14 Delectable Cookbooks By The Cast Of The Great British Bake Off

If you're a fan of "The Great British Bake Off," you'll be excited to hear what the winners are doing today. If you're second-guessing yourself because you swear it's called "The Great British Baking Show," don't worry, you're correct: It goes by a different name in America. Many past competitors like Candice Brown and Flora Shedden now own food establishments including bakeries and pubs. Other contestants have kept their non-cooking careers and continue to bake on the side. One thing many of the bakers have in common though is that they went on to write cookbooks, with some releasing one, and others releasing an entire shelf's worth.

So, how will you ever choose the right publication? This list helps to determine which cookbook is made just for you. Whether you love making certain pastries, need a beginner's guide, or want to pick up tips and tricks to become a better baker, you'll find the answer here. Not only will you improve your skills, but you'll also have the opportunity to support your favorite "Great British Baking Show" contestants, too.

In October 2021, Peter Sawkins released his cookbook "Peter Bakes," after Season 11 of the show. If you need a refresher, discover everything you need to know about The Great British Bake Off's Season 11 finale. It was one of the most neck-and-neck finals, but Sawkins took the prize home, with Dave Friday and Laura Adlington as the runners-up. 

"Peter Bakes" is more than 250 pages long and features a variety of recipes, rather than focusing on a theme. There are chapters covering the likes of cakes, pastries, puddings, and little bakes. It's very popular with readers, with an average of 4.7 stars on Amazon. One buyer says after reading Sawkins' book, they finally have insight on all the baking jargon used in the show. It's also a great option for those who are gluten-free or have celiac disease because the recipes include gluten-free variations. Overall, Sawkins didn't develop the book for a narrow audience: It's a welcoming manual for all bakers, whether they're ready to start out or already have the basic techniques down.

When you mosey on over to Kim-Joy's website, you'll find she has released several cookbooks, including "Baking with Kim-Joy." This awesomely quirky book is available on Amazon, but fans can also buy signed copies through her website. Kim-Joy was 27 years old when she became a runner-up in Season 9, with viewers falling in love with her incredible bread creations and whimsical-themed desserts — precisely what this book consists of.

In the 300+ page publication, Kim-Joy fills the book with 40 excitingly imaginative designs for everything from occasion cakes to character macarons and biscuits. The recipes feature step-by-step photography, custom sketches, and positive affirmations to inspire creativity. Whether you want to have a go at making choux bun turtles, or biscuit llamas, Kim-Joy has got you covered. "Baking with Kim-Joy" has 4.9 stars on Amazon, with buyers raving about the book's design and great recipes.

If you don't know why Instagram is head over heels for Liam Charles from Season 8 of "GBBO," you will surely see why once you dive into his cookbook. Charles won fans over with his infectious charisma, which is found in spades in "Cheeky Treats." He started out as a competitor on "GBBO," but later appeared as a judge on "Bake Off: The Professionals," "Junior Bake Off," and starred in his own show, "Liam Bakes" (via The Telegraph). Since his debut, he's gained fans around the world who love to keep up with him via social media.

He released his cookbook in 2018, which has a 4.7-star rating on Amazon and a flurry of readers praising the scale of the bakes, with one person saying, "I'm in awe of the towering cakes he has presented in this book." This isn't a baking book for those looking for a basic Victoria sponge cake recipe, or for anyone who has decided to give up sugar: Instead, it's full of Charles' inventive, fun bakes like Christmas Dinner Pie and an Oreo Chocolate Brownie Freakshake.

For those who use vegan ingredient substitutes for baked goods, the cookbook "Simply Vegan Baking" is the one for you. It was released by Freya Cox in 2022. The truth about Freya Cox from Season 12 of "The Great British Bake Off" is that she wasn't just a young competitor, but also spearheaded the way for future vegan bakers to appear on the show. It probably comes as no surprise that her cookbook aims to show readers how easy plant-based baking can be. On Amazon, it has a 4.7-star rating.

"Simply Vegan Baking" features lots of vegan versions of classic cake recipes, including a Black Forest gateau, but there are other goodies to try, such as cinnamon rolls, triple chocolate cookies, and banana bread. According to one enthusiastic customer, the writing is terrific, but the associated photography is the cherry on top. Helpfully, all the ingredients used by Cox are easily available to buy at grocery stores, too.

