01x01 - Western Holiday Playoffs

[bunniefuu]

♪

MARY (V.O.): All aboard, Canada!

This train is leaving
the station...

[train bell rings]

MARY (V.O.): ...and
the destination is cake.

Over the next several weeks,

cake will bring
the nation together...

for a festive celebration
of design, delectability,

and edible engineering.

It's a search for this country's
most gifted holiday cake-maker.

Judged by bakery owner
and pastry chef, Andrew Han...

ANDREW: This is magical!

MARY (V.O.): ...and me!

Cookbook author and TV chef,
Mary Berg.

MARY: It's a Christmas miracle!
[laughter]

MARY (V.O.): For this
holiday showdown,

we've divided the country
into three regions,

and tonight,
we start in the west.

Each week,
eight regional qualifiers

will bring us their very best.

MARY: [gasps] Oh my gosh,
are you kidding me?

ANDREW: Ooh!
I wasn't expecting that.

MARY: No.

MARY (V.O.): But only
four will move forward

to the Cross Country
Cake Off kitchen.

They'll bake for a place
in the national holiday finale,

where the best cake-makers in
the land will go head-to-head

for the grand prize of $50,000.

It's a sweet journey
toward a sweet victory.

And it all starts now...

on Cross Country Cake Off.

MARY (V.O.): Our search
begins in Vancouver,

at the beautiful
Stanley Park Pavilion,

a community landmark since 1911.

We've invited the western
region's most gifted cake-makers

to meet us here.

And they've come bearing boxes.

RENELL (INTV): Well, I actually
flew in from Edmonton.

My cake got stopped
at airport security.

I just really hoped that
they wouldn't cut into it.

And they didn't, thank goodness!

ERIN: Hi!

RENELL (INTV):
Part of me is like,

"Ooh, new cake-maker friends!"

CATHY: Hi, everyone!

RENELL (INTV): Then the other
part is like, competition.

ALL: Hi!

CATHY: Looks like
you have a heavy cake.

JOYLYN: Yes!
CATHY: [laughs]

JOYLYN (INTV): I had to bring
my cake from the Yukon.

CATHY: You made it.

JOYLYN: Whoa!
I made it!

CATHY: Hello!

Party's getting bigger.

Good to see you!

ERIN: Hi!

CATHY: And everyone's here!

MARY: Hi!
[applause]

ANDREW: Hi, everyone!

MARY: I'm so excited!

Welcome to the Cross Country
Cake Off western qualifier!

[applause]

ANDREW: Boy, are we
ever happy to see you!

RENELL: [laughs]

MARY: Bakers applied
from all over western Canada,

and you are
the best of the best.

ANDREW: Four of you will
earn a spot in the upcoming

baking round, where you
will compete for a place

in the national holiday finale.

MARY: And what's
gonna get you there

is in that box
you brought with you today.

ANDREW: We asked you to bring
a cake that showcases

all your baking
and decorating skills

and tells us a story
about who you are.

MARY: We cannot wait
to see what you got for us.

ANDREW: Alright, Renell...

BOTH: It's cake time!

CATHY: Wow!

RENELL (INTV): I started
baking early university.

My biggest supporter
is my partner, Cam.

I like trendy cakes;
like, whatever I'll see online

I'll try to remake myself,
but what makes it a Renell cake

is usually what's on the inside,
not just what's on the outside.

If it's a catwalk, look nice,

don't trip,
and put it down beautifully.

♪

ANDREW: Renell, tell us
how this cake represents you.

RENELL: There are
two big portions of me

I wanted to bring to this cake.

I'm Canadian Filipino,

and two, it was a long time
before I came to terms

with my identity as well.

I'm a proud member
of the LGBTQ+ community

and at that,
I would love for you

to cut into this cake
and see more of me.

MARY: I mean, I'm really excited
to see the inside of this cake.

ANDREW: I'm really excited
to see the inside as well!

MARY: [gasps]
ANDREW: Ooooh!

ANDREW: I wasn't expecting that.
MARY: No!

MARY: That checkerboard pattern,
those beautiful colours

of the pride flag
are so, so stunning.

ANDREW: It makes me
very proud to also be a member

of the LBGTQI+ community
and that people at younger ages

are feeling more and more
comfortable to be themselves.

RENELL: The flavours
will be ube and macapuno.

Ube is like taro or purple yams
and macapuno is coconut.

There are also polvorón.

Polvorón is Filipino
shortbread cookie,

which you actually see
on top as the leaves.

I've crumbled those and put
those in the layers as well.

ANDREW: Renell, this cake
is giving me very classic,

elegant vibes.

The flavours really
come through.

The pairing of ube and coconut,
it's really ex*cuted well here.

MARY: And celebrating
the community you're part of

is just... mmm!

ANDREW: Mm.
MARY: Mmm!

Wonderful.
Thanks so much, Renell.

ANDREW: Thanks, Renell.
RENELL: Thank you.

MARY: Alright, Erin...

BOTH: It's cake time!

♪

ERIN (INTV): To me,
making cakes is like art.

My life by day is
constantly making cakes.

It doesn't matter
if it's three in the morning

or three in the afternoon,
I am making cake.

