-Do you want your tea? -No, Harriet, I don't.
[all scream]
-What is happening? -AMY: Yeah!
* Baking it! *
***
[contestants whooping and laughing]
CONTESTANT: Oh, my gosh!
[contestants whooping and laughing]
We're here! This is actually real!
To be in this moment
and to actually be here in this cabin
with my daughter from Little Florence,
-Alabama... -Alabama, whoop!
...is absolutely insane
that this is happening to us!
You guys all look good behind those kitchens,
imma let you guys all know that!
CONTESTANT 2: Aprons, woo! Okay!
-SYDNEY: Can you tie mine? -I'll do yours and you do mine.
Pinch! Is this real?
It better be! [laughs]
-Hello, bakers! -[contestants whooping]
Welcome to Baking It! I'm Maya Rudolph.
My co-host from last season,
the great Andy Samberg, couldn't join us this year
because of global supply chain issues.
Really?
So, please join me
in welcoming my dear friend, and co-host...
Amy Poehler!
Hi, everybody!
Yes! Oh, my God!
Aw, thank you so much, Maya!
-Hi, honey! -Hi, honey!
I'm so happy to be joining
some of the best home bakers in the country!
And look, we came up with some exciting challenges
for you this season.
Yes, but only one team will be named
the Master Bakers.
-Not my choice of name. -[contestants chuckle]
-And win the $50,000 prize. -CONTESTANTS: Yes!
Also Amy, I see you didn't come empty-handed.
That's right.
Bakers, I baked this cake for all of you!
-[contestants gasping] -CONTESTANT: Wow!
Wowza! Color me impressed!
-Lots of piping! -Lots of piping!
And, you know, that takes a steady hand and a full heart.
But Amy,
since when does the host bake for the contestants?
Uh, since now, Maya. We're flipping the script.
Yeah, that's right. The ladies are running the show.
Which means things can finally get wild!
[contestants laughing]
-Yeah! -CONTESTANT 3: All right!
-Yeah! -[contestants applauding]
Exactly!
I told Peacock if Maya and I host a competition show,
it's gotta be the biggest, the baddest,
the most extreme show on streaming!
This season, we're baking bad!
That means action! Tattoos!
Gettin' in your face!
-Dinosaurs! -AMY: Oh!
-And how about explosions? -Whoa!
[slowed down] Oh, no!
[contestants screaming, whooping and laughing]
What's happening? What did we sign up for?
-Yeah! -Oh, yeah!
-I almost peed myself, dude! -[Amy whoops]
That's what you get,
when you put moms in charge, bakers!
-MAYA: Yeah! -AMY: We're goin' big!
Yeah, eat that, network!
You come at us with your big ideas,
we'll go bigger!
Which brings us to our first Big Ol' Bake!
Your challenge is to replicate my cake
-from memory! -CONTESTANTS: What?
-The one you blew up? -You blew it up!
-Yeah. We did. -AMY: We did. We did.
Do you even remember what that cake looked like?
I don't. I definitely made it, though!
We're looking for a cake that closely resembles the original,
but also tastes great!
So, show us the flavors
that made you fall in love with baking!
And because we realize
all your cakes are gonna look the same--
We want you to add an edible cake-topper
to your repli-cakes
that add some of your personality to your bake.
Bakers, you got three hours!
Start repli-caking!
CONTESTANT 4: They actually blew it up!
Drop and give me 20!
Two pounds or one pound of butter?
AMY: Grams of butter, in your cake.
Okay, so it's three tiers.
APRIL: And there were, like, waves going through it?
What color were the eyes?
Pink, yellow,
orange, green, blue.
The base of the cake was, like, a light purple.
I feel like that cake explosion might haunt me
-for a little while. -AMY: Hmm!
It was just louder than I expected,
it sounded more like a "Get down!" kind of explosion.
-Yeah! -This is crazy!
The network was like, "We want it more bigger and exciting!
It's gotta be louder, more explosions!"
We wanna do a show this year that your parents are like,
"Turn that down!"
What is this "Baking It" business?
What are you kids watching?
Whip it real good! You're doing great!
We do say the F word 400 times this season.
-Yeah. So many F bombs. -And the F word is "flour."
-KEITH: How y'all feelin'? -In the zone, man!
GEORGE: How do you know the size of these things?
-SYDNEY: You have to guess. -GEORGE: You serious?
Do you like bacon, Matt?
-I love bacon! -I love bacon!
Baby, I'm comin'!
Attaboy, George!
CONTESTANT 5: Does anyone have sugar?
I found sugar!
Yay! All is well!
CONTESTANT 6: All is well.
Ay, all right, how much do we need?
Don't do anything with it yet.
Here, Reema is the head baker.
Anything she says, I have to do.
Do you want me to [indistinct] any butter in there?
-Yeah. -Yeah?
Yeah, and then--
How much, like, a stick at a time?
-MAYA and AMY: Hi! -RAVI: Hello!
MAYA: Hi, Reema and Ravi!
Real quick, can I add more butter?
Yeah, yeah, go ahead.
Like, how fast can I add it? I'm sorry.
-No! You, keep working! -You listen to her!
-How fast can I-- -Add it all.
-How fast can I do it? -Add it all!
MAYA: She's in charge!
How do you two know each other?
-Oh, since birth, y'know? -MAYA: Oh!
Brother, sister?
RAVI and REEMA: Brother, sister.
He's the big brother, I'm the little sister.
MAYA: Oh, he's the big brother! But you tell him what to do.
RAVI: Why are you surprised at that?
MAYA and AMY: Because she's telling you what to do!
I would be so psyched if my kids did a show!
My mom didn't even text us "Good luck" today.
