Nine elite professional bakers gather to begin the first in a series of 14 challenges designed to test the limits of their baking mastery; in the master challenge, the bakers must create a mind-bending cake using vanilla as the featured flavor.
The remaining eight bakers are charged with making perfect wedding-themed mini mousse cakes in the skills challenge; in the master challenge, the bakers must create a croquembouche-inspired wedding tower that uses champagne as the featured flavor.
The bakers begin by making strawberry shortcake in the skills challenge; then, they must create a fire and ice dessert featuring one frozen element and one brûléed element; pastry chef Sherry Yard joins as a guest judge.
The six bakers left in the competition face a skills challenge to create flawless mini Boston cream pies; for the Master Challenge, the contestants are asked to bake their version of the ultimate New York cheesecake with apple as the featured flavor.
The five remaining bakers must make mini meringue pies and use raspberry flavor in a classical French layered meringue cake called a marjolaine; pastry chef Shinmin Li serves as a guest judge.
The four remaining bakers make historic Mont Blanc cakes, tarts topped with a tower of chestnut paste; in the Master Challenge, the bakers have to make a Charlotte Royale -- also known as brain cake -- with peanut butter as the featured flavor.
Scott Conant
Host
Marcela Valladolid
Adam Rapoport
Deborah Climie
Producer
Grant Greeley
