ANNOUNCER: Previously on MasterChef Australia... Go, guys! Go, go, go, go, go, go, go! ..a team challenge saw them cooking for thousands. The line is never-ending. MILES: Sell, sell, sell! The red and yellow teams cashed in. 50 cents! We've just got to sell. But the blue team came up short... Our whole team is so shocked. ..sending them to elimination. Tonight, from blue aprons to black. CON: Let's do this. The challenge that will send one of them home. MATT PRESTON: It's Nigella Week, so it's no surprise that an old favourite is back. Name that cake. Orange and poppyseed. Carrot cake? Yes. The first three to get it wrong will be baking for Nigella... So you're in round two. ..and their place in the competition. I am not feeling confident. Bake us a cake that keeps you safe. Keep everything balanced. One will rise to the occasion... That is everything a home-baked cake should be. ..but for another, the sinking feeling of elimination. It's very, VERY close. # Burning up # in my heart # like a flame, # like the brightest shooting star. # In our souls, # we all know # our dreams make us who we are. # We got today. # Ooh, yeah, yeah. # So spin me round and... # Ooh, yeah, yeah. # ...show me the way... # Ooh, yeah, yeah. # ...back to... # Burning up # in my heart # like a flame, # like the brightest shooting star. # In our souls, # we all know # our dreams make us who we are. # Able 2016 CON: Let's do this. This is definitely gonna be the toughest elimination for me yet. The quality of cooks is just crazy. Definitely some of the best in the competition. (OTHER CONTESTANTS CHEER AND APPLAUD) MATT SINCLAIR: You can't ignore the fact that someone's gonna be going home today. Like, this is my life, this is my future, and that's something I'm not wiling to forfeit. Gee, I'm surprised you've got smiles on your faces, 'cause normally when you come in facing elimination, you're all pretty glum. So, let's be honest. Some of you have given us the best food in the competition so far. But the reality is, at the end of today, one of you is going home. While Gary was talking, I could see your eyes drifting behind us to that amazing array. Well, it's Nigella Week, so it's no surprise that an old favourite is back for round one - name that cake. Oh, no. CHARLIE: I'm looking over that bench and I can see about three or four cakes that I can name pretty easily. A few of them are a bit touch-and-go, so...I'm pretty nervous today. HEATHER: Looking down at all these amazing cakes, I know it's gonna be tough. There's some cakes down there that I have not seen before. I'd be definitely scared to be down there. The rules are pretty simple. Choose a cake. Give us the name of the cake we're looking for and you continue in the challenge. But get it wrong... ..and you're straight into round two. You don't want to be in round two. That's one step closer to going home. MATT SINCLAIR: My knowledge of cakes is very basic. If there was anyone that was gonna be putting their hand up and saying, "You should probably count me out of this," that'd have to be me, without a doubt. This is not my bag. Alright. How do we work out in which order you name that cake? Pretty simple. In front of me, a knife block. There's six knives in there, numbered one to six. Get number one, you go first. You get number six, you're last. Nigella, would you help me with this? Gladly. Hand me those knives. (GARY CHUCKLES) Step up, guys. Come and grab a knife. Gently. Be careful, yeah? I draw knife number one, and that means that I'm going first. This is just adding to the pressure that I'm feeling at the moment. I have knife number six, which means I'm sixth in the order, and I'm hoping there's something I still know by the time it gets to me. Right. You step up, you choose a cake. Take a slice out of it, have a little taste, and then you have to name it. The first three to get it wrong will be in round two. Matt, you got knife number one. Yep. Step up. Choose first. It's a strange thing to stand in front of a table full of absolutely stunning cakes... MATT: You got some you recognise there, Matt? Um...yeah, a couple. (CHUCKLES) ..and be scareder than... (SIGHS) ..you ever have before. Also wouldn't be taking any chances, Matt, eh? Yeah, no. This is about keeping yourself safe. I mean, at stake is the possibility of going home today. I can see what looks like a lamington. (CHUCKLES) Maybe it's a trick. I'll go with this one. I'm pretty confident with what it is, but... (SIGHS) ..I'm just hoping it's not one of those days where I'm gonna cut it open and it's completely foreign. So, do you want to cut it, Matt? Yep. Yeah, go for it. Go on. Get stuck in. GEORGE: Have a nibble. So, I've cut it open. It looks like a lamington. It smells like a lamington. (LAUGHS) It tastes like a lamington. This damn thing better be a lamington, because that's what I'm going with. I think it's a lamington. Put you out of your misery. Absolutely right. Question - is it...is it a good lamington? It's a bloody good lamington, yeah. (LAUGHS) Very good. Very good. Great stuff, Matt. You can step back into line. Good job. I'm so relieved right now but I know