Top 20 Funniest Celebrity Bake Off Moments
#20: Lookalikes
This gang of celebrities was asked to identify their celebrity doppelgangers, and turn them into a showstopping biscuit. Fern Brady went for Boy George; Dermot O’Leary went for James Norton; while Greg James picked Clare Balding. Mel B, Fern, and Dermot all did excellent jobs, but Greg James? He produced something truly nightmarish. When Noel and Alison came over to have a look, they couldn’t believe it, nor did they really see the resemblance to Clare. After all that, his biscuits did taste nice, but we couldn’t get over the way they looked. Balding herself later reacted online to the tribute, saying that Greg James had won her heart, even if he wasn’t the Star Baker.
#19: Rear of the Year
Joe Wilkinson rocked up to make a cake inspired by his lifelong ambition to win Rear of the Year. We think that he probably should have worn some tighter trousers in the tent that day if this was his pitch to the powers that be that he has an awards-worthy bum, especially since he hasn’t yet got his recognition, but the cake turned out well. It was a stroke of genius, because without him taking his clothes off, Prue and Paul had no way to judge the accuracy of the design. But they COULD judge the flavours, and they were full of compliments for the cake itself and the ganache. Considering getting ganache right can be tricky for amateur bakers, this was a valuable compliment.
#18: A Perfect Day
Master of the non-sequitor Lucy Beaumont appeared on this edition, making a showstopper based on her perfect day off. Her day, of course, involves Tom Hardy, Idris Elba, and Yorkshire puddings – the cake, however, was far from perfect. She needed a lot of help, with David Morrissey often hovering nearby to pep her up, and Prue herself even coming over to help tidy when flour went everywhere. The showstopper cakes went badly wrong, ending up burnt and rock solid. We wonder what Tom Hardy and Idris Elba themselves thought of her attempt; probably fear, since anyone who produces a cake like this is probably capable of anything.
#17: Camping Holiday
The entire “Derry Girls” episode is one of the funniest “Bake Off” editions in history, but if we had to pick just one moment from it, it was Siobhan McSweeney’s camping-themed showstopper. It was allegedly inspired by the happiest time in Siobhan’s life, the 1980s, paying homage to her family camping trips in Ireland. But it didn’t really work out. Still, bringing that showstopper to the table is one of the most memorable celebrity disasters we’ve ever seen in the tent. While the grass was imaginative, the tent itself at the top of the cake was very unusual indeed, a big, brown brick of fondant.
#16: Coffee or Cocoa?
In this “Ab Fab” special from the BBC iteration, the entire nation learnt that Joanna Lumley doesn’t really know what she’s doing in the kitchen. She made some serious errors, including, infamously, getting coffee confused with cocoa powder, transforming her chocolate cake into something all the more energising. Thankfully, Sue Perkins pointed this out and Joanna got the chance to start again, but she ruined the second cake, too, by overloading it with baking powder. But it can’t have been easy trying to bake with Lulu in the tent playing mindgames. Unsurprisingly, Lumley wasn’t the Star Baker that week.
#15: The Wardrobe
Albert Square hardman Danny Dyer turned out to be a dab hand at baking, going for a very ambitious showstopper themed around a time he accidentally sealed himself inside a wardrobe. He explains the story better than we ever could, showing off his elaborate layer cake built to look like his wardrobe prison. The moment when the lopsided cake was opened to reveal a miniature Danny within had the entire tent in stitches, along with everything else he said – like calling his cake a “mug” over and over. Prue and Paul loved it, though, and the layers came out extremely well. Who can say no to a fondant Danny Dyer?
#14: The Croquembouche of Nightmares
There were diabolical scenes in this special, with Nick Hewer deciding to make a “Countdown” themed croquembouche. This much choux pastry is difficult for anybody, let alone a total amateur, but it got worse when Paul came over to scrutinise Nick’s dodgy recipe. Paul then made Ricky Wilson from the Kaiser Chiefs lend Nick his own pastry recipe and even helped him with the mixture, but it was all for nought. Nick created possibly the worst croquembouche in history, with the profiteroles so solid that he couldn’t even really get the filling inside. He tried to play it off as a novel, cutting-edge choux technique, but it didn’t wash.
#13: Rainbow Goes Wrong
For this showstopper, they all had to make a rainbow dream cake, which Alan Carr decided to interpret as being a literal dream about the classic children’s TV show, “Rainbow”. Noel and Sandi tried to help him, but it was all to no avail, with the cake coming together in the messiest way possible. Noel even intervened to make George out of fondant, with Zippy already completed by Alan. In the end, though, presentation wasn’t everything, because the cakes were dreadful, too. The bottom one was dry, but edible, while the top one was rock solid, with Paul sceptical about its groundbreaking consistency.
#12: A New Substance
Years later, and this is still quite possibly the worst “Bake Off” cake in history, even with strong competition from Lucy Beaumont. “Made in Chelsea’s” Jamie Laing created a banana loaf that resembled tofu more than it resembled a cake, baffling Paul and Prue when they cut into it. He seemed oblivious to the disaster in waiting until they cut off a slice and revealed his alien creation, which should probably be added as a new element to the periodic table at this point. The other celebrities all flocked to the table to have a taste, with Paul making Jamie try it before he dared attempt it himself.
