Entertainment

First Great British Bake Off contestant gets axe after raw cake disaster

The first baker has left the tent.
The first baker has left the tent. The first baker has left the tent.

The first amateur baker to exit The Great British Bake Off has said the show “wasn’t a piece of cake at all”.

Support worker Dan, 33, was axed at the end of the first episode of the new series after serving up a raw fruit cake to judges Prue Leith and Paul Hollywood.

Afterwards he said: “I love fruit cake and it hasn’t put me off making one, but next time I won’t make it in three hours.

The Great British Bake Off 2019
The Great British Bake Off 2019 Dan (C4/Love Productions/Mark Bourdillon)

“I love the long process of making a Christmas cake and I feed it over the weeks and it always turns out a beautiful cake. I get lots of compliments from the family at Christmas!”

He had better luck in the showstopper challenge, whipping up a pirate island cake complete with dry ice waterfall as the birthday cake of his childhood dreams, but he knew his fate was already sealed.

He said: “It’s the nature of the show when something goes wrong on that particular week, you’ve had it, and I understand how the show works and I felt it was the right decision that I should go.

“My best moment overall was meeting the other bakers, and that was one of the reasons I was sad to leave.

“I knew I was going to miss talking to people that felt like I did about baking, and we bonded instantly. It was very strange but very lovely at the same time.

“My worst moment was the signature (challenge) for me, so I knew my showstopper had to totally wow to save me, and that was a lot of pressure.

“When I heard that the judging wasn’t amazing, I really knew I was going, so I was prepared for it when they announced it.

The first episode saw print shop administrator Michelle, 35, named star baker after whipping up a carrot cake so delicious Leith asked for the recipe.

The Great British Bake Off 2019
The Great British Bake Off 2019 Michelle was the first star baker (C4/Love Productions/Mark Bourdillon)

After sampling the cake, Leith said: “This is the 10th anniversary of The Great British Bake Off and what a way to start!”

Dan will join Jo Brand and Tom Allen on The Great British Bake Off: An Extra Slice on August 30 on Channel 4 at 8pm.