NANCY (INTV): To see what
other people are baking,

like, their cakes
look professional.

Mine looks like someone
trying to be a professional,

but isn't.
[laughs]

MARY: Thank you.

ERIN: This cake I call
"The Masquerade Ball,"

and you can eat the mask.
The mask is gum paste.

MARY: Excuse me?
ERIN: Yeah. [chuckles]

MARY: That's beautifully done!

ERIN: With this particular cake,

I was listening to a lot of
90's grunge at the time

when I designed it,
and it kind of popped in there

and just came out like that.

But I wanted to soften it up
with floral and golds.

ANDREW: For something
that's so dark,

it makes it kind of a joyful
experience to look at.

ERIN: It's a lemon cake.

ANDREW: Oh.
MARY: Whoa.

ERIN: Raspberry compote,
lemon curd,

vanilla Swiss meringue
buttercream.

♪

MARY: That lemon cake
is delicious.

ERIN: Thank you.

ANDREW: It made me pucker.

It made me salivate

and it reminds me of
a lemonade stand, yeah.

MARY: I wanna go to
this, like, very cool

goth-grunge lemonade stand.

I will say,
it was a little looser

than I'm used to seeing
a lemon curd,

making it almost
a bit pudding-y.

ANDREW: But that said,

the flavours were
really enjoyable.

ANDREW & MARY: Thanks, Erin.

MARY: Alright, Nancy...

BOTH: It's cake time!

JENNA: Wow, look at that flower.

♪

NANCY (INTV): I'm
a stand-up comedian.

Stand-up and baking are similar

because I have no idea
what I'm doing. [laughs]

I don't even have
the right tools.

Like, half the time I'm
looking for a butterknife,

or, you know, chopsticks,

so the area's a disaster!

NANCY: I named my cake
"The Canadian Dream."

My family and I are refugees
from the Vietnam w*r.

The little symbols on there are
things that I've been able to do

because I'm here in Canada.

I'm lucky enough
to get an education,

have my master's degree,
and I play hockey.

Definitely wouldn't be
playing that in Vietnam.

[all laugh]

NANCY: And the microphone
is because

I'm a stand-up comedian.

MARY: Nancy, there are so many
things to love about this cake,

but weirdly, my favourite
thing is this shoelace.

NANCY: [laughs]

MARY: It looks like
a skate lace.

NANCY: The flavour
I chose inside is a Vietnamese

iced coffee cake.

There's chocolate ganache
on it as well,

with espresso
and Swiss meringue buttercream.

ANDREW: I love the bitterness
in the ganache.

MARY: The choice of
that bittersweet chocolate

on the middle of the cake,
really, really smart.

I would've loved a little bit
more cream in it

to give it a bit
more smoothness.

Something a little bit softer
would've been really nice,

but it's a beautiful story.
Thank you so much, Nancy.

NANCY: Thank you.

ANDREW: Alright, Yeulu.

JENNA: Wow.
It's literally magical.

♪

ANDREW: Yeulu,
this is a fascinating cake.

So, why don't you
tell us a little bit

about how this cake
represents you.

YEULU: This represents
my creative journey.

I started drawing
in kindergarten,

and then I wanted to
take it to the next level;

I tried painting.

Then I discovered salsa dancing,
which is a huge part of my life.

And then I started sewing
dresses for competitions

and performances.

MARY: It's beautiful.

The fondant work and
the marbling on the countertops

is really beautiful.

The floor is lovely.

ANDREW: It's just
symmetric, geometric;

the lines are nice and clean.

YEULU: Thank you.

So, I have
a vanilla almond white cake

with white chocolate
cream cheese buttercream,

jackfruit-passionfruit puree,
and for crunch I added

some white-chocolate-coated
almond slivers.

MARY: That jackfruit
passionfruit combination,

it's a beautiful texture

and a really, really
nice flavour.

ANDREW: I wish the flavours
were in every layer of the cake

so that every bite has
that combination of flavours.

MARY (V.O.): Coming up...

MARY: Oh my gosh, beautiful!

MARY (V.O.): Four more
western cake-makers...

ANDREW: I wasn't expecting that.
NANCY: They look real!

I don't know how
someone does that.

MARY (V.O.): ...vie for a spot
in the upcoming holiday round...

ANDREW: Things are about to
get a lot more challenging.

MARY (V.O.): ...where
cake time becomes bake time.

♪

MARY: Alright, Joylyn...

BOTH: It's cake time!

JENNA: Oh my gosh,
look at those little stools.

JOYLYN (INTV): I started baking
during the pandemic.

The stores don't have
supplies like bread,

so my husband asked me,

"Would you like
to start baking?

"Maybe we can bake
our own bread."

And then I started baking cakes,

and that's where
my passion is right now.

Especially if I'm
making cakes for my kids.

They'll be like, "Mom, you're
the best baker in the world."

So they're my inspiration.

JOYLYN: So this is
my Yukon kitchen.

They have three
little chairs right there

and that represents my family,
and then in that little oven,

you can actually open it.

MARY: What!
ANDREW: You can open it!

MARY: [gasps] Oh my gosh,
are you kidding me?

