01x04 - Holiday Finale

[bunniefuu]

MARY (V.O.): This season
on Cross Country Cake Off,

we rolled into
our three regions:

the West,

Mid-Canada,

and the East.

And we were treated
to a sweet feast for the eyes...

and the taste buds!

MARY: Oh!
ANDREW: Ooh.

MARY: Whoa, lemon,
did you smell that?

MARY (V.O.): The best
of the best

earned bronze cake stands.

ANDREW: Congratulations!
[applause]

This means so much.

MARY (V.O.): Their ticket to the
Cross Country Cake Off kitchen,

where they baked their very best
to earn a silver cake stand...

[applause]

JULIE INTV: I did it!

MARY (V.O.): ...and a chance
to go for the gold.

Now the six best cake-makers
in the country will compete

in the national holiday finale.

MARIYA: I still
can't believe it.

MARY (V.O.): Representing
the West, Renell...

RENELL: Oh!

MARY (V.O.): ...and Jenna.

From Mid-Canada,
Mariya and Julie.

And from the East,
Brittany and Catherine.

One of them will bake
their way to sweet victory

and the grand prize of $50,000,

tonight on
Cross Country Cake Off.

♪

It is so crazy to be here

at the Cross Country
Cake Off finale!

JENNA INTV: Getting
so far into the process

is totally a dream come true.

Like, I can't even believe
this is happening.

BRITTANY INTV: Everybody's
here for the same reason,

to win that $50,000.

JULIE INTV: I'm feeling
very nervous.

I cannot even imagine what
other people from across Canada

are capable of doing.

The heat is on.

[applause]

♪

Hello, cake-makers!

What an exhilarating
sleigh ride this has been.

Thank you for opening
your hearts, and your ovens,

to prove beyond
a shadow of a doubt

that you deserve to be here.

ANDREW: Congratulations!
MARY: Yeah.

[applause]

So, let's get
this snowball rolling.

The theme for your first cake
tonight is "Winter Wonderland."

MARY: Wow us with
your interpretation

of a wonderful winter scene.

ANDREW: Just make sure
to show off all of your skills

and techniques, tell us a story
that means something to you,

and finish your
Winter Wonderland creation

in just 4.5 hours.

MARY: After this bake,
only three of you

will move on to the final round.

Well, I think there's only
one thing left for us to say.

Cake-makers...

BOTH: It's bake time!

MARY: Woo!
[clapping]

♪

RENELL: We're in
the semi-finals!

JENNA: Oh, it feels
pretty crazy to be here.

I can't believe
it's actually happening.

Hoping for the best!

I feel like there's
an energy here,

like a holiday morning
excitement.

ANDREW: They're all looking
more focused and more confident

than ever before.

MARY: Now we're like fighting
off Cross Country style.

ANDREW: Mm-hm!

This is going in the cake.
I don't want them too small,

so I don't want to
use this food processor.

It's not the best way to do it.

CATHERINE INTV: When I hear
"Winter Wonderland,"

what comes to mind is
memories of my childhood.

Skating on an icy pond
with friends.

So today,
I'm making a spiced carrot cake

filled with pineapple
and rum compote

and cinnamon buttercream.

I'm definitely a little bit
nervous because I know

there's a lot of other
amazing bakers in this room,

but if I pull everything off
that I have in mind...

I got a good chance.

MARIYA: Oh my gosh.

It's a workout!

MARIYA INTV: Today I'm gonna
be making a bottom tier

that has some
frosty ice elements,

and then the top tier will have
little snowflakes on it,

sugar flowers,

and the flavour is London Fog.

MARIYA: The reason why
I did London Fog is because

it's one of my first dates
with my husband.

We had London Fog lattes,
so it's kind of special to us.

MARY: Oh my gosh,
if I had to do,

based on one of me
and my husband's first dates,

it would be a falafel cake.
MARIYA: Oh, that's--

MARY: It would be weird, yeah.
This works a little bit better!

ANDREW: Hi, Julie.
JULIE: Andrew!

ANDREW: So what have you
got going for this round?

JULIE: It's all about skiing,
being in the mountains...

ANDREW: Mmm!

JULIE: And we're also
going to do a 3D shadowbox.

ANDREW: Oh!

JULIE: So I'm gonna
try that, yeah.

ANDREW: You're
stepping up your game.

Yeah, I gotta.

JULIE INTV: My Winter Wonderland
is all about skiing in Quebec.

I'm making a chocolate cake

with a zesty orange mascarpone

Swiss meringue buttercream.

I'm gonna add a pinch of salt.

