<p>Prepare to feel hungry… and a tiny bit weirded-out. There was a time when a red velvet cake felt a bit wacky but in 2016, bakers &ndash; both professionals and those of us who go delving for the icing sugar when there&rsquo;s nothing on the telly &ndash; are way more experimental. Social media is brimming over with wacky baking trends which make our mouths water and our eyes bulge. Here are a few that would be surefire showstoppers on Bake Off….</p><h2>YOU CAN&rsquo;T ESCAPE THE EMOJI</h2><p>There&rsquo;s an emoji for everything these days &ndash; and now they&rsquo;re a huge hit in the baking world too. While we can see a cake emblazoned with smiley faces bringing great joy to all who munch on it, it takes a strong stomach to reach for a cupcake featuring the ever-popular grinning poop emoji. </p><p><a data-pin-do="embedPin" data-pin-width="large" href="https://uk.pinterest.com/pin/479563060300170503/"></a></p><p><a data-pin-do="embedPin" data-pin-width="large" href="https://uk.pinterest.com/pin/357262182921134117/"></a></p><h2>EMBRACE YOUR INNER NERD</h2><p>Gamers have to eat sometimes. Since those of us who grew up playing basic computer games are now old enough to get married to fellow geeks, there&rsquo;s a huge trend for wedding cakes paying tribute to the likes of Super Mario and Sonic The Hedgehog. We&rsquo;re sure it&rsquo;s only a matter of time before Pokemon Go bakes are invading social media too…</p><p><a data-pin-do="embedPin" data-pin-width="large" href="https://uk.pinterest.com/pin/425730971000499449/"></a></p><h2>A DRIPPY CAKE IS NO LONGER A DISASTER</h2><p>Aussie baking hero Katherine Sabbath has some of the most popular cake designs on social media. Her colourful designs are unmistakable &ndash; and rapidly becoming seriously iconic. We&rsquo;re expecting to see a lot of Katherine-inspired colour-drip designs on Bake Off this year &ndash; we just hope they&rsquo;ll be more successful than our own disastrous attempts. Note to self: deliberate dripping and accidental melting aren&rsquo;t the same thing.</p><p><a data-pin-do="embedPin" data-pin-width="large" href="https://uk.pinterest.com/pin/61150507420032262/"></a></p><h2>FROM THE POOL TO THE OVEN…</h2><p>This year, there&rsquo;s been a huge trend for huge, outrageous pool inflatables, with the likes of Taylor Swift and the Kardashians being papped on giant blow-up unicorns, swans and flamingoes. Bizarrely, this trend has now spread into the kitchen &ndash; this flamingo pool float cake has been a huge hit online and we can imagine it going down a storm at a kids&rsquo; birthday party. Just don&rsquo;t drop it in the pool…</p><p><a data-pin-do="embedPin" data-pin-width="large" href="https://uk.pinterest.com/pin/313281717811678141/"></a></p><p><script async defer src="//assets.pinterest.com/js/pinit.js"></script></p><h2>LITERARY INSPIRED</h2><p>With the release of a new Harry Potter book and Roald Dahl's centenary later this year, reading is very much on everyone's mind in 2016. Which might go some way to explaining all the amazingly gorgeous, novel-inspired bakes around this year. We're hoping to see Mary and Paul set the bakers a book-themed showstopper task &ndash; imagine trying to create this under the hot lights of the Bake Off tent...</p><p><a data-pin-do="embedPin" data-pin-width="large" data-pin-terse="true" href="https://uk.pinterest.com/pin/398568635753159019/"></a></p><p>Feeling inspired? Head over to <a href="https://groceries.asda.com/dept/food-cupboard/home-baking-sugar-desserts/1215166245874?utm_source=goodliving&utm_medium=website&utm_campaign=food-features-bakingtrends" target="_blank">Asda.com</a> and stock up on baking essentials!</p><script async defer src="//assets.pinterest.com/js/pinit.js"></script>

The crazy new baking trends that should be on this year's Bake Off!

By Asda Good Living,11th August 2016

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