And this cake came
all the way from Whitehorse?

JOYLYN: Like a baby, hugging it.

MARY: I am in love
with your kitchen mat.

"If you want breakfast in bed,
sleep in the kitchen."

Love that sass!

This is so fantastic,
and it's just so inviting.

ANDREW: I wanna
come to your kitchen.

JOYLYN: Thank you.

It's espresso-chocolate cake
and chocolate-espresso

Swiss meringue buttercream.
MARY: Mmm!

♪

That buttercream
is as light as air.

It tastes like it could've
flown here from the Yukon

on its own because it is
bubbly and light and fluffy.

ANDREW: This is a really
great chocolate cake.

It's very inviting.

I think in its simplicity here,

you managed to kind of
bring us into your home.

JOYLYN: Thank you.
ANDREW: Thank you.

JOYLYN: Thank you, guys.

MARY: Okay, Jenna...

BOTH: It's cake time!

♪

JENNA (INTV): I've have
heavy roots in science.

I am a trained nurse.

I think baking is a really
fun interplay between

science and creativity,
but also you get to experience

a whole wide variety
of mediums and colours,

which is something that
I personally love to play with.

JENNA: So, this cake
is an Erlenmeyer flask

and it's an ode to science
as well as the career paths

I've taken to kind of
get where I am today.

I have created a variety of
different fondant molecules

as well as complimented it with
a whole bunch of fondant pills.

And the bird signifies peace
that I've kind of

come to a decision that
maybe nursing isn't for me

and caking is.

MARY: You're reminding me of me.

I used to work in insurance.

JENNA: Oh!
MARY: Yeah!

My old office got me a tiny oven
and I would go in early to bake.

JENNA: Wow.

MARY: It was my favourite
part of the job, and that's

when I was like, "Don't
wanna do that job anymore!"

JENNA: I feel that!
I feel that to my core.

JENNA: So, I have an Earl Grey
tea cake and then I have

a milk and dark chocolate
ganache buttercream.

Also added a layer
of hazelnut praline

to give it a little crunch
and a little bit of texture.

On the outside I have a vanilla
and orange buttercream

to help bring out those
citrus-y flavours from the tea.

MARY: I think you got all
of those flavours, Jenna.

I'm getting that Earl Grey tea.

I think it was a really smart
move to put that orange

in the outside
to mimic the citrus.

Tea, orange,
chocolate, hazelnut,

burnt sugar, and somehow
they've all worked.

ANDREW: All the flavours
came forward,

which I really appreciate.

If you tell me something's
in the cake, I want to taste it.

ANDREW: Alright, Sabby.

CATHY: Very cool.

SAUBAT (INTV): The cake
I brought in today

tells a lot about my background.

I was born
and raised in Nigeria

and I was recently in Nigeria
for my sister's wedding.

SAUBAT: And for
a typical Nigerian

traditional wedding cake,
this is what you have.

The suitcase contains gifts
to the bride by the groom.

The gourd on top of the cake
actually contains wine,

and traditionally the bride
would take this gourd

and move around
looking for her husband,

and then other guys will be
like, "Oh, it's me, it's me."

And she's like,
"No, it's not you,"

and then she goes to her husband
and then he drinks it

and then everyone is happy.

MARY: That's beautiful, Sabby.

SAUBAT: So, it's
a chocolate cake

with vanilla cookies and cream

Swiss meringue buttercream
frosting on the inside,

and then the outside
layer of the cake is

white chocolate ganache.

♪

ANDREW: This cake
is beautifully dense.

It's fudge-y,
it's really velvety.

MARY: I could've gone with more
cookies in my cookies and cream.

SAUBAT: Okay.

MARY: But, that is
a chocolatey cake.

Very classic,
really tasty flavours.

SAUBAT: Thank you.

ANDREW: Alright, Cathy.

JENNA: Look at all
those croissants.

CATHY: I know!

JOYLYN (INTV): When I see
Cathy's cake, it's just amazing.

The fondant, I was blown away.

♪

CATHY: My cake is called
a cake for the baker.

I really wanted to represent
myself as a baker

and all the work
you see on the cake

is made of fondant
that I crafted

and painted and coloured myself.

MARY: I love that you mixed the
colour into the fondant yourself

because then you're
gonna get those colours

that you're looking for.

CATHY: I have old-fashioned
yellow cake with toffee.

And with it I paired it up with

vanilla Swiss
meringue buttercream.

MARY: Ooh.
ANDREW: Mmm.

ANDREW: You can see
the little toffee bits.

I love toffee bits.
MARY: Oh, me too.

ANDREW: Is there a specific
memory that you associate

with these flavours?

CATHY: I'm an immigrant to
Canada and I think actually

the first western cake I've seen
was the yellow cake,

and that's always stuck with me.

MARY: Did you use salted
butter in your buttercream?

CATHY: I added salt to it.

MARY: It is perfect.
ANDREW: Yeah.

MARY: I am so pumped about that.

Sometimes buttercreams
can be overly sweet.

I love that little bit of salt

'cause it keeps you
coming back for more.

It was a really
good yellow cake.

ANDREW: I really think you
did a good job here today.

CATHY: Thank you very much.