it's gonna be a bit of a bumpy road ahead. Brett, you're next. BRETT: I have a quick gander over the table and I go, "I know that cake. I think I know that cake." But really, I don't have a lot in my arsenal here. Brett, you would have eaten a few of these cakes in your time. Yeah, I've had a couple of these ones, George. Yeah, I mean, half these cakes, I've never seen before in my life. Well, you're pretty well travelled, aren't you, as a pilot? Yeah, very well travelled. I am not feeling confident at all. And on my second pass, there's one I didn't notice. I know that cake, and I'm pretty sure nobody else knows that cake, so I'm keeping that one in the bank. I'll save that one for later. I think I'll go with this big long one here. OK. That's good. Good, good, good. You gonna have a taste? Why not? Couldn't hurt, right? Wouldn't hurt. What do you reckon? I reckon that's a very nice Swiss roll. Nigella, what do you reckon? I would concur. Swiss roll it is. Well done, Brett. Con, it's your turn. I'm up third. I'm looking around. There's a couple of cakes that look really familiar, but one there just caught my eye. But you just never know. I mean, I reckon some of these cakes are, you know, complete tricks, so...hopefully I get it right. Wow. Wow, wow, wow, wow. What you expected? I'm...I'm praying, you know, that it's not some trick and it's... No tricks. Yeah. Carrot cake? I think you knew that from the beginning, so...yes. Elise, you're next. This is the one I want. It's one I love to eat. Black Forest cake. Elise, you're absolutely correct. We have a game on our hands! Charlie. I'm gonna go with cheesecake. It's cheesecake. Well done. GEORGE: Mimi. I'm gonna go with orange and poppyseed cake. You're right. Well done. Matt. Victoria sponge cake? Yes. Brett. I have to lock in...mud cake. It's a mud cake. Well done, Brett. Con. It's an opera cake. Brilliant. HEATHER: Some of these cakes are really hard. These guys are nailing it. OK, Elise. Angel cake? You're correct. I'm so impressed. OK. Charlie. I can't believe anyone hasn't got a wrong answer yet. It's difficult now, isn't it, Charlie? Yeah, it's real hard. It's definitely getting harder and I think the pressure of the situation really gets to you. Are there any that you feel you know? I've narrowed it down to two cakes and, you know, I'm tossing up between the small cake with...what I think is a fruit cake but it's got almonds on top and that's kind of throwing me off a little bit. And then, you know, I've got this larger cake that also smells like fruit cake but it's got, you know, the fondant icing and little balls on top. I'm gonna go with the large one. Wow, wow, wow, wow, wow, wow. Jeepers. Wow. Yep. Somewhere in the back of my mind, I'm thinking that they've thrown all this stuff on top just to...to throw people off and take away from the fact that it might be a fruit cake. Brave man, Charlie. I slice into the cake and straightaway I notice that it's a layered cake. You know, there's a little bit of, you know, kind of mixture in the middle, so I'm starting to think now that this might not be a fruit cake and, you know, I could be in a lot of trouble. I taste the cake. Wow. You name this, you're a legend. (CHUCKLES) Honestly. Legend. I happen to make it, so I know it. I don't think this is a fruit cake anymore, but I've got no more names for this. I'm just gonna go with fruit cake. It is a kind of... ..but that's not what it is. It's a simnel cake. It's cooked at Easter time and the marzipan balls are to represent the apostles. But...out of a sense of tact, there are only 11, because they left out Judas. So, I'm afraid... ..you got it wrong... Yep. ..so you're in round two. It's a shattering moment, because I didn't want to end up in round two and, you know, that's where I've found myself, and that's one step closer to going home. Oh, it's getting tricky now. Mimi. Luckily everyone's chosen cakes that I'm not really that familiar with, so I think that I may still know a few on the table. Ohh! Gee. I reckon she knows this one. Sort of like a profiterole in a circle. My grandma cooks it all the time. I'm just hoping that it's not a different version of it and that it is this cake. I'm feeling so much pressure. I don't wanna go against Charlie. It's a Paris-Brest. Have you eaten Paris-Brest before? My grandma makes them all the time. Good old Grandma. 