Waiting for the Great British Bake Off? Bake These 27 Recipes Instead

Whisks at the ready? Ours are! We know exactly where we'll be this August 5th when the Great British Bake Off returns to television and we can hardly contain our sprinkles (and excitement). If you'll be baking along and want to brush up your dough-rolling and biscuit-cutting skills before the big kick-off, or if you just absolutely cannot wait a second longer to coat your worktop in a fine dusting of flour, then read on. We happily present 27 bakes-- categorised by season-- to tide you over before GBBO comes back. Have a sweet weekend and happy baking!

Winter 

                                                                             Image: Let's Talk Mommy

1) Chocolate Orange Cake: a delicious chocolate sponge topped with zesty orange buttercream.
2. Fluffy American Blueberry Pancakes: A Valentine's Day favourite from an expert American expat blogger.
3. Chocolate Pancake Cake Recipe: For anyone who's ever said 'these pancakes would be even better if they were sandwiched together with chocolate cheesecake filling'.

**4. Silky Chocolate Pots: **The humble chocolate bar takes a turn for the decadent (with only 3 ingredients!).

**5. Homemade Cheese Doughnuts: **A proper Polish recipe to eat plain or dipped in icing sugar.
6. Almond Chocolate Coffee Bundt Cake **(pictured): **The perfect finishing touch to a wintertime dinner party; "No one remembers an appetiser but they will keep talking about that amazing dessert..."

​Spring

Image: Dolly Dowsie

7. Easter Eggstravaganza Cake (pictured): Imperfections make this cake special and unique; decorate your heart out and get ready for the hidden surprise in the middle.
8. Lemon Surprise Friands: Another bake with a hidden surprise-- these French friands, wickedly popular in Australia and New Zealand, are shot through the heart with zingy lemon curd.
9. Carrot, Lemon and Coconut Spring Cake: Whether for Easter, the bank holiday, or simply in celebration of spring, this cake is a perfect medley of textures and flavours.

**10. Pistachio and White Chocolate Madeleines: **Pretty "light pillows of gorgeous cake" to indulge upon at tea time.

**11. Gluten-free Marmalade Steamed Sponge & Fresh Vanilla Crème Anglaise: **A 'free-from' recipe made gorgeously moist with the addition of sticky marmalade and decadent custard.​

Summer

Image: Maybush Studio

**12. Strawberry, Cream, and Spelt Cake: **A naked cake that presents the bounty of the season in style.
13. BBQ Baked Pizza (pictured here): Baking a pizza on the barbecue is a revelation in homemade pizza-making.

**14. Samosa Pie: **You'll never guess the secret ingredient in the crust, wrapped around a spicy chickpea/spinach/pea/halloumi/potato filling.
15. Curried Spinach and Paneer Picnic Ring: Tear and share never tasted so lovely.

**16. Whiskey and Sultana Ice Cream: **An excellent recipe for anyone with a surplus of whiskey or a deficit of ice cream. ​​

Autumn

 Image: The Worktop

**17. Fairtrade Chocolate Muffin Recipe: **Perhaps these aren't quite the healthiest back-to-school breakfast muffin, but they'd make a lovely afternoon snack.

**18. Cherry and Pistachio Sourdough: **For cold days anytime of the year, there's no cure like freshly baked sourdough.
19. Halloween Sugared Doughnut Recipe: A little gem for trick-or-treat season.

**20. Apple Cider Doughnuts (pictured here): **An impossible-to-resist fall treat made with pressed apple juice.

**21. Pumpkin Pecan Pie Tray Bake: **An American expat combines two of her favourite Thanksgiving treats, pumpkin pie and pecan pie.
22. Vanilla- and Lemon-flavoured Sugar: Simple to make and endlessly practical for sprinkling upon nearly everything.

The Holiday Season

Image: Make Do Mum

23. Mini Gingerbread Bundt Cakes: Slather in ice cream, top with crushed honeycomb, repeat.
**24. Sticky Toffee Pudding: **Drowned in toffee sauce; need we say more?
**25. Festive Choc-Nut Kugelhopf & Linzer Cookies: **Somewhere in there is a slab of Nutella, but we're not saying where :)
**26. Melted Chocolate Snowmen Recipe: **Impress absolutely everyone at your next holiday buffet with these poor melting chaps.
**27. Mini Fondant Christmas Cakes: **Perfectly bite-sized, and with good reason. Merry indeed.

• If you're ready to get set baking but need a few extra tools to get you started, check out our guide to getting the Great British Bake Off Look here.