01x03 - Eastern Holiday Playoffs

[bunniefuu]

MARY (V.O.): Last time
on Cross Country Cake Off,

we rolled into Toronto
for the mid-Canada qualifiers.

After eight
mouthwatering reveals...

MARY: And this is amazing!

MARY (V.O.): ...and
a nail-biting bake...

DEREK: Feeling the pressure now.

MARY (V.O.): ...it was Mariya...

MARIYA: I'm so happy,
so excited.

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

JULIE INTV: I did it!
[laughs]

MARY (V.O.): ...who claimed
their spots alongside

Jenna and Renell in
the national holiday finale.

MARY (V.O.): Tonight,
we head to the East...

MARY: Hi!
ANDREW: Hi, everyone.

MARY (V.O.):
...where once again,

we've invited eight talented
bakers to tell us their stories.

ANDREW: You need to
get this trademarked.

[laughter]

MARY (V.O.): Four will
move forward to round two

in the Cross Country
Cake Off kitchen,

where they'll bake for a shot

at the national title

and the grand prize of $50,000.

We're back on track, Canada.

This is Cross Country Cake Off.

Our search for Canada's
best cake-maker

continues in Halifax,
at the Citadel,

an 18th-century fort overlooking
the beautiful views of the city.

We've invited
eight talented cake-makers

to meet us here and they've
come with their hopes and dreams

carefully placed in a box.

CATHERINE INTV: I was
so nervous about

bringing this cake here.

To have to travel on a plane,

which I've never done
with a cake before.

[laughs]

SAMMY INTV: I never
expected to get here,

let alone to be walking in
and actually going,

"Okay, this is real, this is
happening, today's the day."

SARAH: Hi!
SAMMY: Hi!

SARAH INTV: I don't know
where I stand talent-wise

compared to everyone yet.

I can't wait to see what they
all brought to the table.

SARAH: Hi.
BUSOLA: Hi.

BRITTANY: Hi!

MARY: Hi!
ANDREW: Hi, everyone.

[applause]

MARY: Oh my gosh.

ANDREW: We got a huge
Atlantic wave of applicants

and the eight of you
emerged as the best of the best.

MARY: But only four of you
will go from here

to the Cross Country
Cake Off kitchen,

to compete for a place
in the national holiday finale.

ANDREW: Whether you'll be part
of that select group or not,

comes down to what's
in the box in front of you.

MARY: We asked you to
bring a cake that shows off

all of your baking
and decorating skills,

and tells us a little something
about yourselves.

MARY: Jennifer...
BOTH: It's cake time!

CATHERINE: Wow.

JENNIFER INTV: My love
for decorating cakes

started when I was
working from home

and I needed to do something
to keep myself social.

I love putting a smile
on people's faces

when they see
the finished product,

and basically I'm making their
ideas come through the cake.

JENNIFER: Been together
with my husband for 30 years

and that's us two lovebirds
still in love,

just like the day we met.

To me, my heart is family,

and it also has strong roots.

So my husband and I
have strong roots,

reflective in the big roots
on the tree.

And then our tree grows
into our family,

which are represented
with the leaves.

Had to get the pets in there,
so all my children have pets,

so their names
are in there as well.

MARY: This is such a beautiful
tribute to your family

and to PEI,
because I see some of those

really beautiful classic
ditch flowers from PEI.

JENNIFER: Exactly.
MARY: Yeah.

JENNIFER: Beautiful lupins.

MARY: So the outside,
filled with love.

What's the inside filled with?

JENNIFER: It's a chocolate cake

and it also has
a PEI strawberry compote.

And then you'll also have
vanilla bean buttercream.

MARY: Almost sounds like
Neapolitan flavours.

ANDREW: It sure does!
MARY: Yeah?

Hm!

ANDREW: This cake
was so much fun.

And Mary, I'm so glad you
mentioned Neapolitan ice cream

because that is exactly
what this is giving me.

MARY: Those strawberries,
that compote, I want more of it,

I want it in a jar,

because it tastes like PEI!

And it gives you
that kind of classic

kids' strawberry ice cream.

I mean, the chocolate cake,
classic chocolate cake,

really delicious.
Thank you.

JENNIFER: Thank you, thank you.

ANDREW: Sarah...
BOTH: It's cake time!

♪

SARAH INTV: Constantly,
my brain is cakes, cakes, cakes.

It doesn't shut off.

I dream cake.
[laughs]

SARAH: I love
the creative outlook

that decorating cakes gives me.

I get a sense of fulfilment
when I'm doing it.

And this way, I get to share
my creative passion

with other people too.

SARAH: So my design is based
on water lilies by Monet.

I'm a huge art lover,
so I wanted a cake

that kind of looked
like a painting.

MARY: That's beautiful.

ANDREW: It's very
dream-like, it's ethereal.

MARY: One thing that I love
that you did with these

gum paste lilies,
love the texture on them.

And I love that some of them
are closed, some are open.

I might have next time
maybe even integrated

some sort of a wire structure
into those gum pastes,

because then they could have
held that shape a little better

and not wilted like a flower.

MARY: So speaking of the cake,
what are these flavours?

SARAH: I went with a white
almond sour cream cake.

MARY: Mmm!

