Feeling the urge to mix things up and get creative in the kitchen?
Following her win on season six of The Great British Bake Off, Nadiya Hussain’s second Netflix original series, Nadiya Bakes, is now available for viewing.
In Nadiya Bakes, author and television personality Hussain goes back to her roots by leaping back into her first love – baking.
“For me, baking really is my happy place,” she says in the first episode of the new series. “And I want it to be yours too.”
Baking shows can be an inspiration for bakers at any level.
Ottawa novice home baker and owner of Liv’s Cakes, Olivia Barber, finds herself turning to baking shows to keep herself inspired. Her love for baking shows was sparked when she was young and she still watches them today.
Owner of Ottawa’s own Liv’s Cakes, Olivia Barber, began her cake decorating business during the COVID-19 pandemic. Photo credit: Olivia Barber
“I find that they have a lot of hidden tips and tricks throughout the show to better your baking,” she says.
Baking shows aren’t the only influence in Barber’s love for baking. With the love and support of her family and friends, she was able to open her cake decorating business.
“With the pandemic going on my schooling being completely online I found that I had a lot more free time,” she says. “Rather than filling that time with meaningless activities, I decided to practice my baking and cake decorating instead.”
Barber says that once restrictions in the province loosen, she will be back in business selling her custom cakes and cupcakes. Check out Liv’s Cakes here: https://www.instagram.com/p/CLS4j-DnTtR/?igshid=1kmypcjzuz6cr
The new series, Nadiya Bakes, aired on Feb. 12, 2021 and is available for viewing on Netflix. Photo credit: Netflix
The series features eight half-hour episodes, with four recipes from Hussain showcased in each episode. Each episode is also accompanied by a fifth recipe from a fellow U.K. baker whom she admires. These special guests include Julia Jones, who specializes in edible art, Joakim Prat with his twist on the ever-so-classic eclair and many others.
The first episode of Nadiya Bakes, “Classics with a Twist”, features delicious tasty treats like these strawberry shortcake cupcakes. Photo credit: Netflix
The first episode, Classics with a Twist, opens with upbeat rhythmic music combined with nature sounds and a shot of a yellow-speckled butterfly afloat a blooming purple flower. We’re then whisked away into a montage of what Hussain will teach us how to make. Numerous baked goods are flashed across the screen which create a mouth-watering sensation as each one passes by.
The first recipe is a delicious take on the classic cupcake – strawberry shortcake cupcakes. Hussain did not grow up eating treats such as these and uses that as an inspiration point to put her own spin on each dish.
“I think this is why I bake,” she says as she’s placing cupcake tins into their moulds. “There’s something in me that so desperately wants to create.”
All of the fears that would scare a beginner out of wanting to create this dish are melted away as Hussain reveals the simple ingredients that really make the desert pop. For the strawberry flavour – melted strawberry ice cream. And the shortbread? Simply popping any thin cookie into the cupcake tin will do.
This is what makes her recipes so special, Hussain focuses on letting the audience in on her “cheats” – the little things that make cooking a heck of a lot easier and can cut the time down enormously.
As the ooey gooey strawberry cupcake batter fills the tins, Hussain gets intimate with the viewers and shares what baking does for her in her busy life.
“It’s moments like this, when it’s just me and my cupcakes, and then I just pause,” she says.
“If I’m anxious, I bake. If I’m a little bit sad, I bake,” Hussain says. “When I’m just concentrating on a recipe, I feel like I don’t have to think about anything else.”
Whether your experience in the kitchen is limited or advanced, these treats are sure to brighten any day. Be sure to follow along with the new Netflix series and check out the recipes from each episode here: https://www.bbc.co.uk/food/programmes/m000mfhl/recipes.
