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.
“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.
We'll miss you too, Dan! #GBBO pic.twitter.com/GOWTqwSjB3
— British Bake Off (@BritishBakeOff) August 27, 2019
“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.
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.