Which baker was eliminated during Dessert Week on The Great British Baking Show season 16?

The Great British Baking Show season 16 returned to Netflix with a new episode on October 24, 2025.

It saw Iain Ross get eliminated from the series, as he became the eighth baker to leave the tent.

It was Dessert Week and the quarterfinals in the tent. Every baker put in their all to advance in the competition, but Iain fell short.  

To make it through to the next stage, the contestants had to make not only a a Basque-style cheesecake and a gluten-free sponge, but also a free-standing trifle as their showstopper.

While reflecting on his time on the show, the Northern Ireland native and software engineer mentioned that he never thought he would make it past the first couple of weeks. 

Speaking about the bonds he created with the other bakes, Iain said:

“We’ve had the best group of bakers. I think it has been fantastic. I’ve made really, really good friends. We always have a laugh, and it’s just been fantastic.” 

Iain stuns the judges with a "no flavor" jelly on The Great British Baking Show

For the first round of the competition, where the contestants were tasked with creating a Basque-style cheesecake, Iain prepared a ‘Christmas Box’ Basque cheesecake. 

It was decorated with candied oranges, orange curd, mascarpone cream, and cardamom tuiles.

While tasting the cheesecake, expert Prue Leith pointed out that there was “a lot of zest in there.”

Paul Hollywood echoed the sentiment, saying:

“It’s almost on the bitter side. It’s like you are grating away until most of the pith and not much of the zest.”

However, Prue was impressed by the overall texture and the “wobble” of the cheesecake.

But that said, she disliked the use of yellow food coloring, saying he could have kept it simple by just using the orange slices. 

In the technical round, the bakers presented the judges with gluten-free sponges. While reviewing Iain’s dish, Paul praised the overall decoration of the sponge.

However, Prue noted that although the oranges on top of the sponge looked “really nice,” it was not “nice to eat the rind.”

Both experts appreciated the texture of the cake and the taste of the custard. Consequently, Iain secured second place among the five bakers, redeeming himself from the first round.

However, the third round proved to be a challenge for him.

For the Showstopper round, the bakers' limits were put to the test as they were asked to make a free-standing trifle.

Iain attempted to make a ‘Triflemina Trifle,’ which was inspired by his favorite Sicilian city, Taormina. 

It had layers of cannoli discs, strawberry, and masala jelly, along with a Sicilian-style collar.

“On the very top, I have a lemon jelly in a dome that’s going to have a Sicilian sun in jelly art on it,” Iain explained to the experts.

The jelly dome straight away caught the attention of the judges during deliberations. Paul, in particular, liked the collar work on the sponge. 

However, when they tasted the jelly, they pointed out that it had “no flavor” at all, with Paul stating that it tasted of water. Additionally, they disliked the taste of the jacquanda. 

While the concept was out there, the flavors were not. For those reasons, Prue and Paul decided to end Iain's time on the competition series. 

As Iain left the tent, the remaining four bakers moved on to the semifinals. 

Stay tuned for more updates.