SARAH: There is a lemon pastry
fill and the buttercream

is cream cheese with just
a little smidge of lemon.

♪

ANDREW: I've got to say,
I'm disappointed.

I'm disappointed that Mary
didn't give me a bigger slice.

MARY: Oh, sh**t!

[laughter]

ANDREW: The texture
on the inside is what got me.

It's so soft and pillowy
and fluffy and just delightful.

And paired with that lemon
pastry cream in the middle,

I just wanted more of it.

MARY: That was
a delicious bite of cake.

And I will say,
I love sour cream in cake.

SARAH: Yes.

MARY: It gives you a
bit of tang.

It's like super-charged
buttermilk.

SARAH: Yes.
MARY: Delicious cake.

Thank you.
SARAH: Thank you.

[applause]

ANDREW: Alright, Catherine...

BOTH: It's cake time!

♪

CATHERINE INTV: I'm really
proud to be representing

Indian Cove, Newfoundland.

It's actually just a small,
one tiny street community,

about 20 houses.

And I'm the sought-after
cake decorator in my area,

for sure.

ANDREW: Catherine, can you tell
us how this cake represents you?

CATHERINE: I'm a busy mom.

As you can see, I'm balancing
housework and a cake.

I actually have
a blended family.

I have five children
and three grandchildren.

And the actual florals
represent each of my children.

MARY: Oh my gosh, I love that.

I must say, I've never seen

anyone sculpt a person
that well before.

That face,
it's cartoon-ish, it is bright,

it's 100 percent adorable,
right down to this piping bag.

I can't even deal
with that tattoo.

ANDREW: I appreciate this clean
ombre effect that you have

and the crisp edges of how
you finished this cake off.

It's just such
a pleasing aesthetic

for the eye to look at.

CATHERINE: The flavour of my
cake is vanilla and blueberry

with caramel filling
and candied pecans

that have a hint
of cinnamon and salt.

♪

MARY: That cake is delicious.

CATHERINE: Thank you.

ANDREW: Your caramel
sauce is beautiful.

And the texture on those candied
walnuts, it was so welcome.

MARY: The structure of your
cake is really well done.

The fact that you piped
that buttercream

in a circle and then filled in
with the caramel

is really smart.

CATHERINE: Had to brace it
'cause it had to fly.

MARY: Oh!
Brilliant.

And it was even a smart way for
eating, because then each bite,

I get something.

Really great cake, Catherine.
CATHERINE: Thank you.

MARY: You deserve that tattoo.
You got a good one.

ANDREW: Alright, Sammy...
BOTH: It's cake time!

SAMMY INTV: I'm so passionate
about baking

and it started when
I was about 15 years old.

And I had a great grandmother
who used to bake

and decorate wedding cakes,

and it's our joke in our family
that it's in my blood to bake.

SAMMY: So it's a little bit
of a play on a PB&J.

I am a university student, so
we don't live on a high income,

so I do eat more
than enough PB&Js

that probably people
should eat in a lifetime.

[laughter]

SAMMY: The recipe
came from my grandmother.

The raspberries show how we
used to love raspberry picking

in my grandparents' backyard.

I had to put a little bit of
everybody into the cake.

Everybody in our family
is chocolate lovers,

so that's where
the beginning came from.

ANDREW: Sammy,
this cake is neat, it's precise.

MARY: This drip work
is beautifully done.

It's really hard
to get this control

and not have it all pool around
the bottom of the cake.

SAMMY: Yeah.

There's no jam in it, but it's
Nova Scotia pureed raspberries

mixed with some buttercream

to make it like a sweet
and salty buttercream.

ANDREW: The flavour
combination is so familiar

and it just kind of
takes you back.

The raspberry compote
is beautiful.

It's bright,
it's tart, it cuts through

the sweet of the icing
in the cake.

MARY: You said this was
your grandma's recipe?

SAMMY: Yeah.
MARY: It tastes like

a grandma chocolate cake,
and that is a very good thing.

I taste your love
for your family

and the stories that
you have with them.

It's a really delicious cake
and it is beautiful to look at.

SAMMY: Awesome.
Well, thanks so much.

ANDREW: Thank you, Sammy.
MARY: Thank you.

It would honestly
mean the world to me

to get onto the finals,
so I'm hopeful.

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

MARY: Oh my gosh,
that's so beautiful!

ANDREW: It's elegant.
MARY: I love that.

ANDREW: There's so much flavour.

MARY (V.O.): Four more
cake-makers from the East

vie for a spot
in the holiday baking round.

ANDREW: Everyone's
laser-focused.

♪

MARY: Busola...

BOTH: It's cake time!

ANDREW: Ooh...

BUSOLA INTV: I started baking
in Nigeria with my mom,

cakes and all kinds of
other pastries.

My biggest fan
is my younger son.

He told me yesterday, "I know
you have a good chance, Mom."

MARY: Busola,
this cake is dramatic.

BUSOLA: It's concrete
with patches around it,

painted in between with gold.

It's supposed to represent
our imperfection.

I feel that in the world
of social media,

people are asking you to be more
but you're good enough

and your imperfection
is actually beautiful.

MARY: Oh my gosh, I need
that written on like my mirror

when I wake up.

It's like a philosophical cake,
and that's so beautiful.

ANDREW: Yeah, I agree.
It's regal, it's elegant.

