The Great British Bake Off 2022: what is Mexican week - what is the signature, technical and showstopper?

Mexican Week will present brand new challenges in week four of The Great British Bake Off, as the contestants battle for the coveted star baker crown.

The new week theme follows Bake Off judge Paul Hollywood’s cookery series Paul Hollywood Eats Mexico which aired on Channel 4 in July. Paul and Prue Leith will have the enviable job of tasty each baker’s creations before deciding which baker will not make it to week five.

What is Mexican Week?

Mexican Week will be a Bake Off first, as it hasn’t featured on any of the previous 12 seasons of the show. Judge Paul Hollywood told Best Magazine ahead of the new season airing: "Mexican week was one of my favourites because the challenges are spectacular.

"What they created was very, very good - on a par with what I had in Mexico only a couple of weeks before making Paul Hollywood Eats Mexico."

What are the week 4 challenges?

The Signature

This week’s signature will see the 11 bakers put their own twist on pan dulce - a traditional Mexican pastry. The sweet treats have been popular in Mexico since the 17th century and are often eaten at breakfast or after dinner.

Pan dulce encompasses a range of different pastries, so the bakers should have plenty of leeway with their creations.

The Technical

The technical will be a Mexican ‘street food staple’, but it has not yet been revealed what sugary snack the bakers will be charged with making.

However, as churros are one of the most popular sweet street foods in Mexico it’s possible that this will be the challenge. As always, the bakers will be expected to make a certain number of identical and properly cooked snacks.

The Showstopper

For the showstopper, the bakers will face a dessert that they may not have tried before - tres leches cake.

Tres leches is a sweet sponge cake soaked in three different kinds of milk - evaporated milk, condensed milk, and whole milk. The trick will be for the bakers to make a light, airy cake that is not soggy despite it being soaked in dairy.

What happened in week 3?

It was Bread Week in the Bake Off tent last week, and the bakers faced making a dozen pain aux raisins for the technical, a sharing pizza for the signature, and a smörgåstårta showstopper.

With two contestants off sick, the judges didn’t send any of the bakers home, and Janusz was picked as star baker. The bakers aren’t likely to get a reprieve again this week, so the pressure will be on in the tent especially as Mexican Week is a new beast to contend with, though it looks set to become a show staple going forward.

When is The Great British Bake Off on TV?

The next episode of The Great British Bake Off will air on Channel 4 at 8pm on Tuesday 4 October. Episodes are released at the same time weekly and will be available to watch on All 4 shortly after they are first broadcast.

An Extra Slice will air at 8pm on Friday 7 October, and Jo Brand will be joined by Iain Stirling and Martin Kemp as they get stuck into Mexican Week.