The first season of The Great Canadian Baking Show premiered on CBC Television on November 1, 2017. Ten amateur bakers competed over eight weeks of challenges throughout the competition for the title.
This season was hosted by Canadian actor and television personality Dan Levy and British actress Julia Chan. The judging panel consisted of French chef Bruno Feldeisen, a multiple James Beard Award nominee and the former executive pastry chef for Four Seasons Hotels in New York and Vancouver, and Canadian-Australian pastry chef Rochelle Adonis, the European-trained creator of an eponymous high tea salon and confectionery brand in Australia.CBC Announces Hosts and Judges for the Great Canadian Baking Show; David, Greg; TV-eh? web article; July 11, 2017; accessed August 2017
After eight weeks of competition, Sabrina Degni was crowned the winner with Vandana Jain and Linda Longson as runners-up.
Bakers
Baker , web article, "CBC Life"; CBC website; retrieved October 2017 Age Profession Hometown Corey Shefman 31 Human rights lawyer Toronto, ON James Hoyland 45 Physics professor Richmond, BC Jude Somers 60 Retired animator Victoria, BC Julian D'Entremont 45 Contractor Halifax, NS Linda Longson 63 Payroll supervisor High River, AB Pierre Morin 56 Retired musician and dentist Cantley, QC Sabrina Degni 24 Graphic designer Montreal, QC Sinclair Shuit 44 Optometrist London, ON Terri Thompson 36 Domestic engineer Sherwood Park, AB Vandana Jain 36 Chief financial officer Regina, SK
Results summary
+ Elimination chart Baker 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 SabrinaSBWINNER LindaSBSB VandanaSB JamesSBOUT TerriSBOUT JulianOUT JudeOUT CoreyOUT SinclairOUT PierreOUT
Episodes
Episode 1: Cake For the signature challenge, the bakers were given two hours to make 24 cupcakes with two different types of flavours. The technical challenge was to create a cherry and pistachio Battenberg cake – a recipe handpicked by Rochelle – with the marzipan, fondant, and jam provided to them. The bakers had an hour and 45 minutes to complete the cake, making sure to expose the ends of the cake as traditionally presented. For the showstopper, the bakers had four hours to make a chocolate layer cake with at least two layers and at least two different kinds of chocolate.
Baker Signature(24 cupcakes) Technical(Battenberg cake) Showstopper(Chocolate layer cake) Corey Chocolate Beer and Maple Whiskey Cupcakes 2nd Milk & Cookies Cake James Ginger Stout and Apple Oatmeal Cupcakes 5th Chocolate Record Player Jude Breakfast Banana Maple and Saskatoon Berry Cupcakes 4th Chocolate Ginger Gnome Cake Julian Birch Syrup and Chocolate Cream Liqueur Cupcakes 8th Builder's Cake Linda Nanaimo Bar and Lemon Cupcakes 3rd Chocolate Raspberry Layer Cake Pierre Chocolate Raspberry and White Chocolate Pistachio Cupcakes 9th Elysée Cake Sabrina Tiramisu and Cookies & Cream Cupcakes 6th Melted Ice Cream Cone Cake Sinclair Whiskey Cream and Mojito and Lime Cupcakes 10th Galaxy Glaze Cake Terri Cotton Candy and Carrot Cake Cupcakes 7th Chocolate Raspberry & Pistachio Layer Cake Vandana Chocolate Rose & Coconut Key Lime Cupcakes 1st Chocolate Hazelnut Cake
Episode 2: Bread For the signature challenge, the bakers were given two hours and 30 minutes to make a flavourful focaccia in whatever shape they chose. The technical challenge was to bake one dozen Montreal bagels: six with poppy seeds and six with sesame seeds. The bakers had two hours and 10 minutes to complete the bagels, ensuring they were properly poached in honey water to achieve subtle sweetness and the balance of a crispy crust and chewy centre. For the showstopper, the bakers had four hours to make a bread-based centrepiece with one or more sweet fillings.
Baker Signature(Focaccia) Technical(24 Montreal bagels) Showstopper(Sweet bread centrepiece) Corey Moroccan Focaccia 8th Tree of Life Challah James Blue Cheese and Walnut Focaccia 9th Middle Eastern Star Bread Jude Italian Boot Focaccia 2nd Paint Pot Centrepiece Julian East Coast Focaccia 6th Cinnamon Bun Kraken Linda Traditional Focaccia 3rd Bread Flower Basket Sabrina Italian Pride Focaccia 4th Bread Basket Sinclair Parmesan and Herb Focaccia 5th Walnut Bread Wreath with Puff-Pastry Pear Terri Family Favourite Focaccia 1st Caramel Apple Centrepiece Vandana Mediterranean Focaccia 7th Winter Melon and Cashew Wreath
Episode 3: Dessert For the signature challenge, the bakers were given two hours to make a sweet pie or tart. The technical challenge was to bake one dozen Fondant Fancies, small sponge cake squares glazed with butter cream and then drizzled in fondant. The bakers had two hours to complete the fancies, ensuring they were all equally square and properly coated in fondant. For the showstopper, the bakers had three hours to make a pavlova.
Baker Signature (Sweet pie or tart) Technical (12 Fondant Fancies) Showstopper (Pavlova) Corey Pear & Salted Chocolate Pie 7th Pumpkin Pie Pavlova James Pi Pie 6th Chocolate Plum Pavlova Jude Pumpkin Cashew Tart 5th Pavlova Music Box Julian Lemon Meringue Pie 8th Wild Blueberry Pavlova Linda Raspberry Swirl Pie 2nd Pavlova Wreath Sabrina Tropical Delight Tart 3rd Raspberry Rose Pavlova Terri Northern Lights Tart 4th Peaches & Cream Pavlova Vandana Mango Ginger Cream Pie 1st Saffron Cardamom Pavlova
Episode 4: Canadian For the signature challenge, the bakers were given two hours to bake a tourtière. They were allowed to fill the pie with whatever they wanted, but had to also make a condiment to complement the pie. In the technical, the bakers were given one hour and forty-five minutes to make sixteen maple leaf cream cookies. The showstopper challenge was to make twelve doughnuts – six in one flavour and six in another – in three hours.
