01x08 - Celebration Bakes

[bunniefuu]

We all know life can be tough.

But when I bake, somehow,
it makes me feel that little bit better.

A soothing slice of cake.

Double-layered deliciousness.

The smell of freshly made bread.

Oh!

The comforting crunch
of a biscuit straight out of the oven.

Sometimes, when you want
something really sweet,

you want it to hit the spot.

For me, baking really is my happy place.

And I want it to be yours, too,

which is why I'm returning
to my first true love.

It's the little details that make it
look beautiful.

You're gonna love it.

From easy everyday treats...

Oh, gosh, that's good.

...to indulgent desserts to share...

Sometimes, you've got to just throw
all the chocolate at it.

...there will be bakes for every occasion.

Oh, my goodness!

Plus, I'll be showcasing
some of the bakers and pastry chefs

I most admire from across the UK.

Once I've finished a cake,
it's that "kid in a sweet shop" moment.

I love that.

So let's bake, eat, and be happy.

[Nadiya] This week,
my favorite celebration bakes

to get any party started.

[soul music plays]

My festive Mardi Gras king cake
that's packed with flavorful fun.

That's the best bit.

Make Easter last all year

with my tasty, fruity twist
on hot cross buns.

There is so much jam in there,
it does not know where to go.

And a sweet, almondy biscuit tower,

the ultimate celebration centerpiece.

'Cause that is
an absolute thing of beauty.

[groovy music playing]

I love a celebration.

Birthdays, baby showers,
and holidays, you name it.

With any celebration, what do we need?

It's always cake.

[soul music playing]

First up, my glorious honey cake
topped with crunchy hazelnut crumbs.

Eight incredible layers
of sweet caramelized biscuit

and a delicious sour-cream filling.

An epic bake when you want
to celebrate someone special.

I really, really like birthdays.

When a seven-year-old says,
"Oh, please, can I have a chocolate cake

with a dinosaur and a dumper truck
and some lollies?"

You're like, "Yeah, I can do that."

Most layer cakes,

three, four layers of cake,
but this is eight layers of cake!

And if eight layers doesn't say,
"I love you," I don't know what does.

To start the biscuity dough,
brown 80 grams of butter.

Just keep swirling it and looking at it,
and it will change color.

Oh yeah. Look, look, look.

Add 275 grams of runny honey
and 120 grams of caster sugar.

So this is a Russian cake,

and my only connection with Russia
is that my dad's Russian friend,

whom I have never met, can I just say,
actually named me.

He just said,
"Why don't you call her Nadiya?"

And that's what Dad did,
and I feel a strong affinity

to Russia and this cake.

Pour that into our bowl.

[soulful music plays]

Leave that just to cool so, when I put
my eggs in, they don't scramble.

Next, add two eggs and mix.

500 grams of flour,
and then one teaspoon of bicarb.

Now bring the dough together.

I won't knead it
because you don't want it to be chewy.

You want it to be soft and buttery.

Then wrap up the dough,

and chill in the fridge
for at least two hours.

So that's our dough completely chilled.

And ready to cut into eight equal pieces.

And this is gonna make up

our eight-layered deliciousness.
[exclaims]

My simple tip for super thin layers
is to roll the dough

between two sheets of baking paper.

It stops it from sticking
on the actual worktop.

One easy way of doing it, right?

And to keep it simple,

I'm cutting out eight circles,
using a handy cake tin.

Just peel the scraps off.

We need these scraps.
These scraps are a big part of this cake.

And keep going until you have eight.

It's not difficult,
but it's when you cut into it...

Oh, when you cut into it,
and you see those eight layers,

there's nothing but love in it.

That's what makes
a celebration cake special.

[driving soul music plays]

That's my eight layers done.

We'll bake them two at a time.

Bake all eight of your buttery biscuits
to a golden brown, and let them cool.

These smell absolutely amazing,

but you can see how soft they are.

Our leftover scraps have had five minutes
in the oven too.

Aren't you glad I didn't throw those away?
Because this adds so much flavor.

Transform these
into a crumbly, nutty topping

with 100 grams
of crushed toasted hazelnuts.

Add a really good pinch of salt.

That's gonna add balance.

I'm gonna make a really simple sour cream,
creamy honey-vanilla frosting.

To start, whisk 250 mils of double cream
till pillowy soft.

