Complete season guide
Complete season breakdown
The third series uses ten four-baker heats, two quarter-finals, a semi-final, and a two-day final. Official BBC episode records supply the named technical and showstopper bakes throughout, including the semi-final's multi-part skills test and both distinct challenges on the first final day.
Episode 1 · Shortcake and surprise-filled cake
The opening heat balances precise strawberry shortcake stacks with a cake designed to spill hidden treats when sliced.
Technical
Strawberry shortcake stacks
Follow the surprise recipe for evenly baked shortcakes stacked with cream and strawberries, keeping each finished stack upright.
Showstopper
Pinata cake
Create a cake with a concealed center of treats that cascades out when the cake is cut.
Episode 2 · French patisserie and chocolate cake
Classic madeleines test small-cake consistency before the bakers build their richest version of a chocolate gateau.
Technical
Madeleines
Follow a classic French madeleine recipe and aim for evenly blonde domes with light, fluffy centers.
Showstopper
Ultimate chocolate gateau
Create an original, fully decorated chocolate gateau designed to showcase chocolate flavour and presentation.
Episode 3 · Patterned biscuits and vegetable cake
A geometrically exact biscuit tests measurement before the bakers use vegetables as the starting point for a showstopping cake.
Technical
Chequerboard biscuit
Follow the supplied chequerboard biscuit recipe, using accurate measurements to create a clean geometric pattern.
Showstopper
Vegetable cake
Create an original cake featuring vegetables; the BBC brief allows choices such as beetroot, parsnip, carrot, and runner beans.
Episode 4 · Flatbread and cupcakes
Layered Indian flatbreads provide the technical test before separate cupcakes are arranged into one connected design.
Technical
Cumin and turmeric rotis
Make Indian rotis spiced with cumin and turmeric, aiming for visible layers and a bread that puffs during cooking.
Showstopper
Pull-apart cupcakes
Bake and arrange pull-apart cupcakes as one coherent design, combining flavour with a creative overall finish.
Episode 5 · Caramel cake and music biscuits
A salted caramel presentation cake tests sponge and caramel consistency, followed by biscuits that express each baker's love of music.
Technical
Salted caramel cake
Make a delicate sponge cake filled with salted caramel and coated in caramel-flavoured buttercream, keeping the caramel at a workable consistency.
Showstopper
Music-inspired biscuits
Create biscuits that represent a love of music; the direct source does not require a specific instrument, style, or quantity.
Episode 6 · Stained glass and birthday cake
Transparent sugar centers test biscuit accuracy before the bakers make highly personal versions of their dream birthday cakes.
Technical
Stained-glass window biscuits
Follow the supplied recipe for stained-glass window biscuits, keeping the biscuit shapes neat and the clear candy centers intact.
Showstopper
Dream birthday cake
Bake a dream birthday cake that demonstrates personality, creativity, and strong flavours.
Episode 7 · Soda bread and cake pops
A quick cheese bread and hand-churned butter lead into individually decorated cakes presented on sticks.
Technical
Cheese soda bread with butter
Make a rustic cheese soda bread and churn butter to serve alongside it, balancing the flavours of both components.
Showstopper
Cake pops
Create a display of cake pops that shows both personality and creative decoration; the BBC synopsis does not state a required count.
Episode 8 · Upside-down cake and biscuit stories
Fruit placement and unmoulding matter in the technical, while the showstopper asks each baker to tell the story of a life through biscuits.
Technical
Pineapple and blueberry upside-down cake
Follow the recipe for a pineapple and blueberry upside-down cake, baking the fruit-topped sponge evenly and turning it out cleanly.
Showstopper
Life depicted in biscuits
Use an original biscuit display to depict the baker's life, with enough structure and decoration to make the story readable.
Episode 9 · Steamed pudding and inside-out cake
An old-fashioned rolled pudding tests a clean spiral and golden exterior before the bakers reverse expectations with inside-out cakes.
Technical
Jam roly-poly
Make an old-fashioned jam roly-poly with a clear swirl and a golden outer surface.
Showstopper
Inside-out cake
Create an original cake based on an inside-out concept; the direct source leaves the interpretation, flavour, and size open.
Episode 10 · Doughnuts and biscuit architecture
The last heat tests fried enriched dough before moving to a freestanding biscuit model of a famous landmark.
Technical
Iced ring doughnuts
Produce iced ring doughnuts, controlling the dough, ring shape, frying, and final icing.
Showstopper
3D iconic-landmark biscuit construction
Build a three-dimensional biscuit structure depicting an iconic landmark and keep it standing despite the heat in the tent.
Episode 11 · Choux pastry and fruit pie
The first quarter-final introduces a ring of filled choux pastry and then gives each baker room to design a decorative fruit pie.
Technical
Paris-Brest
Follow Graham Hornigold's recipe for a Paris-Brest, producing a choux pastry ring with its filling and finish.
Showstopper
Decorative fruit pie
Create an original decorative fruit pie, combining well-baked pastry, fruit filling, and a deliberate top design.
Episode 12 · Meringue centerpiece and scary tarts
A large multicoloured meringue centerpiece tests speed and repetition before a collection of small tarts takes on a scary theme.
Technical
Meringues-en-bouche
Follow Allegra McEvedy's recipe for a wedding centerpiece made from more than 100 multicoloured meringues.
Showstopper
Scary mini tarts
Create showstopping mini tarts with a scary theme, demonstrating both pastry skill and detailed decoration.
Episode 13 · Baking knowledge and sculpted bread
The semi-final compresses several practical and identification tests into one assessment before the bakers sculpt animals from bread dough.
Technical skills test
Piping, blueberry muffin correction, and pastry identification
Replicate Graham Hornigold's fine piping, identify and correct a deliberate mistake in Allegra McEvedy's blueberry muffins, and identify five types of pastry.
Showstopper
Animal-shaped bread buns
Create bread buns sculpted into animal shapes while preserving the quality of the bread itself.
Episode 14 · Pizza and rough puff pastry
The first final day includes a personal pizza for surprise celebrity guests and a demanding laminated-pastry technical.
Signature
Best-version pizza
Bake the finalist's best version of a pizza for mystery celebrity guests, using an original choice of dough, sauce, and toppings.
Technical
Rough-puff pastry pinwheels
Make rough-puff pastry pinwheels, demonstrating lamination and maintaining a distinct spiral shape during baking.
Episode 15 · Enchanted woodland cake
The series ends with one large cake challenge demanding tiers, layers, decoration, and a complete enchanted woodland concept in a short time.
Final showstopper
Tiered and layered enchanted woodland cake
Create a tiered, layered cake inspired by an enchanted woodland in two and a half hours.
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 1
Tender vanilla shortcakes layered with lightly sweetened strawberries and softly whipped cream.
This is an original Baking Show Guide home adaptation inspired by the episode brief, not an official show or contestant recipe.
Assemble the stacks immediately before serving so the shortcakes stay firm enough to stand.
Press the cutter straight down without twisting to help the shortcakes rise evenly.
Challenge details verified 2026-07-14. bbc.co.uk, genome.ch.bbc.co.uk.
The winner stays hidden until you choose to reveal it.
Amari Koryang
Everyone recorded for Season 3, listed alphabetically without result spoilers.
| Baker | Age | Hometown |
|---|---|---|
| Amari Koryang | n/a | n/a |