♪

BRITTANY: Ooh!

BRITTANY INTV: My favourite
thing about winter

is that first snowfall.

I want the cake to look
frozen on the outside.

I'm gonna make
wafer paper snowflakes.

Today I'm making a pecan cake
with a cream cheese frosting.

It's a lot of work.

Perfect!

♪

I'm currently
pouring my molasses.

It's gonna get a little messy
around here, but...

JENNA INTV: When I hear
"Winter Wonderland,"

I think going to a ski resort,
hanging out with my friends.

So, my cake is called
"Party Penguins."

I am making
a gingerbread molasses cake

with a toffee crunch

and a lemon spice buttercream.

JENNA: I am worried
about my toffee.

I've had a couple
burnt batches before,

so I'm hoping that
I just keep my eye on it,

so I'm not burning anything.

Don't want to burn
the kitchen down, right?

BRITTANY: Okay...

JULIE: In, nice.

MARIYA: Oh, I hope you rise!

[laughs]

I am making an M&M&M cake.

It is magical, it is musical,
and it's mocha.

[laughs]

It is actually
a 30-inch castle cake!

I once lived in a house
with eight other people,

and we called ourselves
The Castle.

I am making a
white chocolate cake

with a white
chocolate mocha.

And then it's
gonna incorporate

a maple Russian
buttercream.

And I'm making
a biscotti.

No detours just yet,

but I'm not gonna
count my eggs,

my chickens...

What do you count?

[timer beeping]

BRITTANY: This is ready.

♪

Please, please, please,
be ready.

Yes!

Okay.

Ooh!

I pull my cakes
out of the oven

and I flip them over,

and there's this huge
burn spot on one of my cakes.

JENNA: Ooh!
Ugh...

I have to cut that off.

JENNA INTV: I can definitely
not serve this burnt cake

in the semi-finals.

Ugh...

Okay.

[loud hammering]

Renell is making a table!

He's got the hammer out--

Santa's little workshop!

♪

MARIYA: I'm just starting
to build my cake now.

Time is going by a lot faster.

In the real world,

if I was creating
a cake like this,

it would take me three days,
so...

this is very ambitious for me,

and the stress levels
are high right now.

MARIYA: Okay...

CATHERINE INTV: I'm gonna
do a topsy-turvy cake.

So what worries me the most
is making sure

that this cake doesn't tip over.

Definitely not something that
I want in this do-or-die round.

♪

[sighs]

Alright, we're going to attempt

to cut out a hole
the size of this shell.

And that's where the shadowbox
is gonna go inside.

I'm feeling a little bit nervous

because I don't
want it to cave in.

It's getting a little bit
thin on the edges.

So I'm being very, very careful.

Okay, now it's
getting very scary.

It looks like she carved
that top layer really close.

No...
I need more room.

Ah, it's getting really thin!

ANDREW: Oof!

♪

JULIE: Okay,
now it's getting very scary.

I'm keeping an eye
on the layers on the top,

on the side, because it
could cave in from any side.

Okay, time is running out,
time is running out.

Oh, yes, yes, yes!
Okay, it fits, it fits.

MARY: Okay.
ANDREW: There it is!

I gotta act quick because I
don't that to cave in on itself.

Okay, we're gonna add
some buttercream in there,

so we can hide the brown cake.

Amazing.

Oh, so good.

You've made it halfway, bakers!

You have two hours
and 15 minutes left.

MARY: Woo!

♪

We push...

Oh, yeah!

I was not expecting
sand castles today.

ANDREW: Mm-mm.
MARY: No.

Whew!

JENNA INTV: I have
some sugar work.

I am making isomalt ice.

MARIYA: Sugar flowers.

BRITTANY: Now I'm working
on some decorations.

I have a few more to do.

That's not working.

I dunno why I
decided to do this.

These are not my forte.

These things take
the longest for me,

because I'm afraid
the paper will break.

Oh, I did it wrong again!

MARY: You don't know
this about me, Andrew,

but I love a googly eye.
ANDREW: Oh my gosh.

And it appears that Renell's
got little pop cans

with googly eyes!
ANDREW: Those look adorable.

Look how
silly-looking they are.

[laughs]
Can people!

This one's a diva.

[sighs]

I'm feeling the pressure.

I've definitely gotta get on
top of these fondant figurines

as they take
a long time to finish.

My decorations are of
the utmost importance

to this bake because without it,
there is no story.

I'm a storyteller,
just like my dad.

You get my dad on the phone and
you can't get him off the phone.

JENNA: I'm just trying
to get the size right.