'Cause you're absolutely right! NICOLETTE: Mimi's knowledge of cakes is awesome. You've really gotta know your stuff to get that one right. So we've been through two rounds now, and 12 cakes are off the table. Matt. I've been, you know, just scoping out this table, trying to find something that's gonna, you know, make a penny drop. I approach this cake. I'm just fixated on these, you know, little chocolates on top. That's...that's telling me, you know, truffles, chocolate truffle cake - along those lines. Yeah, I'll go with it. As I start to cut through it, I can feel the blade, like, cracking through layers, and immediately I was like, "This is not what I thought it was." GEORGE: Feeling confident? Nup. And there's these layers of this biscuity sponge and...this chocolate mousse-like texture. I'm worried for you, Matt. Mmm. I...I saw these on top and I was thinking chocolate truffle... ..cake. Um... What's your answer? Even MY palms are sweating, Matt. There's nothing else I can think to call it. Nothing's coming to my mind. I have to go with the chocolate truffle cake. Nup. What's your answer? Yeah, chocolate truffle cake. I know that's wrong. Matt...hate to tell you, you're wrong. Yeah. It's actually a Dobos torte. So, would you have ever heard of...? Not in a million years. Nup. Not in a million years. No. Alright. You're gonna join Charlie in round two. Yep. Standing there next to Charlie is definitely a position that I didn't want to be in. We're just waiting to figure out who's gonna be our next competitor to...make it all the more tougher. (SIGHS) The pressure's definitely on. I'm sure you can feel the squeeze. We can feel it. There's only one spot left for round two. Yeah? Get it wrong... ..and you're in the next round. Brett, confident? Yep. Excellent. Go for it, big boy. There's only one spot left, so the chances of me having another guess are pretty slim at this stage. Clearly it's time to play the ace. Oh, well, all the people in Hong Kong will be really upset if I didn't go... (JUDGES LAUGH) ..with this one. Oh, we knew it! MATT: All along. I'm feeling good because I know what this cake is. A lot of people probably don't know what it is. So I cut into it... ..and my heart sinks. I think, "Hang on." "Is this the right cake here?" It's red on the inside. I haven't seen a red one on the inside. I have a bite. You know, it tastes sort of similar. Are you unsure? I might be barking up the wrong tree. I'm sweating. Con's next to me. He's next to guess, so he's probably sweating the most. I'm kind of torn a bit. But it's gotta be a mooncake. I think it's mooncake. . BRETT: Hang on. Is this the right cake here? It's a red on the inside. I haven't seen a red one. But it's got to be a mooncake. I think it's mooncake. Well done, Brett. Thank you. You got it right. (APPLAUSE) Con. Your turn again. It's my third guess... So are you going to be third time lucky? ..and I'm slightly struggling now. All of the easy cakes are gone. They're long gone. Possibly. There's a few that look kind of really obvious to me but I know that it's not going to be that easy, so...slightly worried. I'm looking around wondering, you know, do I know any of these cakes, and there's one that looks familiar. This one's been looking at me the whole time and I've got a really fond childhood memory of what I think it may be, so...this could be a really silly move, but I'm hoping that this is a Continental cake. ELISE: I look over at the cake that Con's chosen and I myself don't know what that particular cake is called, but I'm pretty sure it's not a Continental cake. I try it. It tastes similar, doesn't taste exactly the same. Now, you're nodding, but, you know, if you get this wrong, you're into round two. I'm still pretty convinced it's Continental cake. I believe - I'm hoping in good faith - that this is a Continental cake. Hoping. I'm praying to God that that's...that's what it is. Unfortunately, Con... Now, my Icelandic is not brilliant, so I would call it a vinarterta. It's traditional Icelandic, and I think they do it at Christmas time, and there should be prunes and cardamom in the layers and that icing on top is meant to look like the snow that's fallen. But I'm sorry, you're wrong. Yeah. It means that you'll be joining Matt and Charlie and be cooking in round two. No worries. Thank you. If it's not bad enough having to go into a second round, it's even worse doing it with Matt and Charlie, both super, super strong cooks. Brett, Elise, Mimi, congratulations. Well done. You deserve it. You're safe. So, head upstairs with your mates. (APPLAUSE) MIMI: I'm really nervous for them. I don't want any of them to leave. But I'm also really relieved that I'm out of this elimination and I'm going straight up to the gantry. Never a great place to be going into round two, but we need to shake it all off and give it a red-hot go. So, Charlie, Matt, Con, in round two, to save yourself, you're going to bake a cake. Any cake you like. The only rule is it has to be delicious. And you know the consequences, because the least impressive cake will send its maker home. Just think of a cake that you know you can get absolutely right that you're going to feel excited about our tasting. MATT SINCLAIR: Making a cake in the final round of elimination for Nigella Lawson, that's not a position I want to be in right now. So, good luck. You have 90 minutes to bake and finish that cake. Open pantry, full access to the garden. Your 90 minutes starts now. (CHEERING) CHARLIE: The nerves are crazy. I think 90 minutes is going to come right down to the wire. It's one thing to just make a cake on a Sunday afternoon, but, you know, you're in the MasterChef kitchen and you're up against two other great cooks and there's the potential to go home, so, you know, it's super nerve-racking. It's really intense. (CHEERING) Come on, lads. Go, Mattie. Mattie. If you ever needed any proof this