The Great British Baking Show Season 8 (Bake Off)

Complete season breakdown

Every episode and bake

Series eight introduces a new judging and presenting lineup across ten weeks of cakes, biscuits, bread, caramel, puddings, pastry, Italian baking, forgotten bakes, patisserie, and a final. Every challenge is recorded here alongside an original home-kitchen adaptation inspired by that episode's technical bake.

1. Episode 1 · Cakes

   Cakes

   Aug 29, 2017

   Fresh-fruit cakes begin the series before peppermint mini rolls test uniformity and illusion cakes turn sponge and icing into convincing everyday objects.

   • Signature

     Fresh fruit cake

     Bake a cake using fresh fruit, with no dried fruit, in two hours.

   • Technical

     12 chocolate mini rolls

     Make 12 chocolate mini rolls with peppermint cream from Prue Leith's brief in two hours.

   • Showstopper

     Illusion cake

     Create a cake that convincingly resembles a different object in four hours.

   Make our home version →Episode source

2. Episode 2 · Biscuits

   Biscuits

   Sep 5, 2017

   Sandwich biscuits and delicate fortune cookies lead to a fully edible board game built at centerpiece scale.

   • Signature

     24 sandwich biscuits

     Make 24 sandwich biscuits in two hours 15 minutes.

   • Technical

     12 fortune cookies

     Bake 12 fortune cookies in two hours, six almond and six orange.

   • Showstopper

     Biscuit board game

     Build an edible board game at least 40 cm across with at least eight elements in three and a half hours.

   Make our home version →Episode source

3. Episode 3 · Bread

   Bread

   Sep 12, 2017

   Enriched teacakes precede a two-tier cottage loaf and a naturally coloured bread sculpture with multiple shades of dough.

   • Signature

     12 teacakes

     Bake 12 teacakes in two hours 45 minutes.

   • Technical

     Cottage loaf

     Make a traditional two-tier cottage loaf in two and a half hours.

   • Showstopper

     Multicoloured bread sculpture

     Create a bread sculpture in four and a half hours with at least three colours derived from natural ingredients.

   Episode source

4. Episode 4 · Caramel

   Caramel

   Sep 19, 2017

   Caramel week progresses from layered shortbread bars to syrup-filled stroopwafels and tall cakes crowned with spun sugar.

   • Signature

     18 millionaire shortbreads

     Make 18 identical millionaire shortbread bars in two hours 15 minutes.

   • Technical

     12 stroopwafels

     Make 12 thin waffles sandwiched with caramel in one hour 45 minutes, with only one test waffle.

   • Showstopper

     Caramel cake

     Create a cake with at least three sponge layers and spun-sugar decoration in three and a half hours.

   Episode source

5. Episode 5 · Puddings

   Puddings

   Sep 26, 2017

   Steamed school puddings are followed by timed molten chocolate centers and elaborate terrines combining baked, creamy, and jellied layers.

   • Signature

     Steamed school pudding

     Make a steamed school pudding with an accompaniment such as custard or compote in three hours.

   • Technical

     6 molten chocolate puddings

     Bake six molten chocolate puddings with peanut-butter centers in one hour under staggered judging.

   • Showstopper

     Ornamental trifle terrine

     Build a decorative terrine in four and a half hours with a baked element, set custard or mousse, and jelly.

   Episode source

6. Episode 6 · Pastry

   Pastry

   Oct 3, 2017

   Decorative shortcrust pies, flaky Portuguese custard tarts, and a fruit-topped raised banquet pie cover three distinct pastry methods.

   • Signature

     4 decorative savoury pies

     Make four shortcrust savoury pies with different designs sharing one theme in two and a half hours.

   • Technical

     12 pasteis de nata

     Produce 12 Portuguese custard tarts with rough-puff pastry in two hours.

   • Showstopper

     Family-sized hand-raised pie

     Create a savoury hot-water-crust pie topped with glazed fruit in four hours.

   Episode source

7. Episode 7 · Italian baking

   Italian

   Oct 10, 2017

   The first Italian week covers filled cannoli, a spare margherita pizza, and highly laminated sfogliatelle in two flavours.

   • Signature

     18 cannoli

     Make 18 Sicilian cannoli with three different fillings in two and a half hours.

   • Technical

     Pizza Margherita

     Bake a thin, crisp Pizza Margherita from Prue Leith's brief in one and a half hours.

   • Showstopper

     24 sfogliatelle

     Produce 24 sfogliatelle with two different fillings in four and a half hours.

