The Great Australian Bake Off Season 3

Complete season breakdown

Every episode and bake

Season three follows ten weekly themes from Australian classics and bread to retro desserts, pastry, sweet dough, and international baking. Every episode uses signature, technical, and showstopper rounds, with quantities and required formats recorded below.

1. Episode 1 · Cakes

   Cakes

   Oct 11, 2016

   The season opens with individual lamingtons, a fruit-and-amaretto upside-down cake, and a tall ombre cake finished for visual impact.

   • Signature

     12 lamingtons

     Make 12 identical lamingtons with a consistent cake crumb, coating, and finish.

   • Technical

     Pear and amaretto upside-down cake

     Reproduce a pear and amaretto upside-down cake with evenly arranged fruit and a clean release.

   • Showstopper

     Iced and decorated ombre cake

     Create a layered cake with a graded ombre effect, then ice and decorate it for presentation.

   Make our home version →Episode source 1Episode source 2

2. Episode 2 · Biscuits

   Biscuits

   Oct 18, 2016

   The biscuit briefs test a large savoury batch, delicate chocolate-coated Florentines, and engineering through an edible landmark.

   • Signature

     36 savoury biscuits

     Bake three dozen savoury biscuits with a consistent size, texture, and flavour.

   • Technical

     16 Florentine biscuits

     Make 16 thin, evenly baked Florentines finished with chocolate.

   • Showstopper

     Biscuit landmark

     Construct an iconic landmark from edible biscuit components.

   Episode source 1Episode source 2

3. Episode 3 · Pies and tarts

   Pies & Tarts

   Oct 25, 2016

   A family quiche and four small frangipane tarts lead into a structural challenge: a three-tier pie that must support itself.

   • Signature

     Family-sized savoury quiche

     Bake a family-sized savoury quiche with a crisp shell and properly set custard.

   • Technical

     Four pistachio frangipane tarts

     Produce four matching tarts filled with pistachio frangipane.

   • Showstopper

     Self-supporting three-tier pie

     Build a three-tier pie that stands without an external support structure.

   Episode source 1Episode source 2

4. Episode 4 · Chocolate

   Chocolate

   Nov 1, 2016

   Chocolate week covers a layered slice, a dacquoise technical, and 36 miniature cakes divided among white, milk, and dark chocolate.

   • Signature

     Three-layer chocolate slice

     Create a chocolate slice with three distinct layers, at least one of which must be baked.

   • Technical

     Chocolate dacquoise

     Make a layered chocolate dacquoise with nut meringue and a neat, stable finish.

   • Showstopper

     36 miniature chocolate cakes

     Present 36 miniature cakes across white, milk, and dark chocolate varieties.

   Episode source 1Episode source 2

5. Episode 5 · Bread

   Bread

   Nov 8, 2016

   Bread week begins with complete burger builds, moves to seeded baguettes, and ends with sweet and savoury bagels in an edible basket.

   • Signature

     Six burger buns with fillings

     Bake six burger buns and serve them with the baker's own patties and fillings.

   • Technical

     Six fig, walnut, and fennel baguettes

     Produce six baguettes flavoured with fig, walnut, and fennel seed.

   • Showstopper

     12 bagels in an edible bread basket

     Make six savoury and six sweet bagels, then arrange them in a basket made from bread.

   Episode source 1Episode source 2

6. Episode 6 · Retro bakes

   Retro

   Nov 15, 2016

   Retro week revives the Swiss roll, Neenish tart, and bombe Alaska, demanding clean spirals, neat icing, and controlled frozen desserts.

   • Signature

     Swiss roll

     Bake, fill, and roll a Swiss roll with a clear spiral and no major cracks.

   • Technical

     12 Neenish tarts

     Produce 12 matching Neenish tarts with pastry shells, filling, and two-tone icing.

   • Showstopper

     Bombe Alaska

     Create a bombe Alaska combining cake, frozen filling, and a fully enclosed toasted meringue.

   Episode source 1Episode source 2

7. Episode 7 · Pastry

   Pastry

   Nov 22, 2016

   The pastry episode tests laminated Danish dough, individual lamb Wellingtons, and large-scale choux construction in the form of an animal.

   • Signature

     12 Danish pastries

     Make six sweet and six savoury Danish pastries from laminated dough.

   • Technical

     Two individual lamb Wellingtons

     Prepare two matching lamb Wellingtons with properly cooked meat and crisp pastry.