is a brutal competition, we've got three of the best cooks, arguably all potential finalists, and one of them is going to go home on this cook. I mean, I'd like to see some lemon, actually, I have to say. I do a lemon and thyme cake. But you know that one of Nigella's favourite ingredients is lemon, you make a lemon drizzle or a flourless lemon... You'd make me very happy. ..and you make Nigella happy, and at the end of the day that's important. You look after your judges. Uh, I'm thinking of doing something really summery today, so I think the best thing with the cake is to keep it really simple, so, just do a very, very simple pound cake. The hardest thing for me today is that I don't have a go-to cake recipe, so I figure pound cake is the way to go. You've made the recipe before? Kind of winging it, but... ..I've got good faith today. I do know that pound cake, it's equal portions of everything - basically, a pound of every element you would normally make a cake with. So I'm hoping to God that it works. I'm going to keep the cake side of it simple. I'm going to do a strawberry and thyme savoury syrup. I'm going to do...the strawberries that I macerate to get my syrup, I'm going to put in there as a layer as well. And I'm going to do a lemon creme fraiche filling. It's really important that that cake is in the oven in the first 5 to 10 minutes, so I really need to push. This competition has absolutely been my life for the last two months. I feel like I've put everything on hold for it and I'm not willing to let that go yet. I've made a lot of sacrifices to be here. I've put my wedding on hold. What am I gonna do without you? I'm gonna miss you. I've resigned from my job - I'm a restaurant manager at a hotel - and I've put everything on the line to get myself in a kitchen and become a professional chef. I've got a lot left in me and I've got a lot to prove. BRETT: All good in your hood, Matt? Yeah, mate, I think so. Today I am keeping it real simple. I want to get a beautiful, simple, humble, tasty, moist carrot cake on the plate, douse it with lemon cream cheese icing. Carrot cake, it's probably my favourite cake, because it's not too sweet. Myself and my mate at home, we knock it up. It's his mum's recipe. It's something that we love. And if there's anything that's going to get me through today, it's cooking something that I'm happy about. That's the backbone of what I'm working with today. But, you know, I've really got to start rebuilding this in my head and figure out a way to bring it up to here. I think I'd really like to add a lot of spice to the carrot cake, a little bit of molasses. Ginger, nutmeg, cinnamon, you know, and really give it some body. WOMAN: Nice work, Matt. You're looking good. The most important thing I need to do is get that cake in the oven and get it out. BRETT: You're on fire, man. It needs to have risen beautifully, it needs to have that nice, spongy texture to it, beautiful and moist. Timing is crucial today. (CHEERING) WOMAN: Go, Mattie! Today I'm going to do a chocolate and raspberry cake. WOMAN: Come on, Charlie. I know that the judges love chocolate and raspberries, so it's definitely something that I've thought about. I'm going to make a chocolate sponge. Texture's everything for a sponge, you know. You've got to get it nice and fluffy, can't be too dense and got to make sure you work it the right amount. I've made my sponge batter and I can't decide whether to make two sponges and layer the cake or make one sponge and dress the top of it. I don't have time to mess around. I've got to get this sponge into the oven. So I pour all my mixture into one tin. Hi, Charlie. Nigella, Matt. How are you going? Hi. So you're making chocolate cake. I'm doing... Yeah, chocolate and raspberries and hazelnuts. And have you got ground hazelnuts in there, or you're adding the hazelnuts later? They're going to be roasted and then over the top. The filling is going to be chocolate as well and also the topping as well. And why aren't you doing it in two tins? Just 'cause it would cook... You'd better get it in. Don't... You can talk and put it in. The more important thing is to get that in. I'm a little bit worried that I've used too much mixture for one sponge but I've just got to get on with it. It's pretty simple - bake us a cake that keeps you safe. One hour to go. Come on. (CHEERING) BRETT: How are you doing, Con? Once I get this in the oven, I'll be pretty happy. Come on, Con. You've gotta get in the oven soon, mate. WOMAN: Go, Con. Just gonna have to get on with it and get it in there. Come on, Con. Let's go, Con. Push, Con! I've got just under an hour to go. I'm already running behind. I've got to turn up that oven. I decide to put my oven up to 200. What's happening? You seem to be starting. 