Be the star baker at your fundraiser with our collection of the most popular and best bakes. With brownies galore, cookies, biscuits, classic cakes, cupcakes and new ideas, you'll be guaranteed success. There are tips for preparing ahead, freezing and how to transport your bakes easily, with vegan and wheat-free options, too. Mixing bowls at the ready...
This moist loaf cake has the tang and sweetness of dried apricots, paired with a lovely crunch from chopped almonds. It keeps for up to two days in an airtight container, freezes well and gives eight slices. Cut it into portions before transporting. Small paper or cellophane bags are handy for easy takeaway.
These brown sugar, dark chocolate brownies are everything the treat should be – sticky, soft and moreish. The addition of cooked, grated new potatoes and peanut butter ensures they are moist and soft, and when drizzled with salted caramel sauce they're a winner. The recipe makes 12 squares and will keep for up to three days in an airtight container.
Who can resist a homemade doughnut? These are made with sour cream to give a denser sponge, with a rough, crunchy crust coated with vanilla icing. Even the holes would make a sweet treat for willing helpers. You can make the dough a day ahead and store it in the fridge overnight. They are best served on the day they're made.
Chocolatey, fudgy and buttery, these moreish cookies have a secret ingredient – a sesame seed paste called tahini. It adds a hint of nuttiness with the browned butter, which is simply butter melted over heat until it's dark brown. The dough can sit in the fridge overnight and the recipe makes 28 cookies.
Get the recipe for brown butter and banana chocolate cookies here
A carrot cake with a difference, as it's made in just one tin. With chocolate chips, orange zest and juice in the batter, it's topped with a brown butter cream cheese icing, which gives a hint of caramel. Our step-by-step guide also ensures perfect icing. The cake will keep covered for up to four days, and gives 12 portions.
These dense, chewy oat bars are simplicity itself, made mostly from store cupboard ingredients – porridge oats, desiccated coconut, honey, milk and bananas. Rustled up ready for the oven in 10 minutes, they will keep for up to three days in an airtight container and freeze well too. The recipe makes 10 slices.
This is a chocolate fridge cake with a twist – chunks of biscuit and melted chocolate, topped with marshmallows and salted peanuts, then baked in the oven for 10 minutes until the marshmallows brown and melt slightly. Leave it in the fridge overnight to firm up and then cut it into squares once chilled, before packing into small cellophane bags.
Everyone loves a lemon drizzle, and our recipe gives a tangy, light lemon cake with a lovely crunch from the drizzle. It's easy to make, will keep for up to three days in an airtight container and freezes well. Either drizzle with a lemon glacé icing, or simply dust with icing sugar to serve.
This recipe uses oil instead of butter, and contains no eggs, but the cookies are still slightly chewy, soft and moreish – with chunks of dark chocolate and a tiny hint of salt from the peanut butter. Scoops of dough can be frozen then baked for a few extra minutes, or you can make the dough the day before and leave it in the fridge.
The addition of grated courgette to this simple cake helps keep it beautifully moist. It has a lovely crunch from chopped pistachio nuts and a freshness from the lime. To jazz it up for your bake sale, simply drizzle over some glacé icing by adding a squeeze of lime to 6tbsp of sifted icing sugar. It will keep for up to three days in an airtight container.
Get the recipe for courgette, pistachio and lime loaf cake here
A buttercream flavoured with fresh fruit purée takes a simple cupcake to the next level. Try to use fresh berries in season, although frozen fruit works just as well. Simply cook over a gentle heat until the fruit breaks down, then whizz in a blender and pass through a sieve. Once decorated, store your cupcakes in the fridge for a few hours so the buttercream is well set and easier to transport.
This is a light cake that has a lovely hit of coconut, a real sweetness from the roasted mango and a slight tang from the yogurt. It's best served on the day it's made, but it's ready in under an hour. Scatter some toasted coconut flakes over the top to serve. Transport in its tin and don't forget to take a sharp knife with you.
One for the grown-ups – this rich, dense chocolate cake contains rum-soaked prunes and chestnut purée (which you can buy tinned), so it's slightly gooey in the centre with a crisp crust on the outside. It needs a light hand when folding in the beaten egg whites so not to knock all the air out of it.
Get the recipe for flourless chestnut, rum and chocolate cake here
We recommend doubling up on this super simple recipe for a bake sale. There's no oven required, and even the salted caramel sauce is made by melting sugar-free, chewy caramels in milk. The bars need to set in a tin overnight before cutting into slices, but are done in 15 minutes, so even the most novice cook can make them.
Florentines are like a chewy brandy snap, containing nuts and dried fruit, and once baked are dipped in chocolate. In our recipe, we use pieces of crystallised ginger and sliced almonds to provide the flavourings. They are easy to make, and once cooled, can be stored in an airtight container between sheets of baking parchment for around a week. This recipe makes 18.
