SPOTLIGHT! Benjamina Ebuehi on Cake Decorating

Oct 27, 2017

You will most likely recognise self-declared perfectionist, Benjamina Ebuehi, and her incredible creations from The Great British Bake Off where she reached the quarter-finals.

Benjamina has always been fascinated with baking and cake decorating. She explained that it all began at home – “My mum is a great cook and so I grew up being in the kitchen watching, learning and tasting! As I got older, I wanted to explore cooking and baking in more depth and so began experimenting, reading cookbooks and trying new recipes.”

It hasn’t always been plain sailing even for a pro like Benjamina but she has always kept learning and experimenting. Not being afraid to fail is the best piece of advice she has ever been given and she recommends that new bakers “should not see their mistakes as the end but rather an opportunity to learn and move forward.”

In Benjamina’s cake decorating workshop, she shares many of her experiences so that users won’t make the same mistakes that she has over the years. She recalled a moment when she was a teenager and attempted to make a blue ombre cake for someone – “Each layer of sponge cake was supposed to be a different shade of blue. I didn’t have time to practice so just bought the cheapest liquid food colouring I found and went for it. Before going in the oven, all the batter looked beautiful but when they came out, they were all a varying shade of brown! I was so upset and didn’t have time to bake another cake. I quickly learnt that gel food colouring instead of liquid was the way to go!”  Don’t worry, only gel food colouring is on the essential ingredients list on her workshop!

This and other tips are interwoven throughout her workshop. If you are interested in trying cake decorating, Benjamina has one overarching piece of advice for you:

“My top tip for cake decorating would be to not be afraid to create your own style. There’s plenty of inspiration in my workshop and online, so go and have a look and try things out. When you are confident, try to develop different elements to make it your own. Sometimes the best ideas happen accidentally!”

Benjamina loves the accessibility of Workshop. She remembers wanting to attend so many different courses as a student and finding them way too expensive. “Workshop is the remedy to this problem, it allows you to have a go and learn from great mentors without breaking the bank or leaving the comfort of your own kitchen!” Well, what are you waiting for? Find out more about her workshop here.

Lastly, what will our cake decorating expert she be hoping to learn on Workshop? For Benjamina it is all about arts and crafts. “I have always wanted to learn how to knit!” she told us. And she is not alone. Arts and crafts are definitely a priority for one of the next categories on Workshop.

Find out more about Benjamina’s workshop here