenge.
20 petit fours in just 2.
5 hours.
' I chose petit fours now because this is the point where the bakers need to show they understand.
That's 15 minutes remaining.
I must get my arse in gear.
15 minutes left and so much to do.
'With all their elements complete, of assembling their delicate creations.
' Happy? No.
Why not? It's not there yet.
OK.
'Fudge must be cut' It's so hard to get them even into cubes.
'.
.
Lollies must be filled with salted caramel before being dipped in white chocolate and coconut.
The tarts must be decorated and glazed' I don't want them to spill over so I'm taking a little bit out.
'.
.
And the tuiles must be shaped and cooled.
' I had to do tuiles a second time.
OK.
I'm trying to get them crispy as well.
'When you cook, you throw in extra ingredients if it tastes wrong.
' When you bake, once something goes in the oven that's it.
'The slightest thing can have huge implications.
' You have five minutes remaining.
Five minutes to go.
Is this more stressful than you thought it would be? Oh, yes.
Shall I just leave you alone and let you get on with it? Please.
I think I need to go.
Sorry.
That's quite all right.
You're nearly there.
I think we can safely say my tuiles are a disaster again.
It hasn't set.
It's been in the freezer since the beginning.
Bakers, your technical challenge is over, stop baking.
I know what went wrong.
I added flour twice instead of icing sugar.
'A bit disappointed that my fudge didn't come out right.
I did exactly what it said on the sheet' 'That technical bake was a bit of a disaster.
' and I only figured it out just at the end.
'I got everything onto the plate so I'm happy with what I've done.
' I'd like to hope I've made a good start 'to see me in good stead for the showstopper.
' Bakers, well done on your final technical challenge.
Paul and Biddy asked for precision with this task and Paul, is that easy to achieve with petit fours? No.
By no means.
It's a tough one.
To get it right isn't easy.
OK, I'll let you two begin over here.
OK.
Straightaway I'm seeing inconsistency.
For example, we have five tarts, three of them have strawberries, two of them have berries.
The fudge's a little big as well.
If you eat that full along with your other selection it's like a meal in itself, it's too much, it's too big.
It's very sweet, but it's still good fudge.
Nice.
That's very nice.
The white chocolate and salted caramel, the coconut's not toasted.
You must toast the coconut for the flavour.
We'll just try this.
Mmm.
That salted caramel's beautiful.
Now, we have the little tarts.
The orange curd inside It's overflowing.
It looks underdone but it isn't.
Curd's gorgeous.
The snaps are just far too big.
They're far too big and too thick.
No way is it six grammes.
They're nice and crisp but so big.
Yeah.
I like the look of this one.
It's uniform but missing something.
There's no fudge.
I love the shape of the poppy seeds.
That's exactly what I was looking for.
They're nice.
The way you can see through them is lovely.
Fantastic.
Really, really well done.
Mmm, lovely flavour.
The roasted seed coming through is beautiful.
Nicely cooked, perfectly cooked.
The tarts, some of them have blackberries and some of them don't.
That's beautiful.
The flavour of the curd is gorgeous.
Brownie points, Brownie points.
Not very salty.
I'm getting the white chocolate and coconut but not the salted caramel.
Still nice.
I like this one, because they're all uniform in shape, the lollipop sticks look good, but the fruits are different and we're missing the fudge.
This one's got the fudge.
It has got the fudge.
Beautifully uniform.
That's very pleasing on the eye.
The lines are nice and straight.
Blackberries, blackberries All in the same place.
Those tarts look gorgeous.
Nice crisp pastry.
Nice curd.
That's beautiful.
The fudge just a little bit irregular, little bit rough looking in some cases.
Lovely flavour.
Lovely.
Nice colour.
Again, just toasted coconut is missing again.
Still nice.
Nice and clean.
That's beautiful.
Very, very nice.
Everything else is going in the right direction then you come to the sesame seed tuiles.
It's such a pity when they were going in the right direction that they're so uneven.
I don't know what's happened.
They're crumbling.
There's something with the recipe missing.
There's no sugar in it.
I can't taste any sugar.
It's quite nasty, actually.
Such a pity.
You must follow the recipe.
It's so important.
'Biddy and Paul must now decide which plate of petit fours deserves first place and which takes second and third.
' This one they're too big, far too big, inconsistent, and I'm not sure why they're that colour.
See the whiteness? This is what I'm looking for.
Nerve racking.
Hopefully, I'm not bottom.
So I can have some base for going into the showstopper.
Poppy seed tuiles are perfect.
Poppy seed tuiles are not.
They're awful.
I knew the tuiles were a disaster, but everything else seemed OK, so we'll see.
No fudge in this one, fudge in this one.
Inconsistent tarts in this one, consistent tarts here.
I know I'm coming third.
If I've got anything else, it'll be a miracle.
Than not to put up something at all.
Who baked this one? It wasn't quite as good as we expected this was the thing that let it down most.
And the overall effect was it didn't look great.
You are in third.
OK.
Who made this one? Stephen.
Maryanne.
Both of these together are by far my two top choices.
Each of them has something that works really well and is what I've asked for.
On their own they're missing so much.
You're missing the fudge here.
What happened? I must have done something different, but I don't know what.
This one has all the elements I'm looking for, but there's no sugar in the tuile.
I put in the flour twice.
I was doing so many things.
I picked it up a second time.
So, in first place Thank you.
Wow.
Wow.
That's a shock.
Well done, bakers.
A very tough challenge, a very long day, because everything is to play for tomorrow.
Well done.
Well done.
Very disappointed coming third today, I thought I'd done enough.
I'm really happy with that, especially cos I was missing something altogether.
It was so close.
Tomorrow will be what swings it for whoever wins.
To come first in the technical challenge was amazing, 'but none of us did brilliantly.
' I do think that there's a very fine line between all of us.
I'm hoping I can somehow pull this off.
Trying to get to the top of the mountain from the bottom is very tough.
You can only try.
'It's the final of The Great Irish Bake Off, day two, and all eyes are on the three finalists.
Now all that stands between them and the title.
'Very apprehensive, obviously.
It's a big day, big challenge.
' It's definitely all on the visuals and that is really tough.
'It's all about myself.
If I can do what I can do best, I might have a chance to win this.
I just hope everything I do is exactly what they're looking for.