And this flourish of sails here
on the side, this rice paper,

it's so statuesque.

MARY: A hundred percent.
A hundred percent.

BUSOLA: I call this cake
Busola's loaded carrot cake,

because it's not just carrots,
I have some coconuts,

raisins and then
quite a lot of spice,

cinnamon, nutmeg, and cloves.

And then in the layers,
I have vanilla buttercream.

ANDREW: Busola, I think you need
to get in touch with a lawyer

because you need to get
this trademarked, today!

The ratio of icing
to carrot cake here is perfect.

MARY: It's got that nice kind of
carrot flavour coming through.

It is moist and dense
and delicious and carrot-y.

Really, really nice.

BUSOLA: Thank you.
MARY: Thank you so much, Busola.

ANDREW: Thanks, Busola.

[applause]

MARY: Christine...
BOTH: It's cake time!

♪

CHRISTINE INTV: I started
baking when I was 10.

I actually went to art school,
so I've always done

something artistic and baking
is an extension of that.

I'm hoping they'll recognize

the different techniques
that I used,

the different types
of decorations,

but I'm incredibly nervous.

MARY: Christine,
this cake is pretty.

CHRISTINE: This cake
is a bit of a tribute to my mom.

Two of her favourite things
are peonies and pink.

ANDREW: I appreciate that you've
got lots of different textures,

and I love this paper art.

It looks like you've hand-drawn
onto that paper there.

CHRISTINE: The inside is
a coconut lime butter cake

with coconut lime
pastry cream filling,

and the icing is a bit of
coconut lime as well.

MARY: That is
a coconut-y lime cake.

CHRISTINE: Perfect.
MARY: It's really, really nice.

I'm tasting that lime, with that
coconut, classic combination.

It almost reminds me
of key lime pie.

The texture on the cake,
what type of cake is that?

CHRISTINE: It's a butter cake.

MARY: Did you use any sort of
simple syrup soak or anything

to infuse more moisture
or anything?

CHRISTINE: No.

MARY: Next time, I might do
that because this type of cake

lends itself really well
to just like soak up everything

you put on it.

ANDREW: I think this
is a great butter cake.

I appreciate that there's
coconut flakes inside,

and this was
really well balanced.

The lime flavour came through
just as strongly

as the coconut flavour did.

CHRISTINE: Thank you very much.

MARY: Brittany...

BOTH: It's cake time!

♪

ANDREW: Oh!

BRITTANY INTV: My father worked
in a bakery when I was a kid,

and after school,
if we forgot our key,

we'd have to go to the bakery.
[laughs]

I've made soup bowls,
I've made dumplings,

all kinds of different things
that don't look like cake.

MARY: Brittany,
this beehive cake

looks so sticky and delicious.

BRITTANY: "Honeybee"
had been like a nickname

I got a long time ago.
MARY: Uh-huh.

BRITTANY: And I wanted
something homey,

so a beehive
always felt like homey.

And I did the queen bee
in the front,

just to have a representation
of femininity, and like,

we're queens, right?
MARY: Yes, love, yeah!

[laughter]

ANDREW: Brittany, looking
at this cake, it's so fun.

I appreciate the queen bee here,
she's got her crown on,

so very nicely done.

BRITTANY: So I did
a pandan flavour chiffon cake.

It's popular
from the Philippines.

My family is from
the Philippines,

so another homey representation.

The icing also has
a hint of coconut.

MARY: I love a chiffon.

The texture is fluffy and light.

This is one heck
of a chiffon cake.

BRITTANY: Thank you.
MARY: Yeah.

ANDREW: It feels like
you really thought it through.

MARY: All in all, you are the
queen bee of this beehive cake.

Thank you so, so much.

[applause]

ANDREW: Alissa...

ALISSA INTV: I'm from a very
small village in New Brunswick,

and it would be exciting
for a small-town girl like me

to bring home the win.

I mostly do my friends'
kids' birthday cakes,

so very colourful, whimsical.

I've never entered anything,

so nobody's really seen my cakes
except my family and friends.

ALISSA: This represents
where I'm from, by the water.

So that's represented
by the octopus,

the fish, and everything around.

MARY: From the octopus
to the hyper-realistic

oysters down here, I think
that is super, super well done.

ALISSA: Thank you.

ANDREW: The ocean floor here
is just beautifully captured.

I love these little sugar coral
creations that you've made here.

ALISSA: I made a chocolate cake
with vanilla buttercream

and salted caramel,
and there's a walnut crunch.

♪

ANDREW: I love
the crunch of the walnut.

The caramel did its job.

There's so much flavour
and it just marries really well

and it's balanced really well
with everything else going on.

MARY: I would say,
amp up that caramel,

put more of it in here.
ALISSA: Yeah.

MARY: Because that was such
a great part of this cake.

ALISSA: Thank you.

MARY: Thank you
so, so much, Alissa.

ALISSA: Thank you.

ANDREW: A big thanks to each
and every single one of you

for bringing us
a slice of your life today.

MARY: We're going to
need a moment to discuss.

MARY: So many flavours.
ANDREW: So many flavours.

BRITTANY INTV: I may seem like
I'm a very confident person

but I'm very nervous.

ANDREW: I really loved
how personal the story.

