About Zoha Malik

girl (zoha) in pink smiling at camera holding brownie in hand

About Zoha Malik

Hi there, I'm Zoha! Self-taught baker, content creator and one-woman team behind Bake with Zoha. Above all, I'm a lover of all things sweet.

Bake with Zoha is my passion

I started Bake with Zoha in 2022 with a simple mission: share my love for baking, and make it genuinely accessible for home bakers. What began as a personal hobby has now turned into my full-time passion, and a global community of nearly 2 million people.

I wear many hats here: recipe developer, food blogger, photographer, editor, copywriter and more. But four years in, I am still overwhelmed with joy every single day that I get to do this. Baking is my love language. You can find me testing and perfecting recipes in my kitchen at all hours, and I truly wouldn't have it any other way.

Learn more about Bake with Zoha →

Quick facts

Expertise: Baking, dessert recipe development, Pakistani food, social media content creation
Experience: Founder of Bake with Zoha (1.8M+ 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
Where you might have seen me: The Today Show, Food Network, Next Level Baker season 1

I was a finalist on Next Level Baker!

A man in a light blue sweater talks animatedly to a woman in a blue apron, who smiles and covers one eye with her hand, in what appears to be a busy kitchen setting.

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.

My Journey

Early years

A woman gently feeds a young girl beside a man on a sofa. The table in front of them has a cake, fried snacks, ketchup, and dishes. They appear to be sharing a meal in a cozy home setting.

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.

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.

Two women smiling in front of a brick wall. One woman is wearing a graduation cap and gown, holding a diploma. The other woman is dressed in a colorful traditional outfit with a pink scarf.

Family life

A smiling couple stands together on a grassy area by a lake in a park, with people in the background under a blue sky with scattered clouds. The woman wears a white dress; the man wears beige pants and a dark top.

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, and more exhausting!

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 realized.

A woman in a pink shirt and brown apron decorates brownies with a piping bag in a modern kitchen, with a plate of muffins on a stand beside her.

A smiling woman in a brown apron holds a plate with a slice of tiramisu in a professional kitchen studio. A larger dish of tiramisu sits on the counter, and Food Network signs are visible in the background.

Food Network 2026 Hot List!

I made it onto Food Network's Fifth Annual Hot List! This list celebrates influential chefs and food personalities who are making their mark on food culture, and it is an absolute honor to to be a part of the 2026 roster.

as seen in:

Logos of media and food brands from left to right: TODAY, delish, feedfeed, Food Network, Tastemade, Next Level Baker Holidays, and Tasty on a light background.

My favorite recipes

Browse all recipes

more about me...

Some Fun Facts

a collage of 6 pictures of Zoha and Shahzeb in different cities

I didn't get on an airplane until I was 17 years old
I once earned a world distinction in O' Levels Biology (#nerdalert)
My husband, Shahzeb, and I met in 10th grade, and survived 4 years of cross-continental long distance (phew 😮‍💨)
We absolutely love to travel, and took 3 months off in 2022 to travel across 20+ cities in Europe ✈️
I can't swim and have a (very rational) fear of large water bodies (why do people just walk into oceans??) 🌊
I have terrible hand-eye coordination and an even worse singing voice (my husband begs me not to sing 😂)

Let's Connect

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