I've definitely got my A game today.
This is my last opportunity to stake my claim to the title.
I'll put out all the stops for it.
'And today, they will have the extra support of friends and family, plus a few other familiar faces.
' 'Those three are amazing.
I can't imagine what they're going through.
' I want to be there, but I don't want to experience the stress they're going through.
'The judges will expect an extremely high standard today.
' Hello, bakers, you are so very close.
Soon, one of you will be crowned the winner of The Great Irish Bake Off.
But before that, we want you to make a showstopper bake, something that reflects either the natural landscape or the built heritage of Ireland.
If it was me, I'd be doing rhubarb Crumlin, This is your chance now to shine, so good luck to the three of you.
You have five hours for this showstopper challenge.
On your marks, get set, bake! The baking possibilities for the three finalists are wide open.
' There's nearly the whole jar in this.
'I'm expecting they will look into themselves' and choose something that has a meaning for them, because if it has it will come through to us.
I don't mind if it's a kennel or a stable or it's a complicated piece of architecture, they can do anything they like.
' I'm coming to it with an open mind.
'An open mind and a critical eye.
After eight weeks of baking, Steve, Maryanne and Will need to impress.
' I'm melting my chocolate so I can paint it on the balloon.
When the chocolate hardens, you pop the balloon and have a lovely shell structure.
I'll be asking questions for everything.
If there's a crumb out of place, I'll wonder why, If you can't eat it, it shouldn't be there.
Hi.
Hello.
How are you? Good.
How are you doing? OK.
My showstopper cake is a Georgian front door.
That sounds gorgeous.
It's an unusual choice, but I'm fascinated by architecture and I think they're stunningly beautiful.
I hope I can do them justice today.
In Georgian Dublin.
You know your Georgian doors? I do, I do.
God.
We'll be looking at the architecture and the proportions and everything.
'Made from several layers of nutmeg, carrot cake and walnut frosting, sculptured and covered in buttercream cheese frosting and fondant icing, Maryanne hopes to achieve a layered 3-D look to her Georgian front door.
' It sounds like it's going to be an amazing cake.
You still remember how important flavours are? Absolutely.
Will it be firm enough? It's actually quite a firm cake.
The difficulty will be getting the fondant on and getting it smooth.
There are so many undulations.
Exactly.
That's a trick to know as well.
You've thought a lot about this? Yeah, I have.
Happy? Happy? Yeah.
Keep tasting it.
I know, I did put the sugar in.
It's always important in baking.
'Maryanne, she's been Star Baker twice.
Remarkable.
' The only glitch in her journey was the desserts.
She had a meltdown.
She's been doing very well since.
' It's clear coming into the competition her main strength was in presentation and in particular in sugar craft.
She goes into free fall sometimes.
' This one's stuck a bit but that's OK.
I'm quite stressed.
'Generally, she copes with these situations well, ' but here who knows? I'm just hoping that she's holding it all together, Yay! (LAUGHS) I'm going to be competition for myself today.
It's really hard going, so I'm going to be my own worst competition.
A tiny bit more salt, I think.
This is to represent the sea, so it's kind of like the waves that surround the lighthouse.
That's the idea of the chocolate shell.
'With stacked sponges covered in a meringue, Will is making Hook Lighthouse in County Wexford, using a tempered chocolate surround to represent the sea and sand made from tuile biscuits.
' 'I went there for the first time this year with my girlfriend for her birthday.
It was gorgeous.
' 'I suppose it represents such a nice time in my life.
' You can't have a lighthouse without sea so that's why I have the shell.
Hook Lighthouse is my favourite lighthouse.
I don't have a selection that I like, but it's been the most It's amazing.
Is the light going to be A gold leaf on the top.
Wow.
It's not going to No, it's not.
Paul! I'm a baker, not an electrical engineer.
I keep telling you.
Will has been fascinating to watch.
That's been wonderful to watch.
Then all of a sudden he just blossomed.
He turned into a real competitor I've practised a good few times making it, so hopefully it'll come off today.
To think he's in the final, I can't believe it.
I'm delighted for him.
Fingers crossed, it goes well, he deserves it.
Bakers, you're halfway through the final task of the final.
2.
5 hours to go.
I've got a fair amount to do today.
When the gingerbread's out of the oven it starts to set really quick.
So I can do it as precise as possible.
'With gingerbread and royal icing, Stephen is attempting to make Dunluce Castle in County Antrim.
Situated on a cliff, the remains of this beautiful castle have been plunging into the sea for centuries.
That is what the castle looks like at the minute.
It looks amazing.
It's very near the Giant's Causeway too.
Everything on it will be edible.
Around the edge will be mint-flavoured green cake.
For the cobblestones, I'm doing a chocolate and ginger cake.
Otherwise, it's a free for all.
Because Dad was an architect, he loved Dunluce Castle.
He loved looking at it and seeing how they'd built it, so all my life I've been up and down in the castle so many times.
So, you know, it's a tribute to him getting his architecture into there.
That's what your time will be spent on.
Yeah.
I'm focusing more on the presentation today to have a big showstopper to finish off with.
He has a mind that thinks in such a visual way.
'He's really into exploring modern techniques.
' and put it into a physical piece of bake.
I couldn't be more proud of him.
I'm delighted for him.
I'm nervous that it's all going OK today.
You just want him to do well today, you know.
Yeah, this is definitely the biggest gingerbread I've ever made.
I decided to do it in a competition.
Maybe not the wisest of moves.
I'm starting to panic, cos I haven't started on the glass yet so that is definitely my next port of call.
The thing about today is it's quite hot.
It's a practical concern, but I can only imagine it's pretty tense and quiet as well, cos they're probably focusing more on what they're doing.
It's so quiet in here.
'As the competition's progressed, you've seen them grow, ' have their disasters, but you've seen them rise to the top.
To see any of them win would be lovely.
From day one I thought Stephen would be in the final.
He's brilliant, technically very good, presents well, his showstopper's always lovely.
'Maryanne, when she does something well it's outstanding.
Her stuff looks professional, it could be in a patisserie window.
' Will's tastes are amazing.
Some of his bakes are amazing.
He's doing a big construction.
If that works out, 'it could be a winner.
They all deserve to win.
I can't predict.
It depends what they're looking for.