MARY: Thank you so much, Cathy.
ANDREW: Thank you.

CATHY (INTV):
I'm extremely proud,

but the competition
is quite fierce.

ANDREW: Bakers, it was such
a pleasure to get to know you

through your beautiful cakes.

MARY: And we're gonna get to
know four of you even better

in the upcoming
holiday baking round.

But first, we have some
tough decisions to make.

RENELL (INTV): I am panicked.

I wanna go through so bad,

but I'm also like,
"You know what?

"There's a lot of
great people here..."

MARY: I mean,
that was a tough one.

ANDREW: Yeah, definitely.

NANCY (INTV): I kind of wish
I had started baking earlier,

you know, instead
of the night before.

I'm a crammer.
Right, so... [laughs]

MARY: All delicious flavours.

ANDREW: And
really well ex*cuted.

JOYLYN (INTV): I'm so nervous,
but whatever happens,

I did my best.

♪

ANDREW: These bronze cake stands
are your ticket

to the Cross Country
Cake Off kitchen,

where four of you
will bake for a place

in the national holiday finale.

MARY: So now,
in no particular order,

these are the four bakers
who are going to move forward

to show us their holiday best.

♪

ANDREW: Jenna.

[applause]

JENNA: Thanks!

MARY: Cathy.

[applause]

MARY: Joylyn.

JOYLYN: Oh!
Oh!

MARY: And the last baker who
will be moving forward is...

♪

Renell.

Congratulations.

[applause]

♪

RENELL (INTV): Wow!

JOYLYN: Thank you.

RENELL (INTV):
This means so much.

CATHY: Oh, my cake would
look amazing on this.

CATHY (INTV): Ah!

It's a tangible, physical object
that represents all the joy

and love I have for baking
and for my cakes.

MARY (V.O.): Coming up...

ANDREW: Welcome to the
Cross Country Cake Off kitchen.

MARY (V.O.): The
western finalists battle

for a spot
in the holiday finale.

JOYLYN: It's Christmas.

CATHY: Go big or go home, right?

RENELL (INTV): It's going down!

MARY: Oh my gosh!

♪

JOYLYN: [gasps]
JENNA: Wow.

♪

JOYLYN: Wow.

JENNA: I know.
JOYLYN: This is amazing!

CATHY (INTV): Such a wonderful,
beautiful kitchen.

I wish my house was like this.

JOYLYN (INTV): This is not real.

Like, I can't believe I'm here,
like it's just so amazing.

CATHY: [laughs]
RENELL: [laughs]

RENELL (INTV): Oh...
it's going down!

MARY: Hi!
ANDREW: Hi, everyone!

[applause]

ANDREW: Welcome to the
Cross Country Cake Off kitchen.

MARY: Tonight, the four of you
will bake for two spots

in the national holiday finale.

Whoever makes it there
will compete against the best

from the rest of the country
for the grand prize...

of $50,000.

CONTESTANT: Oh my God.
[applause]

RENELL (INTV): That's five zero,
fifty thousand dollars.

I need to work.

ANDREW: Things are about to
get a lot more challenging.

Tonight your inspiring brief
is "home for the holidays."

We want cakes
that take us home with you

and we'll be judging
the way you interpret that brief

through design,
technique and flavour.

We want memories,
we want tradition,

and we want it all
in four and a half hours.

MARY: I know, it's a tall order,

but we can't wait to see
you work your holiday magic.

In fact, Andrew, are you
thinking what I'm thinking?

Cake-makers...

BOTH: It's bake time!
[clapping]

ANDREW: Go, go, go!

♪

ANDREW: The race is on.

MARY: Yeah.

CATHY (INTV): First thing I do
when I hear "It's bake time,"

is panic.

JENNA: I haven't been
this nervous since

the qualifier in Vancouver.

RENELL: Okay,
we need to add some eggs.

Whoops, no shells.

♪

CATHY: The first thing
I have to do is brown butter,

and then it has to chill before
I can use it to make the cake.

MARY: I'm really hoping,
especially with that

home-for-the-holidays theme,

that we get things
that are really nice and cozy.

ANDREW: I'm looking
forward to warm spices,

feelings and cozy stories.

I wanna know how these guys
spend their holiday seasons

with their families.
MARY: Mm-hm.

RENELL: When I think of
home for the holidays,

I think of my grandma's house.

Today I am baking
a Filipino Christmas lantern.

It's called a parol.

The flavour's gonna be like an
elevated chocolate orange cake

with some ginger in it
and candied oranges.

RENELL: My cake stands up.

Cakes are normally like this.
ANDREW: Mm-hm.

RENELL: I'm turning it this way.
ANDREW: Right.

RENELL: So it's gonna stand.
ANDREW: Alright.

RENELL: And I hope
it stays still.

[both laugh]
RENELL: So...

♪

JOYLYN: I am making
a carrot cake.

A yummy carrot cake,
I should say.

Has to be yummy for the judges.

My cake is called Christmas
in the Philippines.

It's a Christmas carrot cake

with a fondant Santa
and stockings.

I wanted the judges to see
that it's me on the cake.

♪

RENELL: Sorry.

