The Great British Bake Off’s Ugne Bubnaityte has confessed she was so devastated to be booted off the show, she couldn’t bake for a week.
The Lithuanian body builder on Wednesday became the fifth contestant to be frozen out of the BBC show, after her dairy-free ice cream roll was branded a mess by judges Paul Hollywood and Mary Berry.
The 32-year-old PA was fighting back tears as she served up her melting chocolate, peanut butter and grape jelly offering, with Paul declaring, “It looks like you’ve dropped it from 10 feet.”
Ugne’s muscle didn’t cut it in the Bake Off tent (Love Productions/BBC)
Ugne said: “It’s a terrible moment when you know that your baking has failed, and your dreams are crumbling around you. I did cry on screen and I want to cry when I think about it as it brings so much emotion back to me.
“I got to five weeks and I do feel that it is such a great achievement, but the competitive side of me would have liked to have got to the final.
“My other passion is body-building. After I left the tent I didn’t bake or go to the gym for a week, and then I got back to both of them.”
Paul and Paul were not impressed by Ugne’s efforts (Mark Bourdillon/BBC)
The fifth round of the competition was Free From week, with the bakers cooking up sugar-free cakes, gluten-free bread and dairy-free ice cream rolls, a technique in which health-conscious Ugne should have thrived.
She revealed: “I like to make healthy bakes, and if you do everything in moderation you can lead a healthy life, and still look good. I am trying to use flour alternatives, less butter, and less refined sugar by using honey instead. I am trying to make the bakes appealing at the same time as being a healthier option.”
But she started off badly in the very first round, making a complicated chequered sponge for her chocolate and hazelnut cake, using quinoa, almond and hazelnut flours.
Her cake collapsed and she tried to hide the fault with flowers at the last minute.
Ugne had dreams of making it to the final (Love Productions/BBC)
Mary told her: “You’ve made yourself extra challenges that we didn’t ask for.”
And the 80-year-old judge said of her ice cream roll: “It does look a little bit sad, but I know you were trying to show us a lot of skills.”
It was a close call for photographer Ian Cumming, who Paul and Mary said was in danger of being sent home, despite being named Star Baker for the previous three weeks in a row.
His honey and pear cake did not go down well with Hollywood and he finished fifth out of eight in technical challenge. But he managed to pull it back with his tropical flavoured, desert island inspired, ice cream roll.
Nadiya was named Star Baker (Mark Bourdillon/BBC)
Nadiya Jamir Hussain stole his Star Baker crown after impressing with her flavours and presentation.