JENNA INTV: I tried to give
each of them a different task.

One is snowboarding,
one is swimming with flippers,

which is really cute because why
does a penguin need flippers?

It doesn't!

JENNA: But I love it.

Cake-makers,
you have one hour left!

♪

JULIE INTV: I'm carving out the
wafer paper for my 3D shadowbox,

and so far, it's looking good.

BRITTANY: I'm working on
some isomalt decorations.

I'm gonna make some icicles.

Just getting it down
to the right temperature

because it'll burn my hands.

Ow!

Very, very hot.

♪

I'm gonna make some
sugar domes to put on top.

I think the riskiest thing
about this bake today

is going to be the sugar dome
actually working,

because if that doesn't work,

then I don't feel like
my cake is gonna stand out.

ANDREW: It really excites me

because it shows me that they're
going for the grand prize.

MARY: Yes.

♪

MARIYA: Please don't break.

Okay.

♪

Cake-makers,
you have 10 minutes left.

JULIE: Okay, time is running
out, time is running out.

BRITTANY: Oh my God,
I'm shaking.

I have to put support.

MARY: Oh, wait,
something just happened.

Brittany just
disassembled her cake.

Hmm.
What's going on over there.

Okay, we're getting
more support structures in it.

ANDREW: Okay.
MARY: Smart.

♪

[sighs]
Okay...

♪

RENELL: No!

That's not... gonna work.

My ganache is too oily.

I think there's
a way I can fix this.

Oh, yeah.

This can be water ganache
this way instead.

It is working.

Cake-makers,
you've got one minute left!

MARY: You only have one minute!

CATHERINE: Oh my God.

MARIYA: Ahh...

♪

Oh my gosh...

MARIYA: Okay.

That looks good.

JENNA: Oh, boy.
That's a little stressful!

MARIYA: No time to be
calm at all right now.

JULIE: Oh my God.

ANDREW & MARY: Ten, nine,
eight, seven, six,

five, four, three,

two, one!

Step away from those cakes!

MARY: Woo!

Look at what you did!
[applause]

ANDREW: You did it!

RENELL: I'm not fully confident
after looking around the room.

[laughs]
Oh, no.

I got everything on this time.

I'm proud of myself
for getting it done.

I feel super proud
that I pulled off this cake.

I know that my family
will be proud.

Oh, wow.

JULIE INTV: I'm looking
around the room

and it's making me feel
really nervous.

My cake is different
than what other people

have put out,
so I'm hoping that the judges

like what I've created.

MARIYA: I gave it my all
and I did my best.

I want to make it to
the next round so badly.

♪

MARY: I cannot wait to explore
these Winter Wonderlands.

Jenna,
please bring up your cake.

JENNA: My cake is called
"Party Penguins."

I wanted to create a
frozen tundra with ice rocks

on top of glacier water
and the idea is kind of inspired

by the trip that I take
with my friends every year.

So each penguin
is kind of fashioned

after one of my friends.

One is sitting in a hot tub
with a glass of wine.

She does prefer
the après ski moment.

Get it, same!
[laughter]

Jenna, your fondant work
on these penguins is exquisite.

They each have a little bit
of a different personality,

and I love your marbling effect
on these kind of glacier rocks.

ANDREW: I love that you included
all the sugar work in here.

MARY: Yeah!

And the waterfall here,
it's just very festive and fun.

So what's going on on the
inside of this penguin party?

I did a ginger molasses cake

with little bits of toffee
on the inside,

and a lemon spice buttercream
to go with it.

♪

Jenna...

adding lemon to
gingerbread cake,

that's delightful.

Right?!

It's warm, it's toasty.

All of those flavours together
just danced around on my palate.

MARY: I will say,
the toffee in there,

would have loved it
a little smaller,

so I could get
a little more in each bite

as opposed to like
a honkin' hunk.

Okay, good to know.

Thank you so much, Jenna.

Julie, it's time for you to
show us your Winter Wonderland.

JULIE: This cake
is inspired after,

when I was on a trip
to go skiing in Quebec,

just you and the hill,
the natural snow,

it is such a Winter Wonderland.

ANDREW: Julie,
this is ma-agical!

I feel like I'm in the middle
of a wintry forest

and the realism that you have
in this tree, the bark here,

it's really captivating.

And this little picture
you've got inside,

it's like looking into
that magic mirror...

MARY: Yeah!
ANDREW: ...of memory.

JULIE: That's
actually me skiing.

You look really athletic.

ANDREW: Oh yeah, like
you know what you're doing.

I love a gilded frame.