200? No, a pound cake is... you have to cook really low. Low? You need to be getting a cake that will cook fast. So that's... You know, a pound cake is a low, even temperature. So what's your plan? What are you making instead? I'm panicking hugely. You need to be getting a cake that will cook fast. CON: Nigella's given me the advice to ditch the pound cake. Oh, man! Con, lift your chin, mate. NICOLETTE: Come on, you can do it. Get on with it. I've got a wet cake in the oven and I've got no plan B. Now if you don't have a cake, you don't have a show, so... I hope he can pull himself out of trouble. I'm in a serious panic. I've got so many things running through my head right now. I just can't pick one and execute it. Just think about it logically. I think I'm gonna stick with plan A, my pound cake. I know I'm going against Nigella's advice, but if it's the last thing that I do in this kitchen, I'm going to get a cake up. Everybody loves cake, especially us! 45 minutes down, 45 to go. Come on. (CHEERING) WOMAN: Good job, Matt. Whoo! My cakes are in the oven, so I've moved on to a little orange and carrot jam, or marmalade. In the middle of the carrot cake today, I want to make an onion and carrot jam, you know, that little tweak on...on the classic, but still keeping it within the realms of good, humble food. Alright. To make that a little bit more interesting, I wanna hit it with a little bit of star-anise and cinnamon just to give it that little bit of a quirk. And I'm also conscious I don't want it to be too sweet, so I finish that up with some lemon juice just to produce that bit of a tang and balance. Beautiful. I'm starting to really feel this challenge and I feel good about being in the kitchen today. My sponge's got another...probably about five minutes left in the oven. I'm just getting onto making the jam that's going to go on the cake itself and also getting onto the ganache. So I've got my raspberries cooking down with a little bit of sugar, and I'm just going to let them get nice and soft. Oh, it smells so good, Charlie. Yum. Thanks, guys. I move on to my chocolate ganache, which is going to cover the entire cake. Yum! I check on my sponge. Don't wanna dry it out. I'm just checking to see if it's, you know, nice and springy and it doesn't sink down too much. There's probably a little bit of give in the middle, which is something I'm a little bit worried about. It seems soft in the centre. Might just put it back in for a couple of minutes. The concern is to either overcook or undercook the sponge, so I have to make sure it's bang-on. This sponge has to be perfect. To have your place in the competition come down to one cake is...it's crazy, it's super nerve-racking because, you know, one little element could send you home. Strawberries. To lift the cake a little bit, I really want to drench it in thyme and strawberry syrup. Nice. And I'm going to put some lemon creme fraiche over that. The reason I've chosen those flavours is because they're flavours that I've grown up with. Strawberries, thyme, cream, lemon - they're all flavours that I know work together. Is that going in the middle of the cake? I'm just gonna soak the cake with syrup, I'm gonna put some fresh strawberries in the middle too. And then put some of the creme fraiche, put the cake back on top. OK. I'm going back to look at my pound cake and I've got my fingers crossed. I'm praying so hard that that pound cake has done something, anything - colour, rise. If I don't have that pound cake, I don't have anything. I'm looking at my pound cake... ..and it's showing signs of life. I absolutely cannot believe it. I honestly thought I was down and out. But looking at this cake, I've got good faith that I can pull this together. You know what they say? You've got a bake a cake. 30 minutes to go! (CHEERING) Go, Mattie! Whoo! MATT: I've got my cakes in the oven. They shouldn't be too much longer. Mattie, how does the marmalade taste? Good. Looks alright. Yeah? My marmalade, it's all set. Now I wanna make sure that I make a cracking lemon cream cheese icing. If it's done well, it's the only thing that carrot cake should have. So, cream cheese whipped up, icing sugar. Heaps of lemon juice and lemon zest, and get it to that point where it is, like, mouth-puckering tangy. WOMAN: Taste good, Matt? Yeah. How's your cakes, Mattie? I go back to my cakes and I reckon they're looking good. I take them out of the oven. They look alright. They feel good. They don't feel too dense. Problem is, I can't taste it, 'cause then it wouldn't be a whole cake. So, yeah, it's a bit of a Hail Mary, fingers crossed. Hi, Matt. Hello. How's it all going? Yeah. Getting there. Are you happy with all your elements? Um, yeah, I am. Did you taste that bit? No. (LAUGHS) It looks like there's a bit missing. I wondered if you tasted it. No. No, I didn't touch it. Ah. What's that there? Just a little walnut crumble. I like the idea of having some crunch there as long as you keep everything balanced and, you know, keep the freshness as well. Yep, OK. Thank you. Ganache is done. Jam's done. Keep pushing, Charlie. 