Banana bread is out: This lockdown we’ll be baking custard tarts and Victoria sponge, says Waitrose

Searches for the sweet treats are up since the third lockdown was announced

(Getty Images/iStockphoto)

Banana bread might have stolen the limelight in 2020, but custard tarts, Victoria sponge and pancakes are set to be the biggest bakes this lockdown, according to Waitrose.

The supermarket giant revealed that online searches for Victoria sponge recipes are up 1,835 per cent since last year, and 64 per cent on last week – before Boris Johnson announced the third national lockdown.

With the number of plant-based Brits constantly on the rise, views on the vegan version of the recipe are also up 200 per cent from last week.

Searches for pancake recipes – which usually peak around Shrove Tuesday in February – have risen too, with an 148 per cent increase from the same time last year, while views of Great British Bake Off contestant Martha Collinson’s rhubarb and custard tartlets are up 25 per cent since Monday.

During the first and second lockdowns, due to the coronavirus pandemic, the nation fell in love with baking after being forced to spend more time at home.

Research commissioned by KitchenAid revealed that time spent baking had increased since the first lockdown was announced on 23 March 2020, with 67 minutes a week now spent in the kitchen creating sweet treats, compared to 41 minutes previously.

Banana bread was hugely popular during previous lockdowns (Getty Images/iStockphoto)

The research also revealed that one-fifth of those polled had tried baking for the first time ever, and 23 per cent of avid bakers had increased their repertoire.

And it was banana bread that most bakers turned their hand to.

By the end of the first lockdown, internet searches for banana bread recipes had soared by 535 per cent, and photographs of successful creations were posted on Instagram more than 45,000 times.  

The cake became the most popular dish on the BBC Food website, with thousands of comments under the top recipe.

Mental health experts have suggested that the reason behind the sudden interest in baking is a form of self-preservation.

Counsellor Natasha Crowe added: "Baking is wholesome, nourishing and good for the soul, and right now that’s just what people need.

"Banana bread is also fairly straight forward and doesn’t seem too indulgent if you fancy something sweet, which is perhaps why it has been our go-to bake during previous lockdowns."