These Great British Baking Show Recipes Will Test Your Kitchen Skills

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Good morning bakers! I don’t know about you, but The Great British Baking Show is one of my absolute favorite TV shows in the world. It combines three things I adore:

• British people

• Food

• Watching British people getting stressed out about baking food while I eat cookies

The show has a lovely rhythm to it. Every week has a different theme. The show has basic themes like ‘Bread Week’ and ‘Cake Week’. But we love the weeks that go a little crazy like ‘Vegan Week,’ ‘Forgotten Bakes Week,’ and ‘Roaring 20’s Week’. Within the week there are three different challenges: the signature, the technical, and the showstopper. One person gets the title of star baker and another gets sent home. 

The show created a subscription box for residents of the UK to live out their Bake Off dreams. Sadly, the box isn’t available for people in the US. While we might not get the box, that doesn’t mean you can’t compete in your own home kitchen! Today, we’re serving you some of the best recipes made on The Great British Baking Show. So, get ready to impress the judges. On your marks, get set, bake!

Ganache-Topped Chocolate Cake

Thanks to Taste Of Home for this recipe!

Directions

1. Preheat the oven to 350°F. Pour the boiling water over the chocolate and butter and stir until smooth. Cool slightly then whisk in the sugar, buttermilk, egg, and extracts. Combine the flour, baking soda, and salt and whisk into the chocolate mixture just until blended. 

2. Transfer the mixture into a 9-inch round baking pan coated with cooking spray. Bake until a toothpick can be inserted into the center and come out clean, about 18-22 minutes. Cool for 10 minutes before removing the cake from the pan to a wire cooling rack. Place the rack on a wax paper-lined baking sheet.

3. To make the ganache, bring the cream to a boil in a small saucepan. Pour the chocolate over the cream and whisk until the mixture is smooth. Cool until slightly thickened, about 10 minutes. Slowly pour the chocolate mixture over the cake, allowing some ganache to drip over the sides. 

4. Refrigerate until serving. You can top the cake with raspberries and sprinkle powdered sugar and chocolate shavings on top.

Mary Berry’s Viennese Whirls

Thanks to Good Things Baking for this recipe!

Directions

1. Preheat your oven to 375°F and line three baking sheets with parchment paper. Use a round cutter to trace 2 inch circles onto the bottom side of the parchment paper. 

2. In a mixing bowl, use a hand mixer to beat together the butter and powdered sugar until they are light and fluffy. Sift in the flour and cornstarch and beat the mixture until they are fully incorporated. 

3. Fit a piping bag with a star tip and fill it with dough. Pipe 2” rounds onto the parchment paper. If the dough is too soft, refrigerate it for 15 minutes then bake it for 12-15 minutes. 

4. While the cookies are baking, beat together the powdered sugar, butter, and vanilla. Spoon the ingredients into another piping bag with a star tip. 

5. Once the cookies have cooled, pipe the buttercream onto the flat side of half the cookies and spread ½ tsp of jam onto the other half. Sandwich the cookies together and refrigerate until the buttercream is firm.

Classic Victoria Sponge Cake

Thanks to Allrecipes for this recipe!

Directions

1. Preheat the oven to 350°F. Grease two 8 inch round cake pans and line them with parchment paper. 

2. Beat ¾ cups of butter and white sugar together in a large bowl with an electric mixer. Mix until pale and creamy, about 2 minutes. Add the eggs one at a time, mixing well between each. Add in the vanilla extract and beat briefly until well-blended. Continue beating the batter until bubbles appear on the surface, about 2 minutes. 

3. Sift the flour, baking powder, and salt into the bowl. Gently fold the mixture with a spoon until smooth. Divide the batter evenly between the prepared pans, smoothing the tops with a cake spatula. 

4. Bake the cakes in the preheated oven until they are golden brown. This should take about 20 minutes. Cool the cakes in the pan for about 5 minutes before inverting onto a wire rack to cool completely for 30 minutes. 

5. Beat the powdered sugar, butter, and vanilla extract together in a bowl to make smooth buttercream. 

6. Place one cake layer flat side up on a serving platter. Spread the buttercream evenly onto the cake with a spatula. Then spread the raspberry jam in an even layer over the buttercream. Place the second layer of cake flat side down over the filling. 

7. Serve!

Traditional Bakewell Tart

Thanks to The Spruce Eats for this recipe!

Directions

1. Preheat the oven to 325°F. Grease and line an 8 inch tart tin. 

2. Sift the flour into a bowl and add the butter and salt. Rub the mixture with your fingers until it resembles sand. Add water to the mixture a little at a time and stir it with a cold knife until the dough binds together. Wrap the dough in plastic wrap and chill for 15-30 minutes.

3. Roll out the pastry dough onto a lightly floured board. Make sure it’s ¼ inch thick. Place the pastry dough into the tart tin. Prick the base all over with a fork. Chill in the fridge for 15 minutes. 

4. Line the tart case with parchment paper and fill with baking beans. Cook for 15 minutes or until the pastry is a pale golden color. 

5. Remove the baking beans and lightly brush the pastry with egg whites. Cook for 5 more minutes. 

6. Spread the raspberry jam onto the base of the pastry. Leave to cool. 

7. Cream the butter and sugar together using an electric hand whisk until they pale in color. Add the beaten eggs and egg yolk into the mixture a little at a time. Gently fold the ground almonds and lemon zest into the mixture. 

