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00:00T'was the night before Christmas on our show, Baked With Love.
00:08Four pairs of contestants compete for what they dreamed of,
00:12making their families cherished festive bakes a place in the final.
00:16There can be no mistakes.
00:18So settle down on the sofa with something sweet.
00:21You're in for a joyous Christmas treat.
00:25This is Baked With Love.
00:30Last week...
00:34Can't see.
00:35The teams tried to keep a cool head.
00:38This is okay.
00:39No, they're not hard.
00:40But struggled with their cold cheesecakes.
00:43It reminds me of a shard of glass stabbing this and the blood run.
00:48Oh, no.
00:49That's not a white Christmas.
00:51Amy and Sally impressed with their baked Alaska.
00:54I mean, well done.
00:56But there was a meltdown for the rest.
00:58Okay.
00:58Didn't freeze at all.
01:00It's literally dying.
01:02And one more team left the competition.
01:05Marco and Steven.
01:06Woo!
01:12Woo!
01:13Semi-finals.
01:15So many things went into getting here.
01:17It's kind of unbelievable that it's here.
01:21Today feels like the day of competition.
01:23Today we really need to bring everything we've got just to be able to get to the finale.
01:28Does that feel good?
01:29Yeah.
01:29It's great.
01:30Perfect.
01:30I'm really getting to do this.
01:31We are in the semi-finals and amazingly happy.
01:36Yeah.
01:36Today is very much that anticipation and excitement and nervousness of Christmas Eve.
01:42And so we're just hoping that Samantha will come through for us and that we will be here for that finale.
01:48Well, welcome back, semi-finalist teams.
01:52Woo!
01:52You have mixed, whipped, whisked, and baked your way into the semi-finals.
02:01I know it feels like you can just touch the $50,000 prize.
02:05And also, one of your bakes will be featured in a Hallmark Christmas movie.
02:10And that's a pretty big deal around Christmas time.
02:14So, Anna and Vaughn, please come to the barn.
02:21Hi.
02:22Good morning.
02:23So, the theme for this week is the night before Christmas.
02:28Vaughn, can you please tell the teams what they will be baking today for the holiday classic round?
02:33We are going to take a trip to Paris because we are making 12 beautifully decorated macarons today.
02:41Oh, Anna and Vaughn.
02:43Very magnifique.
02:44You call them macaron.
02:46In Ireland, we call them macaroons.
02:48I like to say macarons because I like to feel like I am French.
02:52Oh, you're a fancy girl.
02:54We want 12 perfectly identical macaroons in size, shape, and color.
03:02You need two fillings.
03:05One that is a chocolate ganache, and the other one can be a curd, a jam, or a homemade spread.
03:11What's really important is that you give yourself enough time to do really beautiful finesse finishing on top of your macaroons.
03:20Okay, good luck, everyone.
03:23Stay calm and macarons.
03:27You have an hour and 45 minutes for this challenge.
03:32Off you go.
03:33All right.
03:34Here we go.
03:35Have you guys made this before?
03:37No, sir.
03:38This is our first time making macaroons, but we're excited.
03:42Okay.
03:42Do you think that's enough to make the compote?
03:44I think so.
03:45Yeah.
03:46I'm not experienced in macarons, but there's a first time for everything.
03:51Preheat oven to 300.
03:53Okay.
03:54So I'm mixing up some pistachios, a little bit of cocoa nibs, pour in some tahini for hold, and this is inspired by my dad's famous nut spreads.
04:04Hopefully I could make him proud here.
04:06Susan and Salmon.
04:09Oh, those look great, Susan.
04:11Thank you, Chef.
04:11Have been consistently strong with their flavors.
04:14I love that.
04:15I think that's really good.
04:16But issues with timing and finesse.
04:19Five minutes?
04:20Could cost them a place in the final.
04:23If you'd had more time, I think you would have executed it well.
04:27Okay, we can't get too cocky right now.
04:29Oh, I know.
04:30A macaron, there's definitely a lot that could go wrong.
04:34What could go wrong in this is in the macaronage itself, which is the actual act of mixing the macaron better.
04:41When they're folding in their Italian meringue mix, if they underfold it, the macaroons will not work.
04:47It will not work.
04:47You cannot have any type of roughness in there.
04:50But if you overwork it, then they become sloppy and wet.
04:54So what you want is to have this perfect balance of a light, crisp coating and a lovely, soft center.
05:00It's the semi-final.