[laughs]

CATHY (INTV): When I hear,
"home for the holidays"

what came into my mind was
my father-in-law's fireplace.

My fire-inspired holiday cake

has brown butter sponge cake,

speculoos filling,

and smoky
Swiss meringue buttercream.

MARY: Cathy, was I smelling
something nutty and brown?

CATHY: And wonderful?
Yes!

MARY: Oh my gosh.

CATHY: I am doing
a brown butter cake.

MARY: Delicious.
CATHY: Yeah.

MARY: I always say,
if you can find extra flavour

for free somewhere...
CATHY: Exactly, exactly.

MARY: Why not?
CATHY: Right?

♪

JOYLYN: Cake in.

RENELL: And boom.

CATHY: It's going in, baby.

I am betting everything on this.

[laughs]

JENNA: Ooh, baking up a storm.

RENELL: Okay,
what are we doing now?

♪

JENNA: I am working on
my spiced ganache filling.

I put cayenne pepper
in my spice mix

as well as a little bit of
cinnamon and nutmeg.

JENNA (INTV): Because I didn't
celebrate Christmas or Hanukkah

or any of those other
traditional holidays,

a lot of my time during
my winter break from school

was spent watching movies,
eating popcorn,

drinking hot chocolate
with my family.

So my cake is called
the Winter Break Cake.

It's a cake that would look like

a bag of popcorn.

I'm using fondant;

I'm doing a little
bit of chocolate work.

♪

JENNA: Oh, that's chocolatey.

JOYLYN: Powdered sugar.

JOYLYN (INTV): The next thing
I need to do is the icing.

When you mix cream cheese
into an icing,

it's kind of tricky
because you're over-mixing it

or you're putting so much icing

because you don't
want to make it stiff,

so I think that's
the trickiest part,

and it will make or break
your cake for sure.

CATHY: This is my secret
weapon: liquid smoke.

[laughs]

For the smoky Swiss
meringue buttercream filling,

I am using liquid smoke.

CATHY: Whoo!

CATHY (INTV): But I do not want
the flavouring to be too strong

so that it's off-putting,

but also it can't be
too delicate

so that it's lack-lustre.

CATHY: Go big or go home, right?

RENELL: These are
candied oranges.

Ahh, they're so good.

[laughs]
They smell so good!

JOYLYN: Never use wire whisk
with a cream cheese.

It's gonna be a disaster.

JENNA: Yes, baby.

Oh my God.

CATHY: They look good.

JOYLYN: I think my cake is done.

♪

RENELL: Ooh,
I think these are done.

ANDREW: Alright, cake-makers,
you're almost halfway there.

You've got about two hours
and 20 minutes left.

JOYLYN: Ooh.

RENELL: One, two, three.

♪

MARY: So, that little device
over on Jenna's station,

it's a levelling saw.

So basically used
to bake a cake,

a tall cake, and cut it level,
and then cut layers

that are perfectly,
perfectly even.

JENNA: So,
I am cutting my layers here

and then I'm going to shape
this into the popcorn bucket.

CATHY (INTV): Well, my cakes
are all set and ready

to be stacked,
and I have quite a few layers.

I want a really tall
and a very impressive cake.

♪

CATHY: Are you tilting?

Don't tilt.

Agh.

CATHY (INTV): But
the cake unfortunately

is starting to tilt.

MARY: She hasn't
got those layers even.

ANDREW: No.

RENELL (INTV): There
must be a crack

on the bottom layer of my cake.

I felt so pressured for time,
I was just moving too fast,

and I wasn't paying
enough attention.

ANDREW: If it's
starting to tip now,

now's the time to stop
and course-correct.

MARY: A hundred percent.

ANDREW: And she's
not doing that.

♪

CATHY (INTV): I really
wanted a really tall,

sophisticated cake.

Why are you tilting?

I removed the top barrel
and I'm putting support straws

in the bottom barrel
to straighten up the slouch.

♪

CATHY (INTV): I think
it does help.

I can either fixate
and lose time

or I can move forward

and just try to really enhance
the other areas of the cake.

♪

RENELL: Final measurement.

ANDREW: So, Renell's paying
homage to these things called

a parol...
MARY: Mm-hm.

ANDREW: He wants it
to be upright.

MARY: Oh!
That's a risk.

RENELL: Okay.

RENELL (INTV): A parol
obviously would be hanging.

It's a hanging lantern,
so it has to stand.

MARY: So, what are
you doing right now?

RENELL: In order for me
to make the parol,

I've created the base over here
and now all I have to do

is cut this...
MARY: Mm-hm.

RENELL: Punch a hole...
MARY: Uh-huh.

RENELL: And then put it on top.
MARY: Very smart.

I'm really, really excited
to see what this looks like.

RENELL: Well, me too
now that I've cut it funny.

[laughs]
MARY: You know what?

This is a critical moment;

I'm gonna let
the surgeon do his work.

♪

JOYLYN: So creamy.

JOYLYN (INTV): I am
worried about the icing

because it's kind of like,
melting it looks like,

and the outside of it
is a little droopy.

If given the opportunity to win
the $50,000, oh my goodness,

I would love to
go back to school

and continue learning about
different techniques of baking.

