Bake Off star teams up with Castle Howard to create ‘indulgent’ vegan cake range

Bake Off star Freya Cox has teamed up with Castle Howard to create three seasonal vegan cakes.

Freya, from Scarborough, became the first vegan baker to compete on the Great British Bake-Off in 2021.

She quickly became one of the stars of the series and fans were dismayed when she left the tent in the fifth episode.

Freya was just 19 when she appeared on Bake Off. Her pioneering creations were praised for revealing what can be achieved with vegan baking.

Last year she launched her first book, Simply Vegan Baking, and now she has teamed up with Castle Howard on a new range of tasty treats.

Freya is collaborating with Castle Howard’s head chef, Nathan Richardson-Kelly, on three seasonal cakes celebrating plant-based produce.

The first cake is a miniature Black Forest Gateau, made from chocolate cake, a kirsch buttercream, and cherry jam with a quintessential cherry on top.

Luke Butler, head of food and beverage at Castle Howard, said: ‘Here at Castle Howard we love to celebrate delicious, sustainable, local produce, and we’re absolutely delighted to be working with Freya to expand our vegan offering.

“The mini–Black Forest Gateau is a lovely indulgent treat for January, and we’re working behind the scenes on our spring and autumn cakes which we’ll announce later in the year.’

Freya said: ‘It’s been absolutely brilliant to collaborate with the team at Castle Howard. I’m so excited for people to try a beautiful cake in a beautiful place that means a lot to me and my family.

“The cake is delicious, and best of all, it’s vegan!’

The mini-Black Forest Gateau is now available to purchase in Castle Howard’s Coffee Shop and Courtyard Café.