THE stakes were higher than ever as we reached the quarter finals of The Great British Bake Off.
The remaining five bakers had to impress Paul Hollywood and Prue Leith with their take on a French classic and try their hands at a complex Moroccan pie, so here's all that went down in the white tent.
1) Everybody hates Heatwaves… and soggy bottoms!
Pastry Week kicked off in the middle of a heatwave which meant there was a lot of bakers who couldn't stand but heat, but no other choice than to stay in the kitchen.
And if trying to keep their pastry cool wasn't hard enough, the bakers also struggled to avoid the dreaded soggy bottom.
This week's Signature challenge was a savoury take on a French classic, Tart Tatin.
While the Technical round saw them create a multi-layered Moroccan pie.
Then the Vertical pie Showstopper required an expertise with pastry AND a solid grasp of structural engineering.
The five bakers had make a large pie and then decorated with more pies layered in an artistic way that pleased the judges.
Never a dull day in that tent, eh?
2) Noel and Sandi are the dream Agony Aunts
It was a tough week for Steph as she struggled with the Moroccan pie Technical.
Turns out making warka pastry sheets is especially tricky when you have absolutely no clue how to do it.
The shop assistant burst into tears after several failed attempts, causing Noel Fielding to put his arm around her.
He whispered: "Steph, you’re doing great. Don’t worry. It looks so difficult. Keep going."
The pep talk helped and Steph found a way to complete the task – though she didn't exactly wow the judges with her attempt.
Earlier in the episode, she also received some works of motivation from Sandi Toksvig over fears that her signature pie would be too simple for the judges.
Sandi said: "There’s a Danish word that means beautiful through simplicity. Simple is fine."
But during the Technical Challenge, Sandi couldn't help but quip: "You are making really sheet pastry."
3) David's time to shine as he win the Technical Challenge
After weeks and weeks of coming in second best to his fellow bakers during the Technical Challenge, David was finally named top of the crop.
He managed to make the best attempt at a layered Moroccan pie filled with chicken and spices, and for that the judges rewarded him with first place.
Paul praised his creation saying: "All round it was pretty good, it was solid, had a strong colour and the flavour was good. Well done!"
And David was thrilled to finally be named number one.
He laughed afterwards: "It only took eight attempts."
4) Steph's simply the best… again!
Despite her struggles in the Technical Challenge, Steph came up trumps with her "neat and organised" Showstopper.
Paul and Prue were impressed with her Curried potato and chickpea water crust pastry pie which was designed to look like a carousel.
Steph was the only baker who managed to create a Showstopper that tasted as good as it looked so the judges were able to forgive her Moroccan Pie.
Plus, while they didn't like the presentation of her Signature Tart Tatin, the judges were once again impressed by her mix of flavours.
5) The eliminated contest was Henry
Henry was always dressed to impress but the eight week was the moment when his creations failed to wow as much as his smart ensembles.
Despite making a Shallot, walnut and caramelised carrot Tart Tatin Signature
Speaking about his time on the show, he said: "To come so far it’s hard to go out at this point of the competition, but it was so lovely to get to a week that had the word final in it, even though it was the Quarter Final!
"I got both a Hollywood Handshake and Star Baker in Episode 7 – who would have thought it – which was a complete shock to me. To get both was so lovely and that was a nice tick list checked off. After that I didn’t mind what happened and I made sure I had a decent shirt on the week I left!"
He added: "But 80% of the way through the series, if that was a mark on an essay that would be a first, so I can’t complain!"
When is Bake Off next on?
You can get your next fix of the show on Tuesday, October 22.
It will, of course, be on at 8pm.
You can watch previous episodes NOW on 4 Catch Up.
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