Baking challenge ideas

Confident About 1½ hours

Pear & Ginger Crumb Cake

A soft crumb cake pairing pear & ginger, finished with a generous streusel-style topping.

Main ingredients: pears, ginger, flour, butter, and brown sugar

Confident About 1¼ hours

Pear & Ginger Financiers

Small browned-butter financiers featuring pear & ginger, with a nutty crumb and a deliberately elegant flavour profile.

Main ingredients: pears, ginger, almonds, brown butter, and egg whites

Confident About 1½ hours

Pear & Ginger Whoopie Pies

Soft sandwich cakes flavoured with pear & ginger, leaving plenty of room for a contrasting or complementary filling.

Main ingredients: pears, ginger, flour, butter, and eggs

Confident About 2 hours

Pear & Hazelnut Bundt Cake

A dramatic Bundt cake featuring pear & hazelnut, with the decorative shape doing some of the presentation work.

Main ingredients: pears, hazelnuts, butter, flour, and eggs

Confident About 1¾ hours

Pear & Hazelnut Galette

A rustic free-form galette combining pear & hazelnut, with a crisp buttery crust and intentionally relaxed presentation.

Main ingredients: pears, hazelnuts, flour, butter, and sugar

Brave About 2 hours

Pear & Hazelnut Roulade

A light roulade centred around pear & hazelnut, challenging the baker to balance flavour with a clean roll and striking finish.

Main ingredients: pears, hazelnuts, eggs, sugar, and cream

Confident About 3 hours

Pear & Rosemary Cinnamon Rolls

Soft enriched rolls reimagined with pear & rosemary, using the spiral as a canvas for an unconventional filling.

Main ingredients: pears, rosemary, flour, butter, and yeast

Curious About 1 hour

Pear & Rosemary Cookies

Chewy-edged cookies featuring pear & rosemary, balancing familiar comfort with an unexpected flavour twist.

Main ingredients: pears, rosemary, butter, flour, and brown sugar

Curious About 1 hour

Pear & Rosemary Muffins

Soft muffins built around pear & rosemary, intended to be approachable while still feeling different from an everyday bake.

Main ingredients: pears, rosemary, flour, butter, and eggs

Curious About 1 hour

Pear & Saffron Scones

Tender scones flavoured with pear & saffron, inviting the baker to decide whether to keep them subtle or make the flavour pairing obvious.

Main ingredients: pears, saffron, flour, butter, and milk

Brave About 1¾ hours

Pear & Saffron Swiss Roll

A rolled sponge challenge using pear & saffron, with the filling, finish and presentation left to the baker.

Main ingredients: pears, saffron, eggs, flour, and sugar

Brave About 2½ hours

Pear & Saffron Éclairs

Classic éclairs reworked around pear & saffron, combining crisp choux, a creative filling and an expressive glaze.

Main ingredients: pears, saffron, flour, butter, and eggs

Brave About 2¼ hours

Pineapple & Black Pepper Choux Buns

Crisp choux buns inspired by pineapple & black pepper, with freedom to interpret the filling and topping however you like.

Main ingredients: pineapple, black pepper, flour, butter, and eggs

Curious About 1½ hours

Pineapple & Black Pepper Loaf Cake

A tender loaf cake built around pineapple & black pepper, with the flavour carried through the crumb and finish.

Main ingredients: pineapple, black pepper, butter, flour, and eggs

Curious About 1½ hours

Pineapple & Black Pepper Traybake

A generous traybake built around pineapple & black pepper, prioritising bold flavour and texture over fussy presentation.

Main ingredients: pineapple, black pepper, butter, flour, and eggs

Confident About 1¼ hours

Pineapple & Coconut Brownies

Rich brownies built around pineapple & coconut, with a dense centre and plenty of scope for swirls, toppings or pockets of flavour.

