Fall is a time for baking—and even if you love whipping up your go-to banana bread at the first sign of autumn, there’s always room for adventure and to try something new. These classic British desserts are a great place to start. From classic cakes like Victoria Sponge to banoffee pie and sticky toffee pudding, you can’t go wrong. And what better way to celebrate the 16th season of the Great British Baking Show than to try your own hand at the challenge? You’ll be surprised at how much you know when you sit down to watch Paul and Prue—trust us.
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Banoffee Pie
Dotdash Meredith Food Studios
“Our friends introduced it to us. I never knew the name of the pie although one of our friends is British. I just called it the caramel and banana pie. Now I know what to call it. I did change the topping a little. I use something I found in the dairy called Coco Whip topping which is healthier than Cool Whip.” –nfstib
Figgy Pudding
“This is the first time I made figgy pudding. It was delightful having a recipe for it without any alcohol. My husband who is of Scottish heritage thoroughly enjoyed it.” –Jason
Battenberg Cake
Elaine Lemm
“I didn’t make my own marzipan this time, and what I had on hand was really dry and crumbly, so I had to add some water and try to work it through evenly. I destroyed my kitchen rolling out the marzipan on the counter with confectioner’s sugar, cutting the cake into right-sized batons to create the checkerboard (I don’t have two square pans the same size, so there was a lot of trimming), and spreading the apricot preserves with a pastry brush. The end result was worth it. The kitchen-destroyers usually are. :)” – RecipeRenegade
Welsh Cakes
“My daughter studied abroad for 5 months in Swansea and fell in love with Welsh cakes. This was our first attempt to make them ourselves. They were fantastic and just like those she had at the market in Wales.” –jvteam
Best Ever Lemon Drizzle Cake
Kim
“Everyone loved this lemon loaf cake. I made it for a family Sunday brunch and it went in a flash!” –Ita
Treacle Tart
Getty
“I love this! Just like the ones I grew up with in England. My Mum always made individual tarts (just reduce the cooking time) and I prefer it that way for the filling/pastry ratio. You have to appreciate a fairly sweet dessert to enjoy this and I do. My kids loved it, especially with the Harry Potter tie in!” –c.j.
English Trifle
Allrecipes/Kim Shupe
“Everyone who tried this trifle absolutely loved it! They described as “strawberry shortcake-like, but better!” I would have to agree! I followed the recipe exactly and thought it was delicious.” –Kim
Best Old-Fashioned Creamy Rice Pudding
Dotdash Meredith Food Studios
“Added cinnamon and a bit of nutmeg at the end. Great way to use up leftover rice. I replaced sugar with monk fruit, and have used all kinds of milk, and always turns out great. Hubby loves this!” –LoriG
Rhubarb Crumble
Jake Sternquist / Food Styling: Holly Dreesman / Prop Styling: Gabriel Greco
“I have been using this recipe for a couple of years. I add an extra cup of rhubarb and use a 9×9 pan. I find there is a lot of crumble left over, so have enough to make a second one with a bit of a thinner crumble on top. My family loves this recipe!” –Marlene
Raspberry Summer Pudding (English Style)
“I had this dessert recently in England, and it was delicious, so thanks Clinton for posting it. Because I’m on Weight Watchers, I changed the recipe by using 6 cups of mixed berries, and 1/2 cup Splenda in place of the sugar. It also took 7 slices of bread. I used a slotted spoon to remove the berries from the pot into the bowl, and then saved the reserved juice to pour over top of the pudding, before adding a tablespoon of fresh whipped cream.” –elahar
Spotted Dick
“Love this traditional British recipe – thank you!” –RBT
Christmas Plum Pudding
Allrecipes/Abbey Littlejohn
“I love plum pudding & I must say this is one of the best recipes I have found. Thank you for sharing yours :)” –ArtishaTatianna
Lemon Posset
France C
“Amazing dessert! You would never guess it was just 3 ingredients. I don’t even think you need the extra drizzle of cream on top, but it is quite tasty with it too. Followed the recipe exactly – a perfect balance of sweet and tart. Perfect for a nice dinner party – this will definitely impress!” –France C
British Sticky Toffee Pudding
Diana Miller / Getty Images
“Very nice flavor, and discovered the recipe when I had a box of dates that was about to turn. I put them in a blender with hot tea — much easier than chopping (pits removed first, of course)! The flavors are very traditional, and my Irish wife is a huge fan — perfect with a cup of tea!” –CyanFork6176
Victoria Sponge Cake
Dotdash Meredith Food Studios
“Oh so delicious! Moist, tender, buttery. I replaced the whipped cream with vanilla buttercream so it would last longer, but it’s so good, it won’t last long!” –loriablz
Basic British Scones
“Super easy. Great results. My three year old daughter loves to cook with me and this is a great recipe to make together as measurements are easy and do not require perfection. She insisted on adding orange flavored cranberries – which was a wise decision.” –Jenny Foley
Eton Mess
NicoleKrystyn
“Wow, what a tasty, decadent dessert that is so easy to make! I’m a big fan of pavlova, but this recipe is such an excellent shortcut to achieve the same flavors. I ended up adding a couple spoonfuls of powdered sugar to my heavy whipping cream since my raspberries were tart and I have a sweet tooth, but obviously that comes down to personal preference. I absolutely will be making this again!” –nicolekrystyn
Bread and Butter Pudding
“Loved this recipe. Simple, easy to follow and can be changed to suit personal taste. I used oat milk and cinnamon instead of nutmeg once. Perfect! Another time I used coconut milk, raspberries (frozen is better) and vegan white choc chips. Delicious!! Thank you for sharing the recipe.” –CrispRye3308
Traditional Bakewell Tart
Allrecipes / Preethi Venkatram
“The Bakewell Tart is a bit of a tradition for my family and I. Having lived in the pretty market town of Bakewell in Derbyshire, England. Home to the original Bakewell tart, before we moved here to America 2 years ago. The dessert dates back to the 1860s. Bakewell tarts are often called Bakewell puddings, but the two desserts are essentially the same. While this recipe is pretty good, I have had to make a few changes to make the recipe more traditional. The pastry should be an almond short crust pastry, I make my pastry as usual but add 1/3 cup of ground almonds. For the frangipane centre I use Clementine zest not lemon. Once the tart has been baked, I always top with Royal icing. A Bakewell tart can essentially be iced or not, but for me the icing just finishes off the cake entirely.” –TheBritishBaker
Eccles Cakes
“Fab recipe, turns out exactly as they should. For those who haven’t made them before, when you turn them over to roll them, only give a few little gentle rolls, they should not be too big, and don’t worry if some of the currants show through a little, makes them more authentic!” –Mrs Chappie
Traditional Mince Pies
“Fabulous crust recipe!!! I will have to triple what I made last Christmas, as my British husband eats these pies like popcorn!!” –Aunt Weezy