And that's perfect, lovely and thick.

Next, get your sour cream ready, 660 mils,

with 65 grams of honey to sweeten,

a teaspoon of vanilla bean paste,

and 80 grams of icing sugar.

This is where this cake
becomes really delicious.

That sour cream works really well
with the honey in the cake.

Fold the sweet sour cream
into your airy whipped cream,

and you're done.

Now, it's time to build this beauty.

Take some of my cream,
and then just pop it into the center.

What I'm doing is securing my first layer.

I'm gonna add about three tablespoons-ish

and then gently kind of spread it out.

Let's pop that second layer on.

And repeat for all eight layers.

Where the cake meets the cream,

some sort of soaky, soaky magic happens,
and I love that.

[soulful music plays]

So we've got our eight cakes layered,
and now we're gonna cover it up.

Now for our crumbs.

And this is going to add crunch.

It's gonna add texture.
It's gonna add flavor.

Don't worry about the biscuit sand dunes
on the side of the cake.

We'll brush that off later.

And for a final flourish,
you can put a special message on top.

So I cut out a little heart,
and I pop that in the middle.

Sprinkle on your crumbs and voilà.

This is perfect for birthdays or maybe
just an excuse to say, "I love you."

[funky music playing]

Crunchy hazelnut
and biscuit crumbs decorate

eight layers of caramelized butter
and honey biscuit,

stacked high with a sweet creamy frosting.

A perfectly delicious way to celebrate.

Ooh!

Oh, look at the inside.

I'm gonna go right in there.

It's a lot of cake!

You've got that delicious honey,
the burnt butter.

So light and delicate and beautiful.

And I've still got
four layers to go. [laughs]

[cheery reggae playing]

Next, a super fun cake
all the way from the USA.

If I've got something to celebrate,
I want to do it in style,

and this cake was born to party.

[bluesy jazz music playing]

My Mardi-Gras-inspired king cake.

A sweet buttery dough
stuffed with a nutty praline cream,

jazzed up with a colorful coconut topping.

This is the ultimate good-time bake.

So I was out in New Orleans this year,

and I just happened to go right
at the beginning of Mardi Gras season.

And the one thing I learned about that
was that it's all about cake.

Turns out they eat king cake
for something like three months.

Everything about this cake
shouts "Mardi Gras."

It shouts "festival."

It shouts "celebrate."

I'm starting with an enriched bread dough.

Add seven grams of yeast
to 600 grams of strong bread flour.

And seven grams of salt.

I'm not gonna let it touch the yeast,
or it will k*ll my yeast.

Yeast doesn't like salt,
but it does like sugar.

That's 40 grams straight in.

It likes to be fed.

A little bit like me.

And then I've got 100 grams
of melted butter.

Grab two eggs.

And we want exactly 350 mils
of eggs and milk combined.

Pour into the flour and mix.

So you've got like a bread dough
but sweet and buttery and yummy.

That's my kind of bread.

[funky music playing]

Use the mixer's bread hook
to knead for six minutes.

This is what it should be like.

It should be lovely and stretchy
and smooth.

That's perfect.

Pop that into the bowl.

And leave in a warm place to double
in size while we make the filling.

In New Orleans,
they like their king cake weighty.

They are packed
with delicious creamy fillings.

We even had one with cheese.

So I'm going to make mine
with a rich praline cream.

First thing I'll start with is my praline.

Add 70 grams of caster sugar to a pan,
and swirl to an even layer.

I want the sugar to melt evenly.

There's two smells, caramel and burnt.

And it literally takes seconds to burn.

Got to have that lovely golden color.

Forty grams of pecans straight in.

[mellow soul music playing]

And let it cool.

This is the cooler cousin of the caramel.

Isn't that lovely?

Then crush to a fine crumb.

So let's make our praline cream.

I've got 225 grams
of full-fat cream cheese.

Add our praline crumb.

One teaspoon each of vanilla extract,
almond extract, and mix.

As fillings go, this is a good filling.

Now onto our light and airy dough.

Gorgeous!

I'm gonna roll this out to a square.

Wait. Let me get my tape measure.

Okay.

This still makes my husband laugh.

In the kitchen, he has his. I have mine.

[jazzy hip hop playing]

Use the edge of the rolling pin
and your tape measure

to get it to 43 centimeters squared.