Main ingredients: pineapple, coconut, dark chocolate, butter, and eggs

Confident About 1½ hours

Pineapple & Coconut Crumb Cake

A soft crumb cake pairing pineapple & coconut, finished with a generous streusel-style topping.

Main ingredients: pineapple, coconut, flour, butter, and brown sugar

Confident About 1¼ hours

Pineapple & Coconut Madeleines

Shell-shaped madeleines flavoured with pineapple & coconut, keeping the sponge delicate while letting the pairing do the talking.

Main ingredients: pineapple, coconut, butter, flour, and eggs

Curious About 1½ hours

Pineapple & Ginger Loaf Cake

A tender loaf cake built around pineapple & ginger, with the flavour carried through the crumb and finish.

Main ingredients: pineapple, ginger, butter, flour, and eggs

Brave About 2½ hours

Pineapple & Ginger Macarons

French macarons inspired by pineapple & ginger, with the shell, filling and colour palette open to interpretation.

Main ingredients: pineapple, ginger, almonds, egg whites, and sugar

Confident About 1¼ hours

Pineapple & Ginger Madeleines

Shell-shaped madeleines flavoured with pineapple & ginger, keeping the sponge delicate while letting the pairing do the talking.

Main ingredients: pineapple, ginger, butter, flour, and eggs

Confident About 1¼ hours

Pineapple & Lime Brownies

Rich brownies built around pineapple & lime, with a dense centre and plenty of scope for swirls, toppings or pockets of flavour.

Main ingredients: pineapple, lime, dark chocolate, butter, and eggs

Confident About 1½ hours

Pineapple & Lime Cupcakes

Soft cupcakes flavoured with pineapple & lime, designed as a playful small-batch challenge with an open-ended finish.

Main ingredients: pineapple, lime, butter, flour, and eggs

Confident About 1¼ hours

Pineapple & Lime Financiers

Small browned-butter financiers featuring pineapple & lime, with a nutty crumb and a deliberately elegant flavour profile.

Main ingredients: pineapple, lime, almonds, brown butter, and egg whites

Confident About 1¼ hours

Pineapple & Star Anise Blondies

Fudgy blondies featuring pineapple & star anise, using a caramelised base to give the unusual pairing somewhere familiar to land.

Main ingredients: pineapple, star anise, butter, brown sugar, and eggs

Brave About 2½ hours

Pineapple & Star Anise Macarons

French macarons inspired by pineapple & star anise, with the shell, filling and colour palette open to interpretation.

Main ingredients: pineapple, star anise, almonds, egg whites, and sugar

Brave About 2½ hours

Pineapple & Star Anise Tart

A crisp pastry tart showcasing pineapple & star anise, with the filling and decoration left open to interpretation.

Main ingredients: pineapple, star anise, flour, butter, and eggs

Confident About 1½ hours

Pistachio & Cardamom Crumb Cake

A soft crumb cake pairing pistachio & cardamom, finished with a generous streusel-style topping.

Main ingredients: pistachios, cardamom, flour, butter, and brown sugar

Curious About 1 hour

Pistachio & Cardamom Scones

Tender scones flavoured with pistachio & cardamom, inviting the baker to decide whether to keep them subtle or make the flavour pairing obvious.

Main ingredients: pistachios, cardamom, flour, butter, and milk

Brave About 1¾ hours

Pistachio & Cardamom Swiss Roll

A rolled sponge challenge using pistachio & cardamom, with the filling, finish and presentation left to the baker.

Main ingredients: pistachios, cardamom, eggs, flour, and sugar

Confident About 1¼ hours

Pistachio & Dark Chocolate Blondies

Fudgy blondies featuring pistachio & dark chocolate, using a caramelised base to give the unusual pairing somewhere familiar to land.

Main ingredients: pistachios, dark chocolate, butter, brown sugar, and eggs

Curious About 1 hour

Pistachio & Dark Chocolate Muffins

Soft muffins built around pistachio & dark chocolate, intended to be approachable while still feeling different from an everyday bake.