It's really, really nicely done.

Thank you.

JULIE: It's inspired after
our après ski drink,

which is French mulled wine
or vin chaud,

so I have a vin chaud infused
milk chocolate mousse filling

and then a mulled wine
spiced chocolate cake.

And then on the outside,

I've got a zesty
orange mascarpone

Swiss meringue buttercream.

Julie, I love this cake.

The spices are coming through.

I got orange, I got mascarpone,
I got those flavours.

And I think your choice to use
a milk chocolate for the mousse

was really smart.

ANDREW: The milk
chocolate mousse

and the mascarpone buttercream
on the outside are so light,

it's like having
a cloud in your mouth.

MARY: Really, really delicious.

Brittany,
please bring us your cake.

BRITTANY: I love to go for
a walk on the first snowfall

before anybody has walked in it.

I have a lot of nostalgic
thoughts on those walks,

so I decided to do
some snowflakes.

I'm sure everybody's
learned how to cut these

in our elementary years.

[laughter]

ANDREW: Well, Brittany,
this undisturbed layer

of fresh snow makes me want to
jump in and make a snow angel.

The details that you've got on
here, the texture of the bark,

this is like some sort of
magical, mystical cavern.

MARY: I love these icicles!

I think it's really beautiful.

BRITTANY: So, it is
a pecan cookie cake

with a cream cheese frosting.

And the filling
is a reduced coconut cream.

MARY: Brittany,
this is light and fluffy

and a dream to eat!

ANDREW: It's very pecan-y.
MARY: Yeah.

I applaud the amount
of pecans you have in here

because the texture
is texture-city.

One thing I will say is,
it's not like one theme;

you get a different bite
every layer

and I wish that all the bites
were more similar in flavour.

MARY: Catherine,
please bring up your cake.

CATHERINE: The design for this
cake is all about my childhood.

Going up to the pond,

shovelling the pond with
your friends and going skating.

We used to go from
morning until night,

until our moms made us come in
because it was getting dark.

That is my version of
a Winter Wonderland.

Catherine, I love that
you brought us this topsy-turvy

Winter Wonderland moment.

It's just so whimsical.

I love the sugar dust
that you have on here

because it looks like
falling snow.

And having
the frost on the trees,

it really does look like
a page out of a storybook.

Thank you.

MARY: All of your
details consistently

have had so much follow-through.

Andrew and I both noticed
this little missing mitten.

ANDREW: The little mitten!

MARY: It's not
just a lost mitten,

we also can see
the hand that it fell from.

CATHERINE: I actually took my
grandmother's carrot cake recipe

and added a lot of spice.

And we also have
a pineapple and rum compote.

ANDREW: Oh!

CATHERINE: With two kinds
of rum, coconut and golden.

And also cinnamon buttercream.

ANDREW: When someone says
"carrot cake,"

I expect it to
be a little denser.

This is surprisingly very light,
in a really good way.

And it goes along with
your pineapple compote

and the coconut rum, because
it's a little more tropical.

It's taking us from
this colder winter landscape

to a warm place.

One thing I will say, Catherine,
I do wish there was more rum.

Okay.

MARY: I'm consistently
shocked that your cakes,

they are so fluffy
on the inside,

yet you somehow
are able to build structures

that hold things up
really, really well.

Thank you.

MARY: Mariya,
bring up that cake.

♪

MARIYA: This cake was inspired
by one of the first dates

that I had with my husband.

He surprised me with a beautiful
bouquet of blue flowers

and we spent
the night ice skating

and it was
actually the first time

that we said I love you
to each other.

BOTH: Aw!

MARIYA: So we have
the wafer paper snowflakes

and the sugar dome here
on the top of the cake

to represent the way
that my husband has always

guarded and protected my heart.

MARY: That was so beautiful!

ANDREW: The contrast in
textures, it just comes alive.

It's so visually interesting.

Your petal work
on these flowers

is so fine and delicate.

MARIYA: The cake is composed
of an Earl Grey cake sponge,

Earl Grey buttercream,
as well as a salted caramel.

ANDREW: Mmm.

MARIYA: I've added
a little bit of almond flour

to the salted caramel
to give a bit of texture.

♪

Mariya, this is
the perfect example

of what an Earl Grey cake
should be.

The flavour, it's bold,
but it's not too much.

And the caramel, I'm not getting
as much salt as I want to get

but it's elegant
and just as romantic

as the outside of your cake.

MARY: I loved the addition of
the almond flour in the caramel.

It gave it a little
bit of a texture,

which I really, really liked.

Thank you so much.

