A BRADFORD Post Office owner has spoken of the moment she was awarded ‘Star Baker’ on Channel 4’s Extra Slice.
Shakila Butt, 47 of Wrose, Shipley, was selected to feature on last Friday’s episode to showcase her postbox cake.
The show is a spin-off from The Great British Bake Off, where home bakers are invited into the studio to have their creations judged.
Keen baker Shakila, who has more than 100,000 TikTok followers, made a red postbox cake that was covered in her hobbies and favourite things - down to a fondant figurine of her cat, Tommy.
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The Victoria Sponge cake was decorated with red fondant and filled with vanilla icing.
Shakila said: “I’m not a professional, I’m a home baker.
“I’ve always loved to bake but I love to decorate even more.
“When Channel 4 got in touch, they asked me so many questions about myself and my family and then suggested I make a postbox cake because my family runs a Post Office in Holme Top."
Shakila and her husband Israr have been running the post office in Holme Top, Bradford for 25 years, with Shakila getting serious about her baking three years ago.
“I only started my social media two to three years ago and it’s really taken off," she said.
“It was a real shock to win Star Baker and I didn’t know they were going to record.”
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Shakila enjoys being around nature and spends a huge part of summer tending to her garden and planting flowers.
“My daughter said why don’t you put flowers on the cake, and I thought it was a really good idea," she said.
“I love feeding the birds, I do it every morning and I love it when they’re in my garden.
“My cat Tommy was also featured on the cake.
“I would have put me on it as well but there just wasn’t space.”
The cake was delivered to the London studio three hours before the show and was presented on a table at the front, ready for judging.
Shakila was supported by her husband and daughter, Iman, at the recording of the show.
The cake was judged by AJ Odudu, Joel Dommett, Lorraine Kelly, Tom Allen and Jo Brand.
Shakila said: “I was only told a short while before that I was going on TV.
“When Tom was speaking with me, I could feel my voice shaking, I was so nervous.
“I couldn’t believe I got Star Baker and my husband said, ‘look your name's on the TV'.”
Shakila watches the Great British Bake Off every year and is loving this year’s series.
"Whenever we watch the show, my family always tells me to apply but I say not just yet because I only do cakes and I don't think I could deal with the pressure," she said.
“I think they’re all deserving winners, but I think either Syabira or Abdul will win."
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