JENNA: I have
a marshmallow fluff that I torch

with like a blow torch.

Oooh, that smells good.

CATHY: So, now I just
have to plan this accordingly,

because I just have so much
buttercream to colour.

The colours
I'm working with here...

So I don't want a whole bunch
of colour that I don't need

and not enough colour
that I do need.

RENELL: I'm gonna
insert this now.

[gasps]
No!

It's cracking.

RENELL (INTV): The dowel on
the inside, a structural piece,

was breaking the cake.

RENELL: This is not good.

Now if I try to pick it up,
it's gonna crack the whole cake,

which sucks.
Really, really sucks.

ANDREW: Bakers,
you've got one hour left.

That's one hour
to finish your cakes.

RENELL: h* boy.

RENELL (INTV): I am
panicking in the moment.

RENELL: As long as this
buttercream stays together,

it is ganache,
so it is gonna harden well.

Cake surgery.

JENNA: I am starting
to add my decor,

which is the stressful part
of course, because you know,

this is where stuff
can totally go wrong

and then we have
no time left to fix it.

Being the first winner
of Cross Country Cake Off

would be totally surreal.

Okay, the prize money
is one thing, but like,

I think it's kind of like,

"Hey girl, you can do this,"
you know?

This would really give me
a nice pump towards

following my true passion.

CATHY: Awesome...

CATHY (INTV): So, I keep
making my night skyline.

CATHY: How you doing, Joylyn?

JOYLYN: I'm good!
How are you doing?

CATHY: I am managing at best.
[chuckles]

JOYLYN: I am working
on my Santa hats.

I'm making it
with a red fondant.

JENNA (INTV):
I am making popcorn

with a little bit of fondant.

JENNA: Just trying to make sure
that I maintain finesse,

which is the hardest part
to do of course

when you have a time limit.

MARY: Cake-makers,
you have 30 minutes left.

CATHY: Let's do this.

CATHY (INTV): I am just
going to put a roaring fire

on the front of this cake.

MARY: She's using a palette
knife to apply that buttercream

so it applies
almost like oil paint,

which is a really,
really nice technique.

It gives you a lot of texture,
a lot of movement.

CATHY (INTV): People are
gonna notice the fire

and not the angle that it's on.

That is the game plan.

RENELL: I am making sugared
glass because it's like a parol

and it usually lights up.

There's like a big light in it,
so I made sugar glass to kinda

let it glimmer a little more
and shine brightly in the light.

Perfect.

RENELL (INTV): It is
so important for me

to go to the finale.
I wanna stand out.

I do have one more cake in me.

I have lots of cakes.

How many will get me $50,000
is the best question.

♪

JOYLYN: I made
my green buttercream

for the Christmas tree.

JOYLYN (INTV): All
the details that I wanted

and in my mind are there.

JOYLYN: So this is awesome.

CATHY: A cake
is all in its details.

I just want my cake to um...

keep on giving
the more you look at it.

CATHY (INTV): Honestly, $50,000,

I can't even begin to imagine
what to do with it.

I would love to fix
the hole in my roof,

first and foremost,

and then really just be able
to invest in my cake business.

RENELL: I am just painting

as if this was like
a watercolour art piece.

ANDREW: Ten minutes, bakers.

RENELL: Now we cool it down.

MARY: This is when
pandemonium strikes.

JENNA (INTV): I feel
a lot of stress.

I'm not gonna lie.

CATHY: Sending my prayers
up to heaven.

Hoping for the best.

♪

JOYLYN: I'm on
the finishing touches.

RENELL: Okay, it's time
to a little lifty lift.

ANDREW: I think Renell's about
to tip his cake up on its side.

MARY: Oh my gosh!

This is gonna go bad.

RENELL: Gravity may or may not
work against me.

ANDREW: I think Renell's about
to tip his cake up on its side.

MARY: Oh my gosh!

Oh, this is gonna go bad.

I hope it doesn't.

♪

MARY: Okay.
ANDREW: Oh.

RENELL: I did it!

MARY: Cake-makers,
you have one minute left.

ANDREW: That's
the final minute, guys!

JOYLYN: Ahh!

CATHY: I'm just adding
a little bit more detail.

♪

MARY & ANDREW: Five!

Four!

Three!

Two!

One!

Cake-makers, the bake is up!

JOYLYN: Whoo!
MARY: Put those things down.

[applause]

MARY: That was so exciting.

CATHY: Phew!

CATHY (INTV): Hey,
you got through it.

JOYLYN (INTV): I'm just so proud

because I was able
to finish the cake.

JENNA: It got a little
hairy there, I'm not gonna lie.

JENNA (INTV): Could I have
used like eight hours?

Yes, totally.

JENNA: Ahh.

RENELL (INTV): I feel great.

It's what I wanted.

ANDREW: And now
for a closer look,

Renell, please bring us
your cake.

♪

ANDREW: I was not sure that was
gonna make it to the table

in this position.

RENELL: Neither was I.

MARY: It's a Christmas miracle!

ANDREW: It's
a Christmas miracle.

RENELL: This is a parol.

It is a Filipino
Christmas lantern.

