Lizzie's "Extraordinary" Cake is What 'The Great British Baking Show' is All About - Decider

From the very first moment bubbly Lizzie Acker stepped into the The Great British Baking Show tent, it was clear she was “extraordinary.” The Liverpudlian baker had no fear of Paul Hollywood or Prue Leith, immediately bonded over fashion with Noel Fielding, and put a distinctively kooky spin on everything she baked. Sadly, Lizzie’s journey on The Great British Baking Show came to an end this week. Lizzie struggled with earlier challenges during “Free From Week” and was given the boot — but not without wowing us with a victory of her own. Sure, Chigs Parmar was Star Baker, but Lizzie’s “Extraordinary” Showstopper Cake won the episode. Lizzie not only finally conquered “finesse,” she also celebrated her “SEN”s, aka Special Educational Needs. The baker opened up about having dyslexia, dyspraxia, ADHD, and concentration issues and in doing so, proved herself to be the hero of the tent.

The Great British Baking Show tends to attract a very special kind of person. The bakers we meet on the show are typically over-achievers, ardent hobbyists, and super duper nerds. This season’s bakers are no different. We had vegan model and showjumper Freya Cox, rock climber/thrill-seeker/pandemic baker Chigs, and Jürgen Krauss, a German engineer who measures everything with scientific precision. Nevertheless, Lizzie stood out from the crowd when we met her all the way back in “Cake Week.” First of all, she was an avowed Great British Baking Show superfan, i.e. ONE OF US!! ONE OF US!! She admitted to that her dog was named Pru(dence) and she had stickers of the judges on her own at-home Kitchen-Aid stand mixer. She also had no issue shrugging off Paul’s laser gaze or Noel’s jokes. Lizzie seemed to be having a ball, even if her delicious bakes lacked what Paul and Prue called “finesse.”

Finesse eluded Lizzie for weeks. Even as her bakes received top marks for flavor, Paul and Prue were on her for her more homespun designs. In moments where she pulled it together “finesse” wise — as with last week’s sugar dome flower bowl — the judges were disappointed in her flavors. It seemed like Lizzie would never be able to nail both style and substance in her bakes. It’s remarkable that she pulled it off in her final bake in the tent, but it’s extraordinary that she did it with a cake celebrating her own neurodiversity.

When Lizzie explained her concept to Paul and Prue, I was struck by the enormity of what she was admitting. It takes tremendous courage to reveal any sort of perceived weakness. Lizzie wasn’t just brave enough to talk about her SENs. She was confident enough to celebrate them. Her “shag carpet” inspired icing was meant to look like her “brain fuzzes.” Suddenly a lot of Lizzie’s process in the tent no longer seemed “quirky” but indicators of her neurodiversity. Not only that, but much like past-baker Briony May Williams, Lizzie was working through the challenges with what some would call an extra challenge without wanting special treatment for it. Lizzie’s dyslexia would make reading the Technical Challenges potentially trickier and her dyspraxia explains some of her time management issues in past weeks.

What’s fantastic is that Lizzie’s Showstopper cake was an absolute success. The gluten-free crumb was delicious and her design, which was quintessentially Lizzie, was stunningly beautiful. Lizzie knocked it out of the park with her cake, all while shining a glittering spotlight on the many, many people with SENs. As Lizzie herself put it, knowing she conquered the issue of “finesse” was a win for her. (And she was happy to go home to her dog and honestly who wouldn’t be happy to return to Pru?)

The Great British Baking Show is one of the most beloved series in the entire world. It’s watched by millions who just want to root for each and every baker on the show. In her final week in the tent, Lizzie went out on top. She successfully conquered finesse, stood up for neurodiversity, and made so many of us weirdos out there feel a little less strange. Lizzie Acker is one of us: a Great British Baking Show superfan and an extraordinarily unique individual. Because, as Lizzie’s cake shows, we’re all extraordinary.

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