And last but certainly
not least, Renell.

♪

RENELL: This is
dedicated to my friends,

because once upon a time,
I lived in a house

with eight people and we
called ourselves The Castle.

[laughs]

RENELL: And during the holidays,

I always make
these carolling cans

and give them all
their own stories,

like that one
finally got their solo,

but that one literally is like,
"No, I'm still singing."

[laughter]

ANDREW: Well, Renell,
I see the wintry landscape

that you're painting here.

MARY: It's really, really fun.

I think your sugar work here,
really nicely done.

I did see you trying
to work on that ganache,

but with white chocolate,
it's tricky.

Sometimes it's not exactly
what we want in the first place

but you end up
with something that works.

In here, this is where
that kind of mocha cake

is happening, right?
RENELL: Yeah.

On the inside,
it's a white maple mocha cake

with cranberries
and biscotti crumble.

MARY: That's fun!

♪

MARY: Renell, I was worried it
was going to be overly sweet,

especially with that
white chocolate ganache

on the outside.

But the cranberry,
the bright kind of tartness,

really cut through
any kind of sweetness,

so that was a really,
really smart move.

It had a nice
actual balance to it

but it didn't have
a ton of icing.

I just wish there'd been
more of that buttercream

to hold things together.

I agree.

I do think the ratio is off

and the cake is just begging
for more of that buttercream.

But otherwise, it's just
a fun cake and you're fun.

And your personality really
shines through the colour.

Like, it's electric.

So I love that.
It's a very Renell move.

Thank you so, so much, Renell.

Thank you, Renell.

Thank you.

[applause]

Bakers, thank you for
taking us on an adventure

with your
Winter Wonderland cakes.

MARY: Only three of you will
move forward to the final round.

Now, if you'll excuse us,

we have a very big
decision to make.

♪

BRITTANY INTV: I'm very proud
of all I've accomplished

in this competition.

I think I do have what it takes
to get all the way to the end.

JENNA INTV: I feel like
the judges gave everybody

really good feedback,
so it could be anybody's race.

ANDREW: Cake-makers,
please step forward.

CATHERINE INTV: I feel
so close to the finale.

I definitely have
another cake in me.

ANDREW: You poured everything
you had into this challenge

and filled our hearts.

MARY: Let me tell you,
it was a very tight race.

We had to consider
design, execution,

flavour, and of course,
your story.

But only three of you will move
forward to the final round.

ANDREW: And so,
in no particular order,

the first cake-maker moving onto
the final round of competition

is...

♪

Catherine.

[applause]

Yay.

The next cake-maker
going through is...

Mariya.

[applause]

ANDREW: And the cake-maker
who has earned the final spot

in our top three is...

Julie.

♪

MARY: Renell, Brittany, Jenna,
it was so lovely

getting to know you
and spend this time with you.

Thank you so much
for sharing your talent with us

and with Canada.

[applause]

I put everything
on the table today.

You know what, I can't
be more proud of myself.

MARY: Well, hello,
top three!

Now the only thing
standing between you

and that sweet, sweet
grand prize

is one last bake.

Please head on back
to your stations.

♪

ANDREW: Mariya, Julie,
and Catherine,

after this final bake, one
of you will be the first ever

Cross Country Cake Off
holiday champion.

MARY: As you know, that
esteemed title comes with

a fancy gold cake stand
and the grand prize of $50,000.

It all comes down
to this next brief

and the cake that it inspires.

ANDREW: Your final theme

is "Holiday Wedding."

Ooh...

ANDREW: What could possibly
show off all your skills

and techniques better than
a magnificent wedding cake?

MARY: Bake us a cake
that celebrates true love

and a winter holiday
of your choice.

ANDREW: You only have
five hours to put together

a holiday miracle that will
earn you the ultimate prize.

MARY: Alright.
Cake-makers...

BOTH: It's bake time!
[applause]

MARY: Woo!
ANDREW: Go!

MARY: The focus in here!
I am pumped.

Wedding cake
is at the top of the list,

in terms of fancy factor.

A hundred percent.

MARY: And I think
this is such a great challenge

for these cake-makers,
to push it even further

with that
holiday theme attached.

JULIE: So today, I really want
to celebrate multiculturalism.

I'm making a holiday
wedding cake

that represents
my cultural background

and my husband's
background as well.

It's going to be modelled

after a German
Christmas pyramid.

We've got a propeller
at the top with swans

and the flavours are inspired
from a Chinese dessert

called Tangyuan,

which you traditionally
eat during Dongzhi,

which is Chinese
winter solstice.

