TV cook Ruby Bhogal on how Bake Off changed her life...plus two delicious recipes 

As we enjoy the return of The Great British Bake Off, season nine finalist Ruby Bhogal reveals something about the famous Paul Hollywood handshake – it’s not just his bakes that are moist.

“Him and his sweaty hands!” she laughs as she recalls being awarded the famous handshake several times. “I did make a joke about it when I received my first one, I don’t think he appreciated that very much.”

Like everyone else, the recipe creator, columnist and TV cook couldn’t wait to see the new judge Nigella Lawson join Hollywood and presenters Alison Hammond and Noel Fielding as another 12 contestants battle it out for the title. Bhogal describes Lawson as a “formidable force of great, feminine energy”.

She says, “Nigella gave me a quote for my first book One Bake, Two Ways. She’s kind, humble, but so alpha as well – I can’t wait to see her and Paul!”

It’s been eight years since the recipe creator, columnist, and TV cook reached the final of GBBO in 2018 having only been baking for a year. Looking back, Bhogal says her life now compared to eight years ago is “like night and day”.

“I fell into baking after I’d quit my job and went home to live at my mum and dad’s,” she says. “I was getting desperate on the job front as the months went by – then I found a baking book gathering dust at home.”

She says: “The magic about baking is that it really helped me get through my unemployment – I’ve got such a sweet tooth, to make something with my own hands and then have instant gratification is like therapy for me.”

It was Bhogal’s family who saw the adverts. “They said, ‘We’ve been eating your baking over the past year – you should apply.’ So I thought I’d give it a whirl but it did mean I was probably the least experienced person in the competition.”

Ironically, Bhogal was back working full-time as an engineer for Network Rail in the UK when she got the call to enter the tent.

Although not a favourite to win, each week she impressed judges with her sparky personality, true grit and pushing herself with showstoppers which won her Star Baker twice, and how she drew on the big flavours of her Indian heritage.

She admits, “It was very intimidating but I took feedback from Paul and [former judge] Prue [Leith], and would always apply it for the following week. I think it was my competitive nature that saw me through to the end.”

The supreme irony of having a Masters in architecture and also being remembered as the woman whose beautiful cakes collapsed in one of the episodes is not lost on Bhogal, and as the youngest of three sisters, she’s used to taking flak.

But she says the keyboard warriors have got worse since then, and she advises this year’s contestants, ‘Do not Google yourself’. Speaking as someone who’s done that.”

Having now carved out a kind corner of the internet on Instagram and Substack with her newsletter The Last Bite, Bhogal shares many of her life moments, as well as all the glorious bakes for her latest book, Around the World in 80 Cakes, which she describes as like “travelling around the world from the comfort of your own kitchen”.

Her recipe for Ireland is the chocolate Guinness Cake below.

“I have a nice community and rarely get negative comments, and if I do, it’s because people are very patriotic about a cake from their country!” she says with a chuckle.

The 37-year-old is expecting a baby with her husband, TV presenter James Stewart, who she married in June last year.

Around The World In 80 Cakes by Ruby Bhogal is published in hardback by Pavilio. Photography by Matt Russell. Available now. 

Irish Chocolate Guinness Cake

This rich, decadent cake teeters between a pudding and a cake.

“This is an adults-only cake: unapologetically bold in flavour and paired with a subtle hit of booze in every department,” laughs Ruby Bhogal. “We’ve got that malty stout flavour running through the rich chocolate sponge, topped with a whipped cream cheese that’s spiked with Irish cream and finished with juicy blackberries for an extra bit of sharpness.”

Ingredients (serves 8)

Hands-on time: 1 hour

Difficulty: Intermediate

For the loaf:

360g plain flour, sifted

3tsp baking powder, sifted

¼tsp bicarbonate of soda, sifted

120g cocoa powder, sifted

440g soft light brown sugar

1/2tsp sea salt

2 large eggs

175ml Guinness

150ml double cream, room temp

100ml neutral oil

100ml boiling water

For the chocolate glaze:

160ml double cream, fridge temp

140g milk chocolate

¼ tsp sea salt

For whipped cream cheese:

175g full-fat cream cheese, fridge temp

100ml Irish cream

1tsp vanilla bean paste

45g icing sugar, sifted

225ml double cream, fridge temp

To finish:

A handful of fresh blackberries

Crème de Mûre (optional)

900g loaf tin, greased and lined

PLUS a muffin tray, lined with 6–8 cases

Method

1. Preheat oven to 150C fan/170C/gas mark 3. Start with loaf batter. In a large bowl, put dry ingredients and use a balloon whisk to mix well, breaking down any large lumps of sugar.

2. In a separate bowl, put all the wet ingredients and mix well until smooth.

3. Pour wet ingredients into dry and use balloon whisk to begin incorporating, then switch out to a rubber spatula, scraping down the sides and base of the bowl to ensure there are no unmixed flour pockets.

4. When smooth, transfer three-quarters of the mix into prepared loaf tin, using any surplus to fill muffin cases.

5. Pop loaf into oven and bake for 58–60 minutes. Insert a skewer into the middle to check for doneness – you are looking for it to return a few crumbs and a small amount of batter.

6. For cupcakes, bake for 18–20 minutes, in a separate oven if possible. Allow them to sit for 5 minutes in the tray before transferring to a cooling rack. Cover the tops with clingfilm whilst they cool. For the loaf, let it sit in the tin for 10 minutes before transferring to a large sheet of clingfilm. Wrap tightly and leave to cool at room temperature for 1 hour before placing in the fridge to chill overnight.