' I don't know I'd like to be one of them.
So far, so good.
Oh, crap! (BEEPING) So, on the inside of each white layer, there'll be a black sponge and on the inside of each black layer, Oh, my God! It's crazy.
That's isomalt.
It looks a bit like glass.
But to get this done I'll be a bit more calm.
Bakers, you have one hour to go.
One hour until it's all over.
(EXHALES SHARPLY) 'As the bakers enter their final hour, the tension isn't the only thing that's rising.
' 'It's the hottest day of the year, with temperatures up to 25 degrees, Jesus! This is melting.
Oh, my God! Back into the freezer, I think.
It's just melting off it.
'With Maryanne's fondant melting and sliding off the cake, once the balloon is popped.
' (HISSING) Phew.
Relief.
Intense.
Amazing.
Well done.
Well 'It's the final of The Great Irish Bake Off, day two.
' Oh Phew.
'With friends and family here for support, the bakers' final challenge is to create a bake inspired by their Irish heritage and landscape.
' 'The person who's going to win is the one who's really listened to everything we've had to say.
They know what we're looking for and what tastes right.
The fact Biddy grew up in a Georgian house scares me.
'We've given them the chance to shine visually.
We've have told them that the presentation matters' as much as the taste and the combination of flavours.
This isn't really ideal at all.
It's not really working, but I don't have any choice.
'With 30 minutes left, Maryanne's forced to work in the fridge to combat the intense heat of the tent.
' Some advice on fondant.
Because it's so high in sugar, in a fridge the moisture will make it even more difficult.
If you leave it there too long, it'll turn to liquid sticky.
OK.
I've come up with stuff today I'd never have dreamed of doing.
I'm pleased with the outcome at the minute.
I've still got quite a few different things to put on, so I'm in no way clear just yet.
Your dad was an architect.
Would he be impressed with what you're making? Yeah, definitely.
He would've been at the drawing board, helping me make it.
He would've loved this, mixing our two worlds, his architecture and my baking.
He'd love this.
It's nice he gets to be here as well.
Yeah.
This is impressive.
Thank you.
I can see what you're at now.
That's what's good about it.
I can see the lighthouse coming out there.
You are one brave man.
Thank you.
(BOTH CHUCKLE) Bakers, there's ten minutes left remaining, OK? Ten minutes to go.
Jesus.
The heat in here! It's going to be tight for time, definitely, as usual.
Phew! It's just so warm.
It's tearing, it's not holding shape.
It's really hard.
Yep.
I don't want to look at anyone else.
I just need to focus on my stuff.
I've got two tuile biscuits in in the hope I can get them cooked just in time so I can put two cones in.
'For myself, it's really important to do my best today.
Win, lose or draw, it'd be nice for the feedback to be positive.
' Bakers, 60 seconds until the competition is over.
OK? One minute to go.
Bakers, time is up! Stop baking! 'A whole load of emotions after that.
You know, a bit of everything.
'It was always the plan to keep it slightly slanted so it looks like the ocean's coming up from the back.
' I hope they like it and I've done enough to win.
'It's going to be a tough job for the judges.
' They're all so, so different.
I wouldn't want to be in their shoes.
Maryanne.
Phew Are you OK? There was a point where I went phew.
This is amazing.
I love this.
It's exactly what you said it was going to be.
Great.
Beautiful colour.
And it reflects your interest in architecture.
Yeah.
The glass is lovely.
These decorative pieces are very nice.
(LAUGHS) No.
Or do we ring the doorbell? It's a shame to cut into it but we have to.
I love the way you've come in It's almost like a 3-D cake.
I love that.
It's not just a flat cake.
It looks nice and moist and very nice and even inside as well.
It's a nice cake.
A lot of nutmeg in there, isn't there? Is there? I love it, you know, I love the spiciness.
It balances out very well.
There's too much nutmeg in it for my taste and I'm quite fond of nutmeg.
It's beautifully moist.
I love it.
Well done, Maryanne.
Well done.
When you put something like this together, It's beautiful.
It's so much fun to look at.
It'd be nice to have the same colour joining all the elements together, Oh, the smell of gingerbread is unbelievable.
I like the flavour of that.
Very much so.
We need to have a bit of the gingerbread.
Thank you.
The gingerbread's lovely.
That's really nice.
It's lovely and crisp.
That's a lot of fun.
Well done.
Thanks.
I haven't got seagulls but I've got something that will work just as well.
(WHIRRING) (ALL LAUGH) All right.
I love this idea.
It's beautiful, fun and it's creative.
And this lovely sparkly gold leaf.
That's one expensive lighthouse there.
Even looking at that, I almost feel like you're inside the storm, you're feeling the tension, the power of the waves.
No, that's what I wanted.
It's either one or the other.
Then that beautiful wave coming around.
That's really nice looking.
I'm enjoying that.
That's nice.
A touch too much sponge, maybe.
(SHOUTING AND CHEERING) Oh.
'Having done all they can, the bakers can finally relax with friends and family as Paul and Biddy start the difficult task of deciding who will be crowned the winner of The Great Irish Bake Off.
' Biddy, would I be right in saying that the difference they've greatly improved? It's vast and I'm glad it was.
It needed to be, because this is a wonderful display of creativity and technique and everything.
They've come leaps and bounds ahead.
This is remarkable, it's so impressive.
I'd say it's incredibly close at the moment.
Is it? Yes.
Again, it's not just about one individual bake.
Eight long weeks.
We'll be talking about the whole competition right the way through.
I'm so glad I don't have to make that decision.
I'll leave you two to discuss it, OK? 'To win would be fabulous, but now it's over I just feel exhausted.
' It's just the end of a very long journey.
Anyone can win this.
I've no idea.
No-one's flopped down, so it could go with anyone.
'I just hope I win this.
I really, really want to win this.
' I've no more baking to do, it's all down to the judges.
Hello, everybody.
In the presence of family and friends and nine other bakers I'd like to welcome you to the tent of The Great Irish Bake Off.
We've had an incredible few weeks, Paul and Biddy have had a really, really difficult time, especially after the showstopper challenge when the three of you made three incredible bakes, but there can only be one winner.
It makes me very, very happy to say is Stephen.
(CHEERING) Congratulations.
Well done.
Well done.
Well done, mate.
