picture of zoha standing in front of a counter with a chocolate cake, cheesecake and cookies

Hi! I’m Zoha

I’m a self-taught baker, blogger, photographer, and content creator behind Bake with Zoha. But above all, I’m a lover of all things sweet, and baking is my love language. I share simple and indulgent dessert recipes, with the goal of simplifying and demystifying baking for home bakers.

As seen on:

Quick Facts

Expertise: Baking, dessert recipe development, Pakistani food, social media content creation

Experience: Founder of Bake with Zoha (2M+ followers, 200+ recipes), Next Level Baker finalist, Food Network Hot List 2026, 600+ students at Bake with Zoha academy

Education: Biomedical Engineering, Vanderbilt University, summa cum laude

Career background: 5+ years at McKinsey & Company before launching Bake with Zoha in 2022

Where you might have seen me: The Today Show, Food Network, Next Level Baker season 1

Personal Journey

Zoha as a child sharing a family meal in Pakistan

Early Years

I was born and raised in Wah Cantt, a small city in Pakistan. I saw my mother and grandmother cooking in the kitchen every day, and learned early that food was an expression of love. So I was drawn to the kitchen, but my sweet tooth got me into baking instead. I baked cakes and brownies every week for my friends, family and class-fellows. But life got busy and baking took a backseat.

Zoha celebrating her Vanderbilt University graduation with her mother

Education and Career

After completing my A Levels, I moved to the United States in 2013 to attend Vanderbilt University. I majored in Biomedical Engineering and graduated summa cum laude in 2017. I then joined McKinsey & Company as a management consultant — a career of 5+ years that shaped me in many ways, but left very little room for sugar and butter.

Zoha and her husband Shahzeb standing together in a park

Family Life

In 2019, I married my high-school sweetheart and best friend, and moved from Dallas to the Bay Area. We have lived in California ever since. After starting our family with the cutest Scottish-fold cat, Thor, we welcomed our baby, Mikayl, into the world in 2024. Life has never been fuller, more rewarding, or more exhausting!

Zoha piping chocolate onto brownies in her kitchen

Back to Baking

Then came 2022! A pandemic induced quarter-life-crisis got me back in the kitchen, and I started baking on weekends to reconnect with myself. What started as a creative escape quickly turned into something much bigger. I started sharing my recipes on Instagram and TikTok, and the hobby turned into a full-blown passion before I knew it.

Zoha wearing her Next Level Baker apron on the holiday set
Zoha baking with Gordon Ramsay in the Next Level Baker kitchen

I can’t even believe this is real life, but I competed in Gordon Ramsay’s first ever baking competition show, Next Level Baker, in 2025!

This was a holiday-themed series judged by Gordon, Carla Hall and Candace Nelson, and the competition is tough. Every bake starts with a “platform grab” in which you have just ~15 seconds to grab ingredients from a moving platform, and you bake on different kitchen levels based on your performance.

Although I was incredibly nervous going in, I was able to deliver in every single challenge, and was the only baker who was never sent down to the basement level! I also got “top bake” in three challenges for my Black Forest Swiss Roll, the Gingerbread Dulce De Leche Cake, and Tandoori Chicken Star Bread.

I mean, when Gordon Ramsay tastes something you’ve made and calls it “f***ing delicious”, that’s a memory you take to the grave.

Even though I left as a runner up, I felt like a winner. I got to represent Pakistan on a massive platform, made memories for a lifetime, and got proof that I can, in fact, bake.

Fun Facts

I didn’t get on an airplane until I was 17 years old!

I once earned a world distinction in O’ Levels Biology (#nerdalert) 🫠

Zoha standing in front of the Swiss Alps

I moved to the U.S. in 2013 to attend Vanderbilt University, where I studied Biomedical Engineering and graduated summa cum laude

Zoha cuddling her Scottish Fold cat, Thor

After college, I worked at McKinsey & Company as a management consultant for 5+ years

My husband, Shahzeb, and I met in 10th grade, and survived 4 years of cross-continental long distance before getting married in 2019 (phew)

Zoha celebrating her Vanderbilt University graduation with her mother

We have the cutest Scottish Fold cat, Thor. He’s 6 years old and wants nothing to do with anyone

We absolutely love to travel, and took 3 months off in 2022 to travel across 20+ cities in Europe ✈️

Zoha and Shahzeb traveling together in Switzerland

I can’t swim and have a (very rational) fear of large water bodies (why do people just walk into oceans??) 🌊

Come bake with me

I post new recipes every week.

Stock up on delicious recipes

Subscribe to get all of my latest recipes in your inbox. You will also receive my 5 most popular dessert recipes as my gift to you!


A stack of fudgy chocolate brownies