   Episode source

8. Episode 8 · Forgotten bakes

   Forgotten Bakes (Quarterfinals)

   Oct 17, 2017

   The quarterfinal revives dual-filled Bedfordshire clangers, a rum-soaked Cumberland tart, and molded Victorian Savoy cakes.

   • Signature

     4 Bedfordshire clangers

     Make four suet-crust clangers in two hours, each with a savoury filling at one end and sweet filling at the other.

   • Technical

     Cumberland rum nicky

     Bake a lattice-topped shortcrust tart with rum-soaked dried fruit and smooth rum butter in one and a half hours.

   • Showstopper

     Victorian Savoy cake

     Bake a molded Victorian Savoy sponge with a hard sugar coating or crust as a banquet centerpiece in three and a half hours.

   Episode source

9. Episode 9 · Patisserie

   Patisserie (Semi-final)

   Oct 24, 2017

   The semifinal pairs two finishes of choux buns with layered almond-and-coffee slices and a mixed-meringue dessert centerpiece.

   • Signature

     24 choux buns

     Make 24 choux buns in two and a half hours: 12 with craquelin and 12 with icing.

   • Technical

     9 Les Miserables slices

     Produce nine layered Les Miserables slices from Prue Leith's brief in three hours.

   • Showstopper

     Meringue centrepiece

     Create a centerpiece containing at least two meringue types and a dessert element in four hours 45 minutes.

   Episode source

10. Episode 10 · Final

    Final

    Oct 31, 2017

    The finalists make three styles of small bread, intricately iced ginger biscuits, and a large glazed entremet with at least five elements.

    • Signature

      12 small loaves

      In three hours make four shaped loaves, four flavoured loaves, and four loaves using an alternative grain.

    • Technical

      10 ginger biscuits

      Make five oval and five square ginger biscuits with a crisp snap and two intricate icing patterns in two and a half hours.

    • Showstopper

      Large entremet

      Create a large entremet with at least five elements including sponge, covered in glaze or ganache, in five hours.

    Episode source

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

Peppermint Chocolate Mini Rolls

Small chocolate sponge rolls with peppermint cream and a thin chocolate coating.

Time

50 min

Makes

10 mini rolls

Level

Medium

▶View ingredients and method

Ingredients

• 3 large eggs
• 90 g caster sugar
• 70 g plain flour
• 20 g cocoa powder
• 150 ml double cream
• 1/4 teaspoon peppermint extract
• 200 g dark chocolate
• 1 teaspoon neutral oil

Method

1. Whisk eggs and sugar to a thick ribbon, fold in flour and cocoa, and spread in a lined 23 by 33 cm tray.
2. Bake at 200 C, or 180 C fan, for 8 to 10 minutes. Turn onto sugared paper, roll from a short edge, and cool.
3. Whip the cream with peppermint, unroll the sponge, spread with cream, and roll again.
4. Chill, trim, and cut into ten equal pieces.
5. Melt chocolate with oil, coat each roll, and leave to set on baking paper.

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

Use peppermint sparingly; its strength varies by brand.

Open the full recipe →

Inspired by Episode 2

Orange-Almond Fortune Cookies

Thin orange-scented cookies folded around handwritten messages while still warm.

Time

48 min

Makes

12 cookies

Level

Medium

▶View ingredients and method

Ingredients

• 2 large egg whites
• 70 g caster sugar
• 55 g plain flour
• 40 g melted butter
• 1 teaspoon finely grated orange zest
• 1/4 teaspoon almond extract
• 1 pinch salt

Method

1. Write 12 short messages on narrow paper strips. Heat the oven to 180 C, or 160 C fan.
2. Whisk the whites and sugar until foamy, then whisk in flour, butter, zest, almond extract, and salt.
3. Spread two 9 cm circles of batter very thinly on a silicone-lined tray.
4. Bake for 6 to 7 minutes until the rims brown. Working quickly, place a message on each, fold in half, and bend over a cup rim.
5. Cool in a muffin tin to hold the shape and repeat in small batches.

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

Bake only two at a time because they firm within seconds.

Open the full recipe →

Episode guide sources

Challenge details verified 2026-07-14. thegreatbritishbakeoff.co.uk, thegreatbritishbakeoff.co.uk, en.wikipedia.org.

Season result

The winner stays hidden until you choose to reveal it.

See every Great British Baking Showwinner, season by season →

Full cast

Everyone recorded for Season 8, listed alphabetically without result spoilers.

Season fact sources

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