The Great British Bake Off's Ruby Bhogal Shares Her Secrets for Cakes and Pies That Are Doubly Delicious (EXCLUSIVE)
“Everyone gets cake.” That’s Ruby Bhogal’s mantra and the idea behind her first cookbook, One Bake Two Ways. The book features 50 of her mouthwatering creations, like Dark Chocolate Velvet Tart with Dulce de Leche. Each recipe has two versions—traditional and plant-based. “I want my food to serve everyone,” says Ruby, who describes her own eating style as flexitarian. “No matter what side of the dietary fence you’re on, we’re celebrating with recipes that are equally delicious.”
Meet Ruby Bhogal
This book is my literary first-born!” says Ruby, speaking from her home in London, where she’s with baking companion and “the best dog-Hoover in town,” Milo. “When I did The Great British Bake Off (GBBO), I’d only been baking for a year. I was approached at that time to do a cookbook, but I didn’t have the confidence in my baking,”she recalls. “So I took time off to really hone my skills. And I found this passion for baking I didn’t know could exist. It’s my purpose — what I was born to do.”
How 'The Great British Bake-Off' changed Ruby’s life
Ruby’s life has been a whirlwind ever since she first set foot in the iconic GBBO white tent in 2018. A former architect, she became a fan favorite, breakout star and finalist. “I’m the girl whose cake fell over on TV and that haunts me still,” she says. Her time on the show was life-changing: In addition to the cookbook, Ruby now writes a popular weekly newsletter called The Last Bite about her life, travels, new recipes and lifestyle musings. On Instagram, where she has more than 550,000 followers, she launched a series called Around the World in 80 Cakes (she was working on cake #39 at the time of our interview). Ruby also has at least one TV project in the works, but she can’t talk about that quite yet.
Today, reflecting on her GBBO experience, she feels extremely fortunate — and vindicated. “I’m very proud of what I managed to do,” Ruby says. “I’d been baking for just a year at that point. The only reason I got to that final isn’t because I had some mad baking skill. It’s because I’m very competitive. If someone tells me I’m rubbish at something, I will practice and practice until they eat their words. Nothing felt better than proving (GBBO judge) Paul Hollywood wrong! By nature, I’m a very hard worker with a determination to succeed.”
Ruby’s tips for baking success
Conquering cake is as much about your attitude as it is the technique. Here’s what Ruby has learned.
Have respect for the process:“Baking is scientific, it is a process of precision,” Ruby points out. “Do not mess with baking!” she says only half jokingly. “If you do, it will come back to haunt you!”
Buy yourself a baking scale: “I've had my pair of scales for five or six years, and they probably cost me about $12,” Ruby says. “ My scales are the thing that gets used more than anything else in my kitchen. Using grams as opposed to cups guarantees you better baking results every single time.
Be patient: “Baking is about finding patience within yourself and finding patience within the process,” Ruby explains. “Some things take four hours [to make], some things take five hours. It's about having that patience to know that eventually good things will come.”
Remember, it’s only cake: “That is the most important thing that I can tell you, Ruby says. “If it fails once, even if it fails five times, it's only cake. Don't let it ever be bigger than that. Drown it in a bit of custard, or top it with some ice cream, and I guarantee you that mistake will still taste delicious.”
Ruby’s recipes
(Recipes courtesy of Interlink Publishing)
Chocolate fudge cake with milk chocolate fudge
INGREDIENTS:
For the cake
2? cups (300 g) self-rising flour, sifted
2 cups (180 g) unsweetened cocoa powder, sifted
generous 2 cups (180 g) ground almonds
3? cups (660 g) light brown sugar
(don't panic, this is correct)
pinch of sea salt
3 eggs, large
2 tsp vanilla bean paste
1% cups (400 g) plain yogurt
3? tbsp whole milk
? cup (150 ml) sunflower oil
1? cups (300 ml) hot
For the Chocolate Fudge Frosting
2? cups (450 g) milk chocolate chips or baking wafers
1? cups (300 ml) heavy cream
1 cup (112 g) confectioners' sugar, sifted
7 tbsp (100 g) unsalted butter, room temp
For the sugar syrup
? quantity of simple vanilla syrup
2 x 8 in (20 cm) cake pans, greased and lined (base and sides)
INSTRUCTIONS:
Preheat the oven to 340°F (170°C).
Cakes don't get much simpler than a wet and dry mix. In one bowl, combine all the dry ingredients. Break up any large lumps and make sure everything is evenly mixed. In another bowl, combine the wet ingredients, leaving the hot water until last and mixing together lightly with a balloon whisk.
Pour the wet into the dry and work the ingredients well using a balloon whisk. Scrape down the sides of the bowl with a rubber spatula to ensure everything is well combined.
Evenly divide the batter between the two pans before baking in the oven for 36-38 minutes.
Go lower on the timings because a gooey, fudgy middle is exactly what we are after-even if this does mean the top may sink a little.
You wanna leave the cakes to cool for at least 45 minutes; we are after a fondant-esque inside and don't want to risk any major collapses, so let them sit in the pans.
Once the cakes have firmed up a little, remove from the pans, wrap in plastic and leave to cool completely.
Next, let's get the chocolate fudge frosting made.
Add the chocolate chunks to a large heatproof bowl. Place the heavy cream in a saucepan and place over medium heat. Heat the cream gently until it is near boiling before removing from the heat. Pour the hot cream on top of the chocolate chunks and leave to sit for a minute.