7. Next day, remove loaf from fridge and make chocolate glaze. Add double cream to pan and bring to a near-boil, then remove from heat and add chocolate and sea salt. Cover pan with a lid and leave to sit for 2 minutes, then mix with rubber spatula until glossy and smooth before leaving to cool for 30 minutes.

8. Place chilled loaf on a cooling rack with a large tray positioned underneath. Generously pour the glaze over the top to cover, coating all the surface area. For cupcakes, transfer any surplus glaze (including any sitting in the large tray) to a piping bag and pipe it into the middle of the cupcake. To do this, use base of a piping tip to press into cupcake top and scoop out a little sponge, then fill hole with ganache and place the scooped-out piece back on top.

9. Whilst glaze is setting on loaf, place blackberries into a bowl and macerate lightly with drizzle of creme de mure.

10. Once ganache has set, make whipped cream cheese. Add cream cheese, Irish cream, vanilla bean paste and icing sugar to a bowl and mix until smooth. Pour in the double cream and whisk to a medium peak, so you are left with a silky-smooth consistency that lightly holds its shape.

11. To serve, use a sharp, warm knife to slice room-temperature loaf. Pipe leftover ganache on top, cover with generous dollop of whipped cream cheese. Finish with the boozy blackberries.

Sicilian Cassata

Ingredients (serves: 14)

Hands-on time: Less than 1½ hours

Difficulty: Advanced

For the sponge:

225g caster sugar

Zest of 2 lemons

5 large eggs, whole

2 large eggs, yolks only

110g plain flour, sifted

110g cornflour, sifted

¼tsp salt

For the ricotta filling:

1kg ricotta, fridge temp

200g icing sugar, sifted

125g dark chocolate, chunks or chips

100g candied orange peel or mixed peel

2 tsp vanilla bean paste

Zest of 1 extra-large orange

80g glacé cherries, roughly chopped

For the soaking syrup:

100ml water

75ml maraschino liqueur

125g caster sugar

To decorate:

300g icing sugar, sifted, plus extra for dusting

1 large egg, white only

Apricot jam, to glaze

200g marzipan (approx)

Green or yellow food colouring (optional)

2–3 maraschino cherries

23cm springform or loose-bottomed cake tin, greased and lined

Method

1. Preheat oven to 160C fan/180C /gas mark 4. Start with sponge. Add the caster sugar and lemon zest to a stand mixer bowl and, using whisk attachment, mix on medium speed for 5 minutes to help release the oils for a punchier flavour.

2. Scrape sides and base of bowl before adding the eggs and yolks, then whisk on a medium-to-high speed for 8–10 minutes until you reach the ribbon stage (i.e. it’s aerated, doubled in volume, and the whisk leaves a trail of batter on the surface when removed).

3. In a separate bowl, put flour, cornflour and salt and use a balloon whisk to mix together. Add flour into mixer bowl and gently fold through by working the spatula around the side and cutting through the middle, then scraping the bottom and bringing up before working the side and repeating. Try to keep as much air in the batter as possible.

4. As soon as there remain no visible streaks of flour, pour the batter into the prepared tin and bake in oven for 32–35 minutes until the top of the sponge bounces back when gently pressed and an inserted skewer returns no batter.

5. Place tin on cooling rack and allow the sponge to sit in the tin for 10 minutes. Carefully turn out the sponge onto a large sheet of clingfilm, then wrap and set aside to cool at room temperature.

6. Whilst the sponge is baking, make the filling. Slowly strain the ricotta through a muslin or sieve to remove excess water – this will take about 2 hours.

7. Whilst the ricotta is straining, make soaking syrup. Add all ingredients to a pan and bring to the boil over a medium heat. Reduce the heat and simmer for a further 5–10 minutes until you are left with a lightly thickened syrup. Remove from the heat and set aside to cool.

8. Once strained, add ricotta to a stand mixerbowl, along with the icing sugar, dark chocolate, candied orange peel, chopped glace cherries, vanilla bean paste and orange zest. Using the paddle attachment, mix on a medium speed until smooth, then transfer to a piping bag and pop into the fridge until you are ready to construct the cake.

9. When sponge is cool, level top with serrated knife, before carefully dividing cake into three equal-sized sponges. Line the tin you baked the sponge in with plenty of clingfilm, ensuring the edges overflow the sides and the clingfilm is pressed tightly into the base.

10. Place one of sponges into lined tin and, using a pastry brush, liberally apply the maraschino soaking syrup. Cut the second sponge into 5cm strips and use these to line the edge of the tin – this will be a bit like a forcing a jigsaw to work but trust the process.

11. Fill cake cavity with chilled ricotta filling, using back of a spoon or an offset spatula to condense filling, remove any air pockets and level out the top.

12. Drench the last sponge layer with the remaining maraschino syrup, then place on top of the ricotta (soaked side down), sandwich and seal. Bring the edges of the clingfilm over the top of the cake to wrap completely before popping into the fridge to set overnight.

13. Next day, unwrap top of sponge and carefully turn out the cake onto a serving plate. Remove clingfilm. Now decorate. In a bowl, put the icing sugar and egg white and mix well with a spoon to form a thick but fluid royal icing. Pour three-quarters of the icing on top of the cake and use an offset palette knife to create a smooth, even layer, taking the icing up to the cake edge. Brush the side of the cake with the apricot jam, generously coating so it can act as a glue for the marzipan.

14. Lightly dust worktop with icing sugar, add few drops of food colouring to marzipan and knead until left with an even colour. Roll out marzipan and slice a long strip, equal to the height of the cake. Carefully apply the marzipan strip around the outside of the cake, blending the two edges to conceal the joint. Using the remaining royal icing and any leftover marzipan and maraschino cherries, decorate the top as you wish.