'I don't know what to say.
I'm in a state of shock.
' Er, yeah, I don't know.
I'm just so happy.
'Stephen had invested such a huge amount in this.
He's a very worthy winner.
' These aren't tears of sadness.
These are just That man has been the number one competition in the show.
He's brilliant, fantastic.
I'll run out of superlatives.
'It couldn't have gone to a more deserving contestant than Steve.
' 'It was a very close call.
' I think in the end it went down to the person who was most consistent 'and who just had that sense of artistry.
' 'I am so proud of Stephen.
' He's really developed himself over the last few weeks.
He's done remarkably well through all the challenges and come with unique and modern twists to his bake.
He's been inspirational.
'I really can't believe this, it's such a shock.
It'll take a while for it to sink in, ' but I'm really surprised and really happy.
I can't believe it.
'Since appearing on The Great Irish Bake Off, will has become engaged to Joanne and is planning to do a foraging course at the end of the year.
Maryanne is busy planning her wedding and is setting up her own baking website, and winner Stephen has spent time with Paul in the Merrion Hotel on work experience learning from the master himself.
He's considering taking a year off college.
If you'd like to participate in the next series of The Great Irish Bake Off, please go to: And click 'apply now'.
By Deluxe
'Maryanne was our Star Baker and Oonagh became the ninth baker to leave the tent.
Now, just three battle it out in today's final.
' We're going into the final with three strong candidates.
We're looking for the person who can produce overall the best two bakes.
'I'm going to be a very tough judge.
' I'm looking for so much detail and improvement, that they've listened.
'With everything to bake for, Maryanne, Will and Stephen must face their last ever technical and showstopper challenge before one can be crowned winner of The Great Irish Bake Off.
' 'After eight weeks of rubbing, kneading, glazing and baking in this tent, 12 bakers have now become three and we are just two challenges away from finding Ireland's best amateur baker.
'I feel absolutely great, making the final.
' It's what I wanted.
It shows all my work's paid off.
'I'm excited, actually.
I don't feel at all nervous today.
'Amazing to make it this far.
Honestly, when I filled in the form' if I'd been called for an audition I would've been proud.
A bit of a shocker to get this far.
It's not over yet.
It would mean everything.
I've never won a thing.
'Not any competition in my entire life.
It'll prove to myself I can do it and I'm a good baker and I'm worthy of being here.
' All I want now is to win this.
(BREATHES HEAVILY) Hello, bakers.
Welcome to the final of The Great Irish Bake Off.
Congratulations to you all on getting this far.
You all deserve to be here, so well done.
This is your technical challenge.
As Goliath said to David after their fight, "It's all about the little things.
" This technical challenge is all about the little things.
Petit fours to be precise.
Your petit fours for this challenge must include vanilla fudge, poppy seed tuiles, fruit tartlets, and salted caramel white chocolate lollipops.
Paul, what can you tell our bakers about petit fours? (CHUCKLES) Well, I love petit fours, so I'll be looking for precision, perfect presentation and most of all, beautiful flavours.
And Biddy, this is the final.
Please, please, follow Paul's instructions precisely to the letter.
My one piece of advice is is all about attention to detail.
OK, this technical challenge, as you know, is blind judged, so I'll ask Biddy and Paul to leave the tent.
Bakers, this is the final, you have 2.
5 hours for this technical challenge.
On your marks, get set, bake! 'Small, bite-sized pieces of confectionary perfection, petit fours are served at the end of a meal.
With identical instructions on ingredients, not only do they have to make four different types, they must make five of each and all in just 2.
5 hours.
' To be honest, we were expecting something like this, but maybe 24 of the same.
It's a tough ask.
'Petit fours I've never really done before.
' It's making sure you get it the right sort of size.
The taste is very important as well because they're so small.
I've never made them before.
We make certain aspects of it, but actually making them I've never done.
There may be four pastry chefs alone working on them in a restaurant, This is high-end work.
The detail involved in this is remarkable.
Petit fours are the ultimate challenge.
It's so difficult.
You're looking at four different desserts.
Are there ground rules you have to follow? So, they've got to be perfect in size, perfectly all the same size.
This has to be easy for whoever's eating it.
It's one mouthful, a nice bite and a beautiful memory from that.
I'll be looking for nice straight lines.
When I look down the line, I want to see all the fruit in the same place.
Would you like to taste? I love fudge.
I know you love fudge.
(BOTH LAUGH) How is it? It's gorgeous.
Isn't it beautiful? It's quite sweet but quite small, so it's only a small amount.
It's heavenly.
I'm going to check the lollipop.
Mmm.
This is gorgeous as well.
You can see how uniform they are.
Almost too beautiful to eat.
That's just crumbling.
Delicious pastry.
How's the orange curd? The curd's gorgeous, What you really get is the fresh fruit.
Each baker should have a nice poppy seed, sesame seed tuile, like that, the same shape.
And a nice crack.
Beautiful.
Yes.
Oh, wow.
Such a nice flavour coming across.
Beautiful.
This is a tough challenge, the ultimate.
You're a tough taskmaster.
(BOTH CHUCKLE) It is the final.
It has to be at this level, and it's exactly what we're looking for.
Almost perfection.
Yes.
'Flavoured with vanilla, raisins and white chocolate, the fudge is made by heating milk, 'Anything higher and the fudge will burn.
Anything lower and the mixture won't set.
' Melt down, you butter.
Melt.
Well done for getting to the final.
Doing it for the girls.
For the girls.
It's good, but this is starting to frighten me now.
Really? Yeah.
I'm trying not to panic, but there's a lot of components I've never made.
Really? Yeah.
I'm not going to have it as polished as if I were doing it at home.
'35-year-old lab manager and lecturer Maryanne got her love of baking from her mother.
' 'I come from a big family.
My mum was constantly at the range.
' Always baking, always food on the go.
'Our mum is a great cook and Maryanne was always helping.
As she got older, she deviated towards the baking side of things.
She makes banoffee cupcakes to die for.
That'd be my pick.
Oh, my God! That's beautiful! I got Star Baker.
It was fantastic.
'Although she made Star Baker for the second time last week' OK, time to take this out.
The desserts round, we all know, was a disaster for me.
A meltdown on so many levels.
Don't, please don't come over.