When I think of
"home for the holidays,"

I think my Grandma's house.

My Grandma used to take me
to her church all the time,

which kind of where
that mosaic comes from,

and I wanted to have
that stained glass.

MARY: This parol
is so beautiful,

and I really love the addition
of the stained glass feeling.

RENELL: Yeah.

MARY: I will say,
the back is a little lacking

in terms of decoration.

This looks like a blizzard hit.
RENELL: Yup.

MARY: So, we're gonna
cut into this baby.

RENELL: Do it.

RENELL: It is a yellow cake
but I've split it

to have a chocolate
and a ginger portion as well.

Like, chocolate candy orange.

My brothers and I used to
buy these and like,

chase each other with them.

Cause you had to hit
them for them to...

MARY: Yep.
Classic siblings.

ANDREW: And you would
hit them at each other.

RENELL: Yes,
till it was... not fun.

MARY: Until it was
not fun anymore.

It's all fun and games
till someone gets

an orange busted on them!
Yeah.

RENELL: Also, there's
a pattern inside once again.

This year, my partner,
Cam and I,

our Christmas theme is like a
bougie cheetah-print Christmas.

MARY: We are looking
for that cheetah print.

Ooh.
ANDREW: Oooh.

MARY: Call that a bit of
an homage to cheetah.

RENELL: Mm-hm!

♪

MARY: Renell, that candied
orange is delicious.

And I know you did
the whole orange.

I'm not getting any bitterness.

For me that tastes delicious.

It plays off of that
chocolate really nicely.

ANDREW: You did
a really good job here.

It's really nice.

The orange plays very well
with the chocolate.

It's balanced quite nicely

and it is
giving chocolate orange.

MARY: And it's standing up.

[applause]

ANDREW: Joylyn.

♪

MARY: Whoooah!

JOYLYN: My cake is called
"Christmas in the Philippines."

There is a chimney there
with a sock, and not stocking.

Back in the Philippines, we're
not used to hanging stockings...

MARY: Mm-hm.

JOYLYN: ...but I watched it
one time in a movie

so I did it every Christmas,
but I'd just get disappointed

because every time I open
the socks there's nothing in it.

MARY: Oh no!

JOYLYN: So that's why
I made Santa a tired Santa

because back in the day I was
thinking maybe Santa's tired,

maybe we're too far away
from the North Pole,

so that's why I made him
kind of like laying down.

MARY: I love lazy Santa.

Everybody needs a hand
every once in a while.

Even Santa!

I love these little treats.

ANDREW: This cake, Joylyn,

is just making everything
merry and bright.

JOYLYN: Thank you.

ANDREW: But I will say that
there's a little bit of bulging

happening with your buttercream.

MARY: This is a cream cheese
frosting I'm assuming?

JOYLYN: It is.

MARY: Cream cheese frosting
tends to get a little sloppy.

It doesn't hold up the same
way a buttercream does,

which likes to firm up more.

So, remind us what's going on
in the inside of this cake.

JOYLYN: The inside of the cake
is a carrot cake,

with cream cheese buttercream

and also I put in
some coconut there

and cinnamon and also nutmeg.

♪

MARY: Joylyn, that carrot cake
is moist, it is delicious.

It is very carroty.

I love the chunks of the pecans,

and I was a little worried
you were going to

process them really finely,

but I really like
the texture they're adding.

Your cream cheese frosting,

did you put any
butter in there as well?

JOYLYN: I did.

MARY: What's your ratio of like
cream cheese to butter?

JOYLYN: Six of the cream cheese
and then a little bit butter.

150 grams.

MARY: Oh man,
that is a little bit of butter.

JOYLYN: A little bit, yeah.

MARY: I will say
that I think that is the culprit

of this looser frosting.

ANDREW: I love the taste
of your cream cheese icing.

I wish there was more of it
because it's mostly just cake.

That being said, though, your
flavours are really good here

and I would eat more
of this for sure.

[applause]

MARY: Cathy,
please bring up your cake.

♪

CATHY: The theme is
"Fire on a Winter's Night."

So, my father-in-law
has a wood-fed fireplace

in his house and there's
no feeling like it,

walking in from
a cold, damp night,

into this enveloping warmth.

MARY: This cake makes me
want a glass of mulled wine

and a big cozy sweater

and to sit outside
near this brilliant fire.

CATHY: Maybe some marshmallows?
MARY: Oh yeah, totally.

With all of the texture
you've accomplished

in this kind of palette knife
technique, I really feel it.

I feel the movement in the fire.

CATHY: Thank you.

MARY: I really enjoy
the sunsetting sky,

that beautiful,
clear winter's night.

Now, there are some
structural flaws happening.

CATHY: Mm-hm.

MARY: We do have
a bit of a lean.

ANDREW: One of the issues
that I saw was that

as you were stacking
the bottom half of your barrel,

there was a tilt
already happening,

but even with
the tilting of the cake,

it contributes to even
more movement of that fire.

It's like, "Whoa!"
You know?

CATHY: That's very kind
of you to say, thank you.

[laughs]

MARY: Let's get into it.
ANDREW: Alright.

CATHY: Inside is
a brown butter sponge cake

and a smoky Swiss buttercream.