SARAH INTV: I've come
so far to get here,

so it'd be more than nice
to move on!

BUSOLA INTV: I won't say
I'm a competitive person

but I want to win.

ALISSA INTV: I'm hopeful, but
all the cakes look beautiful,

so everyone deserves to win.

ANDREW: Bakers,
we wish all of you could advance

to the upcoming holiday bakeoff,

but we only have four
bronze cake stands up for grabs.

MARY: We had to
consider everything--

flavour, technique, design,

and the story that
brought it all together.

ANDREW: And now it's time
to bring some good cheer

to the four bakers who will move
forward to compete for a place

in the national holiday finale.

♪

ANDREW: Catherine.

[applause]

MARY: Sammy.

Busola.

BUSOLA: Thank you.
Thank you.

ANDREW: And
the final cake-maker,

moving on to
the next round is...

Brittany.

[applause]

ANDREW: Come on up
and get your cake stands.

MARY: Yeah!

Congratulations.

CATHERINE INTV: Moving on
representing Newfoundland

in this competition
just means the world.

SAMMY: Thanks, Mary.
MARY: Thank you so much.

SAMMY INTV: I definitely have
to get back into the kitchen

and practice,
practice, practice.

BRITTANY: Congratulations.

BRITTANY INTV: I'm excited
for the next challenge.

BUSOLA INTV: I'm new to Halifax

and Halifax has been
so good to me,

you know, so encouraging,

and I just want to win
for Halifax.

CHRISTINE: Congratulations.

BUSOLA: Thank you.

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

MARY: Welcome to the Cross
Country Cake Off Kitchen.

MARY (V.O.): ...the top
four cake-makers

from our eastern region
battle it out

in the Cross Country
Cake Off Kitchen...

BUSOLA INTV: It feels
really unreal.

MARY (V.O.): ...for a spot in
the national holiday finale.

SAMMY: I've gotta
go as fast as I can.

CATHERINE: It's crunch time!

♪

BUSOLA: Wow.

BUSOLA INTV: It feels
really unreal.

I feel really
grateful to be here.

BRITTANY INTV: It looks
very pretty in here.

This place reminds me
of baking on Christmas eve.

CATHERINE INTV: It's
totally my aesthetic.

I love the pink.

[applause]

MARY: Hello, East Coasters!

Welcome to the Cross Country
Cake Off Kitchen,

where we like it fancy,
and festive.

ANDREW: In Halifax, the four of
you ruled the eastern qualifier

and took home the bronze,
in cake stands.

Tonight,
you'll bake for the silver.

But here's the thing--

there's only two silver
cake stands up for grabs.

MARY: And you kind of
need one of those

to get to the national
holiday finale.

And possibly win it all--

the trophy,

and the Cross Country Cake Off
holiday grand prize of $50,000.

[applause]

BRITTANY: Wow.

BUSOLA INTV: $50,000!
That's unreal.

I have to win.

MARY: To help push you
towards sweet victory,

we have a very sweet
holiday theme:

the greatest gift.

It could be the best gift
you've ever got,

maybe something you've given;

it could even be the best gift
you've ever wished for

in your wildest dreams.

ANDREW: Our dream tonight
is that all of your cakes

are beautifully designed,

and that each one tells us a
story that's filled with heart.

In just 4.5 hours.

MARY: We cannot wait to
try your delicious cakes.

This really is the best
job in the world.

ANDREW: And you know one of the
things I like the most about it?

MARY: Is it the thing we're
about to say right now?

ANDREW: It definitely is.

MARY: Cake-makers...

BOTH: It's bake time!

MARY: Woo!
Yeah.

MARY: Nice!

♪

SAMMY: Oh,
I'm so excited to be here.

BRITTANY: A little nervous,
I'm a little nervous.

BUSOLA: I never make
cakes in 4.5 hours.

No.
That's a big challenge today.

♪

SAMMY: Today I'm making
a carrot cake.

We make it every year
at the holidays.

SAMMY INTV: Anybody
who knows me well

knows I love teddy bears.

I get a teddy bear
every year for Christmas.

I got a 10-foot teddy bear
when I was 16

and I still have the teddy bear,

I still have the first one
from when I was born.

ANDREW: Are you making us
a 10-foot teddy bear today?

SAMMY: I wish!

I don't have
enough time for that.

SAMMY INTV: Today I'm
making a Mr. Bear cake.

It's a carrot cake

iced in cream cheese
frosting.

ANDREW: Aww,
that's such a great idea!

CATHERINE: I am currently
making my chocolate cake

that my kids absolutely love.

CATHERINE INTV: My cake
is called the Best Gift Ever.

It's a chocolate cake

filled with
milk chocolate ganache,

mint buttercream, and chopped
milk and dark chocolate.

CATHERINE: The inspiration
is actually the fact that

my daughter was born
Christmas morning.

MARY: Are you kidding me?

CATHERINE: 9:30
Christmas morning.

MARY: Oh my gosh,
that's so exciting.

What's her name?
CATHERINE: Kylie.

MARY: Kylie.
CATHERINE: Mm-hm.

MARY: Okay,
so I have a question for you,

speaking as a December
baby myself.

CATHERINE: Mm-hm.

MARY: When you wrap
Kylie's birthday present,

not Christmas present,
what do you wrap it in?