20 minutes to go and I've got to get this cake out of the oven. Still got to assemble the whole dish. This challenge is riding all on, you know, one cake and this sponge has to be perfectly cooked. I dip a knife in and I can't believe it - you know, it's still gooey. By putting the sponge cake back in the oven, that could end up overcooking it. WOMAN: You don't wanna overcook it but make sure it's cooked. Yeah. This is a super tough decision for me. Do what you think is right. This is massive. It's do or die. Just put that in there. How long? ALL: Come on, Charlie. CHARLIE: This challenge is riding all on one cake and it has to be perfectly cooked. There's only 15 minutes to go. If I don't get this sponge out of the oven, I won't have a cake at all. The outside looks like it's gotten a little bit dry with the inside being, you know, pretty well cooked. Maybe I've mucked around with this cake too much and there could be the potential that I've gone from undercooking it to overcooking it. I'm definitely nervous about that, and also, my sponge cake probably hasn't risen as much as a sponge cake should. But, um, you know, I've got no other choice. I've got to go with this cake. This is all I've got. CON: I check on my pound cake. WOMAN: Is it clean? Yep. It's done. It's actually looking like it's cooked. The cake is out and it looks a little bit dense to me. The only way that I'm gonna fix this problem is to stick a skewer in there so that the syrup goes all the way through. It'll moisten it a little bit. MATT: 10 minutes to go! 10 minutes left. Come on, Charlie! Come on, Matty! Alright. I've got to put this bad boy together, so I start with my first layer. I get a really nice, you know, generous spread of the orange and carrot marmalade on there. I top that with a little bit of the cream cheese icing as well. Then I get my second layer of carrot cake on top and I just start creating this big, pillowy dome of cream cheese icing. For me, even if this cake does look a bit rough around the edges and not perfect and polished, that is a beautiful thing. Last little finishing touches. Five minutes to go. Come on, guys. Come on, guys. Push hard now. Almost there, Con. Keep going. CHARLIE: Five minutes to go, I'm popping the candied hazelnuts around the cake. I know that my sponge isn't perfect, so I have to make sure that all the other elements are spot-on. WOMAN: Come on, Charlie! Go, Charlie! I really want cream on the cake, 'cause it just provides that light fluffiness, just cuts through all the fat. I'm so under the pump here. Keep pushing, Charlie. I move on to finishing my chocolate shards that are gonna sit on top of the cake. I really have to multi-task now. I go back to my cream and I put it into a piping bag. Straightaway I pipe it onto the chopping board and... ..it's overwhipped. This is a complete disaster. The pressure is so immense that you can just make mistakes as simple as that, so I've got to get onto another batch of cream. WOMAN: Go, Charlie! MAN: Come on, Charlie. I'm starting to get really frazzled and, you know, I've got to calm myself down if I'm gonna make it through these last minutes. Two minutes to go! Two minutes! MATT: Now it's just time to go to town on this bad boy. I wanna douse it with all of this walnut crumble and those beautiful toffeed walnuts, to make it look so generous and so inviting and just, you know, overloaded with...with love. CON: I've doused the cake in syrup. I've got my lemon creme fraiche, and then I'm gonna put some fresh strawberries in the middle. The pressure is SO intense. I know that I'm nearly there. I just need to finish it. One minute to go! One minute! (CONTESTANTS CHEER) CHARLIE: I've got one minute left, and I'm absolutely pushing it to the wire. I grab a piping bag, twist it up... Come on, Charlie! ..and I just start piping as quick as I can. Come on, Charlie. Keep going. Push hard. Take it home. This last minute is everything and the cream on the cake is everything. 30 seconds! Come on, guys! Push harder! Come on! Come on, Charlie! Ten seconds! ALL: Nine! Eight! Seven! Six! Five! Four! Three! Two! One! That's it, boys. Time's up! Well done. . I'm really looking forward to tasting these cakes. I think they've each got their own character. And, uh, I'm ready, optimistic, excited. Shall we get the first one in? I think so. MATT: Walking my cake in to the judges, I am so proud. This cake's everything that I had envisioned in my head. To me, that is... ..everything a home-baked cake should be. Yeah, a little bit messy, things are spilling out around the middle where the top is squadged onto the bottom, that pile-up of golden crumb and nuts - it looks generous and it looks like you want to feed someone and make them happy. And, uh, I love that. That's how I want people to feel when they look at my food. You know what? On that line, I think we have to say... Yeah, can we have a slice? Matt, get out of here. Thank you. OK. Thank you. You know what, I'm gonna take this cake-cutting seriously. I think I might just take my jacket off. 