edirect Bake Off 2018

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edirect bake off 2018
Baking for a good cause

On Friday 7th September, the Edirect office in Bournemouth became centre-stage for the first ever Edirect Bake Off! With so many budding bakers, it was only natural that they would be given the opportunity to demonstrate their baking skills for all to enjoy. Each baker was given a budget of £10 and complete freedom to create their culinary masterpiece for their colleagues to judge – and judge, we did!

An insane amount of cake was consumed, much deliberation was had, and at the end, one baker immerged victorious! Of course, the occasion wasn’t just about sampling deliciously sumptuous wonders; it also gave everyone the opportunity to donate money to a worthy cause.

The edirect Bake Off 2018 was conceived as a fun and exciting activity to bring everyone together in their shared love of cake. But it also served another purpose too – it allowed us to collect money for a cause close to many of our hearts. On the day, each colleague was given the option to make a small donation to the Royal Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (RSPCA).

Established in 1824, the RSPCA has a long-standing history of caring for, rehoming and improving the lives of animals everywhere. The RSPCA’s vision is a world where all animals are respected and treated with compassion. They rely heavily on donations as well as self-funding initiatives to continue operating, so every penny that they receive counts!

The RSPCA are heavily engaged with offering advice, microchipping, neutering and providing subsidised care to those on a low income. What’s more, they also rescue and rehabilitate both domestic and wild animals, and their rehoming centres are responsible for finding homes for thousands of animals every year. On top of all this; the RSPCA is also instrumental in changing the law in regards to animal welfare.

For us, this is a charity well worth rolling our sleeves up for and getting stuck in creating magnificent, tasty baked delights.

“Here at edirect, it’s safe to say that we’re all animal lovers.”

Meet the competition!

For the competition, six bakers put their names forward for a chance at becoming Edirect’s first Bake Off Champion. You can find out a little bit about each of their cakes below.

Radina’s cake

A fruity delight that is as deceptively naughty as it is tasty. Radina’s cake is a Summer Mixed Berry Sponge cake that is wonderfully enticing to the taste buds yet light and refreshing on the palette too. Lemon sponges are sandwiched together with fresh jam before being smothered in whipped cream and finished off with fresh strawberries and blueberries. You’ll be convinced that your diet is going well until you take that first bite!

Attila’s cake

This is every chocolate lover’s dream come true! Atilla’s entry can be summed up in two words – chocolate overload! This is a deliciously rich chocolate sponge filled with chocolate and biscuit. It is topped with a generous amount of chocolate icing and finished off with an assortment of tasty chocolate flakes and biscuit. Every bite is sure to deliver an experience of complete ecstasy.

Matt Williams’ cake

Matt’s cake is in keeping with our chosen charity and pays homage to our very own Edirect Bournemouth mascot – Buddy the Pug! Buddy first graced the company with his presence in September 2016 and has since become a much-loved member of the Edirect family. When he’s not following Ash (his owner) downstairs in search of treats, he’s “assisting” with technical support upstairs or snoozing in his bed.

As for the cake itself, it’s almost too cute looking to eat! Matt’s entry is a chocolate cake with deliciously rich chocolate buttercream running through the centre and around the outside of the cake. Fondant has been used for the face and ears, and the muzzle has been made using moulding chocolate. Of course, no homage to Buddy would be complete without his tongue sticking out. For this final touch, melted jelly beans were painted over fondant to create the distinctive pink colour.

Gonzalo’s cake

No Bake Off would be complete without a tasty, wholesome carrot cake. Gonzalo’s cake incorporates ginger, nuts, clove and cinnamon for a deliciously balanced taste that is infused with the flavours of a cold winter’s day. Each bite is guaranteed to tantalise the senses and to invoke fond memories of wrapping up warm in front of the fire. A seasonal twist on a much-loved classic!

Charles’ cake

The second of our two mourishly delectable carrot cakes. This time, the flavours are reminiscent of an autumn day with the delightful taste of carrot gorgeously complemented by the warm autumnal flavours of cinnamon and nutmeg. The sponge is wonderfully moist, and the cream cheese icing on top invokes enticingly delectable notes of cinnamon. This is sure to be a hit with the carrot cake lovers amongst us.

Willis’ cake

For his entry, Willis decided to painstakingly recreate the Edirect Bournemouth office – in gingerbread form! It might not be as structurally sound as the real thing, but it certainly makes up for this as a deliciously tempting addition to our Bake Off line-up. Every little detail has been recreated from the windows and security alarms right down to the wheelie bins at the side (seagulls not included). Icing has been added to highlight the various features.

Surrounding this fantastic centrepiece are a delightful arrangement of Edirect themed cupcakes. The cupcakes are vanilla with a slight dash of ginger and feature an ‘E’ on top made out of edible ball bearings to symbolise Edirect.

and the winner is…

The competition was certainly fierce, and with so many truly outstanding entries, it was tough to decide on the top 3. After much consideration and a lot of agonisingly difficult decision-making, we finally discovered the identity of the winner of the first annual edirect Bake Off.

Each person voted for their top 3 in order of first to last with 3 points going to their first choice, 2 points to their second and 1 point to their third choice. The points were tallied and the final verdict delivered…

In third place with a grand total of 19 points was Atilla and his chocoholic inspired chocolate cake.

In second place with a grand total of 25 points was Matt with his brilliant homage to Buddy the Pug.

And the winner with a grand total of 33 points was Radina with her delightfully refreshing Summer Mixed Berry Sponge!

A huge round of applause for Radina on her fantastic entry and a massive well done to the runners up and everyone else who took part!

With such tough acts to follow, can the bar be raised even further next year? edirect Bake Off 2018 might be over, but the countdown to edirect Bake Off 2019 has begun!

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