Who won Star Baker in The Great British Baking Show Season 16 Episode 1?

Netflix premiered The Great British Baking Show Season 16 Episode 1 on September 2, 2025. The first episode featured three challenges, including a signature challenge, a mystery technical challenge, and a showstopper challenge.

12 newly introduced home bakers competed in the challenges on the debut episode. Later, judges Prue Leith and Paul Hollywood chose a Star Baker. Based on all three challenges' performance, it was Nataliia who achieved the title.

Additionally, her performance in the showstopper challenge was highly appreciated by the judges for the landmark cake she had prepared. To know more about her performance in all three challenges, read further.

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The Great British Baking Show Season 16: Nataliia wins the Star Baker in the first episode of the competition

In her introduction, Nataliia shared that she felt "very honored" on becoming the first Ukrainian in the competition. She left her home country four years ago, before the war broke out. Her parents also left soon. She now lives in Yorkshire with her husband and a three-year-old daughter, Francesca.

For the first signature challenge, bakers were tasked with baking a Swiss roll with a "perfect swirl" and two types of fillings. While The Great British Baking Show judges arrived to check on Nataliia's Swiss roll preparations, they mentioned it smelled "delicious."

"It's mango, passion fruit, and jam," Nataliia shared.

She was making a Ukrainian Passion Petal Swiss Roll. Her homeland's wildflowers inspired the design. It had passion fruit and mango jam and was filled with cream cheese. The roll was decorated with chocolate petals.

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The Great British Baking Show Season 16: Nataliia's impressive performance for the technical and showstopper challenges

During the mystery technical challenge, bakers had to bake "nine perfectly decorated fondant fancies." After the blind tasting, Nataliia's fondant fancies were ranked 3rd best among 12 bakers.

For the showstopper challenge, Nataliia prepared her unique Ukrainian landscape Cake. During the preparation stage, she opened up about the idea behind her cake. She planned to add golden fields, rivers, and majestic mountains to her landscape cake. It also consisted of a rich chocolate and rum sponge with cherry jam, and a blue mirror glaze.

The Great British Baking Show star recalled being homesick sometimes. Nataliia also talked about Kyiv and how the people and places there were wonderful. Seeing her cake, judge Prue Leith said it was "beautifully" done while Paul noted the lakes, rivers, and mountain ranges.

Nataliia had prepared a chocolate sponge and whipped cream with cream cheese and cherry filling. When he asked Natallia about her hometown, Kyiv's location on the cake, she mentioned it was where the red heart was placed.

"Where the heart, yeah, that's where we should have the heart," said Prue Leith.

After tasting Nataliia's landscape cake, Paul said it was "stunning." Prue noted it was "very delicious," while Paul added that it was a special cake. The Great British Baking Show star Nataliia responded that she was "so happy."

Before the episode ended, judges and the hosts discussed how impressive the showstopper challenge was. They discussed Nataliia's landscape cake, finding the concept particularly emotional.

Further in the episode, co-host Noel-Fielding announced Nataliia as the Star Baker:

"Well done, bakers. Fortunately, I've got the great job of announcing the first Star Baker of the series. The Star Baker is Nataliia."

She was surprised to hear her name, while fellow bakers cheered and clapped for her.

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Netflix now streams The Great British Baking Show Season 16 Episode 1. The second episode of the baking show will air on September 9, 2025.