Use a balloon whisk or rubber spatula to mix the chocolate and cream together. You are after
a smooth and glossy consistency-so it your cream isn't hot enough, the chunks won't melt. It this is the case, till a saucepan with cold water and gently heat until simmering, then place the bowl on top, making sure the bottom of the bow doesn't touch the water. The indirect heat from the steam will melt the chocolate.
Once smooth, leave the ganache to sit and cool. When the ganache is lukewarm, add the contectioners sugar and whisk until whipped— you will know when this has happened as it will have turned lighter in color and in texture. Add the butter and mix well until thickened and fully incorporated.
If your cake layers have domed a little, trim off the tops with a serrated knife and keep as little chef snacks.
Generously glaze both cake tops and sides with the vanilla sugar syrup using a pastry brush Once the syrup has soaked through, glaze the cakes once more.
Place a cake layer on your serving plate. lop with one-third of the frosting. Place the second
layer on top, bottom-side up for a super-flat top, before using the remaining two-thirds of the frosting to smother the top and the sides. You can either keep the outside rustic by swirling with the back of a spoon or you can smooth down the sides and top with a cake scraper.
Leave in the fridge until serving. To serve, slice with a hot knife or go in big Brucey-style with your hands.
Salted caramel basque cheesecake with raspberries and pistachios
INGREDIENTS:
For the cheesecake:
3 cups (700 g) full-fat cream cheese, room temp scant 1? cups (285 g) sugar, preferably superfine
5 medium eggs
1? tsp vanilla bean paste
? cup (115 g) sour cream, room temp 1 cup (250 ml) heavy cream, room temp
3 tbsp salted caramel sauce (see page 290), plus extra for drizzling
? cup (40 g) cornstarch,
To finish:
Handful of fresh raspberries
Handful of pistachios, roughly chopped
9 in (23 cm) springform cake pan, greased and lined with 2 layers of parchment paper, pressed into the pan and coming up around the sides (it will look rustic!)
INSTRUCTIONS:
Preheat the oven to 400°F (200°C). Do not use the fan setting here; we want a slow, steady bake.
Put the cream cheese in the bowl of a stand mixer and use the paddle attachment to beat until smooth. Once smooth, add the sugar and mix again until fully incorporated. Add the eggs, one by one, mixing well between each addition, then add the vanilla bean paste, sour cream, heavy cream and salted caramel. Mix well.
Sift in one-third of the cornstarch, mix until combined, then repeat with the remaining two-thirds. Going slow and steady just helps to ensure the cornstarch doesn't become lumpy.
Pour the cream mix into the prepared pan, scraping down the sides and making sure there are no clumps of cornstarch or cream cheese. If there are, pass the mixture through a fine sieve to remove.
Place the pan onto a baking sheet (this will just help you remove it from the oven when the pan is hot and put it on the middle shelf of the oven. Bake for 45 minutes and then turn down the temperature to 350°F (180°C) for another 5 minutes until the top is darkened. It may look burned, slightly cracked around the sides, and still wobbly in the middle, but fear not, this is exactly what we are
Leave to cool completely at room temperature before putting into the fridge overnight to set perfectly.
Before serving, add a few spoons of salted caramel sauce to the top, and use the back of a spoon to coat and swirl it around. Pile on fresh raspberries and a generous scattering of chopped pistachios to finish.
Use a hot knife (run under hot water or hold over a steaming kettle and wipe) for that *perfect* velvety, caramel-drowning slice.
Serves: 9
Plant-Based salted caramel basque cheesecake with raspberries and pistachios
INGREDIENTS:
For the cheesecake:
1 b 5 oz (600 g) silken tofu
1? cups (400 ml) coconut cream
? cup (65 g) cornstarch, sifted generous 1 cup (225 g) sugar, preferably superfine
2 tsp vanilla bean paste
To finish:
1 quantity salted caramel sauce (see page 290)
Handful of fresh raspberries
Handful of pistachios, roughly chopped
8 in (20 cm) springform cake pan, greased with coconut oil and lined with 2 layers of parchment paper, pressed into the pan and coming up around the sides
INSTRUCTIONS:
Preheat the oven to 410°F (210°C). Do not use the fan setting here, we want a slow, steady bake.
In the bowl of a stand mixer, add the silken tofu and mix well. Go in with all the remaining ingredients and mix on medium speed to incorporate-you want this velvety smooth without overmixing.
Pour the mixture into the prepared pan, scraping down the sides and making sure there are no clumps of tofu. If there are, pass the mixture through a fine sieve to remove.
Place the pan onto a baking sheet (this will just help you remove it from the oven when the pan is hot) and pop it onto the middle shelf of the oven. Bake for 40 minutes and then turn down the temperature to 400°F (200°C) for another 10 minutes until the top is golden. It may look slightly cracked around the sides and still wobbly in the middle, but fear not, this is exactly what we are after.
Leave to cool completely at room temperature, before putting into the fridge overnight to set perfectly.
Before serving, add a few generous spoons of salted caramel sauce to the top, and use the back of a spoon to swirl it on. Pile on fresh raspberries and a generous scattering of chopped pistachios to finish.
Use a hot knife (run under hot water or hold over a steaming kettle and wipe) for that *perfect* slice.
Serves: 9
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