05:02There's a lot at stake for them.
05:04We don't want an easy challenge where everybody just nails it and then you go, oh, well.
05:07Oh, okay.
05:08It has to be tough.
05:10Come on.
05:12So far, all I've done for this entire challenge is sieve.
05:16You've got a sieve.
05:17It's important, apparently.
05:19Gabriel and Ben.
05:21Our oven was not on.
05:22Often struggled in the surprise challenge.
05:24Our dough is not going well and I don't know what we're going to do.
05:28But after turning a corner.
05:29You got this.
05:31Christmas.
05:32They improved their time management.
05:34I am in awe of you.
05:36My comeback kids.
05:37That's right.
05:38But is this enough to secure a place in the final?
05:41I love it.
05:41I think it's really good.
05:43Great job, guys.
05:43Yeah, great job.
05:45We will sieve.
05:46We will keep calm and sieve on.
05:47Doing all this sifting makes me think this is just going to be a very delicate, delicate shell.
05:55We're going to have to pipe with ease.
05:59When I mentioned macarons, you seemed really excited.
06:02We actually made them together for our wedding because we had a Christmas time wedding.
06:06What they really love about you two is the fact that you do go for it with your flavors.
06:12Are those pistachios?
06:13They are.
06:13So you're doing pistachios and dates?
06:15Dates, cocoa nibs, tahini.
06:19Your flavors are very diverse.
06:22And that's what I think sets you guys apart.
06:24Fingers crossed.
06:26Bye.
06:26Bye.
06:30When we think of Christmas Eve, we think of a Christmas Eve dinner.
06:34And we do Feast of the Seven Fishes, which involves a lot of lemons and herbs.
06:39So we're going to do a white chocolate ganache with a lemon and thyme curd.
06:43A lot of Christmas desserts can be, like, a little, like, heavy.
06:46So it's nice to have that, like, that one refreshing dish.
06:50Drawing on their heritage flavors...
06:52Beautiful.
06:53Italian food, you can't ever go wrong.
06:55Rosa and Rosanna...
06:56Got to hustle, Mommy.
06:57You really got to hustle.
06:58...have consistently wowed the judges.
07:01That is amazing.
07:04It's the kind of cookie that gets you in trouble.
07:05But their communication will need improvement.
07:08Oh.
07:09What did I do wrong?
07:10You were supposed to put it on opposite sides to make it look like a sandwich.
07:13I did.
07:14No.
07:15If they're to reach the final.
07:16Yes, Mother.
07:17Good job.
07:18Okay.
07:22There we go.
07:24Okay, so macaron.
07:25Yes.
07:26How are you feeling?
07:26Have you made them before?
07:28We have not.
07:29Never made, enjoyed eating quite a few.
07:31Yes.
07:32Love to eat them, never made them, but we're going to incorporate, um, strawberry and dark chocolate.
07:38Oh, yum.
07:39We love strawberries and chocolate together.
07:41It's a romantic flavor.
07:42Paris being a special place for us kind of makes this an extra fun one.
07:47I'm really excited to try everything that you're making today.
07:49Good luck.
07:50Balance out timing in addition to precision.
07:52Yes.
07:53Yes, timing for sure.
07:54Come on.
07:55Come on.
07:58The water and the sugar, is it on, Mommy?
08:01Yes, it is.
08:02So it's boiling.
08:02I just have to pour the sugar into the egg white.
08:06We are currently making the Italian meringue to fold into our macaron mixture.
08:12I'm just whipping the meringue until we get stiff peaks here, which were just about there.
08:17And then I'm going to fold it into our flour-sugar mixture with egg.
08:24And then we're about ready to go.
08:26Semi-finals.
08:28Y'all are coming in on a high note, which is great.
08:32Last week was really fantastic.
08:35I'm really proud of you guys.
08:37And, okay, so, macarons.
08:39Yeah.
08:39How are we feeling?
08:40I feel all right right now.
08:42I'm working on getting the actual shells made.
08:45Mom's working on the compote.
08:46I always err on the side of making more shells because you never know.
08:50Amy and Sally set an early high bar.
08:54Coming first in the last round adds a little more pressure.
08:58She's in.
08:59Let's say a little prayer.
09:00But after playing it safe too many times...
09:03I'm over the vanilla with the vanilla frosting.
09:07...can their bold new approach...
09:09We're working on flavor.
09:10That's our focus.
09:11...see them through.
