Bake Off bakers faced a tricky free-from challenge – here's how to make your own chocolate showstopper

Lucy Roxburgh – food and drink expert

Published: November 3, 2026 at 9:30 PM

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Ditch the butter and eggs to make a vegan showstopper

Butter, eggs, milk and flour all took a break from the Great British Bake Off tent this week as Free From Party Week took over. This didn't mean bakes could be free from flavour or the bakers free from skills – Nigella wants the bakers to show that free-from baking can be delectable. It's a sweet, positive message mainly focused on kids parties and making sure no one is left out of having a sweet treat.

For the signature challenge, bakers had to bake gluten-free pastries fit for a children’s party. Judges were looking for crisp laminated pastry with sweet or savoury filling, but perhaps they didn't expect such a nature theme as they got served up pastry butterflies, caterpillars and ladybirds. Gluten provides the structure in pastry, so it's a challenge from the outset, with varying levels of acceptable flakiness in the pastry and Paul feeling shortchanged by meagre levels of filling – but still one special handshake was given out.

If you want to have a go on your own, we've made a gluten-free chicken pie that could easily be adapted to individual bakes, or try these gluten-free mince pies as the festive season approaches. And if you do have Christmas on the mind with any free-from guests attending, we've got you covered with recipes for a vegan chocolate yule log, gluten-free Christmas cake and even a vegan panettone, so everyone can enjoy all the Christmas classics.

The technical and showstopper challenges were both cake-based, with gluten- and dairy-free bakes on the menu. We've got plenty of gluten-free birthday cake recipes and vegan cake recipes, although admittedly none with moving parts, as requested by Paul and Nigella for the showstopper. Clever ingredient swaps mean our plant-based chocolate cake below is a perfect party showstopper, and you can even make it gluten-free too to cover all bases. We've also got a vegan chocolate traybake version to feed a crowd with no layering required. It's handshake-worthy in our eyes!

Now the remaining bakers have made it to the quarter-final, so we'll be tuning in next week for Caramel Week...

Vegan birthday cake

This decadent, plant-based chocolate cake is guaranteed to bring joy to any birthday party. Everyone will love the dairy-free buttercream and colourful sprinkles. You can make it gluten-free too: simply swap the flour for gluten-free self-raising flour, but do check that your baking powder and bicarbonate of soda are gluten-free, too.

Family food, vegan birthday cake

Prep time: 1 hour, plus cooling and 1½ -2½ hrs chilling

Cook time: 30 mins

320ml sunflower oil, plus extra for the tins
450ml soy, almond or coconut milk (the pouring variety, not a can)
1 tbsp apple cider vinegar
500g light muscovado sugar
2 tsp vanilla extract or vanilla bean paste
260g plain soy or coconut yogurt
450g self-raising flour
160g cocoa powder
1½ tsp baking powder
1½ tsp bicarbonate of soda

For the vegan buttercream

200g dairy-free dark chocolate
400g vegan spread, at room temperature
2 tsp vanilla extract or vanilla bean paste
800g icing sugar, sifted
colourful sprinkles (make sure they are suitable for vegans)

Method

Heat the oven to 180C/160C fan/gas 4. Oil three 20cm round cake tins and line the bases and sides with baking parchment (if you don’t have three tins, cook the batter in batches). Whisk the milk and vinegar together in a jug – the milk should curdle slightly. Set aside.
Whisk the sugar, oil and vanilla extract together in a bowl, then whisk in the yogurt, making sure to break down any sugar lumps. Pour in the soured milk and mix well.
Sift the flour, cocoa powder, baking powder, bicarbonate of soda and ½ tsp salt into a separate bowl and stir well to combine. Gradually whisk the wet ingredients into the dry until you have a smooth batter, but be careful not to over-mix.
Divide the batter evenly between the tins and bake for 25-30 mins, until well risen and springy, and a skewer inserted into the centre comes out almost clean. A few sticky crumbs are fine, but the mixture should not be wet.
Leave the cakes to cool in their tins for 20 mins, then carefully turn them out onto a wire rack to cool completely. They will be delicate so be gentle (a cake lifter is helpful). The sponges will keep, covered, at room temperature for up to two days.
For the vegan buttercream, melt the chocolate in the microwave or a bowl set over a pan of simmering water. Leave to cool. Beat the spread and vanilla on high speed in a stand mixer for a few minutes until pale and fluffy. Add the icing sugar gradually, beating on slow to start with, then turning up the speed to max until the mixture is light and creamy. Pour in the cooled chocolate and combine thoroughly. Chill the buttercream for at least 30 mins before using.
To assemble the cake, first use a sharp knife to trim the tops off the sponges to make them level. Put one of the sponges on a serving plate, cake stand or 20cm round cake drum (using a cake drum makes it easier to ice the cake neatly and to move it onto a stand or plate later). Spread over a layer of the buttercream, using a palette knife to get an even, neat finish. Top with the second sponge and spread over another layer of buttercream.
Top with the last sponge upside-down, so the bottom of the cake becomes the top (this will help to keep the icing neat and relatively crumb-free). Spread the sides of the cake with buttercream. Hold the top sponge steady with a palm if you need to stabilise the cake. Once you have the sides covered as neatly as you can, cover the top with a thin layer of buttercream. Use your palette knife to neaten the top and sides. If you have a side scraper, use it to sweep around the sides and top to sharpen the coating. (This is a crumb coat, trapping any crumbs to give you a neat, firm base.) Put the cake in the fridge to firm up and chill for 1-2 hrs.
To finish, cover the sides and top of the cake in the same manner, using most of the remaining buttercream. Press the sprinkles up against the bottom of the cake, about a quarter to a third of the way up. You can dress the top of the cake with a circle of sprinkles, or for a fancier finish, pipe little swirls around the top edge of the cake using any remaining buttercream scraped into a piping bag fitted with a large open star nozzle, then finish with more sprinkles.
Keep the cake in the fridge to stay firm, then remove 1 hr before serving. Will keep, covered, in the fridge, for up to three days.

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