An intense cake making competition and a glimpse into the future almost sounds like too much excitement for one day, but both were on the agenda at Wilmington Grammar School for Girls yesterday.

The Great British Bake-Off inspired students from all year groups to get their aprons on and cook up something to impress a A-list judging panel, featuring Mayor of Dartford Cllr John Burrell and Mayoress Eija.

Not content with the youngsters taking all the attention, teachers also got involved in the competition to ensure a highly competitive field of entries.

Judges got to sample a chocolate-based creation topped with marshmallows, a present-shaped sponge topped with a bow, and a cake topped with snowmen rather unwisely gathering around a fire.

The winning cake featured Father Christmas himself tucked up in bed after a long night of delivering gifts, baked and decorated by Year 7 pupil Lily.

She said: “It’s so amazing — I can’t believe I’ve won!”

Eija Burrell praised all of the cakes for boasting such detailed decorating and was impressed by the range of ideas on show

One of the other judges was the school’s chair of governors Dianne Connell, who said: “It was very hard to judge because all the cakes looked so wonderful. So much effort had been put into the entries.”

All proceeds from the event were donated to ellenor, a charity which helps families facing terminal illness.

Jess Plant works at the Gravesend-based hospice and was also on the judging panel. She said the cakes were creative, fun, and — most importantly — tasty.

As if such a delightful collection of Christmas cakes wasn’t enough, the school also welcomed executives from online powerhouse Google to introduce the girls to the wonders of virtual reality.

They brought along the firm’s VR Cardboard headsets, which are designed as a low-cost entry point for the potentially expensive new technology. They work by strapping a smartphone into the cardboard shell and then holding it up to your face.

Assistant head teacher Gareth Butcher said: “The lesson I observed included a journey through the Amazon rainforest and an expedition to the bottom of the ocean - the students joy was palpable.

“This experience has enabled us to support learning in a unique way and challenge students to think differently using cutting edge technology.”

Google’s visit was part of the company’s Expeditions Pioneer Programme, which will see execs make visits to schools up and down the UK.