Right about there.

And it's ready for the delicious filling.

Spread that all over, leaving
about a centimeter around the edge.

Now for the fun bit, shaping our dough.

And here's how to get the perfect roll.

So just kind of, like, pull. Tuck it over.
Make sure we get these lovely tight rolls.

And this is just a really good way
of getting filling into dough.

You name it, whatever it is,

whether it's a swiss roll
or a jam roly-poly.

And to get the king cake shape,
I'm using a Bundt tin.

Grab it and go. Ready, steady, go! In!

In, in! You've got to go.
You've got to commit.

And these two edges,
just pinch them together.

The best thing about working with dough
is that you can manipulate it.

And no mucking about.

Once it's doubled in size,
it's straight into the oven.

[driving soul music plays]

Yes! It's like one giant donut. [laughs]

This is what making celebration cakes
is all about.

It's about the decorating.

To start, I'm topping the cake
with my super simple glaze.

200 grams of icing sugar
and three tablespoons of water.

The trick to getting
your water icing right,

just let it do its thing. Let it drip.

But now we are gonna add some color.

With desiccated coconut
and my handy coloring hack,

add a drop of food coloring
to a bag of coconut, and, hey, presto.

[easy listening jazz plays]

Cool, right?

Doesn't it just look spectacular?

Now you see why they call it king cake.

My glorious Mardi Gras king cake.

Sweet, buttery bread rolled
with a creamy melted praline filling

and a colorful coconut topping.

A delicious way to bring good times
to the party.

Mmm. Mmm!

Mmm. There's that bit in the middle,

and it's covered in that cream.

That's the best bit.

Mm-hmm. That bit.

[uplifting electronic music plays]

I love making the extra effort
with special bakes,

but there are some occasions
that call for a professional.

When it comes to weddings in South London,

Nastassja Lusengo is breaking the mold,

and she's certainly grabbed my attention
with her sky-high sculptural cakes.

My background's actually
in art and fashion.

That's where most of my inspiration
comes from.

I want to create cake
that can be seen in a gallery.

Today, I'm making a two-tier wedding cake,

which is a Madeira sponge
with butter cream.

I'm gonna put this in the fridge
so this becomes stable,

and then we'll add extra layers
to give it that height.

[Nadiya] Her one-off creations
and celebrity clients,

that include Idris Elba,

are cementing her reputation

as one of the most exciting bakers
in the country.

[Nastassja] Get the crumb coat on.

Cake is, like,
such a big thing in my family.

Growing up, on Sunday,
after we went to church,

we always used to come home
and have afternoon tea,

and I had a favorite cake,
which was, uh, coconut-raspberry.

I just said to my mum,
"I really want to recreate this cake."

And so she started teaching me
how to bake.

That's where the real passion
for baking came in.

Quite, like, a nice clean canvas
to start off with.

Just have a bowl of hot water.

Just get the heat to the scraper.

And that is how I get my cakes
ultra-smooth.

[funky hip hop plays]

And I'll just keep on laying

different types
of butter cream texture on top.

Each work is quite individual.

I just use the same technique

as I would be
if I was painting on my canvas.

And as an artist first,
I just go with the flow.

I'm just gonna add a stencil overlay.

Just do it in small segments.

You get, like,
nice little peep-throughs of texture.

[Nadiya] Nastassja's signature designs
can reach up to four foot.

In fashion, we use tall models
so people can see the garment.

People can really adore the garment.

That's what I brought into my cakes,

to create a cake that was striking,
that was tall, that was to be seen.

I've just got to add my edible feathers
I've made out of, like, edible paper.

And this is where the cake
starts to come alive.

A great wedding cake, for me,
literally can make people turn their heads

and go, "Wow!"

Once I've finished a cake, it's like
that "kid in a sweet shop" moment.

So I'm always filled with gratitude,
being a part of someone's wedding day.

I'm nervous but, ultimately, it's like,
as long as the couple like it,

and I know
that I've put 1,000% in my work,

it's like the best feeling ever.

[Nadiya] Nastassja's unique approach
and stunning showpieces

have left me captivated.

[groovy electronic music plays]

Next, an Easter bake that's sure
to become a new tea-time favorite.

This recipe can be made any time of year,

and it has "celebration"
written all over it.