James Morton, a runner-up contestant on the show in 2012, has released an impressive seven books since he was on "The Great British Baking Show." To this day, he has a devoted audience on Instagram which follows along with his bread-making endeavors. 

If you've wanted to jump on the sourdough making craze, there's no better book to do it with than Morton's "From Scratch: Sourdough." You might think focusing on how to make one item would be too niche for an entire book, but it's a difficult skill to master, and there are a lot of things that can go wrong along the way. 

Whether you're trying to bake sourdough for the first time, or if you've been carefully looking after and feeding your own starter for years, you'll learn a lot from Morton's book. It covers every aspect of the process, from starters to achieving the ideal crust and crumb. The manual has just shy of 160 pages of helpful information and photographs covering the ins and outs of sourdough. A few fans have shared photos on Amazon of what they achieved after reading Morton's book, and praised the great recipes. It currently has a 4.6-star rating.

Italian desserts are some of the most decadent out there, and now you can master them with Giuseppe Dell'Anno's book: "Giuseppe's Italian Bakes." Dell'Anno was the champion of Season 12 of "The Great British Baking Show," releasing his book in October 2022, which features more than 200 pages and 60 recipes, from bread to baked goods, and desserts through to hearty Italian dishes. 

Dell'Anno was adored on the show for his incredible baking and generally happy and positive persona. He was taught to cook and bake by his chef father, and shares his passion and knowledge in his first book. Although there are lots of classic Italian recipes featured, Dell'Anno has his own twist on all of them, taking readers through making delicious-sounding things like Tiramisu slices, Amarena cherry cake, and focaccia. With a 4.7-star average, readers love the stunning photography which accompanies the recipes.

After being crowned Season 6 champion, Britons embraced Nadiya Hussain, the winner Of "The Great British Bake Off," admiring her perseverance and natural talent. Hussain proved so popular, the "Great British Bake Off" winner even made a cake for Queen Elizabeth II's birthday in 2016. 

Over the years, Hussain has published numerous cookbooks and children's books, but we love "Nadiya's Everyday Baking." The point of the book is to make baking and cooking a more enjoyable experience for everyone, and it accompanies Hussain's television show of the same name on the BBC. The book isn't limited to baking, covering more than 95 sweet and savory dishes from Surprise Snickerdoodles to Dump-It-All-In Mexican Dinner.

On Amazon, "Nadiya's Everyday Baking" has racked up hundreds of five-star reviews, with one person saying, "I love this woman and her recipes — I bought this book for my daughter, who is building her own cookery book collection. It is beautifully illustrated and the recipes are interesting but totally achievable."

Candice Brown's life has undoubtedly changed since "The Great British Bake Off." Brown used to work in education but now owns a pub in Bedfordshire, England, with her brother Ben, while also pursuing writing and other projects. That includes writing her cookbook: "Comfort: Delicious Bakes & Family Treats," which was released in the summer of 2017. Aside from her wonderful baking, you may remember Brown for her amazing array of lipstick choices that changed every week.

Brown's mum and nan passed down many of the recipes she published in this lovely work. The book features everything from baking the perfect birthday cake, to little treats for afternoon tea, easy savory bakes, and more complicated recipes you can enjoy working on over the weekend when you have a bit more time. With a 4.6 star-rating on Amazon, customers praise the book for its "inspirational baking ideas with gorgeous photos," and say the book is "humble and down to earth."

The truth about "Great British Bake Off" winner Rahul Mandal is that despite his evident talents, he hasn't been a baker all his life. Instead, Mandal is a scientist who first took to baking as a hobby, and he certainly never expected to win "GBBO." Mandal's fans appreciate just how grounded he is, even after he was crowned champion. Although science might seem like a very different career to baking, the two go hand-in-hand, as Mandal explains in his book, "Showstopping Cakes: Mastering the Art and Science of Baking."

What better way to learn about baking science than from a scientist? For those who want to know how specific ingredients can cause certain baking mishaps, or what the proper (and scientific) process should be to assemble cakes, from the batter to the final touches, this book is the perfect guide. But it's not just about technique: There are plenty of recipes, too, from geode cakes to every type of meringue. Fans love it, and it currently has a 4.9-star rating on Amazon.