'Cause I wouldn't want to get anything on it. No. And, uh... Ooh, look at that. Lovely. Alright, I'm going in. Can we taste? I can't wait. I can't wait. Mmm. That kind of orange and carrot marmalade that he made gives it a real bit of zing. That is so utterly... ..utterly delicious, I do not want to stop eating it. It is SO good. I mean, I think he's got everything. I think it's got texture and it's got fabulous balance. He's got an absolute tanginess in the cream cheese icing, and it's not heavy. MATT: That crumb and the nuts brings a really lovely texture to the whole party. And that carrot jam in the middle is an inspired idea! Tastes great, looks great. If Con and Charlie beat Matt, I'd be very, very surprised. You know what? I'm not a big person to go to a place and have cake. I'm telling you now, if this was in a shop, I'd travel there and I'd have a couple of slices and be very, very happy. And can we make sure... I mean, you can have a slice, but can we pack that up to take home? Nice idea. Nice idea. Shall we get the next cake in? CON: My main concern with my cake is the actual cake. The topping - I know that that works. The concern is, is the cake cooked correctly, and what's the texture of the cake like? Thyme pound cake with a strawberry and thyme syrup and a lemon creme fraiche. GEORGE: Why ARE you here? Um... (SIGHS) I'm here to change Con, you know? I'm here to change me as a person. I wanted to grow. I worked in hospitality for 15 years and loved cooking, but never thought, "Hey, I might give the kitchen a go." This year was a real, "Right, I'm gonna do this. "I'm gonna give it all I've got." And if what I've got is not good enough, then I'm gonna have to work harder to make it good enough and have to keep working until it is good enough. Is that good enough to keep you in this competition? The flavour's there. It's just a matter of technical skill. I wanted the cake not to be so heavy and dense. OK, Con. Let's taste your cake and see how you've gone. Thank you. Thanks for your time. Enjoy. Well, what do we think in terms of presentation? I rather love it. Yeah, I like the simplicity. I like those kind of generous folds of frosting on the top, and it IS simple. My question always when I see that billowing of creamy icing over the top is, what's it hiding? . My question always when I see that, kind of, billowing of creamy icing over the top is, what's it hiding? GEORGE: Well, let's find out. I want to see what's in the middle. GARY: Yeah. Cut it in the middle. It looks heavy. NIGELLA: Yeah. (MUTTERS) Oh, God. Strangely, that looks lighter on that side of the cake than the other side. Yeah, it is. Definitely. You're not going to get a great uniformity, 'cause he cooked it at a very high temperature. It cooked unevenly, didn't it? You could see. So maybe that's what that cream's hiding - one cooked side, one lighter side. This is the reason why I don't eat some cakes, and it's because... look, I love a soaky, syrupy cake, but the syrup's gone, what, five millimetres into the cake? Yeah. So the bottom 80% of it is this, kind of, rubbery... And look - you could... I mean, it's bouncy. It's a real pity, because the top, like, 15% - the creme fraiche and the flavour of that syrup in the cake is delicious. I love the flavour of thyme and strawberry. I mean... And creme fraiche - is delicious. Yeah. The things I love about it are the strawberries, the lightness of the topping, the flavour of thyme that runs through that cake. It is absolutely wonderful. But what I don't love about it is that heavy-textured cake, and you're absolutely right - I would scrape off the topping, eat the strawberries, eat a bit of the crust and leave the rest of the cake. And that's not great, is it? No. Right. Let's get the next dish in. Good luck, Chucky. Thanks, boys. Good luck, Charlie. I am super nervous. I'm proud of how my cake looks, but I know that my place in this competition is riding on how that sponge is cooked. Ohhh, yeah. Wa-hey. Look at that! It's a: There's a lot of tap-dancing going on on top. What's the cake like inside? It's not quite like a typical sponge, to be honest. It's probably a little bit more dense than that. Are you convinced that this dish is going to save you, that it's going to keep you in the competition? Obviously there's always a few things you could do a bit better, but I pushed myself far enough today and I hope I've got enough on the plate to save myself. Interesting tasting, this, 'cause, you know, we're faced with three guys that are probably at the top end of the pack in terms of their cooking ability, so I don't want to send anybody home, to be honest. But why should you stay and Con or Matt go? I believe I've got enough ability to learn and... You know, I'm not here to finish high. I want to win. And that's a new goal that I reset myself. You know, I've already learnt so much in the time that I've been here that I believe that if I keep going like that, I can win. It's time for us to taste. Thanks, Charlie. Thank you. My concern is it hasn't risen at all and that could be a boingy pancake in there. Let's find out. It looks dense, to be honest. Righty-ho. In terms of what I like about the cake, when you get that raspberry jam, those praline-crusted hazelnuts, the cake and the ganache together, it's delicious. The big positives for me - presentation, decoration, the raspberries, the cream, the hazelnuts. Absolutely wonderful. Even that really, kind of, electric, you know, rouge on that raspberry is just beautiful - love it. Rouge! But you know what? I'm going to be frank. I think that cake's dry. It's