[peppy soul music plays]

My magnificently moreish hot cross buns.

A light, buttery dough packed
with fruity berries

and a sweet jammy center.

My delicious take on the Easter classic.

I'm always intrigued
by how the supermarket shelves change

when it's a religious festival,

and that's what dictates what I buy
and what I eat.

Sometimes,
I'll see hot cross buns and be like,

"I'll make hot cross buns at home."

And mine start with an enriched dough.

Add seven grams of yeast
to 500 grams of strong bread flour,

one teaspoon of salt,

and 75 grams of caster sugar
for sweetness.

And I want to crack in one egg.

I've got 300 mils of whole milk

and 50 grams of butter
that I've melted and cooled down.

You could knead this in the mixer,
but, sometimes, I like going old school.

So the dough is a little bit wet,

but don't worry.
Don't be tempted to put lots of flour in.

That's one of the biggest mistakes.

What you're doing is,
you're drying the dough out.

And you want to just keep going,
persevere, because you will get there.

I remember eating hot cross buns
at my nan's house,

and she wasn't really sure
what to do with them,

and she just toasted them
the way that she's always toasted bread.

Stick them in a pan, add loads of butter,

and then fry them in the butter.

And then you've got this delicious,

really kind of, like, smoky,
toasted hot cross bun

covered in melted butter.

And that's kind of how everyone always
just ate them in our family.

And the trick to getting
the dough perfect...

You should be able to stretch it
enough so... it's see-through.

[driving soul music plays]

So that's done. Put a tea towel on top,

and leave it in a warm place to prove
till it's doubled in size.

And I'm gonna go and have a rest. [sighs]

Oh, look at that.

Just spread it out thin.
Knock all of that air out.

Now we're gonna add
the dried fruit that I like.

So I've taken the traditional raisins out,

and putting in 75 grams of cranberries
and 50 grams of blueberries.

I like the kinda sharpness
and the sweetness.

And I'm spicing them up
with some zingy orange zest.

And then just knead it
back into the dough.

[groovy music playing]

So using this dough,
I'm gonna make 15 hot cross buns.

So I use my little bread slicy thing.

You can just use a knife,
but you can find these at baking shops.

And the way to make
really neat dough ba*ls

is to flatten it out and then
kind of bring everything to the center.

Turn it around. And then,
if you just kind of roll it around

in your little claw hand,

you get a beautiful neat ball.

Look.

Place your dough ba*ls on a tray
with enough space for them to expand.

As they prove,
they're going to double in size.

Last one. Right.

Cover and put aside for a second prove.

And now for that famous cross.

When I first had a hot cross bun,

I looked at that cross
and thought, "Ooh, chocolate!"

And then I bit into it, and it...
I have never felt disappointment like it.

It doesn't taste of anything.

So I'm making mine
with freeze-dried strawberry powder.

This is gonna add color and flavor.

Combine with 75 grams of flour,
some water, and mix.

Look at that pink.

Easy. That's your paste done.

Let's get our cross... on.

You do three buns at a time.

All the way across.

[breezy soul music plays]

Who needs Easter to eat hot cross buns?

They are so much fun.

Now, I'm gonna put the snazziest,
most beautiful hot cross buns in the oven.

[driving soul music plays]

They smell absolutely amazing,

and I am not done with them.

I am going to fill them with jam.

Use the end of a chopstick.

So we're creating a little pocket.

And I'm piping them full
of strawberry jam, our family favorite.

And the trick to knowing when it's full,

it will naturally just push itself out,
so you just know.

And to finish,
brush on some heated golden syrup

for a sweet, sticky top.

So easy but so delicious.

How yum do they look?

My super fruity hot cross buns.

A buttery, light dough
packed with tasty berries

with a sweet strawberry jam center.

A joyful Easter treat
you could bake all year round.

There is so much jam in there,
it does not know where to go.

Mmm. Mmm!

All the jam, zesty with the orange.

You do not need to buy hot cross buns,
not when they taste like this.

[birds chirping]

[soulful rock music playing]

And finally, an impressive delight
for the most special celebrations.

If you want a bake with wow factor,
then you can't do better

than this Scandinavian biscuit tower
full of surprises.

[theatrical pop music plays]

My exquisite festive biscuit tower.