MARY: I am smelling it.

ANDREW: Are you?
MARY: And it's kinda nice.

Like, it feels like
I'm near a real fire right now.

Kinda one of those things,
is my hair gonna smell

like it tomorrow, you know?

♪

ANDREW: Cathy, there is...

It's whoa!
MARY: Yeah.

ANDREW: Like,
I get the brown butter.

It's very nice,
but it's also delicate.

The buttercream is very silky,
it's very luscious, it's soft.

MARY: What type of
smoke did you use?

CATHY: Mesquite barbeque.
MARY: It was delicious.

I got the smoke
and I got every other flavour.

CATHY: Thank you very much.
ANDREW: Thank you, Cathy.

MARY & CATHY: Thank you.
[applause]

MARY: Jenna,
bring up that cake.

♪

JENNA: I didn't really grow up
celebrating Christmas

or Hanukkah or any
of those holidays,

so a lot of the things that we
would do would be watch movies,

which is why I incorporated
a movie reel, eat popcorn.

My brother and I used to
order pizza together.

MARY: Jenna, this is, uh, three
of my favourite food groups.

Cake, pizza, popcorn,
so thank you very much.

I am obsessed with this popcorn.

I didn't fully understand
how you did it,

and now up close I see you've
punched out little flowers.

JENNA: And rolled little fondant
and I just added

a little bit of that gold like--

MARY: Like the kernel.
JENNA: Yeah, exactly.

MARY: The part that gets
stuck in your teeth.

JENNA: Yeah, exactly.
MARY: Yes.

ANDREW: I love
the ornaments on top as well.

JENNA: They're actually
filled with hot chocolate

and little marshmallows,
and that represents

the new traditions
I've started with my husband.

The inside of the cake is
kind of a reflection of the top

and it is a Mexican
hot chocolate flavoured cake.

ANDREW: Wow.
MARY: Ooh!

JENNA: So, I made a cinnamon
swirl cake and I've layered it

between a spiced ganache
with cayenne peppers,

so you'll get that little bit
of heat right at the end.

I've also alternated the layer
with like a marshmallow filling

that I torched.

♪

MARY: Well, Jenna,
I think this is delicious.

JENNA: Thank you.

ANDREW: It's warm, it's cozy,
it's got the little kick of heat

from the cayenne
and the chocolate.

JENNA: You're tasting it?
ANDREW: Mm-hm!

I think it's a really
well-balanced cake.

MARY: I will say because
there's that popcorn on there

and because I am
such a popcorn fan,

I kinda wished
you'd maybe incorporated

buttered popcorn
on the inside of this cake.

Even if you used
some sweet corn in there

to give that kind of vibe.
JENNA: Next time.

MARY: Next time, there ya go.

ANDREW: But thank you
for inviting us into your home

for a holiday movie night.
JENNA: Thank you.

[applause]

♪

MARY: Bakers,
your cakes truly invited us

into your homes
for the holidays.

Thank you so much.

ANDREW: And now, we have some
difficult decisions to make.

♪

CATHY (INTV): I am
full-heartedly

ready to win
this entire competition.

I really want to prove
what I'm capable of.

I really want to make it
to the next round.

JOYLYN (INTV): I know my kids
are praying so much for me.

If I win, I will be so grateful.

♪

JENNA (INTV): Moving on
to the finals

would be a literal dream.

It's one step closer
to getting that recognition

that I feel like
I need for myself.

RENELL (INTV): When I
left home, I said,

"Cam, I'm coming home
with the win."

I feel like I'm representing
a bunch of minorities

and I wanna come home
with the win for them.

MARY: Cake-makers,
please step forward.

♪

MARY: You all welcomed us
home for the holidays

with some brilliant cakes that
made our task that much harder.

ANDREW: We had to
consider everything:

concept, flavour, technique,

and your ability
to tell us a story through cake.

MARY: And now, the two
cake-makers who will receive

one of these silver cake stands

and move on to represent
western Canada

in the Cross Country Cake Off
holiday finale are...

♪

MARY: ...Jenna and Renell.

JENNA: Oh my gosh.

[applause]

ANDREW: Come on up
and get your cake stands.

MARY & ANDREW: Congratulations!

MARY: You two come up and...

Yes, oh my gosh! [inaudible]
RENELL: Thank you.

JENNA (INTV): I'm going
to the finale.

I can't even believe it.

So, you know, this is like
once step closer to $50,000,

and on top of that, maybe this
is what I'm meant to be doing.

MARY: Thank you!
[talking over each other]

RENELL (INTV): I feel amazing.

I also feel really surprised.

It was anyone's game.

We are the best of the west,
but I got a silver cake stand!

And I'm gonna get
the gold cake stand next.

MARY (V.O.): Next time...

We're headed
to our mid-Canada region

to meet eight new cake-makers.

ANDRE: Oh man,
what's in that box there, bro?

DEREK: Something heavy.

MARY (V.O.): Who
will rise to the top?

MARY: Whoa!
ANDREW: Just perfection.

MARY: Oh my gosh!

MARY (V.O.): Find out on an
all-new Cross Country Cake Off!

♪