It's officially fall because The Great British Bake Off is back, and I instantly feel cozier. From a delightful new host, Alison Hammond, to an extremely talented group of bakers to a course correction eliminating the show's country-themed weeks, the season is already off to a great start.
As always, the first week was Cake Week, and the bakers were first challenged with baking vertical layer cakes, followed by a technical challenge for the ages: They were tasked with baking THE iconic GBBO opening credits cake, missing raspberry and all.
![Picture of all the bakers in front of their technical challenge cakes](https://cdn.statically.io/img/img.buzzfeed.com/buzzfeed-static/static/2023-10/2/15/asset/06615b3699ca/sub-buzz-9589-1696258866-1.png?downsize=700%3A%2A&output-quality=auto&output-format=auto)
And it wouldn't be a Bake Off episode without an awkward innuendo moment:
![Paul talking about Nicky's beaver looking amazing but dry and Alison saying "Yeah, I don't like dry beaver"](https://img.buzzfeed.com/buzzfeed-static/static/2023-10/2/13/asset/2f598b06b6dc/sub-buzz-1090-1696253940-4.png)
Speaking of beavers, it was the showstopper challenge that really wowed me. The challenge was to make an animal out of cake, and the results ranged from super realistic to adorably cartoonish and everything in between. The animal bakes were so much fun that I just had to put together some side-by-side comparisons of the drawings and the final bakes.
The drawings are, of course, done after the final bakes by illustrator Tom Hovey (aka the man with the coolest job ever!). He once told Vulture, “My job is to illustrate what the bakers planned to create, not what they actually baked in the tent." So I just think it's pretty neat to see a side-by-side of what the bakers had planned next to how things turned out.
1. Keith's "Maisie" Cake:
![Drawing of a dog cake covered in frosting side by side with the actual cake](https://img.buzzfeed.com/buzzfeed-static/static/2023-10/2/13/asset/cd60bc31a706/sub-buzz-3551-1696255030-1.jpg)
2. Cristy's "Raspberry Ripple" Duck Cake:
![Drawing of a cake that looks like a duck side by side with the actual cake sitting in an isomalt pond](https://img.buzzfeed.com/buzzfeed-static/static/2023-10/2/13/asset/187243efa5f8/sub-buzz-417-1696255130-1.jpg)
3. Matty's "Marty the Cocker Spaniel" Cake:
![Drawing of a cocker spaniel cake side by with with the real cake](https://img.buzzfeed.com/buzzfeed-static/static/2023-10/2/14/asset/7098d7226d53/sub-buzz-13641-1696255276-1.jpg)
4. Rowan's "Cosmopolitan Lobster" Cake:
![Drawing of a lobster cake side by side with the actual cake inside a lobster trap](https://img.buzzfeed.com/buzzfeed-static/static/2023-10/2/14/asset/f02df48e439a/sub-buzz-445-1696255545-1.jpg)
5. Saku's "Tikiri the Turtle" Cake:
![Drawing of a turtle cake side by side with the actual bake](https://img.buzzfeed.com/buzzfeed-static/static/2023-10/2/14/asset/cd60bc31a706/sub-buzz-3567-1696255717-4.jpg)
6. Dan's "Bruno" Cake:
![Dan's bruno puppy cake side by side with its drawing](https://img.buzzfeed.com/buzzfeed-static/static/2023-10/2/14/asset/2e81e914aa08/sub-buzz-18315-1696255922-1.jpg)
7. Josh's "Mum's Highland Cow" Cake:
![Josh's cow cake drawing side by side with the actual cake](https://img.buzzfeed.com/buzzfeed-static/static/2023-10/2/14/asset/443ab8f73198/sub-buzz-484-1696256824-1.jpg?crop=1250:682;0,11)
8. Dana's "My Amazing Gracie" Cake:
![Dana's dog cake side by side with the drawing](https://img.buzzfeed.com/buzzfeed-static/static/2023-10/2/14/asset/cd60bc31a706/sub-buzz-3664-1696257457-1.jpg)
9. Abbi's "Herbert the Herdwick" Cake:
![Abbi's sheep cake side by side with the drawing](https://img.buzzfeed.com/buzzfeed-static/static/2023-10/2/14/asset/2e81e914aa08/sub-buzz-18375-1696257575-3.jpg)
10. Amos's "Orca on a Wave" Cake:
![Amos' orca cake side by with with the drawing](https://img.buzzfeed.com/buzzfeed-static/static/2023-10/2/14/asset/7d5a11facb54/sub-buzz-549-1696257869-1.jpg)
11. Nicki's "Beavering Around" Cake:
![Nicki's beaver cake side by side with the drawing](https://img.buzzfeed.com/buzzfeed-static/static/2023-10/2/14/asset/06615b3699ca/sub-buzz-9534-1696257967-1.jpg)
12. Tasha's "Robin" Cake:
![Tasha's brightly decorated robin cake side by side with the drawing](https://img.buzzfeed.com/buzzfeed-static/static/2023-10/2/14/asset/2e81e914aa08/sub-buzz-18414-1696258075-2.jpg)