She's like-- clearly, she's like, "They got this!"
She texted her but not me.
She knew that she would tell you.
She was like, "Tell your brother good luck."
I've been dreaming about being
in the food and bakery industry
since I was very little,
but I didn't think it was an option for me.
From a very early age, my parents were like,
"She's gonna be a doctor,"
and then I was like, "No, I'm not!"
I was in a doctoral occupational therapy program
and, I would wake up with, like,
existential crisis every day. [chuckles]
And what did I tell you?
And he was like, "Quit grad school!"
Every day, that was his advice, "You need to quit!"
and I was like, "But Mom and Dad are gonna be so mad at me!"
When I quit my job as a therapist,
my family was pretty devastated,
but I know that taking that step was the right step for me,
because it's not only my-- my dream to open up a café,
it's something I want to do with my brother.
And I feel like, us being here together is, like,
this is gonna be the thing that proves it to them.
-Yeah, Mom! -Yeah, Mom!
I didn't need grad school!
Tell us what flavor cake are you making?
We're doing a churro cake
with a little spiced chocolate ganache.
It was the first cake I ever made for my brother.
It's one of my favorites.
What are you gonna make for your cake-topper?
We wanted to bring forth our American-Indian culture
so I'm gonna do just a rice crispie treat flag
and it'll be Indian on one side, American on the other.
The Grannies are really gonna like that.
I can't wait to meet these Grannies
and we call grandmas "ba" in our culture,
so, I'm just gonna start callin' them bas.
-Bas -The bas!
-I need a knife, Georgie! -You good, right?
-Gucci! -Whoo!
That's what I'm talkin' about,
just keep whippin' and whippin' and whippin'!
-Makin' an extra layer? -I guess, should I throw it out?
You're always makin' extra, the kids aren't here!
But that could be for me.
A little extra tres leches for me!
-Hi Agnes and George! -Hi!
Are you guys a married couple?
-AGNES: Yes! -Absolutely!
How long have you been together?
For eight years, it's gonna be nine
and we have five kids under seven.
-Under seven? -AGNES: Yes, they're all little.
We miss 'em like crazy.
Do you guys normally bake together?
-You can be honest. -AGNES: He's my helper!
Like, he'll run out to get supplies
and if I need it last minute.
Listen, if I gotta leave work sometimes,
I'll be like, to my boss,
"I gotta go real quick!" He's like, "Just do it."
I'm a car salesman in New York,
and I love sellin' cars, that's a passion I have.
So, when I leave the dealership and I'm on my way home,
I'm excited 'cause usually, she's making some cakes.
AGNES: When I first met George, he was very thin...
until he had my food and my cooking.
Look at me like that.
You know what, I ended up, you know,
big pancia over here, after all her food.
But I can tell you, it was worth every bite!
Okay, so, just tell us about your flavor,
what're you making?
We're making a tres leche
with whipped cream and strawberries.
-Dominican tres leche. -Dominican.
-Come on. -Yes, okay--
So, this was actually the first cake
I ever made for a customer, my first order.
During COVID I lost my job, but she was like,
"I'll just go do the cakes!" I'm like, "Babe, do the cakes!"
-She held me down- -AMY: Aww!
She held me down.
-Don't you cry on my show. -AMY: Aww.
You know, I've always had a job, always worked hard
and, um, we needed money.
She held me down, she looked out for me,
she's a superwoman, I just-- I'm just amazed by her, y'know?
Baking kept your family together!
-GEORGE: Yes! -MAYA: That's beautiful!
We heard you're from New York!
-GEORGE: Yes! -Yes, middle-village Queens.
-AMY: Queens. -AGNES: Yeah.
So, what kind of weather would you say it is in,
um, in New York right now?
Well, usually in the morning,
-you put your coat on. -MAYA: Yeah.
So, nothing that's, like, knit,
or no--
-no, like, pullovers? -I love those sweaters.
MAYA: What kind of weather would you say it is.
-The weather? -MAYA: Yeah.
-The weather-- -AGNES: Like, a fall?
Like, fall. Fall weather.
-GEORGE: Fall. Fall weather. -It's, like, fall weather.
[both speaking in a New York accent] It's fall weather.
-MADDIE: Do you have a hair tie? -APRIL: Yes.
-Tell me if I look bad, okay? -Ditto. Ditto.
-Hello, Maddie and April! -Hello!
MADDIE: She's fangirling, just a little bit.
No, no, no!
MAYA: It's nice to meet you, though!
It's nice to meet y'all!
I'm doing very good not to quote
every movie and scene y'all been in.
She wants to do, you can do--
[both in New York accent] Sweater weather.
Oh, finally!
Where were you five minutes ago?
And how do you guys know each other?
-MADDIE: She's my mom! -Ah, that's your baby?
-One of my babies! -How many babies do you have?
She is number two of seven.
-What? -MAYA: Seven?
We thrive on chaos, chaos is easy.
Our family is always-- it's chaotic.
So, tell us, uh,
what flavor cake you're making today.
We are making a chocolate, cherry and ganache.
Um, my mom, Nana, was known
for her chocolate-covered cherries, so,
we lost my mom a couple years ago,
unfortunately, suddenly.
So, this is kinda, like, a throwback for her.
A little, yeah. Because she started it all.
Yeah, so it's just kinda like, "Hey, check out--
what's goin' on now, look at her!"
My Nana is so special to me,
because she taught me all my baking skills
and she was really the first one to believe in me
and help me with my passion, drive, to bake.
When did you guys start baking together?
Tell 'em your story, dude.
I started baking about two years ago.
Growing up, I was, like, the tall,
weird, bright redhead girl.
