It's bake off season (I, for one, am exceptionally excited) and if you, too, want to fully embrace the season of cosy, autumnal baking then these are 5 recipes I think you need to try.

Tiramisu Crumble Coffee Cake

I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again, I love a single-layer cake and the nostalgia of simple sponge, so when thinking of new bakes I’m never far from settling on this as my foundation. Enter the tiramisu. Coffee-soaked lady fingers are only a hop and a skip away from a coffee cake sponge, so taking the creamy cocoa-topped mascarpone whip from a tiramisu and splodging it on top of my coffee crumble cake really only seemed right.

Homemade Crumpets

There are few greater joys in life than a hot, buttered crumpet. Buttery enough that the rich fat seeps through the holes in the crumpet and puddles on the plate, ready to be mopped up (and dripped) all over again. The rate at which I can devour a crumpet is quite astonishing, something to behold. As one of my lovely followers pointed out, when it comes to a store-bought packet, two crumpets is polite, three crumpets is truly the only satisfactory portion size. Double toasted, always. One must solely be buttered (liberally, as above), with a little extra salt, and the other I like to think of as my dessert crumpet—with butter, honey and salt.

Self-Saucing Chocolate Mug Cake

This Self Saucing Malt Chocolate Mug Cake is a microwave-baked, single-serve dessert designed for maximum comfort in minimal time. Made directly in one mug, it creates a soft chocolate sponge with a rich, molten sauce underneath as it cooks. The flavour is deeply chocolatey with a nostalgic malty note from Horlicks, giving it a cosy, pudding-like finish. Ready in minutes, it’s a one-portion dessert that’s perfect for solo treats. Practical, fast, and indulgent, it’s ideal for those moments when you want dessert without committing to baking.

Plum & Cardamom Upside Down Cake

I really love a single-layer cake. The simplicity of one summons a powerful nostalgia for me, though I can’t entirely place what for. Perhaps simply for the joy I found in baking, watching bake off, reading baking blogs and researching baking as a teen. In a world of social media over-the-top-ness, this is a grounding bake with comforting results. This cake might be the perfect autumnal bake. Easy enough to whip up on any day of the week, it gets better each day and can be eaten at any time of day (I certainly won't judge you if it's for breakfast.)

Ricotta Banana Bread

This might just be the most delicious banana bread I’ve ever made, and it came about by happy accident! Well, maybe not entirely by accident. There was plenty of research and testing involved, but the initial idea arrived unexpectedly. Cooking for one often means having leftover ingredients in your fridge. If you like variety in your food (you’re in the right place) then I’m sure you can relate to having half a tin of this, and half a tub of that left over at the end of the week.