I thought I couldn't sink lower, then I had the Bavarois, You are in seventh place.
But, of course, I'm still here.
'Now, there's just one thing she fears might stop her going all the way.
' I'm terrified of the technical challenge, because God only knows what will be pulled out of the bag.
It's going to take ages to come up to 115.
Takes forever to boil.
Watched pots.
'Once the right temperature has been reached, before pouring the fudge into a lined tray and leaving it to set.
' Looks like the right consistency.
What I've done is attempt to scrunch it up in one area so that I can cut it into cubes rather than a very thin slice.
I don't know if this is right, but it's how I envisaged it would look.
Did you put yours in half of the tray? Yeah.
Bit thin.
And it's hot.
Hot sugar, hot finger, not a good call.
'With fudges cooling in the fridge, the bakers must carry on preparing the other petit fours elements.
Oh, Christ.
I'm going to work on the salted caramel then the orange curd.
Once it's up to temperature, they can add in cream and salt.
' Paul loves salted caramel.
He's said it so many times, we need to be very precise.
How does everyone feel she's so happy.
Really? Yeah, and so is my dad.
'28-year-old data manager Will if not for his girlfriend Joanne.
' Everything I've done is because of her.
She hounded me for weeks to apply for this.
If he got to the first round, that'd be amazing.
Then he got to episode four and now he's in the final.
I can't believe it.
He's just done brilliant.
'However, he's had some anxious moments.
' That looks like sponge cake, almost.
It does, it's very thick.
It doesn't really work.
'It was halfway through Will found his baking mojo.
' That's lovely.
Desserts was my best week.
I managed to pull things back with that.
The Star Baker this week is Will.
'And since then he's had many highs.
' That is quite nice.
I love your idea.
I think it's fantastic.
At the beginning when he started, he was very doubtful of his ability.
I think he's proved to himself he can do it.
I'm a total different person, I've done a 180.
I'm calmer, not so much under pressure.
Will, did your caramel go that colour as it got darker? It needs to be lighter.
I'm terrified it'll burn.
I'll leave it at that.
Over the past few weeks.
All the tricks I've given, the advice.
'Prove to me they've been listening.
' It's still too hot to squeeze in, the chocolate will just melt.
'With the caramel needing to be fully chilled the next step is the orange curd for Paul's mini tarts' I just don't get it.
I can't do anything till it dissolves.
'.
.
Mixing, sugar, egg yolks, bitter orange puree and butter in a saucepan.
' Whoa, that's bitter.
'The bakers must then continuously stir until it simmers slightly and the mixture thickens.
' 'It's definitely one of the most intricate bakes I've attempted.
' It would mean a lot to me to win, to my family as well.
It's so even between everyone, it's going to be tight.
'Reaching the final has given a welcome lift to 21-year-old Stephen and his family, still coming to terms with the death of his father last year.
' He'd be incredibly proud of him to be able to watch him.
Given us a different focus.
'Having taken up baking two years ago, There's a lot of technical skill in that.
For most of the competition, I've taken big risks.
'It's not always worked but that's what the judges like.
' Oh, yummy! That's bringing my palate back to life.
'Having been Star Baker twice, he's been one of the most consistent throughout.
' Stephen.
'However, it wasn't all smiles.
' The smiley faces are the saviour of the cake.
The semi-final was the lowest point.
The macaroons are a little bit dry.
They're a bit powdery as well.
I was very nervous at that point, thinking I'd screwed it up.
'But his gran and mum are always there for him.
' He'll apply himself and give it the best shot that he has.
He went for the short-sleeved option, I went long.
There's a Bewitched theme going on, which I like.
Yeah, it's good.
It's so tiny.
'The tiny short-crust pastry base for the tarts is really fiddly work.
' 'I'm not great at doing stuff like this.
' It's so intricate.
With hands are like shovels, it's very hard to get it right.
It just says to duck it and bake it, so I'm getting them in early cos no doubt I'll screw them up.
I want to be able to get them in a couple of times.
'Obviously, the challenges set for this week are quite difficult.
' Any one of them could win.
They know that.
I hope they all rise to that challenge.
'The final element before assembling can begin is the poppy and sesame seed tuiles.
' Did you do your tuiles? Yeah.
Did you use all the butter? They're a strange mix.
Flour and orange juice, the bakers have been told to make five tuiles that each weigh just six grammes.
' Whoa, that's 20 grammes.
Bakers, there's half an hour remaining.
30 minutes to go.
(EXHALES SHARPLY) I'm going to watch them like a hawk.
'The tuiles are so thin, they need only a few minutes in the oven and must be removed and shaped before the icing sugar cools and sets.
' What am I saying? Of course the judges'll notice.
It's very hard to do it.
Extremely hot.
Are you happy with the shape? Yeah, they're quite big, but I weighed them.
It says six grammes each and they're six grammes.
Perfect.
OK.
I'll have to go with those again.
This is definitely the worst technical bake so far.
And the last technical challenge for the bakers.
' I haven't a clue what I'm doing, I'm just winging it.
I feel a bit stressed.
'And what a challenge.
20 petit fours in just 2.
5 hours.
' I chose petit fours now because this is the point where the bakers need to show they understand.
That's 15 minutes remaining.
I must get my arse in gear.
15 minutes left and so much to do.
'With all their elements complete, of assembling their delicate creations.
' Happy? No.
Why not? It's not there yet.
OK.
'Fudge must be cut' It's so hard to get them even into cubes.
'.
.
Lollies must be filled with salted caramel before being dipped in white chocolate and coconut.
The tarts must be decorated and glazed' I don't want them to spill over so I'm taking a little bit out.
'.
.
And the tuiles must be shaped and cooled.
' I had to do tuiles a second time.
OK.
I'm trying to get them crispy as well.
'When you cook, you throw in extra ingredients if it tastes wrong.
' When you bake, once something goes in the oven that's it.
'The slightest thing can have huge implications.
' You have five minutes remaining.
Five minutes to go.
Is this more stressful than you thought it would be? Oh, yes.
Shall I just leave you alone and let you get on with it? Please.
I think I need to go.
Sorry.
That's quite all right.
You're nearly there.
I think we can safely say my tuiles are a disaster again.
It hasn't set.
It's been in the freezer since the beginning.
Bakers, your technical challenge is over, stop baking.
