The Great Chicago Baking Show: 3 local bakers compete in new season of American spinoff — here are their favorite recipes

Three Chicagoans will be among competitors vying for a coveted Hollywood Handshake — and a cake plate — in the new season of “The Great American Baking Show,” which premieres Friday on The Roku Channel.

Over six episodes, nine amateur bakers will face off in weekly challenges, showcasing everything from their time-tested technique to the extravagant goods they can pull off with mere hours to bake.

While the American spinoff of “The Great British Baking Show” has released five seasons to date, the upcoming episodes are the first to be filmed in England and feature British judges Paul Hollywood and Prue Leith, alongside American hosts Ellie Kemper and Zach Cherry.

For Chicago contestant Sarah Chang, the filming experience was “surreal,” she said. When she first watched Hollywood and Leith sample her baked goods, she turned to someone and said, “I feel like I’m watching this on television.”

Chang, 35, grew up in Rogers Park and moved around for a few years as an adult before moving back to Chicago “for good” about two years ago, she said. Now a nursing student at the University of Illinois at Chicago, Chang said it was “The Great British Baking Show” that motivated her to start baking more seriously.

“Just watching that show was so fun, and it was really fun to watch normal people make really extravagant desserts,” Chang said. “It was really inspiring, and it really inspired me to try.”

From there, baking became a shared hobby for her graduate school friend group, Chang said. They would bake cakes and gather to eat them, and once she entered the professional world, she’d bring her baked goods to the office on Mondays, she said.

Chang also credits pandemic isolation for helping foster her baking skills.

“The lockdown during COVID really amplified the opportunities to bake a lot of things, but also really gave us the opportunity to refine our skills and get really good at it,” Chang said.

Fellow contestant Martin Sorge, 38, was also inspired by “The Great British Baking Show,” which premiered in the United Kingdom in 2010 and hit U.S. screens in 2014, first via PBS and later through streaming platforms Netflix and The Roku Channel.

Seeing amateur bakers on television encouraged him to spend weekends trying recipes more extravagant than what he could make on a weeknight. He said filming the competition felt like “you’ve been sucked into your TV.”

Sorge grew up in Indiana, with a family who raised him to appreciate the value of good food, he said. But while he grew up cooking, he never felt like a good baker, he said.

“Maybe 10 years ago I was like, ‘I should be able to do this baking thing,’” Sorge said. “So I really buckled down.”

After starting with a loaf of bread that turned out well, he progressively tried new recipes and building his confidence over time, Sorge said. After grad school, he started working for Chicago-area chambers and city government, and went on to launch his own economic development consulting business. Baking became an activity he could do alone to unwind.

Nirali Chauhan’s childhood also sparked an early interest in food. Chauhan, 29, said she grew up with a sweet tooth and found baking to be a perfect blend of her creative and scientific sides as a kid in the northwest suburbs of Chicago and Madison, Wisconsin.

While birthday cakes have long been the treats that “take (her) into the kitchen,” in recent years, she has also raised money with bake sales for causes she cares about.

It started with a fundraiser for the Chicago Community Bond Fund in 2020, she said, and since, she has chosen a number of organizations to benefit from her cooking, balancing her kitchen pursuits with work as a second-year medical student at the University of Illinois College of Medicine.

Chauhan said baking has become a meditative practice that allows her to get out of her head and work with her hands.

She became a fan of “The Great British Baking Show” while recovering from an injury, Chauhan said. When she had to spend much time in bed, the show brought her joy.

The three Chicagoans are the only bakers this season hailing from the same area, Chauhan said. She’s still processing that the weeks they spent in the tent were real, and for this reason, she said it’s nice to have Chang and Sorge nearby.

“Coming back together and having this amazing shared experience — and not being able to speak about it with anybody — but having one another was really special,” Chauhan said. “I’m personally so grateful for that to the show, but I know we all are.”

Sorge said the contestants have worked so hard preparing their recipes and filming the show. Now, he said, the Chicago-area participants are excited to show people what they’ve baked and the friends they’ve made on the show.

“The nine bakers on the show — we still keep in touch every day,” he said. “They’re just a great group of extremely talented people that make some really fun things.”

Each Chicago contestant shared a favorite baking recipe with the Tribune, which you’ll find below. “The Great American Baking Show” premieres Friday.

