Great British Bake-Off has taken the world by storm and the latest season kicks off tonight on BBC One. We looooooooove cakes — and presenter Mel Giedroyc was one of the UK commentators for the Eurovision 2015 semi-finals. So wiwibloggs couldn’t resist putting together a comprehensive Eurovision bake-off playlist. There are tunes to tickle your tastebuds, songs to beat your sponge mix to and pretty tracks that reflect the artistic finesse required of artisan baking. Let’s bake!
Great British Bake-Off Eurovision Playlist
Aarzemnieki – “Cake To Bake” (Latvia 2014)
Aarzemnieki’s folk number might have failed to bring Latvia to the Grand Final but it gave us a serious sugar rush on stage. The Latvian band had energy and heart and (presumably) a whole lot of cake mix. And baking is about rising to the occasion anyway. Infectious energy that keeps you coming back for another indulgent slice!
Buranovskiye Babushki – “Party For Everybody” (Russia 2012)
From the sugary sweet to savoury sirens – it’s everyone’s fave Russian Grandmas! The Babushkis were totally adorable on stage in Azerbaijan and “Party For Everybody” left us hungry for some of that nourishing rustic bread…and another ethnic-dance banger. Thank goodness the Babushkis didn’t actually bake enough bread for all of Crystal Hall – 25, 000 bread rolls would be a serious mass catering challenge: even for the best of bakers.
Teo – “Cheesecake” (Belarus 2014)
Yo, yo, yo: Teo in the house! “Cheesecake” might have blurred a few lines back in Copenhagen but I have never been one to object to a deliciously blurred marbled slice of vanilla-chocolate cheesecake. Eurovision has always had an element of cheese to it, so why not make it cream cheese?
Eva Rivas – “Apricot Stone” (Armenia 2010)
Eva Rivas gave top notch baking advice in 2010. Never leave the stone in your apricots: finding one will upset you and ruin and otherwise perfect apricot based dessert. #consumeradvice
Monique Melsen – “Pomme, Pomme, Pomme” (Luxembourg 1971)
Speaking of fruit, Luxembourg’s Monique Melsen had apples on the brain in 1971 and the song is really a strong tribute to one of the greatest bake-off ingredients ever. Tarts and cakes all need apples y’all. Monique might have only finished 13th way back when, but we bet if she’d served up a classic tarte aux pommes she might have snagged a few more votes from the juries!
Elitsa and Stoyan – “Water” (Bulgaria 2007)
Elitsa and Stoyan dedicated an entire song in 2007 to a key element for baking: water. The basis for many outstanding bakes it underpins everything form bread to sponges to pies to pastry. Also totally acceptable to beat your ingredients in time to the cray catchy Bulgarian percussion right here.
Krista Siegfrids – “Marry Me” (Finland 2013)
Okay, so technically there was no actual wedding cake, but you like to think Krista and her backing singer would totally have ended up demolishing an amazing baked confection. Assuming of course Krista can abandon her pre-wedding pledge of, “skipping dinner to get thinner”, that is…
Tó Cruz – Baunilha e chocolate – Portugal 1995
Tó Cruz’s underrated gem from the 90s might talk about tolerance in Portugal toward an interracial relationship but the title also appeals to instrumental ingredients in baking.
https://youtu.be/PCORJRafjBI
Feminnem – “Call Me” – Bosnia & Herzegovina 2005
We all need cake to fill the void left by Bosnia & Herzegovina after it withdrew from the competition three years ago #sadface. And Feminnem have the perfect baked goods antidote with their song “Call Me”. Their song alluded to Eurovision’s birthday and suggested we light “fifty candles on the party cake”. Obvs that’s a healthy and safety nightmare waiting to happen, and the girls might benefit from a less is more approach to illuminations, but their focus on cake is in the right place.
Serebro – “Song 1” Russia 2007
Bake-Off wouldn’t be Bake-Off without a few subtle innuendos here or there. And Serebro worked that sexual innuendo for the gods in Helsinki in 2007. Cherry was the girls preferred ingredient and their pie was so good they were begging you to taste it. All they needed help with was a cherry to complete their cake…
Love the Bake-Off Playlist?
Thought so!
Do you have a Eurovision baking song you love or think you have any puns we missed? Comment below!
By the way, babushki already is in plural. No need to add an s
I’m hungry now.
Eva Rivas and Teo the best
This article is great – particularly the Apricot Stone segment and the Serebro segment <3