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World Baking Day: Easy Bakes for Every Kitchen
No professional kitchen required! Discover my favourite easy-to-follow recipes for World Baking Day, including slow cooker classics, air fryer hacks, and indulgent no-bake treats.
Happy World Baking Day!
If you’ve followed me for a while, you know my philosophy is all about keeping things simple, delicious, and accessible. You don’t need a professional pastry kitchen or a dozen fancy gadgets to make something that tastes like a hug in a bowl. Whether you’re a fan of the traditional oven or even the slow cooker, I’ve got you covered.
Your Baking Questions Answered
Before we get into the recipes, I wanted to answer a few common questions I get asked about making the perfect bake at home:
Can I really “bake” in a slow cooker?
Absolutely. Slow cookers are essentially small ovens that use steam and gentle heat, making them incredible for sponges because the moisture stays trapped inside.
What’s the tea towel trick?
Always put a clean tea towel under the slow cooker lid when baking. This catches the condensation so it doesn’t drip back onto your sponge and make it soggy.
Why do my cakes sink in the middle?
This usually happens if the oven door is opened too early, causing a sudden temperature drop. It can also happen if you use too much baking powder, causing the cake to rise too fast and then collapse.
What is the secret to no-bake desserts?
Patience is key. Because you aren’t using heat, you need to give them at least 4 hours (or ideally overnight) in the fridge to set properly.
Why use an air fryer for baking?
It reaches temperature almost instantly and the concentrated heat is perfect for small-batch treats where you want a really crisp exterior in a short amount of time.
My Top World Baking Day Recipes
I started Bored of Lunch to show that home cooking (and baking) doesn’t have to be a chore. It shouldn’t involve a massive clean-up operation or ingredients you can only find in a specialty shop.
For World Baking Day, I’ve pulled together a list of my absolute favourite recipes that span across the air fryer, the slow cooker, and the fridge. These are the recipes I turn to when I want maximum flavour with minimum fuss, so let’s dive into some of my top picks that will make your kitchen smell like a dream.
Guinness & Treacle Bread
This is probably one of the most satisfying loaves you will ever make, and the best part is that there’s no kneading involved. It’s a traditional soda bread style, meaning it relies on the reaction between the buttermilk and bicarbonate of soda to rise, making it an incredibly quick and reliable bake for a Sunday morning.
Slow Cooker Jam & Coconut Sponge
There is something so nostalgic about a jam and coconut sponge, and doing it in the slow cooker makes it fluffier than you could ever imagine. I love finishing this with a generous sprinkle of desiccated coconut; it’s a school-dinner classic made effortlessly in your own home with barely any supervision required.
Cookie Dough Breakfast Bars
Who says you can’t have cookies for breakfast? These bars are designed to be a bit more wholesome than your average biscuit, packed with oats to keep you full, but they still hit that “cookie dough” craving. Just press the mixture into a tin, set it in the fridge, and you have a grab-and-go breakfast that feels like a total treat.
Guinness Cake
Don’t let the idea of stout in a cake put you off – it doesn’t taste like beer, but it gives the chocolate a depth and richness that is second to none. This cake is incredibly dark and moist, topped with a thick, velvety cream cheese frosting that looks just like the head on a pint of the black stuff. Perfect for World Baking Day.
Mars Bar Krispie Squares
This is a total crowd-pleaser and a nostalgic trip back to every birthday party you ever went to as a kid. It’s a messy, fun recipe to make with kids, and the resulting squares are the perfect balance of crunchy, chewy, and chocolatey goodness.
Slow Cooker Pain Au Chocolat Bread & Butter Pudding
I’ve taken the classic bread and butter pudding and swapped out plain bread for buttery, flaky pain au chocolats to make it extra indulgent. It’s the ultimate “set it and forget it” dessert that transforms store-bought pastries into something truly gourmet.
Air Fryer Crookie
The “Crookie” took the internet by storm, and I found that the air fryer is actually the best way to cook them. The air fryer gets the croissant perfectly crisp on the outside while leaving the cookie dough centers slightly soft and gooey. It’s a five-minute hack that feels like a high-end bakery treat, and it’s the perfect way to use up any slightly stale croissants.
Slow Cooker Sticky Toffee Pudding
Sticky toffee pudding is the king of British desserts, and the slow cooker is my secret weapon for making it perfectly every single time. The steam created inside the slow cooker keeps the date-based sponge incredibly light and moist, and the toffee sauce bubbles away around the edges to create a sticky, caramelized finish. It’s best served warm with a huge dollop of vanilla ice cream.
Air Fryer Apple Pie Rolls
For a quick fix when you want the flavours of a traditional apple pie without the hassle of making pastry, these rolls are a game changer. They are much lighter than a standard pie, take a fraction of the time to cook, and when dusted with cinnamon sugar, they taste just like a handheld version of the classic Sunday roast dessert.
Happy baking!
I hope these recipes inspire you to get into the kitchen this World Baking Day. Remember, it doesn’t have to be perfect – it just has to be tasty.
Baking is about sharing something homemade with the people you love, or just treating yourself, which is just as important. If you try any of these, tag me on socials – I love seeing your creations! For more easy recipes, you can always check out my cookbooks or visit my website.
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