The Great British Bake Off is back, baby! New episodes of your favorite sleepy show about polite folks from the UK competing for a cakestand has returned to help ease the tensions caused by this smoldering trash pile of a year. New episodes are streaming every Friday on Netflix and we could not be more excited about it!
In honor of GBBO, we decided to take a look at bakers and former contestants who appeared on the show to see what they’ve been cooking up lately. As you’d expect many of your favorites have still got it and they’re creating gorgeous bakes ranging from cakes to Kanelbullar. Take your mind off of that bad thing that’s wearing you down and come enjoy photos of some of the most beautiful confections we’ve ever put our eyes on.
Bright and Beautiful Barry Tart by Season 10’s Henry Bird
What a stunning, shimmering, joy of a tart. It’s so neat and tidy and we wouldn’t expect anything less from the eternally boyish and clever Henry Bird.
Sumptuous Chocolate Christmas Ombre Cake by Season 1’s Ruth Clemens
If you’ve been wondering what Ruth Clemens has been up to after GBBO, she’s slaying the game with her website, The Pink Whisk. This dazzlingly mod cake would look great as part of any Christmas feast.
Summer in a Tart by Season 9’s Rahul Mandal
Ruhal Mandal, the winner of series nine of the show, is still not afraid of adventurous flavor pairings as we see with this fruity summer tart. The flowery crust cookie bits are about the cutest thing we’ve ever seen.
Decadent Ferrero Rocher Cake by Season 5’s Chetna Makan
Yum! Semi-finalist, Chetna Makan had us craving her chutnies the entire season. She’s gone rather decadent with Ferrero Rocher chocolate drip cake. Unfortunately, it’s not filled with chutney, but it does look like it’s filled with love.
Petit Pistachio Lemon Buns by Season 8’s Sophie Faldo
Former winner, Sophie Faldo was a steely competitor on her season and her heads down approach helped her clinch the title of Britain’s Best Baker. These pistachio and lemon flavored buns look downright dreamy.
Salty Peanut Butter and Oreo Tart by Season 1’s Edd Kimber
One thing is certain, chocolate is better with a touch of salt! Former winner, Edd Kimber knows this well as this chocolate, oreo, and peanut butter tart is flecked with flaky sea salt (Maldon). We could easily eat this tart in a single sitting.
Lucious Blood Orange and Olive Oil Cakes by Season 5’s Martha Collison
We were really rooting for the young Martha Collison (the youngest ever contestant). She had sensibilities beyond her years and this charming blood orange cake looks like classic Collison.
Darkly Divine Chocolate, Hazlenut, and Espresso Cake by Season 7’s Benjamina Ebuehi
Benjamina Ebuehi was quietly one of the funniest contestants to ever join the show and her bakes always (almost always) looked divine. In fact, we can say with certainty, she’s the reason we have rewatched this season of GBBO more than any other. Coffee and chocolate go together beautifully in this handsome, rustic cake.
Cheery Rhubarb and Custard Cake by Season 8’s Liam Charles
Baker Liam Charles is such a charmer and it has suited him well in his roles as host of two separate spinoffs of GBBO. This whimsical looking rhubarb cake looks delightfully tangy and we’d love a big slice.
Whimsical Sandcastle Cake from Season 9’s Briony May Williams
Your girl from Bristol, Briony May Williams was such a delight to watch compete. Here, she’s created a sandcastle cake but, as you probably guessed, the cake does not use sand. She explained in the caption for this photo that it’s a favorite of hers to bake because it’s supposed to look messy. Cute!
French Charlotte aux Fraises by Season 9’s Manon Lagrève
Why, yes, we’d expect nothing less from Manon Lagrève than a dessert called Charlotte aux Fraises. We could dive into a pool of that strawberry cream.
Gorgeous Cardomom Buns ‘Kanelbullar’ by Season 2’s Yasmin Limbert
These buns from Yasmin Limbert are mesmerizing. We love seeing this baker because her hair seems to be a cooler shade of purple than it was the last time you saw her.
Stunning Vegan Apple Pie by Season 10’s Rosie Brandreth-Poynter
Name a contestant with better reaction faces than Rosie Brandreth-Poynte. She’s created a real winner with these apples from a neighbors orchard. This is pure magic.
Zen Fruity Carrot Cake by Season 10’s Steph Blackwell
Steph Blackwell was a firecracker in the tent and possessed the most enviable bangs in the world. This jaw-droppingly beautiful carrot cake is her personal favorite. We’ll take two!
Earthy Rye Sourdough Loaf by Season 6’s Flora Shedden
Your favorite Scottish baker (well, one of them), Flora Shedden now runs her own bakery ARAN Bakery in Dunkeld. We’d make the trip across the Atlantic just for a loaf of this crusty bread.
Playful Les Misérables Cake by Season 8’s Steven Carter-Bailey
Leave it to Steven Carter-Bailey to come up with a cake this wonderfully wacky. We can, indeed, “hear the people sing, singing a song of angry men.”
Simple Panettone Inspired Christmas Cake by Season 10’s David Atherton
Everyone’s favorite gay health and fitness guru, David Atherton, baked up this cake with Italy and Christmas on the mind. We love pieces of dried fruit in a cake, so we’re here for it.
Precious Raspberry and White Chocolate Cookies by Season 9’s Ruby Bhogal
Another fitness fanatic, Ruby Bhogal whipped up these raspberry and chocolate cookies and they look divine. How many of these delicious morsels could you eat?
Zippy Citron Tart Pac-Man by Season 6’s Ian Cumming
You might recall that Ian Cumming is a skilled travel photographer which might explain why this visual is so effective. Yes, to a tart tart!
Sticky Toffee Birthday Cake by Season 4’s Beca Lyne-Pirkis
Who’s craving honeycomb now? Your girl from Wales, Beca Lyne-Pirkis worked some sort of magic to bring you this cake. We love everything about it.
Romantic Strawberry and Orange Cake by Season 7’s Jane Beedle
The ever-studious and focused Jane Beedle shared a photo of this cake for Valentine’s Day. We’d love a slice of this sweet and fruity treat.
Cherry, Rose, and Lemon Battenberg by Season 7’s Candice Brown
Winner, Candice Brown always managed to look more stylish and put-together while panicking with a bake. Just loads of poise! Her cherry and lemon Battenberg looks remarkable!
Shimmering Summer Berry Mousse Tart by Season 6’s Tamal Ray
Runner-up, Tamal Ray showed that he had the skills the take him to the finish line, and this picture-perfect tart proves he’s still got it. We’re pretty sure you could see your reflection in that shine! Wow.
Delectable Ice Cream and Brownie ‘Burger’ by Season 2’s Joanne Wheatley
Winner of the second series of GBBO, Joanne Wheatley always thought outside the box. This “burger” is actually an ice cream sandwich and we would very much like a dozen of them.
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All These Bits and Bobs on an M-shaped Cake by Season 4’s Frances Quinn
How is this a real thing that exists in the world? What sort of sorcery went into making such a marvelous M-shaped masterpiece. This is art! It comes from none other than fashion designer and baker Frances Quinn.
Are you hungry yet? We hope you enjoyed these 25 extraordinary bakes that show that GBBO really picked some of the best of the best. We hope you feel inspired to create something yummy on your own. On your marks, get set, bake!