Baker Signature (Tourtière) Technical (16 Maple leafcream cookies) Showstopper (12 doughnuts) James Saucy Vegetarian Tourtière 2nd Okanagan Peach Beignet and French Cruller Jude Tourtière à la Vancouver Island 7th Sea to Sea Donuts Julian Halifax Donair Tourtière 3rd Glazed Canoe and Nova Scotia Rum Runner Donuts Linda Traditional Tourtière 1st Maple Bacon and Double Double Donuts Sabrina Homestyle Tourtière 5th S'mores and Poutine Donuts Terri Christmas Eve Tourtière 6th Marshmallow Puff and Maple Glazed Donuts Vandana Chickpea & Cashew Tourtière 4th Saskatoon Berry White Chocolate and Sour Cherry Lemonade Donuts
Episode 5: Best of Britain For the Best of Britain Signature challenge, the bakers had 2 hours to create a trifle, making sure that there were clearly defined layers of sponge cake, custard, cream, fresh fruit and jelly, along with a boozy element to the dish. In the Technical challenge, the bakers were given an hour and a half to create 20 brandy snaps, a popular British snack consisting of a thin, sugary biscuit rolled into a cylinder and filled with whipped cream. For the Showstopper challenge, the bakers had 4 hours to create a high tea platter. The bakers needed to create at least 3 different bakes, totalling 18 items on the platter, they needed to be an assortment of sweet and savoury delights, and there needed to be an overall theme to the high tea platter.
Baker Signature (Trifle) Technical (20 Brandy snaps) Showstopper (High Tea) James Gin & Blueberry Trifle 3rd British High Tea Julian Mixed Berry Trifle with Chocolate Ganache 6th East Coast High Tea Linda Raspberry Lemon Trifle 4th Albertan High Tea Sabrina Strawberry Swirl Trifle 1st Peach High Tea Terri Strawberry Rhubarb Trifle 2nd High Tea with Nan Vandana Mango Kiwi Strawberry Trifle 5th Maharaja High Tea
Episode 6: Holiday Baking For the first ever Holiday-themed week in the tent, the bakers had two and a half hours to create a bûche de Noël, a Christmas cake traditionally served in French-speaking countries. The bakers had 1 hour and 45 minutes to create 32 rugelach, a Jewish crescent-shaped filled pastry product traditionally enjoyed around Hanukkah; the bakers had to fill half of them with apricot jam and the other half with chocolate. For the Showstopper challenge, the bakers had 4 and a half hours to create an elaborate gingerbread structure.
Baker Signature (Bûche de Noël) Technical (32 Rugelach) Showstopper (Gingerbread house) James Chocolate Orange Roll 1st Gingerbread Eco-Home Linda Pumpkin Caramel Roll 4th Gingerbread Barn Sabrina Gingerbread Spice Roll 3rd Gingerbread Rockefeller Center Terri Birch Tree Yule Log 5th Gingerbread Dream Home Vandana Chocolate Cherry Log 2nd Gingerbread Treehouse
Episode 7: French Pâtisserie In the semi-final Signature challenge, the bakers had two hours to create 12 mille-feuille. The pastries had to be in two different flavours, have at three different layers of puff pastry, and a complementary filling. The semi-final Technical, set by Bruno, saw the bakers make an Opera cake - a dessert made of almond joconde sponge soaked in coffee syrup, layered with chocolate buttercream and ganache, topped with a chocolate glaze, along with the word "Opera" elegantly piped in chocolate on top - in two hours 15 minutes. For the penultimate Showstopper challenge, the bakers were given four hours to create a croquembouche, a pastry tower consisting of cream-filled choux pastry puffs bound in spun sugar. The bakers were given free range with flavour and decoration of their creation.
Baker Signature (12 Mille-feuille) Technical (Opera cake) Showstopper (Croquembouche) James Strawberry Basil and Blackberry-Balsamic Reduction Mille Feuille 1st Coconut Custard Chocolate & Raspberry Croquembouche Linda Raspberry White Chocolate and Cardamom-Caramel Mille Feuille 3rd Mascarpone & Coffee Croquembouche Sabrina Strawberry-Pistachio and Mango-Coconut Mille Feuille 2nd Vanilla Mousseline Croquembouche Vandana Rooh Afza and Raspberries & Lemon-Pistachio Cream Mille Feuille 4th Mint Chocolate & Orange Croquembouche
Episode 8: Finale For the final Signature challenge, the bakers had 2 and a half hours to create 24 mini mousse cakes, which had to be in two different varieties. The final Technical challenge, set by Bruno, saw the judges ask the bakers to create a pear charlotte in 2 hours 20 minutes; the various components in creating the cake featured techniques that the judges felt the finalists struggled with in the past seven weeks. For their very last Showstopper (and the final challenge of the season), the three finalists had to create a wedding cake that was at least three tiers high in four hours' time.
Baker Signature (24 mini mousse cakes) Technical (Pear charlotte) Showstopper (Three-tiered wedding cake) Linda Pineapple Coconut and Cherry Chocolate Mousse Cakes 1st Carrot Wedding Cake Sabrina Blueberry Apricot and Strawberry Mousse Cakes 2nd Pink Champagne Wedding Cake Vandana Passionfruit and White Chocolate Mousse Cakes 3rd Red Velvet Wedding Cake
References