So, I was an easy target to get picked on.
I was upset about things people said to me
and mom's like, "Kill 'em with kindness!"
What's kinder than sugar?
And so, I started baking,
and giving it to all the people I was like,
"You know what?
You said some things about me but here's a cupcake!"
And, just the reaction, they're like, "Oh,
we don't wanna be rude to her anymore because...
-BOTH: She's feeding us!" -Yeah!
These contestants have a lot of kids.
Guess what, guys? Kids are back.
Also, I do think the people that are away from their kids
are like, "We miss our kids." and I'm like, "Do you?
You don't wanna sleep in?
Like, maybe just take that first sleep-in morning
and be like, "Wait a minute, can I get a mimosa?"
* Baking It! *
AMY: Why did we pick this challenge?
We picked this challenge to test their decorating skills
and their baking skills as well.
I mean, that's important in a baking show.
This challenge has the two most important things
-of any baking challenge. -Oh.
Loud noises and memorization.
Hey, remember it had, like, those stars?
And then you had to connect the stars?
AGNES: It had the evil eye.
You made a very complicated cake,
in an almost non-color,
with multiple colors.
And expecting people to memorize it, visually,
and then replicate it, after we blew it up.
-You're like, "What?" -"What?"
I also remembered just now,
that the cherries had, like, a--
like, gold spray paint on the bottom.
There are studies that show
that eye-witness testimony is not reliable.
So, I bet there are people in that cabin
that don't remember what the cake looked like.
I just can't remember the detailing on that cake,
it's kinda stressing me out.
It's okay, we're just-- no one can!
-It's fine, we do our best. -It's really stressing me out!
Don't be stressed!
I have no idea what the cake looked like, sir.
-And I made it! -Did you make it like this?
I always bake blindfolded,
I just love the sensual feeling of it.
-It's like Ghost. -Yup.
There's always another pair of arms behind me,
-helping me bake. -Whisking.
Mm!
-Hi Keith and Cory! -KEITH and COREY: Hi!
-Okay, you're Keith. -I'm Keith.
-Corey. -Yes.
-And you're brothers? -BOTH: Yes.
KEITH: And I'm the oldest!
Yeah, so, you see how
-I'm towering over him? -Exactly.
I warmed up the tall genes for him.
Tell us about the flavor of your cake!
So, we're going with a, um, carrot cake.
We chose carrot cake
because it was one of the first introductions we had to cake.
I add pineapple in it to make it a little sweeter.
Are they gonna be able to see the pineapple or just taste it?
Yeah, when they cut into it, yeah!
That's gonna be exciting 'cause I bet these Grannies
have a lot of opinions about carrot cake.
If anybody's gonna be able to judge this to a T,
it's gonna be the Grannies.
It's so nice to have the grandmas back
-this season. -Mm-hmm.
All of the contestants,
they were all excited to see them!
I'm excited to meet the Grannies,
kinda nervous to have somebody judge my baking.
-That's a carrot cake! -It is.
MAYA: Aren't they delicious?
-AMY: It's a carrot cake. -Thank you!
We met each other in the dorms at UC Berkeley.
That was one of the first flavors
that I started making in grad school.
I'm worried I overcooked it a little bit,
but we're just gonna pray.
AMY: Look, we're going back in for scraps.
Help yourselves!
-MAYA: Kandyy and Sevn! -Tell us about your cake.
We love makin' breakfast.
So, our cake is gonna be a brown-butter
cinnamon roll cake
and then we have the maple bacon
-as the filling. -What?
One thing about me, when I say I'm extra,
I am extra-extra-extra-extra
and I love decorating cakes.
The Grannies are gonna love that!
I'm excited for them to try it!
Wouldn't it be fun to watch the Grannies just lose it
and get really mad.
What if Anne just stood up and took the cake
and threw it back at them?
Can't picture that. But it might happen!
AMY: First of all, your earrings are really awesome!
Thank you so much!
Tell us about yourself, how do you guys know each other?
We're best friends, roommates, we do everything together.
Whether it be the gym or cooking,
and we have matching earrings!
You guys are a really good example of, like,
positive male friendships.
-Thank you so much! -Thank you so much!
-AMY: So cool! -That's such a good compliment!
Tell us what the flavor of your cake is?
So, we're doing a very light, chocolate spice-cake.
So, the main spices in this cake are cinnamon and nutmeg.
My grandma used to make it, so this is one of her recipes.
We're trying to win over GiGi Diggity.
-MATT: Oh, I love GiGi. -ALLEN: She's our favorite.
She's our favorite, that's our girl.
***
Bakers, we would like to introduce you
to our one-of-a-kind judges!
MAY: Please welcome,
the panel of Opinionated Grannies.
-CONTESTANT: Oh, my goodness! -[contestants cheering]
I love you, GiGi!
-Oh, my goodness! -Hi, bakers!
Hello, hello!
It is awesome to be back.
Season one? Man, we had the best time.
It took us a long time to watch the whole thing.
Because we had to wait for the grandchildren to come in,
my husband and I don't know how to stream.
So, that was a problem.
"How has fame changed me?"
Y'know, I still put out my garbage.
I still pull the cans back in.
Now, is it real puffy? I like it puffy.
The more hair you have,
it feels like, the younger you look.
Not at all.
There is one other celebrity
that I get mistaken for.
Dr. Ruth.
After the show, we were out down by Venice Beach
with my granddaughters and someone goes, "GiGi!"
"See? I told y'all I was famous."
He was one of the crew here.
Oh, shoot!
If I had to give one piece of advice to the bakers,
I would say, "Cook with love."
You better nail the details
if you wanna get a "GiGi Diggity," okay?
