The Great Australian Bake Off Season 4

Complete season breakdown

Every episode and bake

Season four ranges from foundation cake, bread, and biscuit work to family favourites, pastry, batter, dietary restrictions, British bakes, and celebrations. Its ten episodes consistently use three distinct challenge rounds, including the final's Battenberg, rum baba, and piece montee briefs.

1. Episode 1 · Cakes

   Cakes

   Jan 18, 2018

   The opening episode tests a family marble cake, small shell-shaped hazelnut cakes, and an elaborate birthday cake made for children.

   • Signature

     Family-sized marble cake

     Bake a family-sized marble cake with a clear pattern and complementary flavours.

   • Technical

     24 chocolate-dipped hazelnut madeleines

     Produce 24 hazelnut madeleines with defined shell ridges and a chocolate-dipped finish.

   • Showstopper

     Children's birthday cake

     Create and decorate an ambitious birthday cake intended for a child.

   Episode source 1Episode source 2

2. Episode 2 · Bread

   Bread

   Jan 25, 2018

   Bread week moves from sweet or savoury focaccia to pumpkin scones with butter and a centerpiece made from connected pull-apart bread.

   • Signature

     Sweet or savoury focaccia

     Bake a focaccia in either a sweet or savoury style, with an open crumb and well-developed flavour.

   • Technical

     12 pumpkin scones with butter

     Make 12 pumpkin scones and a complementary homemade butter.

   • Showstopper

     Pull-apart bread centerpiece

     Construct a decorative centerpiece from portions of pull-apart bread.

   Make our home version →Episode source 1Episode source 2

3. Episode 3 · Biscuits

   Biscuits

   Feb 1, 2018

   The biscuit rounds progress from a large batch of biscotti to Australian jam drops and a decorated jigsaw puzzle made entirely from biscuit.

   • Signature

     32 biscotti

     Bake 32 identical sweet or savoury biscotti with a crisp, twice-baked texture.

   • Technical

     24 jam drops

     Produce two dozen evenly shaped jam-drop biscuits with neat centers.

   • Showstopper

     Decorated biscuit jigsaw puzzle

     Create a decorated biscuit picture divided into interlocking jigsaw pieces.

   Episode source 1Episode source 2

4. Episode 4 · Family favourites

   Family Favourites

   Feb 8, 2018

   Familiar home bakes are scaled and refined through muffins, a family chicken pie, and a tall pavlova assembled in at least three tiers.

   • Signature

     24 muffins

     Bake two dozen matching muffins in either a sweet or savoury style.

   • Technical

     Chicken, leek, and mushroom pie

     Prepare a family-sized chicken, leek, and mushroom pie with fully cooked pastry.

   • Showstopper

     Tiered pavlova

     Build a decorated pavlova with at least three tiers.

   Episode source 1Episode source 2

5. Episode 5 · Pastry

   Pastry

   Feb 15, 2018

   Pastry week starts with sausage rolls, turns to the layered Fraisier, and concludes with three viennoiserie varieties made in substantial quantities.

   • Signature

     24 sausage rolls

     Make 24 identical sausage rolls with crisp pastry and a well-seasoned filling.

   • Technical

     Fraisier cake

     Build a Fraisier with sponge, cream, and an orderly border of fresh strawberries.

   • Showstopper

     36 viennoiseries in three varieties

     Produce 12 each of three different viennoiseries; one variety must be a laminated croissant.

   Episode source 1Episode source 2

6. Episode 6 · Batter

   Batter

   Feb 22, 2018

   Batter week tests crisp waffles, a softly set apple clafoutis, and the stamina needed to stack a cake from at least 60 crepes.

   • Signature

     12 waffles with topping

     Cook 12 waffles and serve them with a topping of the baker's choice.

   • Technical

     Apple clafoutis

     Bake an apple clafoutis with evenly distributed fruit and a just-set custard batter.

   • Showstopper

     60-layer crepe cake

     Stack at least 60 crepe layers with filling between them, then decorate the finished cake.