CATHERINE: We keep it separate.

MARY: Excellent.
You are a perfect mother!

CATHERINE: We keep it separate!
[both laugh]

BUSOLA: I'm making
chocolate cake.

It's my son's favourite.

BUSOLA INTV: The holidays
is all about family,

so I want to bake my son's
favourite cake flavour,

which is chocolate.

And I want him to look like
my son's puppy.

His name is Max,
he's a yorkie-poo.

It's a rich chocolate cake

layered with
chocolate buttercream,

covered in
milk chocolate ganache.

It's a lot of chocolate,
chocolate, chocolate

but I'm purposely
making it that way.

BRITTANY INTV: When
I hear "greatest gift,"

I think of my record player

that my mom got me
one year for Christmas.

BRITTANY: I used to
collect records

but never had a record player.
[laughs]

So it was one of the greatest
gifts I think I've gotten.

BRITTANY INTV: My cake
is an old-fashioned

brown sugar bourbon cake

with a spiced cherry filling.

MARY: I see a brown liquid,
which usually means...

c*ck!

ANDREW: Don't be shy, Brittany.
[laughs]

BRITTANY: [laughs]

♪

BUSOLA: Be good!
[laughs]

Come out nice for me,
just as you always do.

♪

CATHERINE: Oh, whoa-whoa!

MARY: Everybody's got
their cakes in the oven.

ANDREW: Lovely.

BUSOLA: While my cakes
are getting ready,

I'm going to get
my ganache ready,

my buttercream ready,

so I have a plan.

♪

CATHERINE INTV: I'm making
my whipped American buttercream

and I'm adding some vanilla

and mint extracts
that taste like mint ice cream.

CATHERINE: Taste is great.

SAMMY: So this is
cream cheese frosting,

so it'll be part of the filling
and the outside of the cake.

MARY: Sammy has just put a whole
container of icing sugar

into her frosting.
ANDREW: Yikes.

MARY: That's gonna be
really, really sweet.

SAMMY: The thicker it is,
the easier it is to pipe

and the more stable
it's gonna be on the cake.

♪

MARY: Oh,
we've got some isomalt.

ANDREW: Ohhh.
MARY: Mmm.

ANDREW: Brittany did
give us some sugar work

in the qualifying rounds.
MARY: Yes.

ANDREW: Let's see
how she does this time around.

BRITTANY: I'm making
a whiskey glass to represent

the flavour inside of my cake.

So we'll see if it works!

SAMMY: Okay,
I think they're ready.

CATHERINE: Ooh, hot!

BRITTANY: Okay,
hopefully this is done.

Looks good.

BUSOLA: They're cooked.

CATHERINE: This is
the support for my cake,

because it's gonna be a
three-tier Christmas tree cake.

Wrenches and baking,
who would'a thunk!

♪

SAMMY: So right now,
I'm just stacking the head

of the teddy bear.

So it looks big right now,

but I actually have to carve it
into a smaller shape.

♪

BUSOLA: I just hope that
I'm able to make it look like

a proper dog.

ANDREW: I'm really enjoying
how everyone here is carving

their cakes
into some sort of shape,

rather than going with
a classic cylindrical cake.

MARY: Totally.
ANDREW: Yeah.

MARY: It's really great.

We've got a Christmas tree,
we've got a dog,

I've got a teddy bear.

It's so exciting!
It feels like holiday gifts.

ANDREW: Definitely.
No two are alike.

MARY: No!

BRITTANY: And I think
I was a little ambitious

with what I need to do.

MARY: Cake-makers,
you've reached the halfway mark.

ANDREW: That's right, you've got
two hours and 15 minutes left.

CATHERINE: Ah, it's
a little nerve-wracking,

this time,
it going by so fast.

♪

CATHERINE INTV: My plan
for decorating this cake

is actually to have
it floating on a tree stump

and then three
separate tiers of cake.

I have a ton left to do.

CATHERINE INTV: Typically
to do a cake,

I'm baking one day
and I decorate the next day,

not in 4.5 hours.

I'm definitely feeling
a little bit nervous,

hoping that I can pull this off.

♪

SAMMY: Cat, are you gonna
have enough time to finish,

do you think?

CATHERINE: I think so, but it's
gonna be down to the wire.

CATHERINE INTV: I'm definitely
feeling a little bit nervous,

hoping that I can pull this off.

CATHERINE: The prize is $50,000.

Gotta keep hustling.
[laughs]

CATHERINE INTV: Once I have it
all carved, ready to go,

I start working on rolling out

and covering
my cakes in fondant.

CATHERINE: I think that my
fondant work is gonna stand out

because of the crisp cleanness.

BUSOLA: I'm about to bring
my son's puppy, Max, to life.

So I have just covered him.

Now I need to get the shape.

♪

BRITTANY: Don't know
if I like this.

Ugh...

MARY: Over on
Brittany's station,

her fondant is I don't believe
going on the way she wants

and she's pulling it off.

She can do it.

BRITTANY: I'm gonna have to do
this a little bit differently.

MARY: Excellent, it's on.

It's on.
BRITTANY: I'll make it work.

BRITTANY INTV: I've
always loved baking,

but I think this is the first
time I can prove to myself

that my baking is good.