JULIE: Nice little red ba*ls.

This is gonna be a celebration

of all of our most
treasured traditions.

CATHERINE INTV: When
I hear "holiday wedding,"

I get intimidated about the fact
that it's a wedding cake

and normally,
those are stacked and tall.

What do you have
in store for us today?

Today is going to be
my red velvet cake.

ANDREW: Oh, I--
red, excuse me?

CATHERINE: Hello!
You got the memo.

CATHERINE: I am making
a red velvet cake

with salted caramel
and pretzel crunch.

And I'm gonna have
a floating tier.

Who are you thinking about
when you're making this cake?

CATHERINE: My husband.
ANDREW: Aw!

CATHERINE: He's
definitely my soulmate.

We even have our
wedding bands tattooed.

I love that.

MARY: Hi, Mariya,
how are you feeling?

Uh, anxious!
MARY: Yeah? [laughs]

A little like
pre-wedding jitters?

Yeah, exactly.

MARY: So, what are
you making for us today?

MARIYA: I'm going to be
making a vanilla cake

soaked in a passion fruit puree.

And I'm going to be
filling it with an elevated

chocolate buttercream
with sugar flowers

and a holiday kingdom
at the top of the cake.

I'm inspiring this cake
after my wedding cake.

Yeah?

So our wedding cake
had similar flavours.

Did you make
your own wedding cake?

No.

I actually didn't know
how to make cakes then.

Oh, sh**t!

Oh yeah,
you're very new to this.

You can't really tell,
so very impressive.

Keep up the good work.
MARIYA: Thank you.

CATHERINE: Ooh, hot.

♪

JULIE INTV: I'm going to
make the pandan-infused

Swiss meringue buttercream.

These are pandan leaves.
They are very popular

and used for flavouring in
a lot of Southeast Asian dishes.

CATHERINE: Ooh, they're
gonna go everywhere!

I'm working on
my pretzel crunch.

CATHERINE INTV: I coat
them in chocolate

so that my cake
is not all one note.

MARIYA INTV: The next thing
on my mind is just to get

that buttercream done
as soon as possible,

so I start making
the Swiss meringue buttercream,

which I'm going to be
using to decorate the cake,

but I'm also making a whipped
chocolate ganache buttercream

to actually fill the cake.

Oh...

♪

ANDREW: Home bakers,
we've reached the halfway mark.

♪

So, I decided to make
my base tier a hexagon shape.

I've never made
a three-tier cake before.

CATHERINE: Nuts and bolts.

CATHERINE INTV: I have to
pull out the hardware tools.

CATHERINE: I am getting my
structure ready for my cake

because I want the top tier
to look like it's floating.

Don't want it to topple.

MARIYA INTV: I think my
proudest moment throughout

this competition has been
finding my confidence

and finding my signature style

and how I express myself
through my cakes.

How's it going?

I'm just about
to stack the cake.

Two tiers at the bottom

and then this would
have two tiers on top.

ANDREW: Another two?
MARIYA: Yeah.

You're really going for it.

And how important is it
to win that grand prize?

It's really
important to me.

Winning that $50,000,
I can pursue this full time

and be an inspiration to those
who want to follow their dreams.

That's beautiful.

MARY: You have one hour left,
cake-makers!

Feeling the pressure.

This is a first.

[loud clang]

JULIE INTV: By being on
Cross Country Cake Off,

I have grown as a baker.

If I become
the grand prize winner,

I would open a bakery
and I would keep

challenging myself to see
what I am capable of doing.

♪

MARY: Hey Catherine.
CATHERINE: Hi, Mary.

What would winning
this $50,000 mean to you?

We lost our home
to a house fire.

Oh my gosh.

And now we're in
my husband's parents' house.

MARY: Mm-hm.

Which I've actually
started a new cake shop.

So this would go a long way

because our house
actually needs to be rewired.

MARY: Oh, gosh.

Among other things!

Yeah.
[laughs]

Wiring first, though, yeah.

Yes, yes.

MARIYA INTV: So I'm building
the cake and I realize

I'm having some trouble
because the dowels aren't enough

to support the weight
of the top tiers.

I need to add more dowels.

It's very risky to be
taking it apart at this point

because I don't have enough
time to be re-icing the tiers.

I'm shaking so much.

I can't even function
right now, so...

Cake-makers,
you have 30 minutes left!

JULIE: A German Christmas
pyramid is just not

the same without the propeller.

So that is really a focal point
of the cake today.

We're gonna create a propeller

that I'm gonna place
on the top of my cake.