Recipes

Orange, Anise, and Spelt Shortbread

These aromatic, buttery, not-too-sweet shortbread cookies are a perfect tea-time snack or after-dinner treat. As a kid, I hated the flavor of anise seeds. But as an adult, I can’t get enough of that sweet licorice flavor. If you don’t like anise seeds, substitute them with ½ teaspoon of ground cardamom. I use a lot of whole grains in my baking, and I love the locally grown grains we can get in the Midwest from places such as Janie’s Mill in Ashkum, Illinois. Whole-grain spelt flour gives these treats a nutty flavor and hearty texture. If you can’t find whole-grain spelt flour, this recipe works well with all-purpose flour or white whole wheat flour. — Martin Sorge

Yield: Makes about 25 cookies

Ingredients:

½ teaspoon anise seeds

⅓ cup (60 grams) sugar

¼ teaspoon fine sea salt

Zest of one orange, finely grated

½ cup (115 grams) unsalted butter, at room temperature

1½ cups (180 grams) whole-grain spelt flour, plus more for rolling

1 tablespoon sugar, for sprinkling

Instructions:

1. Crush or coarsely grind the anise seeds using a spice grinder or mortar and pestle. Combine the crushed anise seeds, sugar, salt and orange zest in a large mixing bowl. Use your fingers to rub the orange zest into the sugar, which helps release the flavorful citrus oil.

2. Add the room-temperature butter to the sugar mixture, and use a wooden spoon to stir until everything is well combined and the butter is creamy (about three minutes). If using a stand mixer, mix with a paddle attachment on medium-low speed for about two minutes.

3. Add flour and stir to combine — but don’t overmix the dough. If dough seems too sticky, add one or two teaspoons of flour. Squeeze dough into a ball, and place onto a piece of parchment paper dusted with flour.

4. Dust hands or rolling pin with flour, then gently pat or roll dough into a rectangle, about ¼-inch thick. Neaten up the edges with your hands. Slide the parchment and dough onto a baking sheet, and chill in the refrigerator for at least 30 minutes, up to an hour.

5. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit, with a rack placed on top-third of the oven. Using a large chef’s knife, cut dough into rectangles measuring about 1 inch wide by 2 inches long. (No need to be overly precise, you’re not being judged.) Prick each shortbread with a fork, then sprinkle with about 1 tablespoon of granulated sugar. Space cookies with at least ½-inch of space between them.

6. Bake the shortbread for 18-22 minutes, until light golden brown on the edges. Remove the cookies from the oven and let them cool for 10 minutes on the baking pan, then transfer them to a wire rack to cool completely. Stored in an air-tight container. These are best eaten within four days after baking. (I think they taste best the day after you make them.)

Almond Snack Cake with Cream Cheese Orange Blossom Frosting

This snack cake will satisfy your afternoon sweet needs and impress your friends at the next gathering. It’s full of nutty and floral flavors that can be adjusted to the season. You can find orange blossom water at most grocery stores that stock ingredients from around the world. My favorites on Chicago’s North Side are Harvestime Foods and Devon Market. — Sarah Chang

Yield: Makes one 9-by-13-inch cake

Ingredients:

Cake:

1¾ cups (254 grams) all-purpose flour

½ cup (58 grams) almond flour or finely ground almonds

2¼ teaspoon baking powder

¾ teaspoon fine sea salt

¾ cup (170 grams) unsalted butter at room temperature

1½ cup (300 grams) granulated sugar

3 large eggs at room temperature

1 teaspoon almond extract

1 cup whole milk at room temperature

Frosting:

16 ounces (227 grams) cream cheese, softened

4 tablespoons (113 grams) unsalted butter, softened

1½ cups (150 grams) powdered sugar

1½ teaspoon orange blossom water

Decoration:

Seasonal fruit (Berries in the spring and summer, sliced stone fruits, poached apples or pears in the fall, supremed citrus in the winter — go wild!)

Instructions:

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit, with one rack in the middle of the oven.

2. Grease a 9-by-13-inch cake pan with cooking spray or butter and line the bottom and sides with a parchment paper “sling.” Here’s my favorite way to do this: Cut one piece of parchment paper to be 13 inches wide and long enough to line the sides of the tin with overlap (about 16 inches). Line the tin with the parchment allowing for overlap on each side. Secure the parchment to the tin with metal binder clips. Grease the parchment paper with butter or cooking spray.

3. Whisk the flour, ground almonds, baking powder and salt in a large bowl until well combined. Whisk the eggs in a small bowl or container.