'Cause other people
say I'm good,

but I think I need
to prove it to myself.

♪

SAMMY INTV: To see everyone
else using fondant

almost as their primary,

it's very daunting
because this cake requires

the whole thing to be iced
in cream cheese frosting.

So, I do have a lot of
piping ahead of me.

SAMMY: I think it'll taste good.

This is the exact colour
of the bear I have at home,

so I think it's really
gonna help share my story.

MARY: You like piping, right?

SAMMY: Love it.
MARY: Yes.

SAMMY: It's like old-school.

My great grandmother
was a wedding cake decorator

and she did all the fancy
like pipe drip work

and all that kind of stuff.
MARY: Nice.

SAMMY: So I feel like it's just
in my blood to like piping.

MARY: How are you feeling
about that prize money?

SAMMY: The prize money
would mean a lot.

I grew up within a family
that didn't always have

like extra money but they always

spent it on myself
and my sister.

So I would love to
give back to my parents.

MARY: That's amazing!

ANDREW: One hour left,
cake-makers.

MARY: That is one hour.

Sixty minutes
to get these cakes done.

CATHERINE: [sighs]
It's crunch time!

SAMMY: Still a lot to do,

but we're gonna finish.

BRITTANY: It'll be down
to the last minute.

BUSOLA: This is airbrushing.

It's supposed
to make it realistic.

BUSOLA INTV: I don't have
a lot of experience

with airbrushing;
I don't do it often.

MARY: Airbrushing can be
tricky because if you go

a little too heavy
with that liquid...

ANDREW: Or too close.
MARY: Or too close,

that fondant's sugar
and sugar wants to melt.

♪

CATHERINE INTV: So, I'm going
for a cartoon-y traditional

Christmas tree look.

It would mean everything for me
to represent Newfoundland

in the Cross Country
Cake Off finale.

I really want to show
everyone what I can do,

so I'm putting
my all into this cake.

CATHERINE: [sighs]

MARY: Bakers,
you have 30 minutes left.

BRITTANY: This is
gonna be flowers,

just to add more
festiveness to it.

BRITTANY INTV: I'm making
red fondant poinsettias

and holly leaves
to go on the side,

and my record.

BRITTANY: I just use a fork to
just kind of make little marks.

This record is gonna play
"Deck the Halls."

SAMMY: So, this is
the small teddy bear

that will be in the lap
of the big cake teddy bear.

CATHERINE: Lots of fondant
gonna be used

for all the décor of my cake.

I'm actually working
on the topper for my tree.

Unfortunately, recently, I lost
my mother-in-law to cancer,

so on the very top of this tree,
I want to make a little angel,

because I know
she's looking down over us.

♪

ANDREW: You've got
10 minutes left, bakers.

SAMMY: I just cannot think
of how much my hand hurts

from holding this piping bag,

and just gotta go
as fast as I can.

♪

BUSOLA: He's looking happy.

It looks exactly like him, yeah.

♪

BRITTANY: Oh my God.

MARY: Brittany's
having some issues.

BRITTANY: It's all
falling apart.

Barbecue sticks.

BRITTANY INTV: The lid
is not standing up

because I didn't account
for the extra weight

from the layer of fondant.

And the side of my cake
is collapsing, I'm...

I'm in despair.

BRITTANY: It's not holding.

ANDREW: I would love
for Brittany to strategize

on how you're gonna
get to the finish line.

MARY: Brittany's worked so hard

on so many of these
decorative elements:

those beautiful glasses,
the garland, that record,

and none of them
are on her cake yet.

BRITTANY: This is not happening.

BRITTANY INTV: This cake
is not gonna impress.

I'm very nervous at this point.

ANDREW: Two minutes left,
Brittany.

Come on, let's go, let's get
all the elements on the cake.

MARY: Come on.

BRITTANY: This is
gonna be a disaster.

I feel like I'm gonna cry.
Oh my God.

♪

BRITTANY: It's not holding
and the structure is wrong.

ANDREW: Two minutes left,
Brittany.

Come on, let's go, let's get
all the elements on the cake.

BRITTANY: I feel like
I'm gonna cry, oh my God.

♪

BRITTANY: Oh my God.

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

six, five, four, three,

two, one.

Step away from your cakes!

MARY: You're done!
[applause]

MARY: Woo!

MARY: Oh my gosh, that flew!

BRITTANY: My glasses, oh my God,
I didn't even put my glasses.

I'm very disappointed.

CATHERINE: That was
nerve-wracking!

SAMMY: Yeah.

SAMMY INTV: So proud of
what I've accomplished.

I feel amazing.

The cake is standing up
and it's not falling over.

BUSOLA: Max looks real!

I've put a lot of details
in this work.

I'm proud of that.

CATHERINE: It came together
and I'm so happy.

This is very special.

MARY: Sammy,
please bring up your cake.

♪

Thank you, Sammy.

SAMMY: I've always been
a huge teddy bear fanatic.

The cake itself,
it's a bear cake,

or as I like to call it,
a Mr. Bear cake.

The smallest bear on the cake
is what I used to call Mr. Bear.

I was given him on Christmas
morning, on my first Christmas.

And I got a 10-foot
teddy bear when I was 16.

I like to wear Santa hats too,

so that's why I thought
I'd give him a pop of colour.