I know what went wrong.
I added flour twice instead of icing sugar.
'A bit disappointed that my fudge didn't come out right.
I did exactly what it said on the sheet' 'That technical bake was a bit of a disaster.
' and I only figured it out just at the end.
'I got everything onto the plate so I'm happy with what I've done.
' I'd like to hope I've made a good start 'to see me in good stead for the showstopper.
' Bakers, well done on your final technical challenge.
Paul and Biddy asked for precision with this task and Paul, is that easy to achieve with petit fours? No.
By no means.
It's a tough one.
To get it right isn't easy.
OK, I'll let you two begin over here.
OK.
Straightaway I'm seeing inconsistency.
For example, we have five tarts, three of them have strawberries, two of them have berries.
The fudge's a little big as well.
If you eat that full along with your other selection it's like a meal in itself, it's too much, it's too big.
It's very sweet, but it's still good fudge.
Nice.
That's very nice.
The white chocolate and salted caramel, the coconut's not toasted.
You must toast the coconut for the flavour.
We'll just try this.
Mmm.
That salted caramel's beautiful.
Now, we have the little tarts.
The orange curd inside It's overflowing.
It looks underdone but it isn't.
Curd's gorgeous.
The snaps are just far too big.
They're far too big and too thick.
No way is it six grammes.
They're nice and crisp but so big.
Yeah.
I like the look of this one.
It's uniform but missing something.
There's no fudge.
I love the shape of the poppy seeds.
That's exactly what I was looking for.
They're nice.
The way you can see through them is lovely.
Fantastic.
Really, really well done.
Mmm, lovely flavour.
The roasted seed coming through is beautiful.
Nicely cooked, perfectly cooked.
The tarts, some of them have blackberries and some of them don't.
That's beautiful.
The flavour of the curd is gorgeous.
Brownie points, Brownie points.
Not very salty.
I'm getting the white chocolate and coconut but not the salted caramel.
Still nice.
I like this one, because they're all uniform in shape, the lollipop sticks look good, but the fruits are different and we're missing the fudge.
This one's got the fudge.
It has got the fudge.
Beautifully uniform.
That's very pleasing on the eye.
The lines are nice and straight.
Blackberries, blackberries All in the same place.
Those tarts look gorgeous.
Nice crisp pastry.
Nice curd.
That's beautiful.
The fudge just a little bit irregular, little bit rough looking in some cases.
Lovely flavour.
Lovely.
Nice colour.
Again, just toasted coconut is missing again.
Still nice.
Nice and clean.
That's beautiful.
Very, very nice.
Everything else is going in the right direction then you come to the sesame seed tuiles.
It's such a pity when they were going in the right direction that they're so uneven.
I don't know what's happened.
They're crumbling.
There's something with the recipe missing.
There's no sugar in it.
I can't taste any sugar.
It's quite nasty, actually.
Such a pity.
You must follow the recipe.
It's so important.
'Biddy and Paul must now decide which plate of petit fours deserves first place and which takes second and third.
' This one they're too big, far too big, inconsistent, and I'm not sure why they're that colour.
See the whiteness? This is what I'm looking for.
Nerve racking.
Hopefully, I'm not bottom.
So I can have some base for going into the showstopper.
Poppy seed tuiles are perfect.
Poppy seed tuiles are not.
They're awful.
I knew the tuiles were a disaster, but everything else seemed OK, so we'll see.
No fudge in this one, fudge in this one.
Inconsistent tarts in this one, consistent tarts here.
I know I'm coming third.
If I've got anything else, it'll be a miracle.
Than not to put up something at all.
Who baked this one? It wasn't quite as good as we expected this was the thing that let it down most.
And the overall effect was it didn't look great.
You are in third.
OK.
Who made this one? Stephen.
Maryanne.
Both of these together are by far my two top choices.
Each of them has something that works really well and is what I've asked for.
On their own they're missing so much.
You're missing the fudge here.
What happened? I must have done something different, but I don't know what.
This one has all the elements I'm looking for, but there's no sugar in the tuile.
I put in the flour twice.
I was doing so many things.
I picked it up a second time.
So, in first place Thank you.
Wow.
Wow.
That's a shock.
Well done, bakers.
A very tough challenge, a very long day, because everything is to play for tomorrow.
Well done.
Well done.
Very disappointed coming third today, I thought I'd done enough.
I'm really happy with that, especially cos I was missing something altogether.
It was so close.
Tomorrow will be what swings it for whoever wins.
To come first in the technical challenge was amazing, 'but none of us did brilliantly.
' I do think that there's a very fine line between all of us.
I'm hoping I can somehow pull this off.
Trying to get to the top of the mountain from the bottom is very tough.
You can only try.
'It's the final of The Great Irish Bake Off, day two, and all eyes are on the three finalists.
Now all that stands between them and the title.
'Very apprehensive, obviously.
It's a big day, big challenge.
' It's definitely all on the visuals and that is really tough.
'It's all about myself.
If I can do what I can do best, I might have a chance to win this.
I just hope everything I do is exactly what they're looking for.
I've definitely got my A game today.
This is my last opportunity to stake my claim to the title.
I'll put out all the stops for it.
'And today, they will have the extra support of friends and family, plus a few other familiar faces.
' 'Those three are amazing.
I can't imagine what they're going through.
' I want to be there, but I don't want to experience the stress they're going through.
'The judges will expect an extremely high standard today.
' Hello, bakers, you are so very close.
Soon, one of you will be crowned the winner of The Great Irish Bake Off.
But before that, we want you to make a showstopper bake, something that reflects either the natural landscape or the built heritage of Ireland.
If it was me, I'd be doing rhubarb Crumlin, This is your chance now to shine, so good luck to the three of you.
You have five hours for this showstopper challenge.
On your marks, get set, bake! The baking possibilities for the three finalists are wide open.
' There's nearly the whole jar in this.
'I'm expecting they will look into themselves' and choose something that has a meaning for them, because if it has it will come through to us.
I don't mind if it's a kennel or a stable or it's a complicated piece of architecture, they can do anything they like.
' I'm coming to it with an open mind.
'An open mind and a critical eye.
After eight weeks of baking, Steve, Maryanne and Will need to impress.
' I'm melting my chocolate so I can paint it on the balloon.
