Because happiness is only a cupcake away...

Never have four words brought so much joy to my heart! Anyone who vaguely knows anything about me knows that when the Great British Bake Off comes back on TV, that I am back in my element!

The whole of Britain goes baking mad whenever the Bake Off is on TV, and I am no exception to that. For anyone however that doesn’t know what this series consists of, it is a reality show with 12 contestants who are all keen amateur bakers. Each week there is a different theme, ranging from cakes, biscuits, pastry, and many more wonderfully tasty treats! It truly is a wonder we don’t all launch into a 12 week long sugar induced coma....

Proof of how far the love for this show has spread was in the creation of the Great British Bake Off drinking game. With various hilarious rules such as 1 shot per blue plaster worn by an injured contestant, 2 shots for a contestant sitting and watching hopefully at the oven, and the harshest: 3 shots for a cake drop! This has gone straight on to the list of things to do whilst this series is on, as well as mastering the art of meringue.

With every series I am continually amazed by how incredible Mary Berry looks. A lady in her early 80s, she is super glamorous and super talented. She has a warm, comforting personality, and to be epitomises the perfect Grandma – only outdone by my own wonderful grandmother!

Her partner in crime Paul Hollywood is again fantastic, and I love the way they complement each other. Paul’s deathly stares and blunt comments would be absolutely terrifying as a contestant but as a viewer makes for very entertaining television.

The combination of Mary and Paul as the baking judges is amazing to watch, and to take that even further is the presenters Sue and Mel. Best friends who met at university who went onto become a comedy duo; Sue and Mel with their endless infamous sexual innuendos really are the icing on the cake – no pun intended! As much as I love them, there is a part of me that is extremely jealous as hosting a TV show with your best friend when you can try as many amazing cakes and desserts is the genuine description of my dream job.

Whilst I feel that a future career in TV presenting is probably not for me, being a contestant on the show is a legitimate dream of mine. And the pinnacle of that would be coming first in a technical challenge, or even being crowned star baker at the end of one week. However living vicariously through all of the contestants is the next best thing, and it always makes me smile how genuinely happy it makes me feel at the end of each episode when one baker is announced as star baker. Just in the same way that my heart actually aches when I see someone’s showstopper bake collapse or they've used salt instead of sugar, or the ultimate bake off disaster: the soggy bottom!

Not only did the return of the show inspire me to write this extensive review of all things bake off, it also inspired me to get my apron on and get baking myself. Given that I am trying to eat cleaner in the weeks leading up to my holiday, baking is not often conducive to this. However I was overcome with a craving for carrot cake, so I searched for a healthier alternative to this usually highly calorific classic. BBC Good Food came up trumps: http://www.bbcgoodfood.com/recipes/11871/low-fat-carrot-cake

The end result was super tasty and was super easy to make, a simple all in one bowl type mixture. And I would recommend this recipe if the mood for cake strikes but you want to stick to that summer body plan you promised yourself all those weeks ago!

I think this brings me to the end of my collection of all thoughts Bake Off related, so until next time, thanks for reading,

B xxx