Complete season guide
Complete season breakdown
Series 2 runs through ten heats, two semi-finals, and a three-episode final. The finalists first work in a professional kitchen, then face a knowledge test and team bake, before producing one savoury and one sweet bake for a closing tea party.
Episode 1 · Biscotti and racing cake
The first heat pairs crisp Italian biscuits and homemade lemonade with a cake built around a racing theme.
Technical
Biscotti and lemonade
Follow James Martin's recipe for biscotti and make lemonade to accompany the biscuits.
Showstopper
Racing-themed cake
Create and decorate a cake inspired by racing; the direct source does not set out a size, flavour, or quantity.
Episode 2 · Chocolate and jungle cakes
A molten chocolate dessert tests timing before the bakers turn a full cake into a jungle-inspired showpiece.
Technical
Melt-in-the-middle chocolate fondant
Master James Martin's chocolate fondant recipe, aiming for a baked exterior and a molten center.
Showstopper
Jungle-inspired cake
Make an imaginative cake inspired by the jungle, using an original design and flavour combination.
Episode 3 · Marble cake and sea biscuits
The bakers first reproduce a marbled cake, then make and present a biscuit selection inspired by life under the sea.
Technical
Marble cake
Follow Mary Berry's recipe for marble cake and produce a clear marbled pattern without compromising the sponge.
Showstopper
Under-the-sea biscuit selection
Bake and present a selection of biscuits around an under-the-sea theme; the BBC brief does not publish a required count or number of varieties.
Episode 4 · Melting moments and carnival cake
A traditional sandwich biscuit gives way to a colourful cake designed around the energy and spectacle of a carnival.
Technical
Melting moment biscuits
Follow Mary Berry's recipe for melting moment biscuits, seeking a delicate texture and neat finish.
Showstopper
Carnival cake
Create a cake fit for a carnival; the BBC record notes designs including a carnival queen, a helter-skelter, and a marbled zebra cake.
Episode 5 · Rock cakes and puzzle biscuits
The fifth heat tests a rustic small cake before asking the bakers to engineer biscuits that work as a visual jigsaw.
Technical
Rock cakes
Bake rock cakes from the supplied recipe, managing a craggy exterior while avoiding a dry result.
Showstopper
Jigsaw biscuits
Create a showstopping set of biscuits that forms a jigsaw design; no fixed piece count is published in the direct brief.
Episode 6 · Welsh cakes and fairy tales
Delicate Welsh cakes test close control of a griddle-baked classic, followed by a cake that interprets a chosen fairy tale.
Technical
Welsh cakes
Follow Mary Berry's recipe for Welsh cakes and cook them evenly while keeping the centers tender.
Showstopper
Fairy-tale cake
Create a cake inspired by a fairy tale; documented ideas included Goldilocks, a fire-breathing dragon, and The Princess and the Pea.
Episode 7 · Cheese pastry and monster cake
Pastry technique is tested through cheese straws before each baker sculpts a cake into an original monster.
Technical
Cheese straws
Follow James Martin's recipe for cheese straws, producing crisp savoury pastry with an even shape.
Showstopper
Monster-shaped cake
Bake and decorate a cake in the shape of an original monster; the BBC record notes sea, water-dwelling, and Loch Ness-inspired creations.
Episode 8 · Sticky pudding and future cake
A warm sticky toffee pudding provides the technical before the bakers imagine the future in cake form.
Technical
Sticky toffee pudding
Follow James Martin's sticky toffee pudding recipe, balancing the baked pudding with its rich sauce.
Showstopper
Future-inspired cake
Create a showstopping cake inspired by the future; the BBC cites a TARDIS and a hadron collider among the interpretations.
Episode 9 · Butterfly cakes and natural wonders
Small butterfly cakes test technical execution before the bakers recreate a natural wonder of the world as a larger cake.
Technical
Butterfly cakes
Follow James Martin's recipe for butterfly cakes, producing an even batch with the characteristic split-wing finish.
Showstopper
Natural-wonder cake
Bake and decorate a cake that resembles a natural wonder of the world; the direct source does not specify permitted sites or a required size.
Episode 10 · Crumpets and bug biscuits
The final heat combines yeasted griddle cakes with a decorated biscuit display full of insects and other creepy-crawlies.
Technical
Crumpets
Make crumpets from the supplied recipe, developing the open holes and evenly cooked surface associated with the bake.
Showstopper
Bug biscuits
Create bug-themed biscuits; documented designs included caterpillars, ladybirds, moths, and a three-dimensional butterfly.
Episode 11 · Choux pastry and flag tarts
The first semi-final introduces choux pastry through coffee eclairs and then asks for savoury tarts based on flags from around the world.
Technical
Coffee eclairs
Follow James Martin's recipe for coffee eclairs, mastering choux buns and the coffee-flavoured filling and finish.
Showstopper
World-flag savoury pastry tarts
Create savoury pastry tarts inspired by flags from around the world, combining accurate presentation with sound pastry work.
Episode 12 · Meringue roulade and anatomy tarts
The second semi-final tests a fragile rolled meringue before turning sweet pastry tarts into interpretations of the human body.
Technical
Lemon meringue roulade
Follow Mary Berry's lemon meringue roulade recipe, rolling the filled meringue while limiting cracks and collapse.
Showstopper
Human-body sweet pastry tarts
Make sweet pastry tarts inspired by the human body; the direct source does not publish a required number, body part, or flavour.
Episode 13 · Professional kitchen
The finalists leave the tent for a professional kitchen, where their first final-stage task is to make two kinds of tea-time baking for guest judges.
Professional challenge
Scones and shortbread tea fancies
Work in a professional kitchen to make scones and shortbread tea fancies for guest judges Markus Bohr and John Whaite.
Episode 14 · Knowledge and teamwork
The second final day tests baking knowledge and practical skills before asking the four finalists to work together on bakes for a dance group.
Knowledge test
Questions and practical skills
Complete Mary Berry and James Martin's knowledge test, including piping and ingredient identification; the BBC record does not itemize any additional baked products.
Team challenge
Bakes for Diversity
Work as a team to bake for the dance group Diversity; the published BBC brief does not name the products or quantities.
Episode 15 · Tea party
The grand final asks each baker to produce both a savoury bake and a sweet bake for a tea party attended by friends and family.
Final challenge
One savoury and one sweet tea-party bake
Produce one savoury bake and one sweet bake for a tea party held for friends and family; documented ideas ranged from savoury eclairs to Mad Hatter-themed sweets.
Inspired by the briefs
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 6
Small griddle cakes with currants, gentle spice, crisp golden faces, and soft centers.
This is an original Baking Show Guide home adaptation inspired by the episode brief, not an official show, Mary Berry, or contestant recipe.
Keep the heat moderate because Welsh cakes cook on the stovetop and can brown before the middle is done.
They are best on the day they are made but can be refreshed for a few seconds per side in a warm dry pan.
Challenge details verified 2026-07-14. bbc.co.uk, genome.ch.bbc.co.uk.
The winner stays hidden until you choose to reveal it.
Harry Duffy
Everyone recorded for Season 2, listed alphabetically without result spoilers.
| Baker | Age | Hometown |
|---|---|---|
| Harry Duffy | n/a | n/a |