Baking challenge ideas

Brave About 1¾ hours

Banana & Curry Caramel Tarte Tatin

Caramelised banana under crisp pastry, with a subtle toasted curry-spice edge.

Main ingredients: Bananas, puff pastry, curry powder, and butter

Brave About 2 hours

Banana & Espresso Roulade

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

Main ingredients: bananas, espresso, eggs, sugar, and cream

Curious About 1 hour

Banana & Espresso Scones

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

Main ingredients: bananas, espresso, flour, butter, and milk

Curious About 1¼ hours

Banana & Espresso Shortbread

Crumbly shortbread infused with banana & espresso, keeping the bake simple enough for the unusual flavour combination to stand out.

Main ingredients: bananas, espresso, butter, flour, and sugar

Confident About 1¼ hours

Banana & Miso Financiers

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

Main ingredients: bananas, white miso, almonds, brown butter, and egg whites

Curious About 1½ hours

Banana & Miso Loaf Cake

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

Main ingredients: bananas, white miso, butter, flour, and eggs

Brave About 2½ hours

Banana & Miso Tart

A crisp pastry tart showcasing banana & miso, with the filling and decoration left open to interpretation.

Main ingredients: bananas, white miso, flour, butter, and eggs

Brave About 2½ hours

Banana & Peanut Brittle Cheesecake

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

Main ingredients: bananas, peanuts, caramel, cream cheese, biscuits, and eggs

Curious About 1½ hours

Banana & Peanut Brittle Loaf Cake

A tender loaf cake built around banana & peanut brittle, with the flavour carried through the crumb and finish.

Main ingredients: bananas, peanuts, caramel, butter, flour, and eggs

Brave About 1¾ hours

Banana & Peanut Brittle Swiss Roll

A rolled sponge challenge using banana & peanut brittle, with the filling, finish and presentation left to the baker.

Main ingredients: bananas, peanuts, caramel, eggs, flour, and sugar

Brave About 2½ hours

Banana & Sesame Bakewell Tart

A Bakewell-inspired tart using banana & sesame as the twist, with almond filling, pastry and a creative fruity or aromatic layer.

Main ingredients: bananas, sesame, almonds, butter, and flour

Curious About 1 hour

Banana & Sesame Cookies

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

Main ingredients: bananas, sesame, butter, flour, and brown sugar

Curious About 1 hour

Banana & Sesame Muffins

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

Main ingredients: bananas, sesame, flour, butter, and eggs

Brave About 3 hours

Basil & Lime Doughnuts

Pillowy fried doughnuts filled with lime curd and tossed in fragrant basil sugar.

Main ingredients: Basil, limes, yeast, and eggs

Curious About 1½ hours

Black Sesame & Coconut Loaf Cake

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

Main ingredients: black sesame, coconut, butter, flour, and eggs

Curious About 1 hour

Black Sesame & Coconut Scones

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

Main ingredients: black sesame, coconut, flour, butter, and milk

Brave About 1¾ hours

Black Sesame & Coconut Swiss Roll

A rolled sponge challenge using black sesame & coconut, with the filling, finish and presentation left to the baker.

Main ingredients: black sesame, coconut, eggs, flour, and sugar

Brave About 3½ hours

Black Sesame & Coffee Babka

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

Main ingredients: black sesame, coffee, flour, butter, and yeast

Curious About 1 hour

Black Sesame & Coffee Muffins

Soft muffins built around black sesame & coffee, intended to be approachable while still feeling different from an everyday bake.

Main ingredients: black sesame, coffee, flour, butter, and eggs

Confident About 1½ hours

Black Sesame & Coffee Whoopie Pies

Soft sandwich cakes flavoured with black sesame & coffee, leaving plenty of room for a contrasting or complementary filling.

Main ingredients: black sesame, coffee, flour, butter, and eggs

Confident About 2 hours

Black Sesame & Orange Bundt Cake

A dramatic Bundt cake featuring black sesame & orange, with the decorative shape doing some of the presentation work.

Main ingredients: black sesame, orange, butter, flour, and eggs

Confident About 1¼ hours

Black Sesame & Orange Madeleines

Shell-shaped madeleines flavoured with black sesame & orange, keeping the sponge delicate while letting the pairing do the talking.

Main ingredients: black sesame, orange, butter, flour, and eggs

Curious About 1¼ hours

Black Sesame & Orange Shortbread

Crumbly shortbread infused with black sesame & orange, keeping the bake simple enough for the unusual flavour combination to stand out.

Main ingredients: black sesame, orange, butter, flour, and sugar

Curious About 1¼ hours

Black Sesame & Raspberry Shortbread

Crumbly shortbread infused with black sesame & raspberry, keeping the bake simple enough for the unusual flavour combination to stand out.