This is a once in a lifetime opportunity,
make the most of it.
If you win, you win,
if you don't win, I just say, "Get over it."
Don't burn yourself, baby!
AGNES: We have to, um, put holes in it with a fork,
so that the tres leche can absorb.
And this is the best time to drop it in there,
-because [indistinct] warm. -It's like, warm!
***
Oh, no, that's when I get the jitters.
It's very dangerous to stack tres leche cakes,
because they're filled with milk and it's very, very heavy.
[George, on screen]
AGNES: Yeah, I'll make it straight.
This is gonna go directly in the fridge right now.
You have to make sure they get very cold,
because if they don't get very cold...
It's perfect, it's gonna get freezin'.
...they could separate and open and then,
it'll be a big cake disaster.
We're gucci.
GEORGE: We got an hour and 45 minutes left, we're good!
She's done this so many times,
like, countless amount of times
so I'm not worried about it.
Yo, they're gonna love that [indistinct].
JENNA: Do you wanna quadruple the buttercream?
What a smart little thinker you are!
So, you make a double batch of the buttercream
and I'll make a double batch of the buttercream.
-SYDNEY: Okay. -Hey!
-ALL: Hi! -Sydney and Jenna!
Hi! Nice to meet you!
Is it nice to be here with your sister?
It's nice because we never get to see each other,
'cause she's doing her big girl job and I'm at school.
We see each other, like, for holidays,
or, like, family vacations.
I feel like we've bonded so much already!
Growing up, we've always had fun in the kitchen,
decorating cupcakes and making holiday treats.
My favorite baking memories are baking with my family
-during Christmas time. -Yeah!
Whenever we come home,
we know exactly what we're gonna do.
We're gonna bake because it gives us several hours
to just catch up and hang out with each other.
We're so creative together, we always giggle and laugh
and it's just the most comforting thing in the world
to know that no matter where you go in the world,
no matter what's going on in your life, like,
December 23rd, we're making peanut fudge
and everything's gonna be fine.
Okay, so, what are you baking today?
We're making a peanut butter honey cake.
This is kinda inspired
by peanut butter and honey sandwiches.
That flavor combo is a really nostalgic taste to us.
Yeah, and it was kinda just the first thing that we, like,
ever were able to make by ourselves, y'know?
That sounds really good.
Do you guys have a secret sister language?
I don't have a sister, so, I-- I--
I feel like sisters get to do that
-and I don't have one. -Just like--
We kinda do, like, sometimes I will speak gibberish
and then she just kinda knows
-what I'm gonna say next. -Really?
Which comes handy in the kitchen.
Words are hard, y'know?
Girl, tell me about it, you just said a mouthful.
If we take nothing from this episode,
-words are hard. -Words are hard.
Amy I wanted to ask you what's it like
to move from Making It, to Baking It?
Well, we're basically-- this is our version of the MCU.
Oh, yeah, I mean, this is only the beginning, right?
Making It, Baking It,
We've got Taking It, which is a weird one.
It's a show about people
sneaking into people's houses at night and taking things.
But, like, when you're asleep you're like, [snorts] "Huh?"
-There's Steaking It. -Oh, so many steaks.
Sirloin, dried tip,
all the steaks.
And Blaking It? It's just about Blake Lively.
Yup and we're just like, "Hey, Blake, what're you doing?"
And she's like, "I did not say you could come to my house."
And we're like, "Well, just say it once!"
And she's like, "Fine, I'm 'Blaking It'"
and then that's it!
And Jaking It is all,
y'know, all famous Jakes.
Jake Gyllenhaal, Jake Ryan from Sixteen Candles.
Ah! There's a whole thing about Jake Ryan.
Just those two,
those are the only guys that have said yes.
The only? Those are the only two guys.
That has been very hard to sell.
Yeah.
* Baking It! *
* We blew up a cake *
* And now they must make a new cake *
* Like the cake that we exploded! *
***
[April gasps] 'Kay, I say take 'em out, let's go.
MADDIE: We're gonna take 'em out.
-KEITH: Looks pretty good. -COREY: Looks great.
Maybe like, seven, eight more minutes?
So should I take 'em out?
No, I'm gonna wait.
Probably need, like, two more minutes?
SYDNEY: Yeah, keep it in there a little longer.
These cakes are supposed to have
another ten minutes in the oven according to the recipe,
yet, they look perfectly golden brown
and I'm worried that if they're in there
for a second longer they'll get too dry or burnt.
I'm so nervous, do they look okay?
I can't tell if they're burnt or not, they look okay?
Do they look how they normally look?
JENNA: I think so.
We have delicious bakes that we make but--
It's chaos, all of the little people
inside my head are running around
setting things on fire.
They're burnt on the top.
No they're not! They're good.
You have one hour left to top things off.
One hour, bakers!
YUKI: Imma start frosting
-the sheet cake. -Okay.
[brass music playing]
I'm 'bout to check on it.
Babe, the cakes are nowhere near done.
I push it, oh, it's a big je--
I'm like, "This thing's jiggling like jello."
Oh, my gosh, they're soupy!
Knowing I'm behind right now on time
and my cakes probably won't have enough time to cool off,
I'm so emotional.
Crank it up some, crank it up some.
-You fool, you gonna burn it. -[Sevn sighs]
I'm gonna cry.
Just close it, close it.
I cry when I'm happy,
I cry when I'm sad.
[crying] It's a mess!
One thing about me, I'm gonna cry.
Yeah. [chuckles]
SEVN: Kandyy, is the oven even on?
The oven wasn't on.
[oven beeps]
That's why our cakes wasn't bakin'.
