KATY MAGAZINE NEWS
September 14 , 2020
By Natalie Cook Clark
Last night, a Katy baker shined on the Cooking Network’s popular competition series, “Halloween Wars,” where teams compete in over-the-top, grotesque baking challenges for a grand prize of $50,000. During the premier of the program’s 10th season, judges called Hemu Basu’s cake sculptures some of the most terrifying they had seen on the show.
Hemu Basu baked this terrifying cake for her 'Halloween Wars' audition. Photo credit: Hemu Basu
Inspired by Son's Birthday Cake
Katy baker Hemu Basu is no stranger to baking shows and awards. In 2012, she was inspired to bake a cake for her son’s birthday. She went to the library and looked at birthday cake cookbooks.
“I decided to make a fire truck cake for my baby, and was very excited how it turned out,” says Hemu Basu.
Rekindling Her Passion
That experience rekindled her love to create and launched a career. Now, Hemu’s fulfilling her goal to star on “Halloween Wars.”
“I excelled in the arts through my academic career, but my parents wanted me to pursue a master’s in science and commercial,” says Hemu. “I was told that being an artist is not a career and I killed my inner artist.”
But creating her first cake revived that passion.
“I rediscovered my passion in the arts in the form of cakes and I didn’t look back,” says Hemu. “With each new cake I created, I improved and gained more confidence.”
Opened 'The Sweet Sensation' in 2013
Hemu launched a bakery in 2013, when her family lived in Aberdeen, a small city in Scotland. Then her husband was transferred to Houston.
“The fear of restarting was stressful, but I was happy because I knew I would get more exposure, and more opportunities,” says Hemu.
Hemu opened her home-based Katy bakery, The Sweet Sensation, in 2015. She specializes in cakes and cupcakes for all occasions and works with clients to meet custom requests.
Not Her First Time on The Food Network
In 2016, Hemu started competing in various baking competitions. Three years later, she made it to the finale in the Food Network’s “Wedding Cake Championship,” Season 2.
Her dream was to someday compete in The Food Network’s “Halloween Wars.”
Love of Gore, Perfect for the Show
“I love sculpting cakes and gory stuff,” Hemu says on the show’s premiere. “I like to scare people. In my childhood I used to lock my elder sister in the bathroom and make creepy sounds.”
On “Halloween Wars,” Hemu is teamed up with The Sugar Wizard, Steve Weiss, and pumpkin carver, Daniel Miller. Their team, The Mummies Rejects performed very well in last night’s debut, never making it to the chopping block.
Hemu designed a zombie family out of cake, and the judges agreed that her work was some of the most terrifying designs the show had seen.
While Hemu is up against some talented and skilled bakers, she is completely self-taught.
“If I can do it then you can definitely do it,” says Hemu.
Hemu’s Recipe for Baking Success
Practice, practice, practice.
Stay organized and plan ahead.
Join Cake Decorating Groups on Facebook.
Patience is the key.
Never be afraid of failures.
Hemu lives in Katy with her husband and two sons. Originally from India, the Basu family is proud to call Katy home and represent the town on “Halloween Wars.”
“Halloween Wars” airs on Sunday nights on The Food Network.