8. Pour the mixture into the pastry and level the surface with a spatula. 

9. Bake for 20 minutes. Sprinkle with flaked almonds and bake for another 20 minutes.

Paul Hollywood’s Soda Bread

Thanks to Paul Hollywood for this recipe!

Directions

1. Heat the oven to 400°F. Line a baking tray with baking parchment. 

2. Put the flours, salt, and baking soda into a large bowl and mix well. Make a well in the center of the bowl and pour half of the buttermilk into the hole. Use your fingers or a round-bladed knife to draw the flour into the buttermilk. Continue to add the buttermilk until all the flour has been absorbed and you have sticky dough. You may not need all the buttermilk.

3. Tip the dough out onto a lightly floured surface. Shape it into a ball and flatten it slightly with the palm of your hand. 

4. Put the dough on a baking tray. Mark quarters in the dough with a large, sharp knife. Cut deeply through the loaf but not quite through to the base. Dust the top with flour.

5. Bake the dough for 30 minutes or until the loaf is golden brown and sounds hollow when tapped. Leave to cool on a wire rack.

Battenburg Cake

Thanks to Allrecipes for this recipe!

Directions

1. Preheat the oven to 350°F. Grease two 7-inch square pans.

2. Cream the butter and sugar together. Beat in 3 eggs, one at a time. Mix in the vanilla, flour, baking powder, and salt gently. 

3. Divide the batter into 2 equal parts. Add food coloring to 1 part to make a deep pink color. Spread the batters into the separate pans. 

4. Bake until a wooden toothpick comes out clean, about 25-30 minutes. Let the cakes cool in the pans for about 5 minutes then turn them onto the cooling racks. 

5. Trim the edges from both of the cakes and cut each cake lengthwise into 4 strips as wide as the cake is thick. Trim to make each of the strips match. Heat the jam slightly and spread on the sides to ‘glue’ 2 pink and 2 white strips together in checkerboard fashion. Spread all 4 sides of the completed cake with jam. Repeat with the remaining pink and white stripes. This should make 2 cakes. 

6. To make the almond paste mix the almonds, powdered sugar, egg, lemon juice, and almond extract together. Knead the mixture until smooth, adding a bit of lemon juice or water if it becomes too dry to roll. Divide into 2 equal parts.

7. Roll ½ of the paste onto a lightly dusted (with powdered sugar) surface. Make sure the paste is about ⅛ inch thick and cut it to fit the length of the cake (it should cover all 4 sides of the cake). Roll in the granulated sugar. Repeat all of this for the second cake. Chill and slice thinly to serve.

Traditional Cornish Pasty

Thanks to Krumpli for this recipe!

Directions

1. Add the flour, salt, shortening, and butter to a food mixture and bring together. Pour the water in and mix until a ball is formed. Wrap the dough in plastic and chill for at least 3 hours. 

2. Dice the potato and rutabaga. Slice the onion into half moon shapes. Combine all the ingredients for the filling with the exception of the egg. 

3. Divide the pastry into four and then roll out each quarter so that you can cut them into discs. Place a quarter of the filling onto each disc and then fold the pastry over the filling, sealing them with water. Crimp the pasties by pinching the fold between your fingers and continue to fold over until the entire edge is crimped. 

4. Brush the pasties with the beaten egg wash. 

5. Bake at 350°F for 50-55 minutes.

Prue’s Stripy Swiss Rolls

Thanks to The Great British Bake Off for this recipe!

Directions

1. Make the jam: Put the raspberries and strawberries into a medium pan. Add the sugar and crush the berries and sugar together using a potato masher. Heat over a medium heat, stirring until the sugar has dissolved. Bring to a boil until the jam reaches 216°-221°F on the sugar thermometer. Carefully pour the jam into a shallow tray and leave to cool then chill to set. 

2. Make the sponge: Heat the oven to 400°F. Crack the eggs into a large bowl. Add the sugar and whisk until the mixture is thick, light, and frothy. It should leave a ribbon trail when you lift the whisk. 

3. Divide the mixture equally between the 2 bowls. Whisk some orange food coloring into one of the bowls until the mixture is bright orange. Do the same with the black food coloring in the other bowl. 

4. Sift ½ cup of flour over the orange mixture and carefully fold it using a large metal spoon or a rubber spatula. Sift the remaining flour over the black mixture and do the same. 

5. Spoon each mixture into a disposable piping bag and secure the end of each bag with a band. Cut the ends of the bags off for piping. 

6. Pipe a straight line or orange cake mixture along the long edge of the prepared tin, then pipe a line of black cake mixture next to the line of orange. Continue piping lines, alternating colors, until you end up with about 8 orange and black stripes. 

7. Bake the sponge for about 10-12 minutes or until it is springy to touch.

8. Lay 2 sheets of baking paper on a flat surface. As soon as the sponge is cooked, turn it out onto one sheet of paper and carefully peel off the lining paper. Lay the other sheet of paper over the top and flip the sponge over so that the base of the cake is underneath. Set aside to cool.

9. Make the filling. Use a hand-held electric whisk to whip the cream to soft peaks. 

10. Trim the edges of the sponge with a sharp knife and score a line across the sponge 2 cm from one of the short edges. Spread the jam evenly over the sponge and then spread two thirds of the cream in an even layer over the jam. Roll up the Swiss roll firmly, starting at the scored end and using the paper to help you. 

11. Transfer the remaining cream to a large piping bag fitted with a star nozzle. Pipe the cream over the top of the roll and scatter with colored sprinkles if you wish. Serve in slices.

Which complicated bake are you going to try first? Comment below!

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