Break the ice with these bakes

Student Living

Posted 14 hours ago

Thu 22 Oct, 2026 12:10 AM

The Great Student Bake Off!

Whilst moving to university is exciting, speaking to and living with new people might be a bit daunting. But don't worry, there are a few things that can help. The main one is food!

Food is known for bringing people together - think about different holidays and occasions. It's the perfect icebreaker. You can either bake together or bake something for your flatmates to break the ice.

Here are a few simple recipes to help relieve the social pressure of meeting new people:

1. Giant Cookie

Raid your local supermarket together for toppings for this tear-and-share cookie! And don't worry if you don't have a baking sheet in your halls - you can use an oven-proof frying pan. It's perfect for your first movie night together or a sweet study snack!

200g butter
250g light brown sugar
2 egg yolks
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
275g plain flour
1 tsp baking powder
150g chocolate chips
100g other cookie fillings (such as pretzels, pieces of fudge, marshmallows)
Ice cream to serve

Step 1

Heat oven to 180°C. Tip the butter and sugar into a large mixing bowl, beat until combined, then stir in the yolks and vanilla. Tip in the flour, baking powder, chocolate chips, a pinch of sea salt and any other fillings you want to add. Mix until a crumbly dough forms.

Step 2

Lightly butter a 25cm ovenproof frying pan. Spoon in and flatten the cookie mixture. For a gooey dessert, bake for 20 mins, leave to rest for 5 mins, then scoop straight from the pan and serve with ice cream, you life. For firmer cookies, you can bake for 30 mins, then leave to cool completely before cutting into wedges.

2. Banana breakfast cake

Use your leftover bananas to make a snack everyone can enjoy! It's delicious as it is, or you can serve it toasted with a spoonful of yoghurt - perfect to offer your flatmates for a quick breakfast!

125g salted butter
4 very ripe bananas
2 eggs
2 tsp vanilla extract
100ml Greek-style yoghurt
300g plain flour
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp bicarbonate of soda
75g walnuts, roughly chopped (optional - check if your flatmates/friends have allergies)

For the honey peanut butter - optional

100g salted butter, softened
3 tbsp runny honey
3 tbsp smooth peanut butter

Step 1

Heat the oven to 180°C. Butter and line a 900g loaf tin. Trim the ends of the bananas and discard. Roughly chop the bananas and mash until smooth - if you have a food processor, that will work best! Tip into a bowl and set aside.

Step 2

Using a whisk (it's okay if you don't have an electric whisk, but it may be a bit of an arm workout!), beat together the butter and sugar with a pinch of salt until light and creamy, around 4-5 minutes. Beat in the eggs, one at a time, then add the vanilla, yoghurt and banana. Mix in the flour, baking powder, and bicarb until combined. Fold through the walnuts (if added) and gently spoon the batter into the prepped tin. Bake for 50-60 minutes until a skewer inserted into the middle comes out clean. Transfer to a wire rack and leave to cool in the tin for 15 mins before removing from the tin and leaving to cool completely.

Step 3

For the honey peanut butter (optional), beat all the ingredients together using a whisk until creamy. Cut the cake into slices and spread the butter over them.

The butter and cake will keep in airtight containers for five days.

3. Microwave mug cakes

An easy midnight snack to make when you bump into your flatmate in the kitchen. It's great for sweet cravings, bonding moments and a tasty reward after studying.