''The Great Canadian Holiday Baking Show'' is a Christmas special edition of ''

The Great Canadian Baking Show ''The Great Canadian Baking Show'' is a Canadian cooking competition television series which premiered on CBC Television on November 1, 2017. It is an adaptation of the U.K. series ''The Great British Bake Off'', which is aired in Canada under t ...

''. Episodes have featured bakers from previous seasons of ''The Great Canadian Baking Show'' competing in season baking challenges to be named "Star Holiday Baker". Four episodes of ''The Great Canadian Holiday Baking Show'' have aired, in 2019, 2021, 2022, and 2023 respectively.

2019

The first episode of ''The Great Canadian Holiday Baking Show'' aired on November 13, 2019. It featured four bakers from the show's first two seasons returning to compete in seasonal baking challenges. This marked the final episode of hosts Carolyn Taylor and Aurora Browne in their presenting roles.

Bakers

Bakes

For the signature challenge, the bakers had two and a half hours to produce 12 edible ornament cookies. The technical challenge gave the bakers three hours to create a

challah Challah (, he, חַלָּה or ; plural: or ) is a special bread of Ashkenazi Jewish origin, usually braided and typically eaten on ceremonial occasions such as Shabbat and major Jewish holidays (other than Passover). Ritually acceptable ...

and accompany it with homemade butter and

apple butter Apple butter is a highly concentrated form of apple sauce produced by long, slow cooking of apples with cider or water to a point where the sugar in the apples caramelizes, turning the apple butter a deep brown. The concentration of sugar gives a ...

. The bakers' showstopper challenge was to construct an elaborate, edible, and structurally-sound Christmas village in four hours.

2021

A second episode of ''The Great Canadian Holiday Baking Show'' aired on December 12, 2021. It featured four finalists from the show's first three seasons returning to compete in seasonal baking challenges.

Ann Pornel Ann Pornel is a Canadian sketch comedian, actress, and television host based in Toronto. Pornel was born in the Philippines and immigrated to Canada with her family as a child. She grew up in the High Park area of Toronto. Pornel got into sket ...

and

Alan Shane Lewis Alan Shane Lewis is a Canadians, Canadian comedian, actor and television host, best known as the co-host with Ann Pornel of ''The Great Canadian Baking Show'' since season 4. An alumnus of The Second City's Toronto company who appeared most notabl ...

, the hosts since season 4 of ''The Great Canadian Baking Show'', appeared as presenters.

Bakers

Bakes

For the signature challenge, the bakers had to make a festive baking tray with two different types of desserts in two and a half hours. The technical challenge gave the bakers one hour and 45 minutes to make a

vínarterta Vínarterta (, "Vienna cake"), also known as Randalín (, "striped lady cake"), is a multi-layered cake made from alternating layers of almond and/or cardamom-flavoured biscuit and prunes or sometimes plum jam, the filling usually including spi ...

, a seven layered cake of alternating layers of almond biscuit and prune jam, originally brought to Manitoba by Icelandic settlers. The bakers' showstopper challenge was to create a choux wreath with incredible flavours and elaborate decorations in four hours.

2022

A third episode of ''The Great Canadian Holiday Baking Show'' aired on November 27, 2022. The episode featured returning bakers from the second, fourth, and fifth seasons to compete in seasonal baking challenges.

and

returned as presenters.

Bakers

Bakes

In the signature challenge, the bakers had two hours to make 18 savoury appetizers, 9 each of two different types for a holiday party platter. For the technical challenge, they were tasked with baking 20 ''gefüllte herzen'', traditional German heart-shaped soft gingerbread cookies, with a layer of thick raspberry jam within, coated in dark chocolate and drizzled with white chocolate, in 2 hours and 15 minutes. For the showstopper, the bakers were given four hours to create a grand and impressive holiday scene cake, telling any holiday story or tradition, with the bakers being allowed to use any technique and additional bakes.

2023

A fourth episode of ''The Great Canadian Holiday Baking Show'' aired on November 26, 2023. The episode featured four previous winners from the second, third, fourth, and fifth seasons, returning for a chance to become a Star Holiday Baker.

and

returned as presenters.

Bakers

Bakes

For the signature challenge, the bakers had 2 hours and 15 minutes to bake a tart with the theme of "cookies and milk" for

Santa Claus Santa Claus, also known as Father Christmas, Saint Nicholas, Saint Nick, Kris Kringle, or simply Santa, is a Legend, legendary figure originating in Western Christianity, Western Christian culture who is said to Christmas gift-bringer, bring ...

, with "cookies" being used in any way in the bake and "milk" being any dairy product. In the technical challenge, they were tasked with making 12

sufganiyot ( he, סופגנייה or ; plural: , he, סופגניות ) is a round jelly doughnut eaten in Israel and around the world on the Jewish festival of Hanukkah. The doughnut is deep-fried, injected with jam or custard, and then topped with p ...

, deep-fried doughnuts traditionally made for Hanukkuh, with half filled with strawberry jam and half filled with custard pastry cream, in 1 hour and 45 minutes. For the showstopper, the bakers were given 4 hours and 15 minutes to create a baking gift exchange, featuring elaborate desserts hidden inside handmade cookie boxes decorated for the season.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Great Canadian Holiday Baking Show, The

Holiday A holiday is a day set aside by custom or by law on which normal activities, especially business or work including school, are suspended or reduced. Generally, holidays are intended to allow individuals to celebrate or commemorate an event or tra ...

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