This vintage British cake has been around since the days of Queen Victoria. It's simplicity itself – an easy sponge to bake, which is then filled with jam and whipped cream. The sponges freeze well, and the cake can be filled up to eight hours ahead of time, which makes it easier to slice into portions.
These cute cookies, flavoured with orange, couldn't be quicker or simpler to make. The thumbprint is filled with fig jam, but feel free to use your favourite filling instead as kids may not be so keen on the figs. The recipe makes up to 24 cookies, and they will keep for up to three days in an airtight container.
This is a classic and buttery shortbread topped with sticky date caramel and then covered in dark chocolate. The recipe is vegan, using dairy-free butter. However, it works well with cows' butter too. Once assembled – taking around 40 minutes – it needs to set in the fridge for a few hours. When cutting your shortbread into squares, heat your knife in a jug of boiled water beforehand for ease.
The title of this recipe has irresistible written all over it. It makes 12 dense, fudgy, dark chocolate brownies that are ready in 45 minutes. Best of all, there's no tricky caramel to make – just use caramel from a tin or jar. There's a lovely hint of saltiness from the peanut butter too, which contrasts perfectly with the caramel.
A big batch of homemade muffins always goes down a storm at a bake sale. These are healthier than your average muffin, using wholemeal flour, wheat bran and oil instead of butter. You can make them with frozen blueberries, but add them to the batter while still frozen or they will bleed and be mushy. The recipe makes 18 muffins.
These are melt-in-the-mouth buttery biscuits infused with ground cardamom. They are crisp and crumbly, from a combination of three flours to give texture – plain, semolina and gram or chickpea. Topped with chopped pistachios and almonds, they are easy to make and will keep in an airtight container for up to a week. The recipe makes 15.
Who can resist a chocolate cupcake? This recipe is easy to make and best of all they can be made ahead of time and frozen. The recipe makes 12 and takes 10 minutes to prepare. Top with some piped chocolate ganache (find the recipe for ganache here) and allow to set in the fridge.
Here's a twist on a classic Australian cake – where squares of sponge are dipped in chocolate icing then rolled in coconut. Our recipe has the one-tray sponge soaked in a vanilla cream, coated with raspberry jam then dipped in coconut. The assembled cakes will keep for up to four days in an airtight container. The recipe makes 20 squares.
Fragrant with cloves, cinnamon, ginger and allspice, and also with a hint of orange. This soft loaf cake uses tinned pumpkin purée, so it's very easy to make. Covered with an orange glacé icing and chopped pistachios, it will keep for up to two days in an airtight container.
Get the recipe for spiced pumpkin, olive oil and orange cake here
High up on the list of everyone's favourite cakes, this moist, dense carrot cake filled and covered with vanilla cream cheese frosting is hard to resist. It's very forgiving too, with no beating and folding to do. You could also use the same recipe to make cupcakes. Make sure to use full fat cream cheese for the icing, or it will just slide off the cake.
These sweet bites couldn't be easier to make. Using five ingredients – bananas, butter, porridge oats, dried cherries and cocoa powder – they are mixed and baked in 25 minutes, and there's no added sugar either. The recipe makes 12, so why not double up for your fundraiser?
These are a must-bake for any cake sale as homemade cookies always fly out. Our recipe is soft, chewy and fudgy all at the same time, and very chocolatey. It's made with dark chocolate chips, but use milk if you prefer. The cookie dough can rest in the fridge overnight before baking the next day.
Rocky road couldn't be easier – melt chocolate, butter and syrup in a bowl, add the rest of the ingredients, spoon into a tin and leave in the fridge to set. In this recipe, there are sweet caramel wafers, salty pretzels, nuts, dried apple and mini marshmallows. Once it's set, use a knife dipped in hot water to make cutting easier. It will make 12-16 squares.
Get the recipe for toffee apple and salted pretzel rocky road here
This is a brownie with the wow factor. A dark chocolate brownie layer is covered with a caramel and nut mixture, then topped with a tasty orange cheesecake topping and baked. It has a gooey texture, as well as sweet and salty flavours and a nice creaminess from the cheesecake. It will need to set overnight in the fridge.
Cake pops are cute and easy to make – balls of sponge mixed with buttercream then dipped into melted chocolate. If you're not a baker, you could even buy a vanilla sponge or use a simple cake mix. We've dipped them into white chocolate then decorated with sprinkles, but you can use any chocolate – just go crazy with the decorations.
A light, soft apple sponge sandwiched with whipped cream that's flavoured with lemon curd tastes terrific. It's straightforward to make using the all-in-one method, where all the ingredients are simply mixed together. Once filled, it will keep for a day in the fridge, but the sponge also freezes well.
Coffee and walnut is a classic combination, but in this recipe we've added some fragrant cardamom too. These sweet cakes are cooked in a muffin tin, turned upside down once baked, and then covered in an espresso coffee icing. They can be made and decorated a day ahead and then stored in an airtight container.
