The Great British Bake Off Season 16 Episode 1: Inside the season's first technical challenge

Netflix premiered The Great British Bake Off Season 16 on September 2, 2025. The first episode of the baking show started with Cake Week. Hosted by Alison Hammond and Noel Fielding and judged by Paul Hollywood and Prue Leith, the show introduced 12 home bakers.

After the first challenge, where bakers had to prepare a Swiss roll with a perfect swirl, they advanced to the second challenge. It was a mystery technical challenge.

For that, bakers had to bake nine "perfectly decorated" fondant fancies. There would be a blind tasting for the challenge. Also, bakers were given a piece of fondant fancy to figure out the ingredients, including flavors, jam, and cream.

Official synopsis for the first episode of The Great British Bake Off Season 16 reads:

"It is Cake Week. Our 12 new bakers take on their first Signature and produce a perfect Swiss roll with an inlay design. Next, under the fabled gingham cloth are the ingredients for the first Technical, fondant fancies."

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The Great British Bake Off Season 16: Bakers go through the first Technical Challenge

The debut episode of The Great British Bake Off Season 16 saw its second challenge, which was a Technical Challenge. Co-host Alison mentioned there would be a mystery second challenge every week.

"It's time for your technical challenge, set for you by Captain Cakeman himself, Paul Hollywood," announced Noel Fielding.

Co-host Alison asked Paul to share "words of wisdom" for the bakers. Listening to her, judge Paul Hollywood responded:

"First of all, don't panic. Use your baking intuition. It is going to be difficult, but it's not impossible."

Alison mentioned that it would be a challenge which would feature blind judging. Hence, she requested the judges to leave the tent before revealing the technical challenge.

The Great British Bake Off hosts then announced the challenge:

"The judges would like you to bake nine perfectly decorated fondant fancies. The judges are looking for light sponge, well-set jam, smooth buttercream, and precise fondant decoration. You have two hours and fifteen minutes."

However, there was a twist. Bakers were given limited ingredients for their baking and a piece of fondant fancy to taste. They were supposed to taste it to figure out flavors, which ingredients to use, and how they would make it.

Far from the tent, judges talked about the mystery technical challenge. They mentioned there was an almond and raspberry flavor in the given fondant fancy.

Bakers were given various options for flour, extract, fruits, and more to prepare their jam, cream, and base. While some of them mixed almond flour, a few chose almond extract.

Additionally, there were strawberries and raspberries to prepare jam. Bakers had to figure out which of those ingredients was the correct choice to prepare the fondant fancy.

After the bakers completed the challenge, judges arrived to taste the fondant fancies. It was then that The Great British Bake Off judge Paul Hollywood revealed the correct ingredients:

"So what we're looking for are nine beautifully formed fondant fancies. Almond buttercream with an almond sponge with a raspberry fondant on the outside. Raspberry jam in the middle as well."

After blind tasting, judges ranked the fondant fancies from worst to best.

• 12th: Tom
• 11th: Pui Man
• 10th: Hassan
• 9th: Jasmine
• 8th: Iain
• 7th: Nadia
• 6th: Leighton
• 5th: Lesley
• 4th: Aaron
• 3rd: Nataliia
• 2nd: Jessika
• 1st: Toby

Judges noted that even with ground almonds, Toby managed to get the "overall look," and the color was right. They also appreciated Jessika and Nataliia's cakes and their efforts.

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Netflix is now streaming The Great British Bake Off Season 16 Episode 1.