Bake Off viewers rally behind star baker Rahul as he admits to baking to make new friends

Who is your favourite?

Research scientist Rahul was crowned star baker for the second week in a row and when viewers heard about the sweet reason he bakes, they flooded to social media to tip him as their favourite to win.

The Great British Bake Off debuted bread week for yesterday's (11 September) episode and as with every year, it pushed contestants to their limits.

Yet Rahul, a 30-year-old research scientist, enjoyed a second week of triumph and was crowned star baker for the second week in a row. Last week it was his two-tiered chocolate collared cake that won him Paul Hollywood and Prue Leith's approval, while this week it was his extravagantly decorated korovai.

Rahul revealed that he only baked his first cake two yeas ago and was clearly overwhelmed with emotion when he was announced as star baker.

Credit: Press Association Images

Talking to the camera he showed a little more confidence and joked: 'It's so surreal, I still can't believe. I keep pinching myself. I think I can bake.'

People have flocked to social media to gush about how much they adore watching Rahul on the show and he is quickly becoming a favourite for the final.

It was host Sandi Toksvig's voice over for one of of the segments that revealed: 'Rahul moved to the UK eight years ago and now bakes cakes to make friends', which has pulled on the heartstrings of many.

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One person wrote on Twitter: 'Absolutely cried my eyes out when they said Rahul bakes to make friends. #GBBO #BreadWeek #hormonal'.

Another added: 'Rahul is a national treasure #GBBO'.

A third said: '"Rahul bakes regularly to make new friends" oh my god.... hun, I’ll be your friend.. make me a cake.'

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The official Bake Off Twitter also reposted a video showing off some of the many tweets people had posted during the show, all in massive support of Rahul.

How you been watching Bake Off this year? Who is your favourite and who do you think is in trouble next week? Head over to our Facebook page to get involved!

Jessica Ransom
Senior Food Writer

Jessica is a freelance food writer, stylist and recipe tester. She previously worked as Senior Food Writer at Future. While at Future Jessica wrote food and drink-related news stories and features, curated product pages, reviewed equipment, and developed recipes that she then styled on food shoots. She is an enthusiastic, self-taught cook who adores eating out and sharing great food and drink with friends and family. She has completed the Level 1 Associate course at the Academy of Cheese and is continually building on her knowledge of beers, wines, and spirits.