#11: The World’s Worst Ice Cream Roll
Banoffee ice cream CAN work, but not in a roll, as David O’Doherty unfortunately discovered. Paul was already sceptical of it, pointing out that nobody had ever made a banoffee ice cream roll before, and the finished product didn’t do anything to alleviate that scepticism. David wasn’t helped by his decision not to practice, either. The judges both thought it was putrid, though David remained in denial until they’d left. Usually, they share the bakes with the crew, but we wonder if anyone braved a bite of this. Although, you can actually get banoffee pie ice cream in the supermarket now, so perhaps O’Doherty was onto something.
#10: Theroux Truth
Louis Theroux has been in some of the most dangerous places in the world and interviewed some of the worst people for his documentaries. But none of that could’ve prepared him for entering the Bake Off tent in 2020. As he was in the midst of creating his choux pastry sculpture, Paul Hollywood, Prue Leith, and Noel Fielding went to chat with Theroux. After Leith mentions the danger he’s faced in his life, Theroux dead-pan says this. Amazing.
#9: Wet Help
When you're in a competition, you’re going to try and get any advantage you can. And James McAvoy certainly tried that. When the Scottish actor dabbled in baking on “The Great Stand Up to Cancer Bake Off,” he discovered a common but big problem. His dough was wet. When the camera crew interviewed him, McAvoy kept emphasizing how damp the dough was. The Charles Xavier performer planned to keep saying it until someone in the production mentioned how to fix it. Instead, he was met with silence. Still, McAvoy ended up winning Star Baker.
#8: Tan-tastic
Tan France, the master of the French tuck on “Queer Eye,” appeared in series three of “The Great Stand Up to Cancer Bake Off.” And he couldn’t turn off his fashion noggin during the event, especially when it came to Paul Hollywood’s attire. After joking about replacing the baking judge on the show, France made this cheeky remark. But even with his jesting jibes, France still ended up as Star Baker! We wonder if his “Queer Eye” co-star and food guru Antoni Porowski had given France some advice beforehand…
#7: Lycett’s Lost Love
No matter if Joe Lycett is taking on David Beckham or Liz Truss, he’s always a delight. In the first series of "The Great Stand Up to Cancer Bake Off,” The comedian formerly known as Hugo Boss didn’t have an easy time in the famous tent. So much so that he resorted to sneaky manipulation. When he presented his fruit turnovers, he wrote “I heart Paul” in icing. Did it work? No, not at all. After coming third in the round, Lycett destroyed the message.
#6: Accidentally Anti-Pride
Sometimes, the image of your creation looks so much better in your mind than in reality. Sadly – and hilariously – this is something Aisling Bea discovered. For the final episode of the first series of “The Great Stand Up to Cancer Bake Off,” the showstopper challenge involved making a rainbow dream cake. So, the comedian went with a pride-inspired treat. And…well…it didn’t exactly come out too well as it looked like a messed up Leaning Tower of Pisa. However, the added sparklers were a great choice! (Xref) Like Joe Lycett, Bea took some Dutch courage to ease her baking nerves. Only she drank straight from a can rather than hide it in a mug.
#5: Roisin’s Beach Cake
Despite claiming that cakes are things that live in her mouth, Roisin presented this disastrous showstopper that was in her words, “Absolute carnage”. In fact, it’s such a mess that Noel even asks Paul if he’s ever taken a handshake back. And it isn’t just the appearance that was shredded by the judges as Prue questions if they had even been baked at all while Paul concludes that this is the worst gingerbread he has ever had. Thank goodness for shop-bought desserts, hey, Roisin?
#4: Lee Mack’s Attempt
Lee certainly made a lasting impression in the Bake Off tent - just not for his baking. He barely gets started before managing to grate his fingers, squirt fruit juice in his eye and break a pair of scissors. With every baking disaster, and there are a lot of them, he never fails to make us laugh. Somehow he makes an incredible comeback with his showstopper, although he does also manage to throw his icing on the floor. He had said that he would consider it a win if he didn’t burn down the tent so we guess congratulations are in order.
#3: The Missing Door
Before Alison Hammond took over the mantle as Noel Fielding’s co-presenter on the show, she was a contestant on “The Great Stand Up to Cancer Bake Off” on series three. And, like many celebs before her, she ran into a problem. But the “This Morning” icon didn’t have an issue with the baking, per se. Instead, it was down to technology. As Hammond was about to put her tray into the oven, she realized the contraption’s door was mysteriously missing. After a few seconds of confusion, the penny dropped as her legendary laugh rang out.
#2: Cracking Up
Having been a presenter on “Bake Off: The Professionals” and worked on “The Great British Bake Off: An Extra Slice,” Tom Allen definitely had an advantage when he took part in “The Great Stand Up to Cancer Bake Off” in 2021. And when the judges examined his Millionaire Shortbread, things got off to a good start when Hollywood cut into it and complimented the crack. Seeing the euphemism presented to him, he took it. Then, something magical happened. The Hollywood handshake was offered to the comedian!..then swiftly taken away as a tease.
#1: The Iconic Meme
No famous face has left as much of an impression on “The Great Stand Up to Cancer Bake Off” as James Acaster. The comedian’s appearance was filled with one memorable moment after another that spawned many, many memes that turned him into a national treasure. And we can thank Jetlag for it! Yet one incident, in particular, resonated with the audience with its relatability. A sleep-deprived Acaster had a bad time making his cherry Bakewell flapjacks. Once he presented the mostly mushy remains to the judges, they asked him about the experience. With blunt, jokey honesty, he told them about his breakdown and then finished with “bon appétit,” to the delight of the tent and those watching at home.
Let us know in the comments which celebrity you want to see do “Bake Off”.