When the chocolate hardens, you pop the balloon and have a lovely shell structure.
I'll be asking questions for everything.
If there's a crumb out of place, I'll wonder why, If you can't eat it, it shouldn't be there.
Hi.
Hello.
How are you? Good.
How are you doing? OK.
My showstopper cake is a Georgian front door.
That sounds gorgeous.
It's an unusual choice, but I'm fascinated by architecture and I think they're stunningly beautiful.
I hope I can do them justice today.
In Georgian Dublin.
You know your Georgian doors? I do, I do.
God.
We'll be looking at the architecture and the proportions and everything.
'Made from several layers of nutmeg, carrot cake and walnut frosting, sculptured and covered in buttercream cheese frosting and fondant icing, Maryanne hopes to achieve a layered 3-D look to her Georgian front door.
' It sounds like it's going to be an amazing cake.
You still remember how important flavours are? Absolutely.
Will it be firm enough? It's actually quite a firm cake.
The difficulty will be getting the fondant on and getting it smooth.
There are so many undulations.
Exactly.
That's a trick to know as well.
You've thought a lot about this? Yeah, I have.
Happy? Happy? Yeah.
Keep tasting it.
I know, I did put the sugar in.
It's always important in baking.
'Maryanne, she's been Star Baker twice.
Remarkable.
' The only glitch in her journey was the desserts.
She had a meltdown.
She's been doing very well since.
' It's clear coming into the competition her main strength was in presentation and in particular in sugar craft.
She goes into free fall sometimes.
' This one's stuck a bit but that's OK.
I'm quite stressed.
'Generally, she copes with these situations well, ' but here who knows? I'm just hoping that she's holding it all together, Yay! (LAUGHS) I'm going to be competition for myself today.
It's really hard going, so I'm going to be my own worst competition.
A tiny bit more salt, I think.
This is to represent the sea, so it's kind of like the waves that surround the lighthouse.
That's the idea of the chocolate shell.
'With stacked sponges covered in a meringue, Will is making Hook Lighthouse in County Wexford, using a tempered chocolate surround to represent the sea and sand made from tuile biscuits.
' 'I went there for the first time this year with my girlfriend for her birthday.
It was gorgeous.
' 'I suppose it represents such a nice time in my life.
' You can't have a lighthouse without sea so that's why I have the shell.
Hook Lighthouse is my favourite lighthouse.
I don't have a selection that I like, but it's been the most It's amazing.
Is the light going to be A gold leaf on the top.
Wow.
It's not going to No, it's not.
Paul! I'm a baker, not an electrical engineer.
I keep telling you.
Will has been fascinating to watch.
That's been wonderful to watch.
Then all of a sudden he just blossomed.
He turned into a real competitor I've practised a good few times making it, so hopefully it'll come off today.
To think he's in the final, I can't believe it.
I'm delighted for him.
Fingers crossed, it goes well, he deserves it.
Bakers, you're halfway through the final task of the final.
2.
5 hours to go.
I've got a fair amount to do today.
When the gingerbread's out of the oven it starts to set really quick.
So I can do it as precise as possible.
'With gingerbread and royal icing, Stephen is attempting to make Dunluce Castle in County Antrim.
Situated on a cliff, the remains of this beautiful castle have been plunging into the sea for centuries.
That is what the castle looks like at the minute.
It looks amazing.
It's very near the Giant's Causeway too.
Everything on it will be edible.
Around the edge will be mint-flavoured green cake.
For the cobblestones, I'm doing a chocolate and ginger cake.
Otherwise, it's a free for all.
Because Dad was an architect, he loved Dunluce Castle.
He loved looking at it and seeing how they'd built it, so all my life I've been up and down in the castle so many times.
So, you know, it's a tribute to him getting his architecture into there.
That's what your time will be spent on.
Yeah.
I'm focusing more on the presentation today to have a big showstopper to finish off with.
He has a mind that thinks in such a visual way.
'He's really into exploring modern techniques.
' and put it into a physical piece of bake.
I couldn't be more proud of him.
I'm delighted for him.
I'm nervous that it's all going OK today.
You just want him to do well today, you know.
Yeah, this is definitely the biggest gingerbread I've ever made.
I decided to do it in a competition.
Maybe not the wisest of moves.
I'm starting to panic, cos I haven't started on the glass yet so that is definitely my next port of call.
The thing about today is it's quite hot.
It's a practical concern, but I can only imagine it's pretty tense and quiet as well, cos they're probably focusing more on what they're doing.
It's so quiet in here.
'As the competition's progressed, you've seen them grow, ' have their disasters, but you've seen them rise to the top.
To see any of them win would be lovely.
From day one I thought Stephen would be in the final.
He's brilliant, technically very good, presents well, his showstopper's always lovely.
'Maryanne, when she does something well it's outstanding.
Her stuff looks professional, it could be in a patisserie window.
' Will's tastes are amazing.
Some of his bakes are amazing.
He's doing a big construction.
If that works out, 'it could be a winner.
They all deserve to win.
I can't predict.
It depends what they're looking for.
' I don't know I'd like to be one of them.
So far, so good.
Oh, crap! (BEEPING) So, on the inside of each white layer, there'll be a black sponge and on the inside of each black layer, Oh, my God! It's crazy.
That's isomalt.
It looks a bit like glass.
But to get this done I'll be a bit more calm.
Bakers, you have one hour to go.
One hour until it's all over.
(EXHALES SHARPLY) 'As the bakers enter their final hour, the tension isn't the only thing that's rising.
' 'It's the hottest day of the year, with temperatures up to 25 degrees, Jesus! This is melting.
Oh, my God! Back into the freezer, I think.
It's just melting off it.
'With Maryanne's fondant melting and sliding off the cake, once the balloon is popped.
' (HISSING) Phew.
Relief.
Intense.
Amazing.
Well done.
Well 'It's the final of The Great Irish Bake Off, day two.
' Oh Phew.
'With friends and family here for support, the bakers' final challenge is to create a bake inspired by their Irish heritage and landscape.
' 'The person who's going to win is the one who's really listened to everything we've had to say.
They know what we're looking for and what tastes right.
The fact Biddy grew up in a Georgian house scares me.
'We've given them the chance to shine visually.
We've have told them that the presentation matters' as much as the taste and the combination of flavours.
