04/30/2026
This trip to London really leaned into shows and entertainment that bring me joy, so it only made sense to include something inspired by The Great British Bake Off. But this wasn’t just sitting back and watching. This was stepping into it.
Who doesn’t love that show? There is something so heartwarming about watching a group of strangers cheerily bake their hearts out while we get increasingly stressed on their behalf over unrisen cakes and soggy bottoms. And at some point, everyone watching has had the thought that they could stand behind one of those ovens, with the pastel kitchenware and the sliding doors, and give it a go.
This was my chance to do exactly that, without ever having to audition or cook a single crumb ahead of time, thanks to The Big London Bake.
It’s set in the garden of The Castle, just a few minutes from Tooting Broadway station. The pub itself is lovely, both inside and out, and the tent is tucked right into the garden. Walking in, it really does feel like you are on the show. The space is a replica of the Great British Bake soft set laid out exactly ljke the tent, with ten individual stations, each with its own oven, mixer, and all the utensils you need. Off to the side, there is a “creating corner” stocked with every essence, color, and decorative edible you could think of.
The premise is simple. You make your way into the tent with a group of other teams, get assigned your station by the head baker, and are given a recipe and instructions. Then the clock starts. You have 80 minutes to bake, decorate, and present a themed cake.
Everything is weighed out in advance, which keeps things moving and makes it accessible even if you are not a baker. The written instructions are clear and detailed, and the staff are there the whole time to answer questions and guide you if you get stuck. The head baker talks everyone through how the time will run, explains the recipe, and then calls out time updates in 20-minute increments as you go.
Everyone works in pairs, which makes it a lot more fun and, honestly, necessary. There is a lot to get through in 80 minutes.
Our challenge was a spring-themed cake with a bird’s nest on top and fondant birds. What that actually looked like was open to interpretation.
I made the cakes while Dannielle worked on the nest. Then we switched. She handled the buttercream while I worked on the fondant birds and started assembling everything. There was a lot of butter, a lot of sugar, and a lot of mixing happening all at once, but eventually something that resembled a cake came together.
We went with an almond and vanilla flavor for our sponge and robin’s egg blue frosting used biscotti pieces to create the speckled effect . We had plans to use Oreos for that, but there were none, so we adjusted on the fly.
Catchy music was playing throughout (with some ABBA of course!) and people were laughing were laughing and having a blast, but there was also a real sense of focus. The competition is friendly, but it is still a competition.
You start noticing the people around you who clearly know what they are doing. The couple behind us secured their cake to the stand with a bit of buttercream and rolling fondant into perfect flower accents, and that was the moment I realized they were probably going to win the whole shebang (spoiler: they did).
Meanwhile, we had somehow ended up with our own four-tier “showstopper.” Calling it a masterpiece might be generous, but we were pretty proud of what we put together in that timeframe.
When time is called and you hear “bakers, step away from your cakes,” I really and truly could appreciate how challenging the beakers on the show have it to create the bakes they do in such tight timeframes.
You have the option to enter your cake for judging, which means they will cut into it, or you can take it home intact. We went for judging. The head baker reviews each cake based on creativity, decoration, and presentation and how closely it delivers on the required elements such as having a nest and birds atop. Thankfully, there is no Paul Hollywood in sight, so the feedback stays positive.
Only first, second, and third places are announced. Everyone else is effectively fourth. No one is calling out the rest.
We came in second.
The winners take home a golden cake server, which felt like a very appropriate prize and another lovely homage to the show.
From start to finish, it was two hours of flour-filled fun. It is one of those experiences that really delivers on what it promises. The setup is thoughtful, the equipment is high quality, and the attention to detail makes it feel like you are part of something familiar instead of just watching it.
We did so many fun things in London, and this ended up being one of my favorites, which surprised both me and Dannielle. We had joked going in that it might be the end of our friendship. It turned out to be the opposite. There is something about working together under a time limit, figuring things out as you go, that makes it a lot of fun.
We’re not giving up our day jobs and heading into baking, but we walked out of there pretty proud of what we managed to pull together, especially having never made buttercream from scratch before. For a couple of hours in a tent in Tooting, we got to step into something we’ve watched for years and actually be part of it.
And honestly, I’d do it again in a heartbeat.