Homemade fudge is perfect for a bake sale, popped into cellophane bags and tied with a pretty ribbon. Our recipe has the wonderful combination of dark chocolate and lightly salted peanut butter fudge. It's easy to make and will keep for up to four days in an airtight container.
A different twist on a classic pineapple upside-down cake, the bonus of this recipe is that it tastes even better the day after it's made. The slight sourness of the clementines makes a really nice contrast with the sweet caramel and super fragrant cardamom. It's an easy cake to make and will give 12 slices.
Get the recipe for clementine and cardamom upside-down cake here
Everyone loves a sheet bake, especially this winning combination of dark chocolate and cherries. The cherries used are frozen and there's no need to thaw them out, so it's a year-round cake. It makes around 12 squares and is just as good the day after baking. Store it in an airtight container.
Get the recipe for dark chocolate and cherry sheet bake here
This is a dense, extremely moist Middle Eastern cake and it's made using five ingredients. There's no butter or flour, and it can be gluten-free if you use a gluten-free baking powder. It consists of cooked, sweet oranges blitzed to a purée, then mixed with ground almonds, sugar and eggs. It keeps for up to three days in an airtight container and makes a lovely dessert served with thick yogurt.
One for the adults, these rich chocolate brownies are topped with a delicious Irish liqueur buttercream. The Guinness – a dark stout – is reduced to burn off the alcohol and bring out its sweetness, adding malty notes to the fudgy brownies. The brownies can be made up to two days ahead of your bake sale but decorate them on the day.
These cupcakes may look professional, but the swirly icing is easily achieved using a dual compartment piping bag – or by putting two different icings on each side of a standard piping bag. The cupcake mixture is an all-in-one method too, so you have a fantastic result with little effort.
Using plant-based milk, soya yogurt and dairy-free butter in place of the classic ingredients produces a perfect vegan Victoria sponge cake, filled with raspberry jam and a dairy-free buttercream. Most block margarines are vegan – just check on the pack. This cake yields 12 slices and will keep overnight in the fridge.
If you're looking for a savoury option, these tasty muffins will fit the bill. With sweetcorn, spring onions, feta and Cheddar cheese, they are bursting with flavour. Using a standard muffin case this recipe will make 18. They will keep for up to two days and freeze well.
With chunks of white chocolate and cranberries, these cookies are quite soft due to the gluten-free flour. If you use standard flour, they'll be crisper, but it's great to have a gluten-free offering at your bake sale. The recipe makes 15 and they will keep for two days. Best of all, they are ready in 35 minutes.
This is a banana bread with a slightly more adult taste – made with strong coffee and cocoa nibs, which add crunch and a slight bitterness, and which contrasts perfectly with the sweetness from the ripe bananas. It will keep for up to three days if tightly wrapped in clingfilm and freezes well.
These oat bars are remarkably simple to make. There's no whisking or folding involved – butter, golden syrup and sugar are melted together in a pan, and then you stir in porridge oats. They are moreish too, with a buttery, sweet and sticky taste. They will keep for up to three days in an airtight container.
These cupcakes may be vegan, but they are still light and chocolatey, with a lovely hint of fresh orange. The recipe makes 10 cupcakes, are ready in 30 minutes, and they also freeze well. You could pipe a vegan orange buttercream on top, made with dairy-free butter.
The traditional Scottish buttery shortbread is given a mini makeover with the addition of chopped pistachio nuts and lemon zest, which adds texture and freshness – all without losing any of that gorgeous richness of the original. You can make them the day before serving.
Hazelnuts and dark chocolate are perfect partners, so why not give these brownies a go? They have that classic brownie richness and gooey texture in the centre and take 40 minutes from start to finish. They will keep for up to three days.
A showstopper which is simple to make – a light chocolate sponge filled and topped with a rich chocolate and malted chocolate drink powder buttercream. Both the cake and the icing can be frozen too. It's a sizeable cake which gives 10 decent slices. Cut it into slices at home or leave the cake whole for more impact.
This is a bite-sized version of the famous German cake, with that irresistible combination of chocolate, cherries and cream. The chocolate sponge is topped with a cherry and mascarpone cream, using frozen or jarred sour cherries. The cream topping needs to be added on the day, the cupcakes will keep for up to three days in an airtight container.
Coffee lovers need look no further than this stunning cake. A coffee cake batter is marbled with a plain batter, covered with a coffee buttercream, then drizzled with white chocolate. You can make and decorate it the day before the bake sale and the sponge freezes well. It will give 12 slices.
Everyone loves a red velvet cake, and how cute are these cupcakes? The light chocolate sponge is topped with cream cheese icing. When making the icing, use a full fat cream cheese and have the butter soft at room temperature, as lower fat cream cheese won't whisk properly and will slide off. Decorate on the day and leave in the fridge to firm up before transporting.