This isn't really ideal at all.
It's not really working, but I don't have any choice.
'With 30 minutes left, Maryanne's forced to work in the fridge to combat the intense heat of the tent.
' Some advice on fondant.
Because it's so high in sugar, in a fridge the moisture will make it even more difficult.
If you leave it there too long, it'll turn to liquid sticky.
OK.
I've come up with stuff today I'd never have dreamed of doing.
I'm pleased with the outcome at the minute.
I've still got quite a few different things to put on, so I'm in no way clear just yet.
Your dad was an architect.
Would he be impressed with what you're making? Yeah, definitely.
He would've been at the drawing board, helping me make it.
He would've loved this, mixing our two worlds, his architecture and my baking.
He'd love this.
It's nice he gets to be here as well.
Yeah.
This is impressive.
Thank you.
I can see what you're at now.
That's what's good about it.
I can see the lighthouse coming out there.
You are one brave man.
Thank you.
(BOTH CHUCKLE) Bakers, there's ten minutes left remaining, OK? Ten minutes to go.
Jesus.
The heat in here! It's going to be tight for time, definitely, as usual.
Phew! It's just so warm.
It's tearing, it's not holding shape.
It's really hard.
Yep.
I don't want to look at anyone else.
I just need to focus on my stuff.
I've got two tuile biscuits in in the hope I can get them cooked just in time so I can put two cones in.
'For myself, it's really important to do my best today.
Win, lose or draw, it'd be nice for the feedback to be positive.
' Bakers, 60 seconds until the competition is over.
OK? One minute to go.
Bakers, time is up! Stop baking! 'A whole load of emotions after that.
You know, a bit of everything.
'It was always the plan to keep it slightly slanted so it looks like the ocean's coming up from the back.
' I hope they like it and I've done enough to win.
'It's going to be a tough job for the judges.
' They're all so, so different.
I wouldn't want to be in their shoes.
Maryanne.
Phew Are you OK? There was a point where I went phew.
This is amazing.
I love this.
It's exactly what you said it was going to be.
Great.
Beautiful colour.
And it reflects your interest in architecture.
Yeah.
The glass is lovely.
These decorative pieces are very nice.
(LAUGHS) No.
Or do we ring the doorbell? It's a shame to cut into it but we have to.
I love the way you've come in It's almost like a 3-D cake.
I love that.
It's not just a flat cake.
It looks nice and moist and very nice and even inside as well.
It's a nice cake.
A lot of nutmeg in there, isn't there? Is there? I love it, you know, I love the spiciness.
It balances out very well.
There's too much nutmeg in it for my taste and I'm quite fond of nutmeg.
It's beautifully moist.
I love it.
Well done, Maryanne.
Well done.
When you put something like this together, It's beautiful.
It's so much fun to look at.
It'd be nice to have the same colour joining all the elements together, Oh, the smell of gingerbread is unbelievable.
I like the flavour of that.
Very much so.
We need to have a bit of the gingerbread.
Thank you.
The gingerbread's lovely.
That's really nice.
It's lovely and crisp.
That's a lot of fun.
Well done.
Thanks.
I haven't got seagulls but I've got something that will work just as well.
(WHIRRING) (ALL LAUGH) All right.
I love this idea.
It's beautiful, fun and it's creative.
And this lovely sparkly gold leaf.
That's one expensive lighthouse there.
Even looking at that, I almost feel like you're inside the storm, you're feeling the tension, the power of the waves.
No, that's what I wanted.
It's either one or the other.
Then that beautiful wave coming around.
That's really nice looking.
I'm enjoying that.
That's nice.
A touch too much sponge, maybe.
(SHOUTING AND CHEERING) Oh.
'Having done all they can, the bakers can finally relax with friends and family as Paul and Biddy start the difficult task of deciding who will be crowned the winner of The Great Irish Bake Off.
' Biddy, would I be right in saying that the difference they've greatly improved? It's vast and I'm glad it was.
It needed to be, because this is a wonderful display of creativity and technique and everything.
They've come leaps and bounds ahead.
This is remarkable, it's so impressive.
I'd say it's incredibly close at the moment.
Is it? Yes.
Again, it's not just about one individual bake.
Eight long weeks.
We'll be talking about the whole competition right the way through.
I'm so glad I don't have to make that decision.
I'll leave you two to discuss it, OK? 'To win would be fabulous, but now it's over I just feel exhausted.
' It's just the end of a very long journey.
Anyone can win this.
I've no idea.
No-one's flopped down, so it could go with anyone.
'I just hope I win this.
I really, really want to win this.
' I've no more baking to do, it's all down to the judges.
Hello, everybody.
In the presence of family and friends and nine other bakers I'd like to welcome you to the tent of The Great Irish Bake Off.
We've had an incredible few weeks, Paul and Biddy have had a really, really difficult time, especially after the showstopper challenge when the three of you made three incredible bakes, but there can only be one winner.
It makes me very, very happy to say is Stephen.
(CHEERING) Congratulations.
Well done.
Well done.
Well done, mate.
'I don't know what to say.
I'm in a state of shock.
' Er, yeah, I don't know.
I'm just so happy.
'Stephen had invested such a huge amount in this.
He's a very worthy winner.
' These aren't tears of sadness.
These are just That man has been the number one competition in the show.
He's brilliant, fantastic.
I'll run out of superlatives.
'It couldn't have gone to a more deserving contestant than Steve.
' 'It was a very close call.
' I think in the end it went down to the person who was most consistent 'and who just had that sense of artistry.
' 'I am so proud of Stephen.
' He's really developed himself over the last few weeks.
He's done remarkably well through all the challenges and come with unique and modern twists to his bake.
He's been inspirational.
'I really can't believe this, it's such a shock.
It'll take a while for it to sink in, ' but I'm really surprised and really happy.
I can't believe it.
'Since appearing on The Great Irish Bake Off, will has become engaged to Joanne and is planning to do a foraging course at the end of the year.
Maryanne is busy planning her wedding and is setting up her own baking website, and winner Stephen has spent time with Paul in the Merrion Hotel on work experience learning from the master himself.
He's considering taking a year off college.
If you'd like to participate in the next series of The Great Irish Bake Off, please go to: And click 'apply now'.
By Deluxe