Cynthia Erivo used her opening “Saturday Night Live U.K.” monologue to reveal the honor she still dreams of receiving — and it is not an Oscar.

Although Erivo already has an Emmy, Grammy and Tony, the episode’s host said she is chasing a very different prize: a coveted “Hollywood handshake” from Paul Hollywood.

The accolade is associated with Hollywood’s role as a judge on Channel 4’s cooking competition “The Great British Bake Off,” which is known in the U.S. as “The Great British Baking Show.” The program’s lineup also includes judge Nigella Lawson and hosts Noel Fielding and Alison Hammond.

“That’s right. I’m a huge ‘Bake Off’ fan,” Erivo told the audience. “It’s an absolute dream of mine to be on that show.”

There is, however, one major obstacle standing between the performer and her imagined moment in the show’s famous tent: the clock.

“I can’t cook under time pressure,” she admitted. “I can run a marathon in under four hours, but ask me to bake a cake, well, then I’m screwed.”

From long nails to kitchen chaos

Erivo also built the monologue around another subject that frequently draws questions: her long nails. She said she has worn them since she was 16 and does not regard them as unusual.

“To me, they’re normal,” Erivo explained. “They’re an extension of my body, an expression of my soul, and surprisingly practical. I haven’t had to use cutlery in years.”

That detail soon became part of her comic vision of competing on “Bake Off.” Erivo pictured herself trying to use one nail to mix cake batter and another to cut butter, all while Fielding counted down the remaining seconds and Hammond laughed at her predicament.

“It would be chaos,” she said, before imagining herself becoming increasingly stressed over a “soggy bottom” as time ran out.

The fantasy then spilled into the studio when Larry Dean appeared on the “SNL U.K.” stage dressed as Fielding. He warned Erivo that she had only 30 seconds remaining, briefly prompting her to wonder whether he meant she had to finish a cake.

Dean delivered the real punchline: “No. The monologue! You need to get on the show.”

Erivo immediately raced through her closing duties, previewing music from Blossoms and reminding viewers that the program would also include sketches and adverts. She noted that she would appear in the sketches, but not the adverts, before urging the audience to keep watching.

ShowBiz Take

Erivo’s monologue found its comic engine in the contrast between her established honors and the wonderfully specific recognition she still wants. Rather than dwelling on the one letter missing from her near-EGOT status, she redirected the spotlight toward her enthusiasm for “Bake Off” and the approval represented by Hollywood’s handshake.

The routine also gave her trademark nails more than a passing mention. By turning a frequently asked-about part of her appearance into an imagined baking tool, Erivo connected a personal detail with the monologue’s larger competition-show premise.

And the final countdown neatly brought the joke full circle. Erivo had already confessed that she struggles to cook under time pressure; moments later, Dean’s interruption forced her to complete the monologue against the clock. She may not have entered the “Bake Off” tent, but “SNL U.K.” still gave her a taste of the timed chaos she had just described.