Theboywhobakes

His real name is Edd Kimber. He built the "The Boy Who Bakes" name as both his social media brand and the title of his debut cookbook, and it has since become the identity he's known by across YouTube, Instagram, and TikTok.

Yes, Edd Kimber was the winner of the very first series of The Great British Bake Off, which aired in 2010. That win launched his public profile as a professional baker and food writer, directly leading to his cookbook career and the social media brand he built around baking.

Edd Kimber has written several cookbooks over his career, covering everything from everyday home baking and patisserie to small-batch recipes. His most recent title, Chocolate Baking, is dedicated entirely to chocolate-based recipes and was released recently.

Chocolate Baking is Edd Kimber's cookbook focused exclusively on baking with chocolate, covering recipes across cakes, cookies, and more complex chocolate techniques. It draws directly on the flavors and methods — such as whipped ganache and caramelised white chocolate — that he regularly showcases across his social channels.

Tonka bean has a layered flavor profile that evokes vanilla, warm spice, and almond — making it a natural complement to chocolate and caramel bakes. Edd Kimber uses it as something of a signature ingredient, reflecting his broader approach of reaching for specialty or unexpected components to elevate classic recipes beyond the ordinary.

Caramelised white chocolate — sometimes called blonde chocolate — is made by slowly roasting white chocolate until it develops a golden, toffee-like, nutty depth. Edd Kimber features it regularly because it adds complexity and richness to baked goods in a way that plain white or milk chocolate simply doesn't.

Yes — one of his standout recent recipes is a sourdough chocolate chip cookie that uses an active sourdough starter to introduce a subtle tang and a chewier, more interesting texture. This kind of unexpected ingredient twist on a familiar classic is very characteristic of his content style.

Rye flour brings an earthy, slightly nutty quality to baked goods that all-purpose flour can't replicate, which is exactly why Edd Kimber reaches for it in cookie recipes. It fits neatly into his overall philosophy of using unconventional or specialty ingredients — alongside brown butter, tonka bean, and caramelised white chocolate — to make familiar recipes feel distinctly his own.

Edd Kimber is originally from Bradford in Yorkshire, England. He has been based in London for much of his professional career, which comes through in his content — he even tags certain recipes specifically as part of a London baking sensibility.

Theboywhobakes posts most frequently on Instagram and TikTok, with Instagram being his largest platform by audience and TikTok generating notably strong engagement on his short-form recipe content. He also maintains a YouTube channel, where his longer baking videos live.