Layers of almondy biscuit rings
stacked high

with a zingy lemon icing,
sesame sprinkles,

and a hidden treasure inside.

This is the ultimate party piece.

This is the celebration bake of all bakes.

It's beautiful.

You bake it. You build it.
You decorate it.

And you fill it
with something a little bit special.

It starts
with my super simple biscuit dough.

500 grams of ground almonds,

which I've toasted,
so it adds a little bit of flavor.

Pop that in there.

Mix in 500 grams of sieved icing sugar.

Four egg whites to bind

and a teaspoon of nutty almond extract.

If you find that it's not coming together,

add, like, half a tablespoon
of water at a time

just to help it to come together.

Sometimes I make it,
and I can't believe how simple it is.

But when you look at it, it's just like,

"Whoa! You worked hard!"

We didn't. That's our biscuit dough done.

Pop my mixture straight
into this 25-centimeter loose-bottom tin.

Flatten the dough into a nice even layer.

Because we want this to bake evenly.

And it's straight into the fridge
to firm up for two hours.

My biscuit dough has chilled.

Out of this little round of dough,
we are gonna make a tower, I promise you.

Let's put that down.

So we're gonna create these biscuit rings
that will sit nicely on top of each other.

And it does require a ruler,

which is why
I so very much enjoy doing this recipe.

So I'm measuring
one and a half centimeters,

then another centimeter and a half.

Three, four, five, six, seven.

And we're gonna do the same thing
going round.

Then it's as simple as joining the dots
to form your rings.

I don't think I'm alone
in the way I feel about baking.

It is my happy place.

It is the place that I often visit
to find some peace

because yoga hurts.

Cake baking gives you cake.

[mellow funky music playing]

Those are our biscuit rings.
Now, we've got to get these on the trays.

This is a very forgiving dough,
so you mustn't worry if it breaks.

So I'm just going to grab it.

It's all good.
Look where I've got the cracks there.

If you just squish them together,

they just come back beautiful.

Next one... on.

Transfer the rings onto three trays.

So we've got the large one,
the medium one,

and now onto the small tray.

So I want to get ones
that are roughly the same sort of size

so they bake at the same sort of time.

So I've got the oven pre-heated to 180.

I'll take this one out at five minutes,
take this one out at eight,

and this one out at ten.

Easy peasy.

If you can't fill all three trays
in your oven,

leave the others in the fridge
until ready to bake.

[sweeping soul music]

Five minutes,
and your first tray is ready to take out.

Add another three minutes to my timer.

They're lovely, and they're golden,
and they're still soft

so we're gonna leave these
to just cool here on the tray.

-[timer beeps]
-Okay, three minutes.

Like a cake-baking ninja.

Once the biscuit rings are baked
and cooled,

we are ready to build our tower.

I've flavored some icing with lemon juice.

It's gonna work well with the almond.

[gentle folk music plays]

Just to give it a bit more color,
I'm going to add some black sesame seeds.

This is the kind of thing
you build directly onto your stand.

You don't want to make it
and then have to kind of transfer it.

Because the rings are simply balanced
on top of each other.

Let's pop that one on.

Now for something extra special.

Some beautifully wrapped chocolates.

And I'm gonna fill it right up.

This is the kind of thing
I would make for Eid.

When we fast for 30 days,

it's all about the food,
and that cake takes center stage.

Everyone's really excited
about that big cake.

When you bake something that
you only bake once, maybe twice a year,

that's what makes it extra special.

I'm gonna finish it off with some
of these beautiful edible flowers.

We've taken a simple bit of biscuit dough

and turned it
into something pretty exquisite.

If you're gonna celebrate,
why not have a biscuit tower?

Because that is
an absolute thing of beauty.

[funky music playing]

My gloriously festive biscuit tower.

Rings of crunchy almond biscuit
with a soft chewy center,

zingy lemon icing, sesame sprinkles,
with hidden treasure inside.

The ultimate party piece
to share with your favorite people.

I am going in.

Delicious, sweet, almondy biscuit.

Mmm! Look at that.

There's a lot of tower here to eat.

I reckon we do it, guys, one last time.
Come on. Get in!

Who would like a sweetie?

Oh... Yes!

-[man] The almonds are really good.
-[Nadiya] Yes!

Yes!

[woman] That is a wrap!

[all cheering]

[groovy music playing]