Bake It to the Finish Line
From a stunning tech bake to the nation’s first cake picnic, we’re serving you the sweetest wrap-up yet.
Hi foodie family,
We have a winner! Season 8 of The Great Australian Bake Off has crowned its star, and we’ll be giving you a sweet little overview of their journey to the trophy. Finals week was no small feat, with Darren’s dazzling Chocolate & Raspberry Entremet (pictured above) as the technical challenge—a layered masterpiece of mousse, compote, and a tricky, three glaze exterior finish, that had bakers (and judges!) holding their breath.
But Bake Off isn’t the only thing stirring up the dessert world right now. Let’s take a quick behind the scenes of Australia’s very first CakeCon in Sydney (yes, a whole festival devoted to cake—pinch us!)
CakeCon Comes to Sydney
Sydney’s very first CakeCon rolled out this weekend, and what a sight it was — over 200 whole cakes gathered in one place, ready to be sliced, shared, and celebrated.
The idea is beautifully simple: every guest brings a cake, and in return, they get to swap slices from everyone else’s creations. Think of it as a giant cake-sharing picnic — colourful, generous, and a little bit chaotic in the best way possible.
To keep things extra sweet, the day also included Darren and Rachel Khoo on the judges panel. Their job - To taste, admire, and award the prize for cake that impressed on both flavour and flair. From family favourites to wild showstoppers, the mix of bakes was a reminder that cake really does bring people together.
Founded by Joan Caballero, CakeCon is inspired by similar events overseas, with the Sydney edition marking Australia’s very first. It’s not about perfection — store-bought cakes were just as welcome as homemade bakes — but about sharing stories, connecting over food, and celebrating the joy of cake.
We’ll let the pictures do most of the talking, but one thing is certain: CakeCon isn’t just an event, it’s a celebration of creativity, community, and cake in all its glory. Watch out Melbourne, there’s one coming your way in November.
And the winner? The cake that stole Darren and Rachel’s hearts was this glorious Orange and Rosemary Cake (pictured above) - orange and rosemary sponge lightly soaked in a rosemary infused simple syrup, and filled with a layer of tangy but sweet orange preserve. This icing was a fluffy, pearlescent buttercream, topped with candied kumquats, rosemary leaves, drops of orange preserve, white rose petals and pearl dragées varying sizes. Made by talented baker Rochelle, pictured below middle. If you’d like to try this or one of her other sensational creations pop over to her insta page @Ro.nd.Ra where she collaborates with her friend Rachelle, and DM her, she might just be willing to make you one.
Rosemary – Not Just for Roast Lamb
Rosemary often gets cast as the Sunday roast sidekick, but this little evergreen sprig has a lot more range than it lets on. In our kitchen it’s just as comfortable muddled into a Cherry Margarita or tucked around a Slow-Cooked Lamb Shoulder as it was perfuming Rochelle’s CakeCon winning sponge cake.
Its piney, citrus-leaning notes add a fresh, slightly savoury lift that makes sweet things sing. Think shortbread with a whisper of rosemary sugar, poached pears infused with a sprig, panna cotta with a rosemary-honey drizzle or Darren’s rather seductive Pinenut Honey Caramel & Rosemary Tart pictured below. It’s one of those herbs that rewards a little boldness—so next time you’re baking, don’t be shy about slipping it into the sweet side of your repertoire.
Berry Unexpected - New On Youtube
You’d Beth…ER Believe it
From the moment she stepped into the Bake Off shed, Beth Hoy baked like someone who had been preparing for this moment her whole life. She announced herself in Cake Week with a Star Baker win, proving she had both flavour and finesse on her side. By Little & Large Week, she’d done it again — another Star Baker crown, this time showing off her knack for balance and proportion, both in flavour and design. Even when she wobbled (Tropical Week was a sticky one for almost everyone), Beth bounced back stronger, grounding her bakes in flavour memories and a cool head under pressure.
As the weeks rolled on, Beth carved out her reputation as the quiet powerhouse: not the flashiest, but the one who could be trusted to deliver. Earth Week, Japan Week, Patisserie Week — each showed off another layer of her skillset, from smart flavour pairings to technically flawless execution. By the time the finale arrived, Beth had proved she wasn’t just a contender; she was a front-runner.
The Choux Must Go On
The finale was always going to be a test of nerve. From intricately designed Top Forward Cakes to Darren’s Chocolate & Raspberry Entremet, which demanded near-surgical precision, Beth remained unfazed, producing a glossy, pearl-dusted masterpiece. But her defining moment came in the Showstopper: her grand Choux-Stopper (pictured below).
It was a true spectacle, Crisp Golden Choux Shells, filled with light-as-air creams, stacked with engineering-grade neatness, and finished with a jeweller’s eye for detail. It was indulgent but elegant, celebratory yet disciplined — exactly what a winning The Great Australian Bake Off bake should be.
Of course, Beth’s triumph doesn’t dim the brilliance of her fellow finalists, Jess Synon (above left) and Vanessa Furci (above right), who baked with equal parts courage and creativity right to the very end. Their final bakes were nothing short of extraordinary — a reminder of just how high the bar was set this season. And let’s not forget the rest of the bakers who dared to dream inside that famous tent. Each one brought their own spark, their own flavours, and their own stories to the bench, leaving us with a season that was as warm and generous as it was delicious.
Streaming Now on Foxtel and Binge
Not everyone jumps at the idea of baking under studio lights, with cameras capturing every bead of sweat and all of these people (pictured below) silently watching your every move. It’s not exactly the cosy Sunday bake we all picture at home. There’s no dog curled up by the oven, no playlist humming in the background — just the relentless tick of the clock, Natalie and Tom hovering around your bench, and the knowledge that the whole country might watch you wrestle with a ganache that refuses to set.
So why do people sign up for The Great Australian Bake Off? For some, it’s the ultimate test — a chance to see if their kitchen creations can hold up under pressure. For others, it’s the magic of stepping into a tent filled with people who love butter, sugar, and ambition just as much as they do. And maybe, for all of them, it’s about proving that even in the most nerve-wracking moments, joy still rises — like the perfect cake in a hot oven. Season 8 may be over, but the joy of baking? Well that’s forever!
Darren’s finale Chocolate & Raspberry Entremet on The Great Australian Bake Off was the kind of dessert that makes patisserie pros sweat—and viewers gasp. Three hours, multiple components, zero margin for error: silky mousse, tart raspberry compote, a crunchy chocolate-cranberry base, and a mirror glaze swirled in bold stripes of red, yellow, and white. One slip, one bubble, and perfection vanished. Every step demanded precision, from piping the mousse to mastering the dramatic dry-ice freeze.
The final flourish? A glaze pour so smooth it looked like edible art, crowned with pearl-dusted raspberries. Crunch, tang, silk—every bite tells a story. Think you’ve got what it takes? Try Darren’s show-stopping entremet yourself and taste the drama! Recipe Link Here
Love this! CakeCon looks heavenly, and what a fab S8 of Bake Off! Congrats 🎉
Love this! CakeCon looks heavenly!