Great British Bake Off 2023: Pinch of Nom Cake Recipes

 

It’s our favourite time of the year! Get settled in your favourite spot on the sofa, grab a cup of tea and make sure you have some snacks nearby because…The Great British Bake Off is back for 2023!

Yep, GBBO starts this Tuesday at 8pm on Channel 4 and we’ve been counting down the days. 

Who else is so ready for cosy nights in watching the telly? The new series is sure to include all of our favourite Bake Off moments – soggy bottoms and dessert disasters, as well as baking triumphs and sugary sweet showstoppers. 

Week one is traditionally cake week, where the new bakers will step into the famous tent for the first time and show Paul and Prue their baking prowess.

We can already feel the tension! Whose cake will sink and who’ll get that Hollywood handshake?

One thing we know for sure is that watching the Great British Bake Off always makes us feel hungry! If you can’t watch without reaching for the cake yourself, how about trying out your own baking skills?

Whether you’re a star baker or a beginner, our slimming friendly cakes are much lower in calories than the ones they’ll be whipping up in the Bake Off tent. 

Here’s what we’d recommend to snack on while the bakers get to work under the watchful eyes of the Bake Off judges!

Slimming-friendly signature bakes

Every episode of GBBO kicks off with a signature bake. The challenge is simple – the bakers put their own spin on a classic recipe. They get the chance to practice this recipe before they recreate it in the tent so you’d expect them to get it perfect every time. 

But factor in nerves and the icy blue stare of Paul Hollywood and you know there’ll be some slip ups in week one! 

The good news is that you can have a go at your own signature bake in the safety of your kitchen – with no judges in sight. 

How about a light, fluffy Lemon Drizzle Cake? It’s beginner friendly and just 73 calories a slice, so you can enjoy a piece in front of Great British Bake Off 2023, while you watch the drama unfold onscreen. 

Although the name suggests otherwise, banana bread is another easy bake that’s perfect for cake week. Our Banana Bread with Chocolate Chips will hit the spot – and you can get in on the fun and give it your own unique signature twist if you want!

How about adding in some chopped nuts, dried fruit or white chocolate chunks? Anything goes, just remember to adjust the calories if you’re calorie counting. 

If you feel like trying your hand at something a little fancier, how good do Black Forest Desserts sound? Inspired by a classic black forest gateau, we’ve layered chocolate sponge cake with silky chocolate cream and sweet cherries, and topped the whole thing off with some low-fat squirty cream. 

It looks impressive, but it’s easier than you might think, and the whole dessert comes in at just 305 calories. Grab a spoon and tuck in if the sight of the baker’s creations is sending your sweet tooth into overdrive!

These Mini Strawberry Sponges are the perfect bitesize treat to enjoy with a cup of tea anytime – but especially on a Tuesday night in front of the TV. Our slimming-friendly version of a classic Victoria sponge is so much lighter, but every bit as delicious. At just 48 calories each, you can easily fit a couple of these into your meal plan for the week and still stay on track. 

Tasty technical challenges

When the tension ramps up, you know it’s time for the bakers to face their technical bake. Perhaps the trickiest round, they never know what they’re about to face – so if the challenge is a type of cake they’ve never even heard of, chaos ensues!

While you might not fancy challenging yourself to something quite so tricky in your own kitchen, why not have a go at a slightly more complicated bake? 

These Jaffa Cakes are exactly the kind of challenge the bakers will be facing in the tent. Our version is simpler than you’d expect, and we’ve cut out so many of the calories. 

You just need to make little cake bases, some orange jelly and a drizzle of chocolate over the top. Not a big fan of orange? You can use whatever flavour of jelly you’d like, giving the recipe your own unique twist. 

If you’re a dedicated Bake Off fan, you’ll have seen many failed Swiss Rolls over the years. Our Tiramisu Swiss Roll is a great recipe to test out your skills, and it’ll still taste amazing if you don’t get the roll perfect on the first try. 

It’s rich with chocolate and sweet, bitter coffee. A slice comes in at just 103 calories, so get curled up and enjoy your treat – doesn’t it always taste better when it’s homemade?

Fancy something that looks a bit more impressive but isn’t hard to make? These Chocolate Cakes with Salted Caramel Cream are your dream recipe!

If you’re craving cake they’ll tick every box – sweet, rich and slimming friendly. You don’t need as many ingredients as you may think, so it’s a fuss free, affordable recipe too. A winner all round!

These Cinnamon Drizzle Squares are a lovely treat served with a scoop of ice cream or some yoghurt. They’re not tricky to make, but they pack a sweet punch. You can play around with the flavours too, so if you don’t really like cinnamon you can make them with vanilla. 

Showstopping sweet treats

Before the star baker of the week is crowned, there’s the small matter of the showstopper bake. A chance for the contestants to really show the judges what they’re capable of, it’s time to go big or go home. 

While we watch them create towers and sculptures out of cake, we’ll be needing something sweet to nibble on. Heavy with buttercream and sugary icing, the baker’s cakes will be far from slimming friendly, but we’ve got plenty of recipes you can try at home that are a little lighter. 

This Pineapple Upside Down Cake is the ideal way to show off your baking skills to your friends. It’s retro but irresistible, and sure to impress your guests if you’ve invited people round to watch the show with you. 

The caramelised top adds a delicious crunch, and we love ours served with some Custard. It’s super comforting – just like cake should be. 

If you’ve ever had one of those fancy chocolate lava cakes in a restaurant, you’ve probably assumed they’d be too hard to make at home. What if we told you that you can make them in the microwave?

These Chocolate Lava Mug Cakes are deceptively easy to make, but the payoff is still there – they’re rich with oozy, gooey chocolate sauce in the centre. Can you imagine anything better to eat while watching the Great British Bake Off 2023?

Is a cheesecake still technically a cake? We’re not sure this would be allowed on cake week, but our Biscoff Cheesecake is too good to miss off this list. 

Made with the caramelised Lotus Biscoff spread and crumbled biscuits of the same name, this cheesecake is baked in the oven. There’s no denying it’s a real showstopper!

Enjoy it on its own or with a dollop of low calorie squirty cream for the ultimate sweet treat. 

Star Baker

Excited to see who’s crowned star baker? Let us know if you’ll be watching the new series of Bake Off, and what your favourite cake recipes are! Head on over to our Facebook Group to get involved – there are almost 1 million members who love to share inspiration and moral support on their slimming journeys.