Has The Great British Bake Off Made Brits Better Bakers?
One of 2014's big events here in the UK was another series of The Great British Bake Off, for many this has become an annual obsession with it's winning format of baked goods, rising temperatures, mistakes and the over use of the phrase "Soggy Bottom".
Those who have shares in Tesco eagerly await the shows arrival as sales of flour, sugar and cake decorating sundries never fail to go through the roof, as the uk becomes gripped in a baking frenzy trying to emulate the creations the contestants offer up each week.
So After 5 years of the show I can't help but wonder how much of an effect the show has had on our baking abilities as we a nation. Have all those hours in the kitchen left us searching for more complicated recipes in order to shower our loved ones with sugary filled treats? Have we trawled the internet in search of ever more complicated recipes to perfect?
Well according to Google trends we have not with the five most popular cake recipe searches in 2014 were
Chocolate Cake
Lemon Drizzle Cake
Banana Cake
Carrot Cake
Sponge Cake
Looking at that list alone, it doesn't appear like we are striving for new heights in the world of baking. But hope is not lost, any mother in the country with access to Facebook, Instagram or a Pintrest obsession will be able to see a very different picture emerging, as an army of friends compete to share pictures of their increasingly mouth watering and creative baked goods.
This army of mothers are making their creations with little helpers standing beside them learning and dreaming up creations of their own. So while our generation may be rediscovering the basics and experimenting, our army of mini bakers are doing the same and when they gain control of the kitchen baking won't know what hit it
And I for one can't wait to see and taste the results.
GreatBritishBakeOff Baking Googletrends
Image Credit » Free stock photo from Stockola.com
Comments
j2401 wrote on January 6, 2015, 2:32 PM
I love baking but I have never watchednthis programme.
lucyluuk wrote on January 6, 2015, 2:48 PM
I love baking but not especially cakes, I made mince pie creations, sausage rolls in a range of flavours, peppermint creams and a few other things over the Christmas period. Though I could so eat a slice of cake right now!!
Kat- wrote on January 6, 2015, 3:21 PM
I like the simple and basic baked goods, but I'm that way with all foods, not just desserts. I guess you could call me a plain Jane and I've never gone for any of those fancy dishes, just let me have a good old chocolate cake and I'm fine.
phoenixmaid wrote on January 6, 2015, 4:07 PM
I'm not a fan of it myself but my pixies love it. Laid back Pixie has been asking me to write about the show for about 2 months now. so hopefully this will make her smile tomorrow.
Dustin4ever wrote on January 6, 2015, 4:08 PM
I love all the cakes listed here but refrain from baking too often as I will eat way too much.
suzzy3 wrote on January 6, 2015, 4:37 PM
I watched this program in awe , some of the things they made were works of art. If it gets people baking and cooking it has to be a good thing.
mrsmerlin wrote on January 6, 2015, 4:38 PM
I love baking and have always baked loads. I think what has changed is the image of baking. Some people used to call me old-fashioned for refusing to use packet mixes and for using old family recipes. This programme and others like it have made baking 'trendy' which is great for me as the ingredients are cheaper and easier to buy now
Anja wrote on January 6, 2015, 4:55 PM
I do enjoy baking, but I really need a bigger kitchen. I wish they were training up a generation of volunteer carpenters and contractors to go from house to house and install more counter space and cupboards. I think it's a good thing if we are returning to baking instead of buying prepared.
GedWrites wrote on January 7, 2015, 1:37 PM
Love all those cakes mentioned in fact I could try all of them now, it is tea time and I think I might just pop down to local supermarket for all of them
BodieMor wrote on January 8, 2015, 5:16 AM
I've never heard of lemon drizzle cake but the thought of it is making me drool.
phoenixmaid wrote on January 8, 2015, 5:30 AM
Oh It's fantastically tasty very sharp and sweet when done properly.
scheng1 wrote on January 8, 2015, 9:06 AM
I think it will take a great chef to create a new type of cake that will sell all over the world.
luisga814 wrote on January 9, 2015, 8:59 PM
The picture and your explanation makes me hungry right now.