We're gonna cover it in gold.

Let's add some sticks.

Beautiful.

MARIYA INTV: I'm using
gum paste to make these flowers.

Gum paste is kind of
like fondant

but the nice thing about it
is that it dries really quickly

and it allows you to
get some nice detail.

Next I have to get into
my fondant decorations.

I want to make a figurine
of myself and my husband.

My husband has always been
my biggest supporter.

[gasps]

CATHERINE INTV: Oh my goodness,
his head fell off,

into my bowl of water.

[sighs]

I have to do the head
all over again.

MARY: Cake-makers,
you have 10 minutes.

ANDREW: Ten minutes, guys.

Oh my God.

I'm gonna be very delicate.

Also very quick.

I am working on my
decorations for the cake.

I decided to trace that
on the wafer paper.

You can't just be great,
you have to be excellent.

♪

MARIYA INTV: I feel like
I'm so close to winning

that golden cake stand
and the $50,000

but I am baking alongside
such talented, wonderful bakers.

One minute, bakers.

CATHERINE: Oh my goodness.

MARY: Holiday City
over on Catherine's.

It went from being a classic
wedding cake to, mmm,

Christmas wedding cake!

JULIE: Okay.
Back to it.

I really want to hide
those imperfections.

MARY & ANDREW: Ten, nine,
eight, seven,

six, five, four,

three, two, one!

Step away from your cakes!

Woo!
[applause]

MARY: Yes!

♪

MARY: Let it out, yes!

CATHERINE: That was intense.
[all laugh]

CATHERINE: I'm so proud
of myself, that I got it done.

JULIE: I'm feeling
super overwhelmed

because when I made this cake,

I really had myself
and my husband in mind.

MARIYA INTV: I just
cannot believe

that I put this together.
I'm so, so proud of myself.

♪

Alright, Julie, bring us
your holiday wedding cake.

♪

MARY: Thank you, Julie.

[both gasp]

JULIE: The exterior of
the cake is inspired by

the German Christmas Pyramid.

Traditionally,
we have candles at the base

that cause
the propeller to spin,

so I added a motor
to the bottom of the cake.

And then I have the two swans
to represent my husband and I

and all the things that
my marriage represents for me.

That is beautiful.

And so is this cake.

I will say,
there's a lot of bare space.

I feel like there could
have been more done,

but that doesn't take away
from how stunning this is.

MARY: Something that I really
appreciated with every one

of your cakes, Julie, is that
you've used beautifully drawn

personal touches, which
I think is really important

and something that's very you.

But what can I expect
to find on the inside

of this little number?

This cake is
a marriage of cultures.

My husband's family
celebrates Dongzhi,

which is
a Chinese winter solstice.

So I've decided to create
a pandan-infused vanilla cake

and some little red
and white cake ba*ls

to kind of represent Tangyuan.

They're little tiny glutinous
rice ba*ls that we love so much

during that time of year.

♪

ANDREW: Julie, you did it right.

This hits me
in the face with pandan.

It's grassy, it's earthy,
it's herbaceous.

And the palm sugar
with the buttercream

and with the pandan cake
are in harmony here.

You got the flavours that you
wanted and you got them right.

The thing for me
that stands out the most

in terms of flavour
is that buttercream.

It is delicious!

It's not overly sweet;

it's got a really nice
kind of nuttiness to it.

Thank you, Julie.

Thank you.

[applause]

Catherine, please bring us
your holiday wedding cake.

CATHERINE: My cake represents
mine and my husband's

relationship and who we are.

A little traditional,
a little non-traditional.

I think you can tell
just looking at us,

my husband's a bit
more traditional,

I'm a little more
non-traditional.

Yeah!

MARY: I think it's such
a beautiful representation

of both a wedding a cake
and a holiday cake,

with this beautiful
piping you've done

and these holiday elements.

I would be remiss
if I didn't talk about how

amazing these figures are.

Everything down to
your piping bag tattoo,

these perfect dimples.

Thank you.

So, what can we expect
on the inside of this cake?

CATHERINE: You're gonna
see my red velvet cake.

In between the layers, we have
chocolate mocha buttercream,

salted caramel,
and chocolate pretzel crunch.

Mmm!

CATHERINE: There's a little bit
of coffee in my red velvet too.

♪

ANDREW: Catherine,
this is luscious,

and every ingredient
that you added in there

has a purpose and it sings.

It is a Christmas choir
happening in my mouth.

The balance is incredible.

This cake is moist
and delicate and tender.

The mocha comes through
and the pretzel is such a fun

and wise choice,
because it adds the salt

and that is wedding-worthy.

