It’s quite funny that something as mouthwatering as dessert (e.g. chocolate terrine) is so often misspelt as desert (i.e. barren terrain). In honour of last night’s Great British Bake Off Semi-Final, we’ve put together some examples of why baking and typos should never ever mix.

Off-putting menus

I’d opted for a starter, wolfed down my main and had easily succumbed to the waiter’s offer of the ‘dolci’ menu. But my sweet tooth was trumped by my editor’s eye when it came to the ‘peecan pie’ (no, thanks). Similarly, at another venue, the presence of a ‘glue-free’ banana loaf made me question the contents of the other cakes on the specials board. Gluten-free – and error-free – would have been much better.

Misleading recipes

Baking is often referred to as a science and certain recipes must be followed to the letter. What happens, though, when an error creeps into the instructions? At best, you end up with 21 layers of Victoria Sponge; at worst, you end up in hospital with nutmeg poisoning.

Costly cookbooks

Not strictly a dessert, but this is too good (bad) a slip-up not to mention: when Penguin Australia’s edition of The Pasta Bible mistakenly called for ‘freshly ground black people’ in its tagliatelle recipe, it naturally made the headlines. Cue a press release expressing mortification and the pulping and reprinting of 7,000 copies.

Embarrassing icing   

Unless you plan on saving a slice of your wedding cake for posterity, cake is by and large ephemeral. However, in today’s Instagram world, a mistake on your bake can linger long after you’ve consumed the last crumb. Cake Wrecks is a website dedicated to curating these decorative disasters; there’s even a section euphemistically titled ‘creative grammar’.

Still think typos are a mere trifle?

Our advice: always check your spelling to avoid getting egg on your face.