-MAYA: Hello! -AMY: Hi!
Hi, Sevn. Are you okay?
-Are you having stress? -Yeah.
MAYA: Why are you stressed out? Tell us!
It's taking a little longer than the others.
-AMY: You're in good shape. -MAYA: You're doing great.
AMY: Is the cake in the oven?
Yeah, the cake is in the oven.
At least it's not in the garbage!
Yeah! Right. [chuckles]
Now, are you usually the calmer one?
-Yep. -She is.
I freak out at the drop of a dime, yeah.
-How did you guys meet? -Instagram.
Yeah, she slid in my DM's.
Yeah, she was havin' a bad-- stop!
That is so cute!
She was havin' a bad day and so I was,
like, sending her some positive affirmations.
Those affirmations I need right now!
Are you telling yourself that?
SEVN: I can do it, I know I can do it.
I feel so much better now!
You're doing so good, we're gonna
-let you keep working-- -SEVN: Thank you so much.
Thank you!
-KANDYY: We got this. -SEVN: Yeah.
Gimme a high five.
Okay, cinnamon.
-I thought you said flour? -Yes, and cinnamon!
[upbeat music playing]
Can you get more of these straws?
More straws? Okay.
[woman] And I need more blue food coloring.
I'm just tryin' to remember everything!
Okay, cherries.
Everything is just a colorful blur in my mind.
I feel like the word "repli-cake" sounds like
a character that's coming to kill you in a movie.
Oh yes, the "Replicaker."
"Get in the elevator!
The Replicake is almost here!"
And then the arm stretches and turns into liquid metal.
[sounds of elevator crashing]
It stops the elevator.
-[elevator dings] -"Lobby."
But then at the end of the movie,
you find out you were the Replicake.
-[Amy imitates explosion] -Mind blown!
Pants gone!
* Baking It! *
I love this new group of bakers,
I hope I can remember them all.
Don't worry, I have this fun new mnemonic device,
it goes like this.
* A couple of couples, three sisters and brothers *
* A mother and daughter, four friends with each other *
* There's Sydney and Jenna and Reema and Ravi *
* Keith and Cory, Omonivie and Yuki *
* Maddie and April, Kandyy and Sevn *
* Agnes and George and Matt and Alan! *
-That was very fun! -It was!
I'm not sure if it's a mnemonic device.
It isn't, it's just all their names in a song.
Oh!
This one was what color?
Yellow or orange, I really don't care at this point,
-we're trying to get it done. -Got it.
Hey, are y'all scared of the Grannies?
Uh, yeah, a little bit,
I wanna make sure they like what we make
-for them! -Absolutely!
But they're so sweet, so I'm hoping
they don't rip me a new one.
[Grannies laughing]
Oh, my God, that's hilarious!
As long as I don't get that, I'm happy!
This is a rowdy bunch, aren't they?
Talk lower, because if they can hear us,
we might make them nervous.
* The chairs are rockin'*
* The Grannies are talkin' *
* About you *
GIGI: So, what is the challenge today?
Amy baked a cake and she exploded it.
-[explosion booming] -No!
And they only had a moment to see it.
And they have to duplicate this cake from memory.
[laughing] Oh, that's cruel!
That's-- that's very difficult.
I love the little details like the heart
and even the decoration was very intricate,
-the little tassels--- -ANNE: Yeah, yeah.
The inside of the cake has to represent
why they went into baking.
Wait, wait, the inside of the cake?
It's the flavor of the cake, what type of flavor.
That taste should represent them.
-Pretty good. -That's great.
I'm telling you, the whole memory thing?
I have sympathy, because I can't remember
-last week. -Oh, no.
But the '60s are looking so clear to me lately,
-more than when I lived 'em. -[Anne laughs]
One more layer.
It should never took this long, but oh, well.
Oh, Lord! I need space, Kandyy.
I'll put it on top of ours.
REEMA: It's so warm.
My cake is having a meltdown! [laughing]
Yours? Mine is literally having a meltdown.
We're definitely scared right now,
everyone's cakes are in the freezer--
MADDIE: It's not much colder.
RAVI: Everyone's opening and closing the doors.
Can we make sure the refrigerator
is on, like, iceberg?
And we're honestly afraid that our cakes
are not gonna cool in time.
KEITH: Look, they left the freezer open!
REEMA: I'm gonna move it to the fridge,
'cause the freezer's hot.
If I try to start frosting them
and they're still a little warm,
-it's just-- -It slides right off.
We're gonna keep those cakes in the fridge
as long as possible and then
we're just gonna power decorate.
The cake is not cold enough.
It's falling apart, look!
It's important to keep these cakes freezing cold,
because they can separate because of the milk.
The milk is very heavy.
This could be a mess.
It's like knowing you're gonna get a tsunami.
-AGNES: Yeah. -And, like, it's just comin'.
It could just fall together, down.
Oh, my God!
[gasps] George! Help!
Thirty minutes, bakers!
These cakes won't clone themselves!
Think we're gonna have to put that on.
[dramatic music playing]
I'm worried for some of them,
-they're leaning. -Oh, no, this is gonna flop!
-There's a few that are leaning. -SYDNEY: Why is it doing that?
-Did you put it on evenly? -JENNA: I guess not.
'Cause you know when they didn't put
the proper support in those tiers,
that's when they tend to lean.
Oh, shoot! Okay, it's fine, it's fine.
It's fine, it's fine!
-Omonivie, Yuki, are you good? -How you all doing?
Listen, we're trying to figure it out,
but I think we're getting there.
Where is it, right here?
OMONIVIE: All right, the topper, do you wanna do our flags?
We're reppin' it for the culture.
