The Bay Area loves cheering on its own, and few people are generating more excitement right now than Zoha Malik, the Newark home baker whose inventive, scroll-stopping dessert videos have drawn more than a million Instagram followers.
In a region where culinary creativity stretches from Michelin-starred dining rooms to midnight experiments in home kitchens, Malik stands out. Now she’s one of the contestants on the new FOX show Next Level Baker, representing the Bay Area under Gordon Ramsay’s famously intense gaze.
Malik’s story begins in a small town in Pakistan, where food meant connection and comfort. She learned by watching her mother and grandmother, absorbing the rhythms of home cooking long before baking was a career idea. While the women around her cooked savory dishes, she gravitated toward sweets, baking tea cakes and brownies so often they became part of who she was.
Bay Area baker Zoha Malik(Courtesy of Lorraine O’Sullivan - FOX)
After moving to the United States for college, Malik earned a biomedical engineering degree from Vanderbilt University and joined McKinsey & Company as a consultant. Baking faded until the pandemic, when a return to mixing bowls and warm ovens rekindled a familiar joy. That ritual grew into the website Bake With Zoha in 2022. By 2023, it had become her full-time calling.
Malik’s desserts make people feel instantly at home. She leans into nostalgic, comforting classics and elevates them just enough to feel special without being intimidating. Her videos are warm and approachable, the kind that make even hesitant bakers think, “I can do that.”
Many of Malik’s bakes have reached cult status; her New York cheesecake, chocolate cake, and tiramisu form a signature trio followers will not stop talking about. The cheesecake and chocolate cake now appear at birthdays and holidays across her community. Another runaway favorite, her tandoori chicken naan buns, blends South Asian comfort with playful creativity.
Inspiration comes from everywhere, says Malik: neighborhood bakeries, handed-down family recipes, flavors discovered while traveling, or fellow creators whose work sparks joy. She admires French pastry virtuoso Cédric Grolet for the precision and artistry that’s pushing modern pastry forward.
Dubai chocolate donut rolls by Zoha Malik(Courtesy of Zoha Malik)
Behind Malik’s serene videos lie very real, hectic days that involve recipe testing, filming, photography, editing, writing, troubleshooting her blog, and engaging with her community—often while caring for her one-year-old son. The pace is relentless, but she carries it with gratitude, happy to be tired from doing something she truly loves.
Even as her audience has grown, Malik has not changed. She keeps things simple and gravitates to places that feel like home. In the Bay Area, she loves Silicon Valley’s Zareen’s Restaurant (365 California Ave., Palo Alto and other locations), an Indian-Pakistani spot that evokes the food she grew up with. She and her husband go whenever they feel homesick.
For a sweet treat, Malik heads to San Francisco’s iconic Bob’s Donuts (1720 Polk St., Lower Nob Hill). “I am obsessed and think they’re the best donuts I’ve ever had,” she says. To unplug, Malik takes long walks, especially through the Presidio from Inspiration Point down to the Marina, or bikes through Golden Gate Park and lets the greenery clear her mind.
Malik’s path to television began when a casting producer for FOX’s Next Level Baker discovered her on social media. At first she brushed off the idea because entering a baking competition judged by Gordon Ramsay felt too wild, but curiosity pushed her to apply. After several interviews, a lengthy application, and a background check, she learned she had been selected.
Zoha Malik on 'Next Level Baker'(Courtesy of Lorraine O’Sullivan - FOX)
“I was freaking out and wanted to back out, but I knew I’d regret it,” Malik recalls. “I’m so glad I went. It was an opportunity of a lifetime.”
Filming proved unforgettable. She describes the set, producers, and contestants as phenomenal, even if the pace was stressful. The highlight was baking beside Gordon Ramsay. “He’s incredibly skilled, passionate, and kind.”
Malik speaks just as highly of Carla Hall, saying she “was like a warm hug.” It is an experience she says she will always hold close.
Looking ahead, Malik has collaborations and new recipes planned for 2026, along with fresh content for her blog and Instagram. She can’t share everything yet, but promises her community will love what is coming.
// Don’t miss Zoha Malik on the next episode of 'Next Level Baker 'on December 11th at 6pm PST on FOX or streaming on Hulu and Disney+. Follow her on Instagram @bakewithzoha and explore more of her recipes at bakewithzoha.com.
Zoha Malik's no bake chocolate trifle(Courtesy of Zoha Malik)
