New Bakery in Castro Valley: Bake It Up Bakery and Café

After two years of vending at the Hayward Farmers Market, Bake It Up Bakery and Cafe has found a new home in Castro Valley. 

After two years of vending at the Hayward Farmers Market, Bake It Up Bakery and Cafe has found a new home in Castro Valley. 

Fatima Mohamed, the owner and founder of Bake It Up, is a self-taught baker who was born and raised in Oakland. She now lives in Hayward and runs her bakery out of her home kitchen.

Opening a bakery has long been Mohamed’s dream. “Every time I go to a bakery, I’m like, Well, I can’t wait until it’s mine,” Mohamed told the Forum, “So long story short. I got me a bakery.”  

Bake it Up Bakery and Cafe has scheduled its grand opening on July 13. The bakery will be located in the Luckys grocery store shopping plaza on Castro Valley Blvd and Redwood Road in the space previously home to Karin Johnson's Specialty Cakes and Pastries. Mohamed said she will continue vending at the Hayward Farmers Market even when the Castro Valley location opens. 

Mohamed said baking has been her passion since she was six years old. During the pandemic, she started baking more; she would give her baked goods to her family and friends who were all very impressed.  

Mohamed said her passion is something that will be seen in her bakery and tasted in her treats. “That first day of opening, that’s the day when I said “Fatima, be proud of yourself. You got this. You did it. You did it all on your own.” And that’s why everyone will taste those desserts, and they will notice from the heart,” Mohamed said. 

Over the years, Mohamed has seen her business grow, and she said that is what pushed her to join the farmers market and now open the bakery. When she started selling at the farmers market, Mohamed said her goal was to just see if she was good enough to make it as a baker. She noticed that she would sell out in a couple of hours. According to Mohamed, she now has to limit customers to two treats per person. 

Mohamed and her family are from Yemen. She said something that makes Bake It Up stand out is its Middle Eastern twist. The bakery features treats such as the Arabic leche cake, baklava cheesecake, za’atar bread, Biscoff tiramisu, and more.

Running a business requires a lot of work and time, but Mohamed says her family is always supportive.

“My husband is amazing,” Mohamed said. “He’s like my backbone. Like he pushes me like sometimes, you know, I’m like, ‘Oh my god, can I do this?’ He’s like, ‘No, you could do it. You were born and ready to do this.’”

Mohamed said that through running her business, she has learned that her mistakes make her a better person and shape her into who she is today. “I want to tell people to believe in themselves—you will be unstoppable. That's the goal too, you know, with this bakery,” Mohamed said.