   Episode source 1Episode source 2

7. Episode 7 · Free from desserts

   Desserts

   Mar 1, 2018

   The episode removes a different standard ingredient in each round: dairy from fruit tarts, gluten from tiramisu, and added sugar from trifle.

   • Signature

     Six dairy-free fruit tarts

     Make six identical fruit tarts without dairy ingredients.

   • Technical

     Gluten-free tiramisu

     Reproduce a layered tiramisu without gluten-containing ingredients.

   • Showstopper

     Sugar-free trifle

     Build a multi-component trifle without added sugar.

   Episode source 1Episode source 2

8. Episode 8 · British bakes

   British

   Mar 8, 2018

   British week features a filled sponge, a Bakewell slice technical, and a large warm pudding served with its own accompaniment.

   • Signature

     Filled sponge cake

     Bake a British-style sponge cake split or layered with a filling.

   • Technical

     Bakewell slice

     Produce a neatly layered Bakewell slice with pastry, jam, and almond filling.

   • Showstopper

     Sweet British pudding with accompaniment

     Create a large sweet pudding in a recognizably British style and serve it with a complementary sauce or accompaniment.

   Episode source 1Episode source 2

9. Episode 9 · Celebration bakes

   Celebrations

   Mar 15, 2018

   The semifinal celebrates Easter and Christmas before the bakers construct and decorate a full three-tier wedding cake.

   • Signature

     24 hot cross buns

     Bake two dozen identical hot cross buns with an enriched crumb and clearly marked crosses.

   • Technical

     24 mince pies

     Produce 24 matching mince pies with crisp pastry and fruit filling.

   • Showstopper

     Three-tier wedding cake

     Build and decorate a wedding cake with three complete tiers.

   Episode source 1Episode source 2

10. Episode 10 · Final

    Finale

    Mar 22, 2018

    The finalists face patterned Battenberg, small kumquat rum babas, and a large piece montee representing something personally meaningful.

    • Signature

      Decorated Battenberg cake

      Bake a neatly patterned Battenberg cake and give it a polished decorative finish.

    • Technical

      12 kumquat rum babas

      Produce 12 enriched rum babas flavoured and decorated with kumquat.

    • Showstopper

      Personal piece montee

      Construct a large mounted centerpiece based on something close to the baker's heart.

    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 2

Pumpkin Scones with Maple Butter

Tender orange-gold scones made with roasted pumpkin puree and served with lightly sweet maple butter.

Time

35 min

Makes

10 scones

Level

Easy

▶View ingredients and method

Ingredients

• 300 g self-raising flour, plus extra for dusting
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon fine salt
• 45 g cold unsalted butter, cubed
• 35 g light brown sugar
• 160 g cold roasted pumpkin puree
• 1 large egg
• 60 to 90 ml whole milk
• 1 tablespoon milk, for brushing
• 100 g unsalted butter, softened
• 1 tablespoon maple syrup
• Pinch of flaky salt

Method

1. Heat the oven to 220 C, or 200 C fan, and line a baking sheet with baking paper.
2. Whisk the flour, baking powder, and fine salt. Rub in the cold butter until only small flakes remain, then stir in the brown sugar.
3. Whisk the pumpkin and egg together. Add them to the flour mixture with 60 ml milk and mix lightly, adding more milk only until a soft dough forms.
4. Turn the dough onto a floured surface, fold it over itself twice, and pat it to 3 cm thick. Cut 10 rounds with a 6 cm cutter and arrange them close together on the sheet.
5. Brush the tops with milk and bake for 13 to 15 minutes, until risen and golden. Transfer to a rack and cover loosely with a clean towel for a softer crust.
6. Beat the softened butter with the maple syrup and flaky salt until smooth. Serve with the warm scones.

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

Dry pumpkin puree gives a taller scone; drain watery puree in a fine sieve before measuring.

Press the cutter straight down without twisting so the sides can rise freely.

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 4, listed alphabetically without result spoilers.

Season fact sources

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