ANDREW: You did
a really good job of capturing

two different aesthetics here,

two different styles
of cake decorating.

Got the piping that
you're clearly comfortable with

and then you've got this fondant
little teddy bear guy here.

Combining the two worlds
gives a nice contrast.

MARY: I will say, there are
a couple of little bare marks,

the only...
Pun not intended.

[laughter]

MARY: There are
a couple little marks here.

SAMMY: Yeah.

MARY: And some inconsistencies
just in the coverage of that

grass piping tip
that you used for the fur.

But I think
it's really well done.

What can we expect
on the inside?

Are we also gonna get
like cozy teddy bear vibes?

SAMMY: Kind of.
MARY: Okay.

SAMMY: So this is the first cake
I ever learned how to make.

MARY: Mm-hm.
SAMMY: It is a carrot cake.

So it's a cream cheese
buttercream with it,

but I also made a coconut
and pecan filling.

And there is a few
candied walnuts in it

for a little crunch.

♪

ANDREW: Sammy, your carrot cake
is as fluffy as Mr. Bear.

It is fluff-town.

Like it's just so cloudy
and ethereal and bouncy

and fluffy and moist.

And it pairs really well
with the cream cheese icing,

kind of classic.

One thing I do wish is that
the walnuts were toasted.

SAMMY: Fair.
ANDREW: Yeah.

You would have had
that nice element of crunch

instead of this like buttery nut

that kind of gets a little bit
lost in the soft textures.

But otherwise, super enjoyable.

MARY: I agree.
This is a delicious carrot cake.

And I love carrot cake.

It is so light and fluffy,
which is really impressive

because it's holding up
a head of a teddy bear.

SAMMY: I'm shocked!

MARY: Yes!
And it's not falling.

The one misstep
in the flavour profile

is this cream cheese frosting
is very sweet.

I am getting more sugar

than I am getting
cream cheese flavour.

But I understand why,
so you can have that piping.

But delicious carrot cake,
what a gift.

SAMMY: Thank you.

[applause]

♪

ANDREW: Brittany,
it's time to show us your cake.

♪

MARY: [gasps]
ANDREW: Oh my goodness.

MARY: That's amazing!

BRITTANY: My inspiration
was old-fashioned Christmas.

I'm very old-fashioned.
I like records.

I would buy records, but I
didn't have a record player.

One year,
my mom decided to get me

a record player for Christmas.

I thought it was very thoughtful
because I literally had

years of records
stacking in my room

that'd never been played.

ANDREW: To be presenting us with
an old-fashioned theme cake

is really smart.
It's really cool.

This wood grain that you've got
on your cake board here,

it's really remarkable.

MARY: In terms of the detail
work you were doing,

the buttons,
the poinsettia plants,

there's so much skill
and talent in those.

There's a lot of really great
thought that you put into this,

but that clock
got the better of you today,

and that's really unfortunate.

♪

MARY: What have we got
going on on the inside

of this like old-fashioned
record player?

BRITTANY: To go with the title,
Old-Fashioned Christmas,

I did a spiced
old-fashioned flavour.

Like the c*ck,
"Old-Fashioned."

It's one of my favourite drinks.

It has like a spiced
cherry filling with bourbon

and the cake as well
has bourbon and brown sugar.

ANDREW: Wow.
MARY: Oh.

She a showstopper!

BRITTANY: The cherry
smells like Christmas to me.

MARY: Mm-hm.

♪

ANDREW: Miss Brittany,
this cake is divine.

I'm blown away.

It's luscious, it's seductive.

MARY: I really love
the inside of this cake.

I'm getting a nice round,
delicious, kind of smoky,

bourbon-y flavour.
And I really like it.

The sponge is delish, it's got
a really nice crumb to it.

She might be a little vintage,
shall we say, on the outside...

but the inside's
a real old-fashioned triumph.

ANDREW: Mm-hm.

MARY: Thank you
so much, Brittany.

ANDREW: Thank you, Brittany.

ANDREW: Busola, please bring
your cake up to the front.

♪

BUSOLA: This is Max,
my son's puppy, in cake form.

Max is a yorkie-poo,
so I've tried to make him

exactly the way he is,
and I've made the cake board

to be like my
wooden floor at home.

We love him.

He's part of our family
and he knows it.

MARY: [laughs]

ANDREW: Busola, he is adorable.
And it makes me want a puppy.

MARY: I know.
ANDREW: I want a puppy now.

MARY: I'm gonna
call my husband.

ANDREW: I love how you captured
the different textures

with all of these little details
that you have here.

It's just so heartwarming.

MARY: I love this little nose.

I love that you made it shiny
'cause everybody knows...

BUSOLA: Yeah, it's always wet.
MARY: It's always wet!

MARY: So what's going on
on the inside of Max?

BUSOLA: It's chocolate cake.

I hope it's the moistest

you've ever tasted.

MARY: Oh, that is
a bold statement!

BUSOLA: [laughs]

I layered it with
chocolate vanilla buttercream

and then I covered it
with milk chocolate ganache.

♪

MARY: Busola,
that ganache is delicious.

I thought it was
smooth and creamy.

And the actual sponge,
it had a really nice texture.

ANDREW: Your cake is moist,
it's tender,

but for me,
it's a little bit one-note.

