Who is the Baking Gator?

 Aly Hansen, or "Gator" as her mom nicknamed her, began baking as a way to explore her creativity. A military spouse, Aly had wanted to send her husband a birthday cake on one of his deployments. After some trial and error, she figured out how to send him a cake in a jar. Through more experimentation, Aly began to develop flavors and fillings for her "Gator Cakes." She also enjoys creating tarts, pies, decorated cakes, and pastries. Her current favorite pastry is the Rum Baba, a French yeasted cake with rum syrup, pastry cream, and fresh fruit. 

 When she isn't making Gator Cakes, Aly, along with another military spouse, is baking her way through the Great British Baking Show's many challenges. You can follow along with the various challenges presented by both on Instagram by following the hashtag #greatdistancedbakeoff.