Yeah, we doin' it for the culture.
You know, part of the challenge is
to do a cake topper... -Oh, that's right!
...that represents them!
You know, something nobody knows,
that we'll learn about them.
Hey, [indistinct], what you guys up to man?
What you doin' for your cake-topper?
We're doin' a dumbbell, because we're meatheads
and we like to lift a lot of weight.
-Looks good, man! -Thank you!
-What's something about you
that I don't know?
I like to buy a muffuletta
and a bottle of Barq's root beer...
ANNE: Oh, that would be good to have right now.
...bring it home, and I belch like an old cow.
-[Grannies laughing] -[Harriet imitates belching]
And you're in heaven, that's it.
I'm in heaven, and I will belch
the rest of the evening, and I don't mean just,
"Ooh, oh, excuse me!"
I mean I just let it come out.
That is gonna be on TV,
-you know! -[GiGi laughs]
Oh, no, they're not putting this on TV.
-We're not even bugged. -Yeah, we are.
-Oh, we're all bugged? -Yeah!
[all laughing]
* Baking It! *
SYDNEY: Okay hurry, hurry!
KEITH: This is the ugliest cake I have ever made.
Ooh, that one does not look good.
Bakers, I almost forgot to tell you,
15 minutes left!
Oh! Okay, no pressure, no pressure.
-[blows raspberry] Oh, boy. -Think I made enough cherries?
15 minutes?
At this point, I know the cake is gonna be hot.
We still have to get the bacon into the middle.
I'm not feeling too confident.
And you don't want a hot, soggy cake!
Kandyy, it's literally falling apart,
because it's so hot.
The buttercream is completely liquid,
because the cake is so hot.
The top layer
was looking like a mud slide a little.
It wasn't a mud slide, it was a butter slide.
The coat was just runnin' down the side.
I don't believe it. She's still frosting that cake.
SEVN: I'm gonna need paper towels, Kandyy.
Because it's, like, melted at the surface...
and it's just gonna slide off.
Working on hot cakes is not fun.
SEVN: [indistinct]
The cake just didn't [indistinct].
'Cause the oven was off for a whole 30 minutes.
Well, that don't matter,
that's the only thing we get judged on.
Oh, I'm gonna think about giving up,
but do I actually give up?
No. Do I consider it?
Yes. I'm gonna rosette it.
I'm not just gonna give [indistinct] Grannies,
I'll make a cake, I'm gonna give them something.
So, what I do? When in doubt,
I pipe it out!
***
KANDYY: It looks amazing.
Oh, my God, get open!
I didn't realize how hard this is!
This never happened to me with tres leches.
It's gonna fall, so get ready to hold it.
We're just trying to get the cake to the Grannies,
just get it there, we got a shot.
That's, like, home run.
I do three-tier cakes all the time
and this never happened.
Don't make me repli-peat myself,
you've got five minutes left!
SYDNEY: Show me the front. Where's the front?
I'm gonna put this here like a little nest.
YUKI: I think they're gonna love it!
AMY: Ooh! Look at Matt and Alan!
I'mma add some gummy bears!
You've got frosting on your face!
-Can I-- -[both chuckle]
It's too big, you gotta move these a little bit.
AMY: Go get it, guys!
MAYA: All right, last chance to remember
something about the cake.
AMY and MAYA: Five, four, three,
two, one.
-[alarm ringing] -Time's up!
-AMY: Yes. -Put 'em up!
I wanna cry! [chuckles]
That was so hard.
Hopefully, they taste it, they'll love it.
Stop touching it!
***
GIGI: Oh my, very pretty!
-Lovely! -Ooh!
[cheerful music playing]
-Well... -Am I crazy?
Bakers, does this look familiar?
-That's not the cake I saw! -That's not the cake!
Is this one gonna blow up?
-MAYA: Yeah! -[all laughing]
It was yellow, orange, yellow, orange.
-Ah, not red! -Damn.
Grannies, we have a bunch of identical cakes
to get through, so let's dig in!
All right.
Maddie and April!
-GIGI: Oh, wow! -Wow, wow, wow!
Today we made a salted dark chocolate sponge cake
with a tart cherry filling with the southern buttercream.
Our topper is two cake pops that look like cherries.
My mother was the reason Maddie started baking.
She always brought home chocolate covered cherries.
No one in our family has made
chocolate covered cherries since she's passed.
That's her thing, really.
It was her thing,
but this is our throwback to Nana.
And she was a great mom to me and I just hope
I'm able to pass some of that on to my daughter.
Looks to me like you are!
-Thank you! -Okay, comparing the two cakes,
your detail, look at that eyeball!
The lips. You did an awesome job.
NORMA: The piping is beautiful!
You guys did a very good job with that!
MADDIE: Thank you!
-Oh! Oh, boy! -ANNE: Wow!
NORMA: Chocolate and cherry is a great combination!
I've only had one bite...
but this is a chocolate cake.
[Maddie and April whooping]
HARRIET: It's moist.
Chocolate and cherry is one of my favorite combinations.
It has a very rich flavor, it's not too sweet,
and it has a beautiful crumb on this cake.
-Delicious. -GIGI: very good.
Your grandmother, your mother would be proud.
And I'd definitely start
-making those cherries. -[chuckles] Okay.
Unless that was her last words,
"Don't make the cherries."
-[all laughing] -Good job!
Delicious, thank you very much.
Now, an old-fashioned would feel real good.
AMY: Kandyy and Sevn!
Okay, we made a brown butter,
bacon-cinnamon roll cake,
filled with maple-glazed bacon
and I really wanted to show off my decorating skills,
but unfortunately the oven was off for about 30 minutes.