I'm not gonna lie,
I was a little worried

when you said the flavours
you were putting forward.

I was worried
it was gonna be a lot

and I wasn't gonna be able
to taste every single flavour.

But I'm getting

I love the addition
of the coffee in there.

It brings an extra layer
of adult-y richness.

This is a delicious cake.

[laughs]
Thank you.

BOTH: Thank you so much,
Catherine.

Thank you both.

[applause]

MARY: Mariya,
would you like a hand?

MARIYA: Possibly.
MARY: Okay.

Want me to take one side.

MARIYA: Yes.
MARY: Okay.

Andrew, can you watch my skirt?
ANDREW: Yeah.

MARY: This is a new
wedding dance.

Almost there...

Perfection.

MARIYA: There's nothing like
a feeling of falling in love.

It almost feels like
you're floating,

so that is represented here
today with the floating tiers.

On the top tier,
I created a holiday kingdom.

The sugar flowers represent
the blossoming of something new

and something beautiful.

And my wedding cake was pink,
so I wanted to bring that

element of nostalgia
to this cake as well.

I think that's a really
beautiful representation

of falling in love and then
kind of being in love.

I think that's really,
really sweet.

The sugar work on the flowers
is out of control.

You are so good at making
these fake flowers look real.

I would say that off the hop,
the whole cake doesn't

scream out "holiday," but then
when you see the trees,

it does kind of bring it
into that mode.

If I just saw
a photo of this cake

and someone didn't tell me
who made it,

I would say,
"That's a Mariya cake."

MARIYA: So I have vanilla cake
layers with a chocolate ganache,

whipped buttercream,

and then I have
a passion fruit curd.

♪

MARY: This vanilla cake
is so light and fluffy.

It's a delicious,
delicious cake.

I really appreciate this
whipped ganache buttercream

and this passion fruit curd
is punchy, it's really bright.

ANDREW: This is the lightest
and fluffiest cake you've done.

This is my favourite sponge
that you've done.

And this is my favourite
combination of flavours

that you've done.

Thank you so much.

Thank you.

[applause]

Cake-makers, your holiday
wedding cakes were as warm,

fun, and welcoming
as you are.

Thank you so much.

Now, we face
our hardest decision yet.

♪

MARIYA INTV: It took a lot
of work, a lot of dedication

to get here and there's
$50,000 to be won,

so I'm very, very nervous.

JULIE INTV: I have
butterflies in my stomach.

I really hope
that the judges see the growth

that I've seen in myself.

♪

Cake-makers,
please step forward.

CATHERINE INTV: I'm feeling
very nervous right now.

I really, really want
this cake stand.

It would prove to me
that I can truly stand out

across this country.

We asked for a holiday
wedding cake that celebrated

all of your amazing skills.

And the three of you
outdid yourselves.

ANDREW: Catherine, your fondant
work was total perfection.

And your rich, festive flavours
kept us coming back for more.

MARY: Mariya, your cake
was beautiful and romantic,

inside and out.

And that vanilla sponge
was cloud-like.

ANDREW: Julie,
we loved the story you told

from the outside in.

And the flavour you achieved
with your pandan sponge

knocked our Christmas
stockings off.

Thank you.

It was an impossibly
difficult decision,

but after careful consideration,
there was one cake-maker

who we felt excelled
in every aspect of their bake.

That cake-maker will receive
this gold cake stand.

ANDREW: And, this cheque
for the grand prize

of $50,000.

You'll also receive
a real cheque.

[laughter]

The winner of the first ever
Cross Country Cake Off

holiday edition is...

♪

Catherine.

Congratulations!

Come and get your cake stand!

CATHERINE: Oh my gosh.
Thank you!

MARY: May I have a hug?

CATHERINE: Thank you!
MARY: I am so proud of you.

I won!
[giggles]

Oh my God.

When my family hear that I won
Cross Country Cake Off

and $50,000,

I can hear the screams
and the shrieks

and the "I told you so!"

MARIYA INTV: Catherine
won the competition.

I'm so happy for her.

She definitely deserved it.

This experience has really
helped me see my passion

and see that I really
can do this.

JULIE INTV: I've had the ability
to learn, to grow,

and I feel like a winner
at the end of the day.

ANDREW: Are you ready
to cut the cheque?

It's cake time!

CATHERINE INTV: I'm definitely
gonna take a few days' break

to soak this up, and then
I'm gonna get right back

into cake-making again.

ALL: Cheers!

MARY: Oh, that's
a big bite of cake!

♪