Season 2 episode seven got into a Christmas spirit, and was carried through into all three challenges.   The contestants received their own ‘Christmas present’, in that they were told that none of the six contestants would be eliminated at the end of the episode.

However, the incentive was to be the episode winner, to win the Butchers Block kitchen equipment to the value of R10000 as well as accommodation vouchers to the value of R15000.

1. Tuisgebak/Home Bake

The contestants had to bake a variety of Christmas biscuits within two hours, becoming edible Christmas presents. Christmas spices used for the biscuits were cinnamon, nutmeg, aniseed, coriander, and cloves. Christmas biscuits baked included coffee biscuits, Spekulaas, and almond stars.

Kanya shared that her mother-in-law gets into the Christmas spirit, even dressing the part. She baked black and white cookies, a German Christmas biscuit which my late mother baked too. She told the viewers that one can give the biscuit dough to friends as presents, so that they can bake their own Christmas biscuits. Sanet said that Christmas is synonymous with family. She baked her mother’s crunchies.

Tara recalled receiving gift bags of sweets and biscuits for Christmas. Corli recalled a special Christmas, when she and her siblings each received a bicycle as a present. She said that it must look as if she is out of control when baking, but she is working fast. She got into the Christmas spirit by singing Jingle Bells.  The background music was Christmas Carols for most of the episode.

In-between their baking, the contestants talked about the reality TV show, and the eliminations. Sanet was very direct, in saying that the more contestants that are eliminated, the easier it gets for the remaining ones to win. She said that she had come to Koekedoor to bake, and not to make friends with the other contestants. Wessels said that he was happy that there were no eliminations in the episode, missing Anja (eliminated the week before) very much. He had filled his biscuits with coffee creme. Tara made special biscuits that had open spaces inside them.

Beautiful display boxes were created as Christmas presents, with the variety of  Christmas biscuits baked by the contestants. Corli’s was praised for its variety of biscuits, and attractive packaging (the main photograph above left).

2.  Fyngebak/Advanced Technique Challenge

This challenge was not as difficult as have been the past ones. The contestants had to bake a Spekulaas cake and make Lebkuchen biscuits, which they would use to decorate their Christmas trees. They were given 3½ hours to finish the challenge, with only a recipe and no cake and finished products to look at before they finished the challenge.

Kanya said that she had got to know Spekulaas from her aunt in Holland. Sanet played on words, saying that she was speculating about Spekulaas!  Wilandi shared that she had made Spekulaas before, but more spices and ingredients were required in this challenge.

What was unusual was that the Spekulaas cake had a fruit filling, with marzipan too, the latter which Wessels had forgotten to add initially.  He found a clever way to push it through the dough and then to close the holes in the dough again.  There was heavy traffic between the work stations and the fridges, and there was some confusion as to whose dough was in which fridge. Tara’s dough got stuck on her work station.  Wilandi’s dough expanded when it was baked, and came over the edge of the baking pan. Wilandi was criticized for her icing on the Lebkuchen, being too thick. Her cake was also felt to be too dry by the judges.

The cake had to be topped with 30 almonds, in the shape of a heart, plus as an edging.  Corli finished on time. Tara was praised for using Rosemalerei on her Lebkuchen, but she received criticism about her cake. Kanya’s Lebkuchen looked Scandinavian, and her Spekulaas cake was praised. Koekedoor judge Mari-Louis Guy shared that traditionally Lebkuchen was baked round.

3.  Pronkgebak/Flaunt It Challenge

The ‘Vrede op Aarde‘ challenge was set by Koekedoor judge Tiaan Langenegger, and seemed more difficult than those of the past episodes.  They had to make a Yule Cake, popular in Europe at Christmas time, the contestants being challenged to transform this into an African tree trunk cake, reflecting our country’s forests. The judges expected the contestants to be brave, creative, and to use every baking trick and technique possible to meet this challenge, especially given that none of them would be eliminated.

Kanya said that the cake roll was the easy part, but the other elements were more challenging.  She covered her cake with chocolate shards, and it even had moss which she made from dill and sage. It was clear that her cake impressed the judges the most (photograph right).

Tara’s inspiration was Nature’s Valley, and she let her tree trunk stand upright. She used real mushrooms as part of her cake display. Her idea was said to be creative, but her execution not always good. Most of the contestants had age rings on their tree trunks.  Wessels made soil from chocolate. Sanet’s green tea cake was not perfect. According to the judges, her mousse was beaten too much, and she had overdone the extra bits of branches and leaves.

In evaluating the work presented in the episode, Corli was told that she knows her baking. Sanet was told that she is good with her textures and flavours. Wessels was told that he lacks finishing-off polish in his work. Tara was told that she is not good with her time-keeping.

The judges announced that Corli and Sanet were in the top three, but it was a Kanya who was named the top baker of the episode, winning the kitchen equipment and the accommodation voucher. The bottom three were Wilandi, Tara, and Wessels.

Koekedoor, kykNET, channel 144 on DStv. Thursdays 20h30 – 21h30. www.kyknet.dstv.com Twitter: @Koekedoor @kykNETtv

Chris von Ulmenstein, WhaleTales Blog: www.whalecottage.com/blog  Tel 082 55 11 323 Twitter:@WhaleCottage  Facebook:  click here Instagram: @Chris_Ulmenstein