So, I spent most of the time baking the cake,
there's a lot of love in it, I'm sure you're gonna love it!
-And what's your cake topper? -SEVN: Our cake topper
is a 3D heart, because we're so full of love.
And whenever I'm panicking, like I was out there,
she just gave me love and positive affirmations.
-NORMA and GIGI: Aw! -She's the calm to my storm.
'Cause, one thing about me-- I'm gonna cry.
-I'm gonna cry. -Uh, ladies,
before you serve, let me just take
a closer look at the colors and how you did--
Okay.
Okay, good!
Thank you for being kind!
I'm holding back tears.
Let it out, honey, it's all right,
ain't nothin' to cry about. [grunts]
GIGI: Oh, I can tell it's already moist,
I can see that already, just lookin' at it.
I love the taste of the bacon, it's sweetened isn't it?
-KANDYY: Yes! -Oh, my Gosh!
I covered it in a maple glaze.
Let me tell you, the touch of bacon
is the real surprise.
How did you come up with that idea?
-We love bacon! -We do love bacon!
You know what else I like, I like the crunch
-of the outside of the cake- -SEVN: It's like a French toast!
Oh, God, died and gone to heaven.
-It's like a breakfast. -Yeah!
Or you could say brunch 'cause you got your bacon,
-you got your cinnamon bun-- -We're just missin' mimosas!
If there was a little bit more cinnamon,
-it'd make it pop because-- -Okay, I can definitely do that!
GIGI: The crumb's very moist.
NORMA: You girls did a good job!
-Thank you very much! -NORMA: Now you feel better?
-KANDYY: Yes! -NORMA: No more tears?
No more tears, happy tears maybe.
NORMA: Happy tears are okay.
You got two crybabies right here.
Thank you so much!
Wait, Anne, are you saying you're a crybaby?
Oh yeah, I can cry at commercials.
-MAYA: Really? -ANNE: Yeah.
-I did not know that! -[Amy laughing]
-I love that new intel. -Yes!
-Anne is a mystery for you. -Yeah.
-Big cryer, loves nuts. -Mm-hmm.
You're mysterious and I like it!
* Baking It!
MAYA: Reema and Ravi.
Oh, wow!
Oh, that's beautiful!
Today we made for you a churro cake
with chocolate ganache and it's got a little sprinkle
of cinnamon sugar and butter between the layers, too.
We made this cake because eight years ago,
I was in nursing school and I was a suck-up.
So, in order to try to get out of class early,
uh, we would bring baked goods.
So, I had to go to my sister and I'm like,
"Hey, can you make me something?"
And she whipped up these churro cupcakes
that were a hit.
And I even got a phone number from them.
And after that, I kinda realized,
"Okay, she's actually, like, really good,
that's not just a hobby."
GIGI: I'll tell you what,
comparing the two-- the replica?
-You did a great job. -Yes!
GIGI: We got the eye, the star,
the lips, and those cherries.
-NORMA: Very nice job. -GIGI: Let's get to tasting!
ANNE: Let's do it!
HARRIET: Mmm!
ANNE: It tastes like chocolate!
Mmm, I can taste the cinnamon!
ANNE: Mmm.
GIGI: That's good!
MAYA: Wow, that's a lot of "mmm-ing".
Yeah, there's a lot of silence here.
They're really enjoying it.
I mean, this cake is delicious.
And it tastes just like a churro.
The spices are just right on point, really good.
We're spice queens, you know, India.
I love the fact you added that bit of chocolate,
it just took it right up to heaven,
-it's a beautiful cake. -I'm gonna tell you,
with the decorations, and...
this cake is so good,
I mean, it's hittin' every note.
So you know what, this is...
a GiGi Diggity right here.
GIGI: I mean, seriously.
MAYA: GiGi Diggity!
That is high praise!
GIGI: The replica, the flavor, everything.
-And that ganache? [whoops] -Oh yeah, absolutely delicious.
I did that, I did that!
-GIGI: You did the ganache? -NORMA: You made the ganache?
So, you gonna say you got the GiGi Diggity, right?
Wanna give me your number?
[all laughing]
It was really good!
[both] Thank you.
Ooh, carrot cake, yum!
We decided to do a carrot cake.
So, one of my first memories of homemade cake was carrot cake.
I put pineapple in it
-for a little sweetness. -And it makes a difference.
[indistinct]
You can taste the family love in this!
We were fightin' back there.
I was like, "Boy, get that butter goin'!"
-Sounds like family to me. -Yeah.
This cake is a very light chocolate spice cake,
it was actually my grandma's recipe.
We used cinnamon, a little bit of nutmeg
and a little bit of brown sugar as well.
You can really taste those spices!
-Yes, ma'am. -If I close my eyes,
I'd think it was a carrot cake,
without the carrots.
I don't taste the chocolate.
Yeah, very light chocolate.
You like your chocolate strong.
We made a carrot cake.
The filling is cream cheese
and then I wrapped it
in a Swiss meringue butter cream.
-Okay. -Very nostalgic flavor,
I love the fall spices.
The flavor is there, it's just a little dry.
BOTH: Okay.
Sydney and Jenna!
***
-Hi, Grannies! -GIGI: Hello!
-SYDNEY: Hi. -Hello!
It's the Leaning Tower of Pisa!
I'm holding my breath for you, I really am.
I was holding my breath the whole time,
I just couldn't stop looking at it!
The tower's goin',
but don't worry about it.
So, we made
a peanut butter honey cake,
with honey-vanilla sponge, vanilla buttercream,
peanut butter whipped cream filling
and honey-roasted peanuts.
NORMA: And what does the cake-topper signify?