Fourth-Season "GBBO" winner Frances Quinn released "Quinntessential Baking" in 2015. Quinn has two foremost passions in life: baking and design. Aside from writing and at-home projects, she takes on commissioned cakes for clients, producing custom-baked goods for special events. In her book, she combines both her passions, with hand-drawn doodles accompanying the great recipes.

"Quinntessential Baking" shows readers how to take basic pastries to the next level. Although the fundamentals of baking are all covered, Quinn suggests people experiment to develop their own take on things. New bakers will find the confidence to try things out and deliver eye-catching treats, like honey bee bites and hidden bulb cakes. With a 4.5 rating on Amazon, customers are impressed, with one saying, "This is a baking book like no other — full of inspiration and creativity. The way the recipes are written and constructed gives a clear impression that this bake is going to be fun to do and not a chore!"

Not every dessert is easy to make with kids, but David Atherton's cookbook is overflowing with recipes that do just that. Atherton was the victor of Season 10 of "GBBO." He went on to release a set of books for children, with one of them being, "My First Baking Book." The baking guide features kid-friendly illustrations by Harry Woodgate, giving children a visual representation of what the different recipe stages should look like.

While Atherton prepared the images and recipes with young bakers in mind, it's also an ideal book for anyone who is just getting started with baking. It covers basic achievable formulas regardless of how much experience the reader might have. The whimsical doodles paired with tasty recipes are enjoyable and light-hearted, helping to make baking a family event. With a 4.7 rating on Amazon, customers praise the book for being "easy to read and fun to look through with the great illustrations."

Martha Collison was just 17 years old when she was a contender on the show, at the time making her the youngest contestant ever to step inside the hallowed tent (via "The Great British Bake Off"). Since then, she has continued baking and has gone on to release cookbooks, with "Crave: Brilliantly indulgent recipes" being her second.

The book is a mix of food science and recipes, covering eight main ingredients people often have cravings for — from chocolate to citrus — and how to incorporate them into various bakes. Each is labeled with "Instant," "Soon," or "Worth the wait," indicating the time it will take to put them together. There's everything from cakes to custards, and bread to lemon cheesecake pots featured on the pages. With a 4.9 rating on Amazon, customers can't get enough of "Crave," with one reviewer saying, "Love how the chapters are organized, photography is great, and recipes are exciting. Martha is one of my favorite characters and I was so happy to see she published baking books!"

In 2014, Richard Burr took the runner-up spot on "The Great British Bake Off." Since then, he has continued to work on his many passions. Burr stood out on the show for being a builder and a baker — two hobbies that some might find to be opposites (via BBC). However, Burr finds ways to be successful and innovative with both activities. He named his debut cookbook, "B.I.Y: Bake it Yourself" a fun title playing on his two loves.

The book features 80 original recipes. Rather than focusing on just cakes or bread-making, the guide provides an assortment of food formulas. On Burr's website, he shares photos from the publication, where various building tools artistically accompany the food. Available on Amazon, "B.I.Y." has incredibly positive reviews overall, rated 4.6 stars, with one reviewer saying, "My wife, a keen amateur baker, received this as a gift. This isn't a recipe book that relies on the celebrity of its author, it really is worth 5 stars thanks to the well presented, easy to follow, and very readable content."

Flora Shedden was a contestant on Season 6 of "The Great British Baking Show" and has since opened a bakery in her hometown in Scotland. "Aran: Recipes and Stories from a Bakery in the Heart of Scotland" is her 240 page cookbook, which features both sweet and hearty recipes for the reader to try out. However, it has more than just recipes — it also includes tidbits about her life, business, and other personal accounts, alongside seemingly simple yet stunning photography. 

Rated 4.7 stars on Amazon, the book is loved in countries including the United Kingdom, Brazil, Canada, and America. One satisfied buyer even shared photos of the gorgeous bread they'd baked from a recipe in the book, declaring it the "best baking book out there." For "GBBO" viewers who can't visit the bakery in person, this book lets you take a brief glimpse into the bakery and Shedden's life.