Main ingredients: black sesame, raspberries, butter, flour, and sugar

Curious About 1¼ hours

Black Sesame & Raspberry Tea Cake

A simple tea cake scented with black sesame & raspberry, intended to be understated, aromatic and slightly unexpected.

Main ingredients: black sesame, raspberries, flour, butter, and eggs

Curious About 1½ hours

Black Sesame & Raspberry Traybake

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

Main ingredients: black sesame, raspberries, butter, flour, and eggs

Brave About 2¼ hours

Blackberry & Bay Choux Buns

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

Main ingredients: blackberries, bay leaf, flour, butter, and eggs

Confident About 3 hours

Blackberry & Bay Cinnamon Rolls

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

Main ingredients: blackberries, bay leaf, flour, butter, and yeast

Curious About 1 hour

Blackberry & Bay Muffins

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

Main ingredients: blackberries, bay leaf, flour, butter, and eggs

Confident About 1¼ hours

Blackberry & Hazelnut Blondies

Fudgy blondies featuring blackberry & hazelnut, using a caramelised base to give the unusual pairing somewhere familiar to land.

Main ingredients: blackberries, hazelnuts, butter, brown sugar, and eggs

Brave About 2½ hours

Blackberry & Hazelnut Macarons

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

Main ingredients: blackberries, hazelnuts, almonds, egg whites, and sugar

Curious About 1½ hours

Blackberry & Hazelnut Traybake

A generous traybake built around blackberry & hazelnut, prioritising bold flavour and texture over fussy presentation.

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

Confident About 1¼ hours

Blackberry & Lemon Brownies

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

Main ingredients: blackberries, lemon, dark chocolate, butter, and eggs

Curious About 1¼ hours

Blackberry & Lemon Tea Cake

A simple tea cake scented with blackberry & lemon, intended to be understated, aromatic and slightly unexpected.

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

Curious About 1½ hours

Blackberry & Lemon Traybake

A generous traybake built around blackberry & lemon, prioritising bold flavour and texture over fussy presentation.

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

Confident About 1¼ hours

Blackberry & Orange Blondies

Fudgy blondies featuring blackberry & orange, using a caramelised base to give the unusual pairing somewhere familiar to land.

Main ingredients: blackberries, orange, butter, brown sugar, and eggs

Confident About 2 hours

Blackberry & Orange Bundt Cake

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

Main ingredients: blackberries, orange, butter, flour, and eggs

Confident About 1½ hours

Blackberry & Orange Whoopie Pies

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

Main ingredients: blackberries, orange, flour, butter, and eggs

Confident About 1¼ hours

Blackberry & Sage Blondies

Fudgy blondies featuring blackberry & sage, using a caramelised base to give the unusual pairing somewhere familiar to land.

Main ingredients: blackberries, sage, butter, brown sugar, and eggs

Confident About 1¼ hours

Blackberry & Sage Brownies

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

Main ingredients: blackberries, sage, dark chocolate, butter, and eggs

Brave About 3 hours

Blackberry & Sage Doughnuts

Pillowy doughnuts featuring blackberry & sage, with the choice of filling, glaze or sugar coating left deliberately open.

Main ingredients: blackberries, sage, flour, yeast, and milk

Confident About 1½ hours

Blackberry & Thyme Madeleines

Buttery shell-shaped cakes rippled with blackberry and lifted with a delicate thyme sugar.

Main ingredients: Blackberries, thyme, butter, and eggs

Brave About 3½ hours

Blood Orange & Almond Babka

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

Main ingredients: blood orange, almonds, flour, butter, and yeast

Confident About 1¼ hours

Blood Orange & Almond Financiers

Small browned-butter financiers featuring blood orange & almond, with a nutty crumb and a deliberately elegant flavour profile.

Main ingredients: blood orange, almonds, brown butter, and egg whites

Curious About 1½ hours

Blood Orange & Almond Traybake

A generous traybake built around blood orange & almond, prioritising bold flavour and texture over fussy presentation.

Main ingredients: blood orange, almonds, butter, flour, and eggs

Confident About 1¼ hours

Blood Orange & Dark Chocolate Blondies

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

Main ingredients: blood orange, dark chocolate, butter, brown sugar, and eggs

Curious About 1¼ hours

Blood Orange & Dark Chocolate Shortbread

Crumbly shortbread infused with blood orange & dark chocolate, keeping the bake simple enough for the unusual flavour combination to stand out.

Main ingredients: blood orange, dark chocolate, butter, flour, and sugar

Confident About 1½ hours

Blood Orange & Dark Chocolate Whoopie Pies

Soft sandwich cakes flavoured with blood orange & dark chocolate, leaving plenty of room for a contrasting or complementary filling.

Main ingredients: blood orange, dark chocolate, flour, butter, and eggs