SYDNEY: So, it's a sun because my parents
always used to call me
"Little Miss Sunshine". [chuckles]
-Aw, that's sweet. -That's cute.
NORMA: Well, how about cutting it
and letting us taste your creation?
All right. Let's do it before this falls over.
Yeah 'cause I'm givin' it three minutes, max.
[all laughing]
ANNE: Your layers are perfectly the same, yeah.
NORMA: Yeah, you did a nice job on your layering.
GIGI: I smell that peanut butter.
The peanut butter...
you can really taste it.
The flavor is there
but it's just a little dry.
And I, too, also find the cake a little dry.
Just work that cake to be a little bit more moist.
-Yeah. -ANNE: I don't really think
the icing goes with the cake.
I don't even know how to explain it.
GIGI: Maybe if you would've whipped
some peanut butter in that icing
and then you carry that flavor
all the way through, layer after layer.
NORMA: Here it goes!
Oh, bye-bye!
[all laughing]
I feel better now, I feel like it needed to happen.
-NORMA: Yes. -Yeah.
Agnes and George, please bring up your cake.
I got it from the bottom, you hold it like that.
-AGNES: Okay. -I got you, I got you,
-I'm not letting you go. -MAYA: Teamwork,
makes the dream work.
[Maya whooping] Yeah.
-The Leaning Tower-- -Slow, slow, slow, slow.
I guarantee you, it tastes better than it looks.
All right, so we made a Dominican style
-tres leches cake... -With strawberries
and whipped cream in the center.
GEORGE: We also had cake toppers.
So, we did cake pops-- -Cake pops!
'Cause they're our kids' favorite--
GEORGE: They go crazy with the cake pops.
Have you had tres leches before?
-Yes, many times. -You're gonna be
a good judge for this.
Yeah, I love it.
This is the Dominican tres leches cake [indistinct].
MAYA: He's very convincing,
I've already bought six cars from George.
-[all laughing] -HARRIET: Okay, okay.
The cake, of course, we can see that you had
some construction problems but that's okay
'cause things do happen like that.
You did, of course, miss some of the details
and everything, that's understandable.
At least you did follow through with it,
and I know it can be disappointing but it's okay.
-No quitting over here. -This looks
very moist, now I'm gettin' ready
to taste it and I'mma tell you.
Let me tell you, this is so moist,
it is so delicious.
It's not too sweet, either.
I think I'm gonna marry this cake.
Hallelujah! I'll tell you, the cake is single.
Okay, George!
The taste makes up for any, you know,
heartbreak you may have had on the construction
and I can taste your heritage in this cake.
Thank you, it took a lot of weight
I put on to get it there though.
I gotta tell you--
-AGNES: A lot of tasting! -Yeah, a lot of it!
Like I'm gonna put on right now if I keep eating like this.
Bakers, you all made great cakes!
And you all made the same cake.
Yes, they were truly the greatest,
same-est cakes ever.
Trust me, y'all were all incredible,
for an impossible mission.
The stories behind them, all of them,
were really touching, one stood out to us.
This particular cake replicated
the sample cake almost perfectly.
So, the winners of the first round...
are the mother and daughter team,
Maddie and April.
[cheering and applause]
The replication was really right on,
I mean, I'm just amazed at how well you did
seeing it just for that short amount of time.
The flavor of the cake
was superb, almost flawless.
Congratulations.
Wow! Come and get your broach!
-APRIL: Oh, my God. -[applause]
I'm shaking! [chuckles]
All right, it's always a problem findin' it...
[Anne grunting]
Take your time, Anne.
This was for the cake that needed
the moisture and everything.
-[laughter] -HARRIET: Oh, my God!
Here it is, here it is, I got it, I got it!
All right, number one.
-Congratulations. -APRIL: Thank you!
GIGI: Job well done.
Winning the first one is, just,
"What? What even happened?"
I mean, it's 'cause of Nana, really.
Oh, yeah, we would not be here today without her.
-100%. -Now we'll be making
those cherry things at Christmas.
-Absolutely. -Now we have to. [chuckles]
Now sadly, we have to send one of our teams home.
I wish we could make copies of you to stay
but the tech just isn't there yet.
Yeah. Nana Harriet,
who are we going to remember fondly?
This is the hardest part
But the team that will go home tonight will be...
***
Sydney and Jenna.
You say, "Why? Why? What was wrong?"
Well, the flavor just wasn't there.
The filling was great, just put more filling in,
but the cake was a little dry.
And then remember, it did fall off?
So, work on the cake,
up the filling, and it's a winner.
Come on, come on, we all need a hug from grandma,
I'm a good hugger.
Aw!
[applause]
-I am so sorry! Truly. -JENNA: Thank you.
JENNA: You're gonna make me cry!
Your family would be proud of you!
Do any of y'all need hugs?
-GEORGE: Yes. -HARRIET: Come on! Let's hug!
SYDNEY: We're never gonna forget this experience.
JENNA: Yeah, normally we don't get to spend
this much time together, at all.
We live plane rides away from each other
and so it breaks my heart every time I go a few months
without seeing her and seeing how she's changed.
[voice cracking] It makes me remember
why I love her so much.
I can't stop hugging you!
[all chattering emotionally]
[thunder clapping]
Today we're asking you to face your greatest fear!
We'll either help you beat your phobia
or we'll make it doubly as bad.
There would be nothing worse than to cut
into this cake and no blood come out.
Ooh, bakers, you nasty.
That is seriously disgusting!
-I'm gonna cover my eyes. -It's bloody good!
-[machine whirring] -[shouting] Yeah!
Oh, my God!
[all shouting in disgust]
Oh, this is gonna be good!