4. Cream butter and sugar in a stand mixer with a paddle attachment on medium-high speed until pale and fluffy (about 5 minutes), stopping halfway through to scrape the bowl. Reduce speed and add the whisked eggs slowly in three additions, fully incorporating after each addition. Add almond extract and mix until smooth. Alternate adding the flour mixture and milk, beginning and ending with flour (add flour three times, milk twice), fully incorporating after each addition.

5. Pour the cake batter into the lined tin and bake for 30 minutes, until the top of the sponge is springy. Allow the cake to cool in the tin for 5 minutes. To remove the cake from the tin, slide a butter knife along the unlined edges to gently release the cake. Carefully (the tin will still be hot!) remove the binder clips and lift the parchment flaps up to lift the cake from the tin and onto a cooking rack. Allow the cake to cool completely.

6. While the cake cools, make the frosting. In a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, whip the cream cheese, butter, icing sugar and salt until smooth and creamy. Add the orange blossom water, a ½ teaspoon at a time. Taste after each addition to adjust to your taste — the flavor will strengthen over time, so stop when you can just taste the orange blossom.

7. When the cake has cooled, gently remove the parchment and turn it out onto a serving platter. Frost the cake using an offset spatula, a rubber spatula or a butter knife. Slice the cake into 3-inch squares (or however you would like). Top each slice with fresh fruit and serve.

This cake is best eaten day of, but can be stored in an air-tight container for 3-4 days.

Brown Butter Chocolate Chip Motel Muffins

When my parents emigrated from India in the ’80s, they worked factory jobs until they had enough money to purchase a motel. One motel became two, and two became a handful. At one particular property, my late father stocked individually wrapped muffins for the guest’s breakfast, including a chocolate chip muffin. When he came home from work each week, he’d bring me a few as a treat. This recipe is inspired by that joy. I made it because I miss him. It tastes like two parents’ sacrifices, a father’s love for his daughter, and what it feels like to live a life my family dreamed for me. It’s also just a really good muffin. — Nirali Chauhan

Yield: Makes 6-8 extra-large muffins, or a dozen standard muffins

Ingredients:

½ cup (1 stick) unsalted butter

2¾ cups (350 grams) all-purpose flour

1 tablespoon baking powder

1 teaspoon baking soda

½ teaspoon fine sea salt

¼ teaspoon ground cinnamon

1 cup (200 grams) granulated sugar

1 tablespoon orange zest, about one large orange

2 tablespoons vegetable oil

2 large eggs

1 cup whole milk

1½ teaspoon vanilla extract

¼ cup (60 grams) whole yogurt

2 cups (300 grams) chocolate chips, I like Guittard 63% Extra Dark Chocolate Baking Chips

Demerara sugar, for topping

Instructions

1. Preheat the oven to 425 degree Fahrenheit. Coat a jumbo muffin pan with non-stick cooking spray or line each well with paper muffin liners.

2. Brown the butter by cooking it in a small saucepan over medium-low heat while stirring frequently with a heatproof spatula until it comes to a boil. Continue to cook the butter, scraping the bottom of the pan, until you smell a nutty aroma and see browned bits floating under a thin layer of foam, being careful not to burn the milk solids. Immediately remove the browned butter from the pan into a large bowl and allow to cool slightly.

3. In a separate bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt and cinnamon.

4. Rub the orange zest into the sugar in a third bowl, using your fingertips to release its fragrant oils. To the bowl with the browned butter, add the sugar plus zest, eggs and oil, and whisk for 1-2 minutes until thick and pale. Stream the milk and vanilla into the butter mixture while whisking, followed by the yogurt.

5. Fold in the dry ingredients and the majority of the chocolate chips, reserving a small handful to top the muffins with.

6. Divide the batter among the muffin wells, filling each cup 3/4ths of the way up. Top with the reserved chocolate chips and about ½ tsp demerera each.

7. Bake the muffins at 425 degrees Fahrenheit for five minutes. With the pan still in the oven, reduce the temperature to 350 degrees to bake for an additional 15-20 minutes, or until a toothpick comes out clean and the surface is a nice golden brown. Let cool in the pan for a few minutes before transferring muffins to a wire cooling rack to cool completely. Store leftovers in an airtight container on the counter for 3-4 days.

Big screen or home stream, takeout or dine-in, Tribune writers are here to steer you toward your next great experience. Sign up for your free weekly Eat. Watch. Do. newsletter here.