“The Great British Baking Show: Holidays” premiered its sixth season on Netflix on Friday, bringing back several alumni bakers and welcoming a few newcomers to practice their festive baking.
The holiday baking competition is a spinoff of beloved baking competition show “The Great British Baking Show,” originally called “The Great British Bake Off” in its native United Kingdom. The holiday edition welcomes back contestants from previous seasons of “The Great British Baking Show” and often includes special guests, such as the cast of “Derry Girls” and “It’s a Sin.”
In honor of the premiere of the sixth season, here are some of the most memorable bakes from previous years and similar recipes so you can try your hand at some holiday baking. (To clarify, this is a completely subjective list based off my own experience as a GBBO fan and avid home baker, so feel free to share your own top recipes in the comments.)
5 holiday bakes from ‘The Great British Baking Show’
1. Paul’s ‘Nutty about Christmas’ Yule log
The very first episode of “The Great British Baking Show: Holidays” kicked off with former contestants baking a Yule log, a Swiss roll decorated to look like a tree log in honor of the fires burned at the winter solstice. Paul Jagger’s chocolate cake with chestnut buttercream impressed the judges and helped him win the title of Christmas Star Baker.
Although the show does not always publish the recipes contestants use, judge Prue Leith has shared her own chocolate Yule log recipe. Feel free to make it your own or imitate Jagger’s by adding chestnut or other flavors to the buttercream or switching up the toppings.
2. Candice’s cinnamon and apple stollen
Stollen is a German Christmas bread filled with spices, marzipan and dried fruit. Candice Brown’s version featured a two-layer cinnamon bun stollen with dried apple, and she has shared her exact recipe on the Great British Bake Off website.
Candice also rolled out and colored marzipan to look like miniature apples, so if you’re feeling fancy, give her decoration a try as well.
3. Jamie-Lee’s chocolate orange trifle
The third season of “The Great British Baking Show: Holidays” welcomed the cast of “Derry Girls” to the baking tent to try their hand at holiday recipes, and several left the judges remarkably impressed. Although Jamie-Lee O’Donnell said she didn’t have much experience baking, notoriously scrupulous judge Paul Hollywood said her trifle tasted “amazing.”
Her recipe has not been shared publicly, but this chocolate orange trifle from Jane’s Patisserie seems just as tasty and makes a show-stopping holiday centerpiece.
4. Rahul’s plum, blackberry and ginger crumble
Rahul Mandal won Season 9 of “The Great British Baking Show,” and he returned to defend his title for the fourth season of “The Great British Baking Show: Holidays.” Hollywood called Mandal’s crumble “beautiful,” although he did note the ginger was fairly strong. I think a spicy, gingery treat is perfect for the holidays, so give Rahul’s recipe a try.
5. Hermine’s apricot custard crumble buns
Season 5 of the holiday competition tasked bakers with making breakfast buns, and Hermine’s apricot custard crumble buns are the perfect treat to enjoy on a cold winter morning. She was known on her season for her French-inspired bakes, although this recipe actually uses an Italian method for pre-fermenting the dough known as a biga.