dense. Can I tell you, Nigella, for me to not go back for a second spoonful of a good choc cake, it's unusual. I'm managing it. So is Matt. I don't think it's a failure as a cake. And I know it's not perfect, but I don't think it's offensive. I'm eating it and going, "Jeez, you know, I like the ganache. "I like the coulis. "There's a little bit of sharpness there from the raspberry. "There's some creaminess." I think if Charlie had taken this cake out maybe 10 minutes earlier, it would be better. Well, I think we all agree that Matt's cake was just terrific. Yeah. I mean, really, he deserves to stay here. How about Charlie and Con? Do you have a favourite out of those two, or a least less favourite? I think I do, but I think it's very, VERY close. Tough day in the kitchen, I'm sure you'd agree. And you three boys found yourself in the second round, which I'm sure you didn't want to think about at the start of the day, but, uh... hey, that's the competition. And three of our best cooks, in fact. Nigella, how do you think they went? Well, you know, I'm always very grateful to be fed, and I thank you for that. And I think they all had three distinct ideas, three different takes, and I really have to say that one of you really did exceptionally well. Matt, I'm going to come straight out. Your cake had everything. It just was so welcoming to look at, so welcoming to eat. And that's why you are safe, Matt. (APPLAUSE) Good luck, mate. Well done. Con, Charlie, sadly, it's the end of the line for one of you. Con, we loved what you put on your cake - that billowing creme fraiche, the thyme... ..the combination of champagne and strawberries. And, Charlie, we loved what you put on YOUR cake! Fresh raspberry. Those hazelnuts. The bitter ganache and that zinging rouge of that raspberry jam. So, as I suppose it should in a cake challenge, it all comes down to one thing. It comes down... ..to the cake you baked today. Charlie, your cake was dry. Con, your cake was dense and unevenly cooked. Both were flawed. CON: This is it. This is the moment that my future in this competition is going to be decided. CHARLIE: All I can keep repeating in my head is, "I'm not ready to go home." . MATT: So, as I suppose it should in a cake challenge, it all comes down to one thing. It comes down... ..to the cake you baked today. The rubberiness of yours, Con, has sealed your fate, and that's why, I'm sorry, you're going home. Charlie, you're safe. (CHUCKLES) It's all good. (SIGHS) Wow. Con, I know it's devastating, mate, and to be honest, I think the three of us, that have seen you from the start of the competition, know that you've got some serious talent, there's no doubt about it. Con, you're a yes for me, 'cause that is unbelievably yummy. That is absolutely delicious. I love that. I really love that. That's the only comment you need, Con. That is GREAT. (CHEERING, APPLAUSE) Absolutely well done. Thanks. (CLEARS THROAT) Thank you. So, what have you enjoyed most? Where do I start? You know, these guys, um... ..you guys. Just...just friendship. Friendship, cooking, enjoying food. You know, respecting, learning, growing, and... I don't know. I mean, I...it's hard to... I feel sad, but it's hard to leave with a... ..I'm gonna leave with a heavy heart, but...I, um... ..you know, I've got a beautiful fiancee waiting for me at home, and... (CLEARS THROAT) ..I'm gonna get onto that cafe ASAP. So, Con, I'm glad you had a great time, but now it's time to leave the MasterChef kitchen. Thanks. (APPLAUSE) Good luck, mate. Can I give you a hug? Thank you so much. Pleasure. Good luck, man. And good luck with the wedding, huh? Thank you. Good luck with that. It's a pleasure meeting you. Good luck with everything. Thank you. I'll give you a hug. (CHUCKLES) Good luck. Thank you so much. (APPLAUSE) Come on, guys! I'll send you guys a photo. See you, Con! (ALL CHEER) Cook well! MasterChef has definitely changed my life. It is without a doubt the best experience I've ever had, and I feel like I really have learnt and grown and...I'm ready to get out there. I'm ready to hit the streets and get this cafe happening. Next time ` a prize worth fighting for. Whoever wins today's mystery box, goes straight to the next immunity challenge. With so much on the line,... Do you want that advantage? ...they'll push themselves... I'm gonna have a real crack. ...to the absolute limit. This is a cracking dish. Best-looking dish you've put up so far. But it's only just begun. No pantry, no core ingredient. We're cooking with our scrap. They'll endure the toughest invention test yet. Waste not, want not. With necessity the mother of invention,... They want leftovers. They're getting everything. ...they'll think outside the box... Love it! ...to create some exceptional dishes. Absolutely gorgeous. My mouth is salivating. Love it. But for the bottom three, elimination looms. Are you making me take leave? Let's call it mental health time. But no stigma, mind you. Maybe your friend can join us. You gonna say anything? Not if you don't. We have an agreement, then? You don't want to talk about Mitre. You're here to have fun. It's more than that.