The meringue flies and the ganache glistens as Bake Off: The Professionals returns to Channel 4 this Tuesday. Episode 2, airing at 8 PM GMT, finds hosts Ellie Taylor and Liam Charles back in the baking tent, overseeing another round of high-stakes patisserie pandemonium. This week, the pressure mounts as teams from top hotels, restaurants, and sweet shops face off in two fiendishly difficult challenges set by judges Benoit Blin and Cherish Finden.
First up: 24 perfect Le Petit Antoine pastries, followed by a reinvented fruit tart, also in multiples of 24. Because nothing says “welcome to primetime television” like hundreds of tiny, intricately decorated desserts. Round two ups the ante with a showpiece challenge inspired by the tranquility of a Japanese garden—featuring roll cakes as the centrepiece. Expect edible bonsai trees, sugar-spun waterfalls, and at least one contestant on the verge of a full-blown meltdown.
With Tom Allen adding colour commentary from the sidelines, Bake Off: The Professionals continues to be a reliable source of vicarious stress-eating and open-mouthed admiration for the truly talented. Tune in Tuesday to see which teams crack under pressure and which rise to the top of the dessert mountain.
Bake Off: The Professionals airs Tuesday at 8:00 PM GMT on Channel 4.
