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Mo Mahir, a 22-year-old student from West Bromwich, taught himself to bake after watching a YouTube video when he was nine years old. Now participating in the Great British Bake Off on Channel 4, Mahir has impressed judges Nigella Lawson and Paul Hollywood with his peanut and caramel chocolate stout cake during week one of the competition. His journey from self-taught baker to contestant highlights how social media can inspire culinary skills among those whose cultures may not traditionally emphasize baking.
Written locally by qwen2.5:14b on 2026-10-10,
using this article's own text rather than the other coverage of the
same event (that is the story summary below).
Story summary
Mo Mahir, a 22-year-old student from West Bromwich, taught himself to bake at age nine after finding a YouTube video of someone making a mug cake in a microwave. Now competing on the new series of Channel 4's The Great British Bake Off, Mahir is one of 13 bakers vying for the title. A student at Birmingham City University, he noted that baking isn't traditionally part of his Bengali cultural background, which spurred him to experiment with random ingredients until he learned proper techniques. In the competition’s first week, Mahir impressed judges Nigella Lawson and Paul Hollywood with a peanut and caramel chocolate stout cake, earning him the title of star baker for that episode.
Written for “Student Bakeshift To Success” on 2026-10-10,
grounded in this article and the 0 other(s) covering the same event.
- Published
A student taking part in the new series of the Great British Bake Off says he taught himself to bake after "stumbling across a YouTube video".
asserted
he → publish → video
When Mo Mahir, 22, from West Bromwich, was nine years old, he "found a video of a guy making a mug cake in a microwave", which he said ignited his passion for baking.
asserted
he → find → baking
"I feel like as a Bengali, we don't really have a lot of cakes or baking in our cultural background," he said.
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he → feel → background
"It started with me mixing a bunch of random stuff.
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me → start → stuff
My mum used to always be shouting at me saying 'stop, that's making a mess’.
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that → use → mess
As part of the Channel 4 series, Mahir, a student at Birmingham City University, has been competing against 12 other bakers.
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Mahir → compete → bakers
"Growing up, I've always loved cakes and cookies and stuff and I've always wanted to eat them, but it's just that we never always got the, like, freshly baked stuff.
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we → grow → stuff
So I kind of had to teach myself," he said.
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he → have → myself
"Nothing turned out right because I wasn't measuring anything, but it slowly just progressed from there.
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it → turn → anything
On week one of the competition, Mahir landed star baker after he stunned TV judges Nigella Lawson and Paul Hollywood with his peanut and caramel chocolate stout cake.
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he → land → cake
On week two, viewers watched him bake a biscuit mosaic.
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him → watch → mosaic
His newfound TV fame means he has been spotted while out and about in Birmingham.
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he → mean → Birmingham
"It's been really positive, just like all the DMs [direct messages] I'm getting on Instagram is very supportive and kind.
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I → get → Instagram
"When I'm going to town to do a bit of shopping, I do get recognised and people are like rooting for me, and it's just nice to see and hear that."
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it → go → that
Mahir's former teacher Sam Hayes, from George Salter Academy, previously said: "When I found out he would be going on, I knew he would do really well.
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he → say → Academy
"I'll always remember being brought some of the delicious treats Mo had baked at home, a very welcome perk of having such a talented student.
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Mo → remember → student
"He always was an absolutely amazing baker while he was at school," he added.
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he → add → school
Other contestants competing to win the series include a paediatric doctor, a competitive sprinter, a hairdresser and a drag artist.
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contestants → compete → doctor
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