It's chocolate on chocolate
on chocolate.

In the qualifying rounds, you
made this fantastically spiced

and interesting
and exciting carrot cake

and you put your stamp
on carrot cake.

I wanted to see you put
a stamp on chocolate cake.

A little bit of Busola magic,
you know?

MARY: 'Cause we've had it
and we liked it!

BUSOLA: Okay.
MARY: Yes.

Thank you so much
for bringing Max

to the Cross Country
Cake Off Kitchen.

BUSOLA: Thank you!

ANDREW: Thank you so much.

[applause]

Catherine, please
bring up your cake.

♪

CATHERINE: She's heavy.
MARY: Thank you.

CATHERINE: The cake is
all inspired by my daughter.

She was actually born
9:31 Christmas morning.

So it was definitely
the greatest Christmas gift

any mom could have asked for.
MARY: [laughs]

MARY: It's such a beautiful
story and what a wonderful gift.

ANDREW: This is
the exact aesthetic

of the type of Christmas tree
that you would see

in like the department store
toy section during the holidays.

Very whimsical,
very playful, very joyful,

very fun and festive.

MARY: You made us
a three-tier cake

that doesn't really follow any
of the rules of a tiered cake.

There's overhang,
the shapes are different,

it's floating on
this little stump,

which is really, really great.

So the structure on the inside,
did I see a metal, like, rod?

CATHERINE: Yeah.
It's a rod,

and the base itself
is actually wood.

MARY: Did you build that?

CATHERINE: I mean...

MARY: No big deal!

That's awesome.

I think it's a really,
really beautiful cake

and just a really great example

of what fondant work
can look like.

It is hard to recognize it
as a cake, but since it is,

what's it gonna taste like?

CATHERINE: Inside is actually
my rich chocolate cake

and in between the layers
is mint buttercream

chocolate ganache,

and chopped-up milk chocolate
and dark chocolate bits.

Kind of to represent
having brownies

and mint chocolate chip
ice cream,

my daughter's favourite dessert.

MARY: Catherine, it is
a delicious chocolate cake.

ANDREW: First of all, the smell.

The aroma was everything
you wanted it to be.

And the colour here,
it's exactly the colour

of a mint chip ice cream.

The cake sponge is,
is beautiful, it's decadent,

it's rich,
it's quite thick.

And it kind of gives off
a brownie vibe.

And the chocolate chips
and chunks that you put in there

were really just exactly
like the ones you would find

in the ice cream pint.

MARY: Is that just
an American buttercream?

CATHERINE: It's just
an American buttercream.

MARY: Sometimes an American
buttercream can be very

buttery and almost waxy.

This is the exact opposite.

It is fluffy, it's light,
it's cool and creamy,

and it's got that
minty-ness in it.

It smells like
I'm eating ice cream,

and I'm excited about that.

Thanks so much
and happy birthday to Kylie.

CATHERINE: Thank you.

[applause]

Cake-makers, what a treat.

Thank you for sharing
your holiday gifts

in literally
every sense of the word.

ANDREW: Now, we've gotta
make some tough decisions.

♪

CATHERINE INTV: I'm waiting,
just waiting and hoping,

and inside I'm all butterflies,
like, "Please let them pick me."

BUSOLA INTV: Baking in
the final would be amazing

because that means I have
a very good chance of winning.

And it's $50,000.

That's a lot of money.

SAMMY INTV: It would
mean everything

to get a silver cake platter.

I definitely think I have
another cake or two

up my sleeve.

♪

BRITTANY INTV: I feel like
I could have done better.

I always feel that way.

But the judges seemed
to like my flavouring,

so I'm hopeful
that I've done enough.

ANDREW: Cake-makers,
will you please come forward.

♪

ANDREW: You put such care

and so much heart
into this challenge

and these holiday cakes
were phenomenal.

You did not make things
easy for us tonight.

MARY: To make our decision,
we looked at everything--

your design, your story,

as well as the appearance
and taste of your cake.

You all did so well,

but two of you
particularly impressed us

with your flavours and ambition.

ANDREW: Two of you will
receive these silver cake stands

and move on to the finale.

MARY: And so, the cake-makers
who will move on to represent

the region of Eastern Canada

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

♪

MARY: Catherine and Brittany.

[applause]

ANDREW: Come on up
and get your cake stands!

MARY: Congratulations!

CATHERINE INT: I got it!
I got a silver cake stand.

CATHERINE: Thank you.
MARY: Thank you!

CATHERINE INTV: I'm
so fricking stoked!

BRITTANY INTV: My mom's
gonna cry,

she's gonna be so excited

to hear that I'm going on
to the next round.

I don't even know
how to talk right now!

MARY (V.O.): Next time
on the holiday finale...

MARY: The focus in here!

MARY (V.O.): Canada's best
cake-makers from the West...

RENELL INTV: I got
a silver cake stand!

MARY (V.O.): ...Mid-Canada...

JULIE INTV: I did it!

MARY (V.O.): ...and the East...

BRITTANY INTV:
The pressure is on.

MARY (V.O.): ...face off for
the Cross Country Cake Off

holiday title
and the grand prize of $50,000.

MARY & ANDREW: It's bake time!
MARY: Woo!

♪