2012-08-15 - The Great Skylab #BakeOff Season One

** UPDATED 2012-08-15 **

With the first season of the Skylab Bake Off coming to an end it only seems right we review all the delicious deeds we’ve had over the past few months.

Since the quality of the baked goods was so high we thought we would give everyone the opportunity to vote on their favourite entries. While many have not had the chance to indulge in these tasty entries we hope that the images below can help. Take a look at all of our entries and then you are welcome to vote below.

Gill’s Banoffee Bonanza

Oh the pastry! Oh the fruit! This is no cake. This is a pie. A pie amongst pies. This pie set the standard for all future pies. Not just banana and not just toffee but what should or may be an illegal combination of cookery and bakery excellence. This pie is one of a kind and, pun intended, takes the cake.

Nigel’s Naughty Biscuits

Mmm. Melted Galaxy chocolate bar baked over a delicious crumbly cake that melted in your mouth. These were a perfect mid-day snack. I’m told that there is a secret recipe from the baker’s family, which only adds to the appeal since no one in the office can run off and bake these.

James’ Triple Chocolate Brownies

Triple Chocolate Brownies are a staple of the baked goods industry. Life would not be the same without brownies. Brownies can be topped with sugar, fruits, ice cream and I’ve even seen a brownie topped with a slice of cake! They can serve as breakfast, an after tea dessert or a mid-day snack. These particular brownies had an excellent chocolate gooeyness to them as they were stuffed with walnuts and dark chocolate. Yummy.

Dave’s Baklava Muffins

Now these are tasty treats! Fluffy cakes with walnuts and honey drizzled over the top and even a bit inside. Needless to say we started with something like 18 cupcakes at 9am and by 11am there was nothing but scattered baked goods, paper cupcake wrappers and bits of tin lining strewn about like a New Year’s Eve party gone horribly right. Definitely worth the wait.

Jaik’s Spicy Cheese Scones

These little delights might not strike you as a baking/bake-off type of snack, but in truth they were a welcome break from the mounds of sugar that have been directly injected into us each Thursday.

Somehow these seem like they would go well with a pint of lager but seeing as we’re in the office, a Coke will do the job. A savory snack with cheese and a peppery bite to them, but delicious none the less.

Naomi’s Banana Chocchip

It tastes better then it looks and it definitely looks good. The banana cake with butter icing and cinnamon sprinkles lights the taste buds like a Bon Fire night firefworks show. Walnuts give it that perfect nutty flavour and after each piece you find yourself wanting another. We thought this was the winner, until the next cake came along.

Steve’s Rice Crispy Crunch

A classic snack known throughout the Western world for their crunchy goodness. These particular crispy crunches were topped with lovely milk chocolate bites. We soon discovered that one single serving was not nearly enough and, as many of us found out, 3-5 were a few too many.

Jonty’s Guinness and Ginger Cake

A moist and dark gingerbread that feels filling yet light to eat at the same time. The cake slices have just the right amount of ginger so that it’s not overpowering and leaves you wanting one more slice.

You’ll find a lot of recipes for this on the internet but let’s face it, none will ever taste as good as the one you’re eating right now!

Peter’s Faworki

When these arrived and the baker told us they were “Fa-worki” we thought he meant that they were brought in for the office!

Silly us, Faworki is a Polish treat baked for “Fat Thursday” and sometimes referred to as “Angel Wings”. They are a crisp pastry made from dough shaped in ribbons, deep-fried, and coated with powdered sugar. Deep-fried being the most important part of that description.

Craig’s Buns

These sumptuous little bites of goodness were a somewhat simple cup-cake style chocolate bun. We found that they were perfect with a cup of coffee or tea and made for a great breakfast treat. They came topped with your choice of whatever you could find in the cabinet, chocolate powder, powdered sugar, cinnamon or other. These went fast.

Tom’s American-Style Chocolate Chip Cookies

Delicious doesn’t describe these cookies. Each cookie complimented itself so well with another cookie. They had such perfect little chocolate chips piled on with just the right amount of cookie loveliness. These cookies are best bought by the truckload.