   • Showstopper

     Choux pastry animal sculpture

     Build a recognizable three-dimensional animal sculpture from choux pastry.

   Episode source 1Episode source 2

8. Episode 8 · Sweet dough

   Sweet Dough

   Nov 29, 2016

   Enriched dough takes center stage in iced finger buns, custard-and-honey Bienenstich portions, and a decorated babka.

   • Signature

     24 iced and filled finger buns

     Produce 24 identical enriched finger buns, each filled and iced.

   • Technical

     12 Bienenstich portions

     Make 12 portions of Bienenstich with enriched dough, a honey-almond topping, and a filled center.

   • Showstopper

     Decorated babka

     Bake a shaped babka and finish it with a deliberate decorative presentation.

   Episode source 1Episode source 2

9. Episode 9 · International baking

   International

   Dec 6, 2016

   The semifinal ranges across international traditions with baked cheesecake, porcini cheese souffles, and a cake inspired by a place in the world.

   • Signature

     Baked cheesecake

     Create a large baked cheesecake with flavours and decoration chosen by the baker.

   • Technical

     Porcini, lemon thyme, and three-cheese souffles

     Bake individual savoury souffles flavoured with porcini, lemon thyme, and three cheeses.

   • Showstopper

     Around-the-world cake

     Design a cake inspired by an international destination or baking tradition.

   Episode source 1Episode source 2

10. Episode 10 · Final

    Finale

    Dec 13, 2016

    The final requires a layered opera cake, technically demanding filled sfogliatelle, and a dessert masterpiece of each baker's own design.

    • Signature

      Opera cake

      Create a neatly layered opera cake with the baker's chosen flavour treatment.

    • Technical

      12 candied orange and ricotta sfogliatelle

      Produce 12 crisp, layered sfogliatelle filled with ricotta and candied orange.

    • Showstopper

      Dessert masterpiece

      Design and execute a final dessert centerpiece that demonstrates the finalist's strongest skills.

    Episode source 1Episode source 2

Inspired by the briefs

Bake it at home

These are original Baking Show Guide adaptations for a home kitchen. They are inspired by the challenge briefs, not the contestants' recipes or an official recipe from the show.

Inspired by Episode 1

Raspberry Dark Chocolate Lamingtons

Soft vanilla sponge squares spread with raspberry jam and coated in dark chocolate and coconut for a home-scale take on cake week's signature format.

Time

1 hr 4 min

Makes

12 lamingtons

Level

Intermediate

▶View ingredients and method

Ingredients

• 150 g unsalted butter, softened, plus extra for the pan
• 170 g caster sugar
• 3 large eggs, at room temperature
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 200 g self-raising flour
• 60 ml whole milk
• 120 g seedless raspberry jam
• 250 g icing sugar
• 35 g cocoa powder
• 30 g unsalted butter, melted
• 140 ml boiling water
• 180 g desiccated coconut

Method

1. Heat the oven to 180 C, or 160 C fan. Grease and line a 20 cm square pan, leaving paper overhanging on two sides.
2. Beat the butter and caster sugar until pale. Add the eggs one at a time, then beat in the vanilla. Fold in the flour and milk in alternating additions.
3. Spread the batter evenly in the pan and bake for 22 to 24 minutes, until springy in the center. Cool in the pan for 10 minutes, then lift onto a rack and cool completely.
4. Trim the edges and cut the sponge into 12 rectangles. Split each through the middle and spread a thin layer of raspberry jam inside. Chill the filled pieces for 30 minutes.
5. Sift the icing sugar and cocoa into a wide bowl. Whisk in the melted butter and enough boiling water to make a fluid coating. Put the coconut in a second wide bowl.
6. Using two forks, dip each chilled cake in the chocolate coating, allow the excess to drain, then roll it in coconut. Set on a rack for at least 45 minutes before serving.

This is an original Baking Show Guide home adaptation, not a contestant recipe or an official show recipe.

Day-old or briefly chilled sponge is less likely to crumble during dipping.

If the chocolate coating thickens, whisk in hot water one teaspoon at a time.

Open the full recipe →

Episode guide sources

Challenge details verified 2026-07-14. tvguide.com, en.wikipedia.org.

Season result

The winner stays hidden until you choose to reveal it.

See every Great Australian Bake Offwinner, season by season →

Full cast

Everyone recorded for Season 3, listed alphabetically without result spoilers.

Season fact sources

en.wikipedia.org, en.wikipedia.org.