25 Great British Baking Show Inspired Recipes

Before we discuss dozens of Great British Baking Show​ copycat recipes, let’s start with a cake inspired by the show’s iconic opening credits. Make sure to top it with the freshest raspberries you can find—minus one berry, of course!

We’ve seen Battenburg cakes appear on a couple of seasons, including one where the bakers had to create the cake after only tasting it. Delicious, for sure, but “gulp!” The best part is seeing what flavors and colors the bakers use to create their patchwork dessert.

Millionaire shortbread is a fallback for many Bake Off contestants, whether it’s a tray bake challenge or a biscuit week. There’s so much to love about this almost candy-like sweet.

In the pre-Netflix era, bakers had to whip up a batch of Mary Berry’s traditional scone recipe. Usually served with tea, scones are a classic British food.

Who can resist flaky, sticky, nutty baklava? The bakers had to make their own versions in a couple of seasons. We think a beautiful bake like this will likely earn you a rare Paul Hollywood handshake.

We all know that our favorite judges like to find the most obscure and difficult recipes for the weekly technical challenges. Schichttorte was a fan favorite, essentially an impressive layered crepe cake like this mille crepe cake.

A certain satisfaction comes from knowing how to make foods that you’d typically buy premade. In one technical challenge, the bakers mastered English muffins.

We love The Great British Baking Show because it teaches us about new-to-us recipes, like this one for delicate meringue on a bed of creamy custard. Also known as îles flottantes (floating islands), it’s one of Mary Berry’s favorites.

Brandy snaps make regular appearances on the show, whether as a signature bake, signature challenge or part of a showstopper. These lacy cookies are easy to master and even easier to eat.

One of Paul’s trademark extra-difficult technicals is an apricot couronne, a ring-shaped loaf filled with apricot preserves, almond paste and flaked almonds. This one takes a little extra time to make, but it turns out beautifully. Mary Berry would be proud if you tried this one at home!

Tiramisu makes an appearance in some form on many episodes of The Great British Baking Show. (Remember Alice’s pistachio tiramisu bombe and winner Giuseppe’s picture-perfect version?) This recipe captures everything we love about the classic—and no Paul Hollywood spying over your shoulder while you make it.

Sweet dough is notoriously tricky to work with, especially if you don’t know why your bread isn’t rising. But winner Frances knocked it out of the park with her showstopper hot cross buns.

Ruby stunned the judges with her adorable garden-inspired carrot cake. The real star of that bake, though, was the delicious and moist cake.

It’s incredible how many bakers eat pretzels but don’t know how to get that perfect twist. Once you get the hang of it, you won’t want to stop making them.

Every season has an entire week dedicated to cakes. This walnut cake is similar to the one Paul Hollywood had the bakers make for a technical challenge.

You can’t have a British baking show without a good sticky toffee pudding. Tamal turned this classic English dessert into a multi-tiered masterpiece, but you can make this simple (but still delicious) version at home.

We’ve seen many sweet palmiers from British bakers on the show, but the flaky treat can also be savory. Packed with mushrooms, these make an elegant appetizer.

The pavlovas created on The Great British Baking Show always look amazing. Puffy meringue, custard, cream and fresh fruit are a pretty dreamy combination.

Pies are entirely different in Great Britain and are often filled with meat. But this spiced dessert is called mincemeat even though the filling is a meatless mixture of fruit and spices. The bakers once had to make Prue’s mincemeat pies in mini form, but this full-sized version is much easier.

Macarons are a favorite for many bakers every season. The chewy yet crisp, airy but rich cookies are good enough to break hearts. This recipe will have you making picture-perfect macarons in no time.

Made of cake, ice cream and meringue, baked Alaska is a favorite challenge for the judges. And you know that every time the bakers have to make anything that requires freezing in the tent, it’s usually the hottest day of the year. This easy-breezy chocolate-mint version will be much easier to make in the comfort of your own kitchen.

Recipes made with choux pastry are pretty standard on The Great British Baking Show. The pastry is used to make profiteroles, eclairs, religieuses or cream puffs. Don’t let this classic French pastry scare you—once mastered, you’ll want to fill it with everything sweet or savory.

You can’t get through bread week without at least one braided bread loaf. Enriched dough, like challah, takes more time to proof, but it’s easy to make when you’re not watching the clock like the bakers in the tent. You can braid bread with three, four and even eight strands.

A traditional cheesecake is like a blank canvas for the bakers on the show. Make it extra-special with this turtle cheesecake that’s showstopper-worthy.

Chocolate lava cakes are simple and come together very quickly, but they’re one of the most impressive desserts. Who doesn’t love a molten chocolate center oozing out of the cake when you cut into it?