32-Year-Old M'sian Becomes Quick Fan Favourite On UK TV Show 'The Great British Bake Off'
Syabira Yusoff is competing against 11 other home bakers in the 13th season of the show.
By May Vin Ang — 23 Sep 2022, 05:53 PM
A Malaysian home baker has made it onto Britain's favourite amateur baking competition, The Great British Bake Off
Having only baked her first cake about five years ago, Syabira Yusoff will be competing against 11 other contestants in season 13, which premiered last Tuesday, 13 September.
The 32-year-old got into baking while she was homesick as a Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) student in the UK, having left Malaysia back in 2013 to pursue her degree
"I found that writing my PhD was a lonely process, especially because I'd moved from Malaysia to England," she told King's College London, her current workplace, in an interview.
"One of my most treasured memories was eating red velvet cake with my friends before I flew to England," she said, recounting her first time baking.
"One day, I was homesick, so I tried to recreate the cake. I was so impressed with the result and continued baking!"
Syabira is now a postdoctoral researcher in cardiac surgery at King's College London, and is happily settled in London with her boyfriend
When she is home from working at the laboratory all day, she spends her time in the kitchen perfecting her recipes.
As seen on her Instagram account @syabira_bakes, after mastering cakes, the passionate home baker also learnt how to make pastries, breads, and pies before deciding to compete in The Great British Bake Off, which she is fond of watching with her boyfriend.
"They were making brownies [on the show], and I said to myself 'I can make brownies, so I could do Bake Off as well!'" she said candidly.
She added that she is a very quick learner, as only a year before that, she had only known how to bake cakes.
And her hard work is paying off.
Her baking skills are currently getting all the attention it deserves, as on the very first episode of season 13, Syabira has already won her first Technical Challenge!
The challenge? Each contestant had to bake their best rendition of a red velvet cake.
Talk about validation!
The 32-year-old's bubbly personality has also gotten herself tons of fans so far, with many declaring her their favourite baker on the show
With only two episodes out, she has already impressed judges and fans with her attention to detail and hilarious misunderstandings of the show's impossible challenges.
According to Syabira's baker's profile, fans are also excited to see what Malaysian twists she will bring to the traditional British pastries that they have to bake on the show.