Main ingredients: pistachios, dark chocolate, flour, butter, and eggs

Curious About 1 hour

Pistachio & Dark Chocolate Scones

Tender scones flavoured with pistachio & dark chocolate, inviting the baker to decide whether to keep them subtle or make the flavour pairing obvious.

Main ingredients: pistachios, dark chocolate, flour, butter, and milk

Brave About 2½ hours

Pistachio & Honey Cheesecake

A creamy cheesecake centred on pistachio & honey, leaving the baker free to decide whether to bake it, chill it or push the decoration further.

Main ingredients: pistachios, honey, cream cheese, biscuits, and eggs

Confident About 3 hours

Pistachio & Honey Cinnamon Rolls

Soft enriched rolls reimagined with pistachio & honey, using the spiral as a canvas for an unconventional filling.

Main ingredients: pistachios, honey, flour, butter, and yeast

Brave About 3 hours

Pistachio & Honey Layer Cake

A celebration-style layer cake pairing pistachio & honey, with plenty of room for the baker to choose their own filling and finish.

Main ingredients: pistachios, honey, butter, flour, and eggs

Brave About 2¼ hours

Pistachio & Lemon Choux Buns

Crisp choux buns inspired by pistachio & lemon, with freedom to interpret the filling and topping however you like.

Main ingredients: pistachios, lemon, flour, butter, and eggs

Confident About 1¼ hours

Pistachio & Lemon Financiers

Small browned-butter financiers featuring pistachio & lemon, with a nutty crumb and a deliberately elegant flavour profile.

Main ingredients: pistachios, lemon, almonds, brown butter, and egg whites

Curious About 1 hour

Pistachio & Lemon Muffins

Soft muffins built around pistachio & lemon, intended to be approachable while still feeling different from an everyday bake.

Main ingredients: pistachios, lemon, flour, butter, and eggs

Brave About 2½ hours

Pistachio & Raspberry Tart

A crisp pastry case layered with pistachio frangipane and sharp fresh raspberries.

Main ingredients: Pistachios, raspberries, almonds, and butter

Confident About 2 hours

Pistachio & Rose Bundt Cake

A dramatic Bundt cake featuring pistachio & rose, with the decorative shape doing some of the presentation work.

Main ingredients: pistachios, rose water, butter, flour, and eggs

Confident About 1¼ hours

Pistachio & Rose Financiers

Small browned-butter financiers featuring pistachio & rose, with a nutty crumb and a deliberately elegant flavour profile.

Main ingredients: pistachios, rose water, almonds, brown butter, and egg whites

Confident About 1½ hours

Pistachio & Rose Whoopie Pies

Soft sandwich cakes flavoured with pistachio & rose, leaving plenty of room for a contrasting or complementary filling.

Main ingredients: pistachios, rose water, flour, butter, and eggs

Brave About 3½ hours

Plum & Almond Babka

A rich twisted babka layered with plum & almond, where the baker controls how bold, sticky or decorative the final loaf becomes.

Main ingredients: plums, almonds, flour, butter, and yeast

Brave About 2¼ hours

Plum & Almond Choux Buns

Crisp choux buns inspired by plum & almond, with freedom to interpret the filling and topping however you like.

Main ingredients: plums, almonds, flour, butter, and eggs

Confident About 1½ hours

Plum & Almond Cupcakes

Soft cupcakes flavoured with plum & almond, designed as a playful small-batch challenge with an open-ended finish.

Main ingredients: plums, almonds, butter, flour, and eggs

Confident About 1½ hours

Plum & Ginger Cupcakes

Soft cupcakes flavoured with plum & ginger, designed as a playful small-batch challenge with an open-ended finish.

Main ingredients: plums, ginger, butter, flour, and eggs

Curious About 1½ hours

Plum & Ginger Loaf Cake

A tender loaf cake built around plum & ginger, with the flavour carried through the crumb and finish.

Main ingredients: plums, ginger, butter, flour, and eggs