"A Swiss roll": The Great British Bake Off kicks off with Alison Hammond revealing the first challenge

The Great British Bake Off Season 16 premiered on September 2, 2025. With Paul Hollywood and Prue Leith returning to judge the baking show, fans witnessed 12 home bakers participating in the show.

For the Cake Week, the first challenge was to prepare a Swiss roll according to the judges' instructions. Hosted by Alison Hammond and Noel Fielding, home bakers would bake a signature bake, the technical bake, and the showstopper.

The first challenge of the season was revealed by co-host Alison Hammond.

"So, for your first ever challenge, the judges would like you to make a Swiss roll. Your Swiss roll must be beautifully decorated."

Co-host Noel Fielding added:

"And your sponge must have an inlay design and be rolled with at least two different fillings, creating a perfect swirl."

The Great British Bake Off Season 16 Episode 1: Participants went through their first challenge of the season

The Great British Bake Off Season 16 premiered with 12 home bakers arriving at the baking tent. This included Aaron, Hassan, Iain, Jasmine, Jessika, Leighton, Lesley, Nadia, Nataliia, Pui Man, Toby, and Tom.

After welcoming everyone, show hosts Alison Hammond and Noel Fielding revealed the first challenge. For that, bakers were supposed to make a "beautifully decorated" Swiss roll. For that, it should have an inlay design and two different types of fillings inside it. Additionally, the fillings should create a "perfect swirl."

As Noel showed his outfit with a swirl pattern, Alison joked that she "rolled" him earlier. Everyone couldn't contain their laughter. For the challenge, bakers had two hours.

Lesley said that she was enjoying herself while going through the first challenge. Hassan confessed to being "still nervous" while preparing his Swiss roll.

The Great British Bake Off judge Prue Leith shared that achieving a "perfect" Swiss roll was very hard.

"The perfect Swiss roll is very hard to achieve. It should be round, not oval. And then, of course, we want the perfect swirl," Prue Leith said.

She also talked about the importance of vibrant colors. Fellow judge Paul Hollywood said that they wanted something "bold, full of color, and full of flavor." On top of that, the Swiss roll was also supposed to taste "absolutely delicious."

While bakers worked on their Swiss roll preparations, judges went to see what they were making. Each of them had a unique and creative idea for their first challenge.

There were various types of flavors and exciting-looking designs on each of the Swiss rolls. They were:

1. Tom: Tartan Swiss Roll
2. Jasmine: Lemon and Raspberry Swiss Roll
3. Lesley: Lemons and Daisies Swiss Roll
4. Aaron: Pure (But No) Honey Swiss Roll
5. Nadia: Cherry Amour Swiss Roll
6. Pui Man: Lemon and Matcha Swiss Roll
7. Toby: Rhubarb and Custard Swiss Roll
8. Jessika: Coconut and Grapefruit Swiss Roll
9. Natalia: Ukrainian Passion Petal Swiss Roll
10. Leighton: Amalfi Coast Lemon Glade Swiss Roll
11. Hassan: Chocolate, Coffee, and Caramel Swiss Roll
12. Ian: Fift-Queen's University Swiss Roll

Further on the The Great British Bake Off Season 16, participants went through the second challenge.

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To know about the results for the first challenge, fans can stream The Great British Bake Off Season 16 Episode 1 on Netflix.

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