09:15It's starting to thicken up.
09:17I have to make sure you don't get it too gummy.
09:19We are folding our Italian meringue into our almond-based mixture for our macaroons.
09:26Because you don't want to over or under mix according to the recipe.
09:30We're folding, preserving all of that air that we just incorporated into our egg whites.
09:35So it's all in the flick of the wrist.
09:39Do you feel good about the texture?
09:40Yeah, this is good stiff peaks.
09:42Okay, let's get that pipes.
09:44And then just pipe like the wind.
09:48So I am making the tops and the bottoms of the macaroons now.
09:52It's a little tricky.
09:54Take your time with these.
09:55This is very important.
09:56They're all consistent, right?
09:57Pipe and flick.
10:00This is tough.
10:01The batter is too loose.
10:02So it's still creating peaks when I do that.
10:04It's okay.
10:05You just gotta keep going.
10:06Okay, we'll just leave it.
10:07They're fine.
10:08They're all setting anyway.
10:09Let's pop them in the oven.
10:12You are halfway through.
10:16Mommy, since I have both ovens on and I have so much, I'm just going to make two bashes just in case.
10:20Yeah.
10:21But I need you to really focus.
10:25I have messed up.
10:30I grabbed the wrong sugar.
10:32I'm going to have to redo that or they're not going to cook.
10:34I was supposed to combine the icing sugar and the ground almond and I did not.
10:41I need help.
10:43Okay, let's go.
10:44We can stop what we're doing and fix it.
10:47Lord, help me.
10:48I'm struggling.
10:50You're fine.
10:51It's okay.
10:54All right, let's ganache.
10:55Go.
10:56Go work.
10:57These all cracked.
10:58I need to make another tray.
10:59No, honey, we have so many extra.
11:00Come on, come on.
11:01You got this.
11:09With 45 minutes left, most macarons are baking in the oven.
11:14Well, they're cuties.
11:15Bunch of cuties in there.
11:17We need another mixing bowl up here because we've got to make eight whites and the dough's separate.
11:21I thought it was an all-win bowl.
11:22Okay.
11:23Sorry, Mom, I just didn't.
11:25That's fine.
11:27I accidentally mixed an ingredient wrong.
11:30I'm glad I discovered it before I went all the way through.
11:33So we're getting a fresh start.
11:36We have definitely practiced communicating.
11:40Even though we're under a time constraint, to take our time to read our recipe.
11:45At the end of the day, it's just cake and cookies and pies, so there's no need for us to get upset with each other.
11:51100.
11:53Thanks, Mom.
11:54No problem.
11:55I'm just about to turn on my turbojet.
11:58What are you making there?
11:59What's that?
12:00I'm making the curd for our macaroons.
12:03Is it lemon?
12:04It's lemon and thyme.
12:06Ooh.
12:07So what are the other flavors in the macaroon?
12:10White chocolate ganache.
12:11Gorgeous.
12:12Keep up the good work, guys.
12:13I'm looking forward to your macaroons.
12:14Thank you so much, Leslie.
12:18They're working?
12:19They're getting little feet.
12:20They bake quickly, which is good.
12:22Okay.
12:23They're like your babies.
12:24With cakes, with anything, really, the edges bake the quickest.
12:28So the ones on the edges are kind of the sacrificial lambs.
12:30They're blowing up, like, literally.
12:32They have a lot of air and a lot of heat that hits them first.
12:35But the ones in the center, no cracks.
12:37They have their feet.
12:38They are doing what they're supposed to.
12:41I think being part of people's lives through baking is really fun.
12:44It's fun and rewarding to serve people food, and it's something that you've made, and it's
12:49something special and kind of elevated in a way that desserts, they're just a little
12:53extra fancy.
12:54They're a little extra fun compared to other foods.
12:57We love all food, but desserts, we get extra love.
13:02Those all cracked, Gaby.
13:04It's fine.
13:05They count how many are good, and that's all we need.
13:07I think we overcooked these a little bit because they cracked.
13:11Gaby, I think I'm going to put another batch in.
13:14Okay.
13:16All right.
13:16We have macarons, people.
13:18Yay.
13:19Macarons.
13:2130 minutes left.
13:23I haven't even got ours cooked.
13:2530 minutes.
13:2730 minutes.
13:29We'll do eight minutes on these guys.
13:31All right.
13:31Are we close, Mom?
13:32Okay.
13:3339, 240.
13:36Thank you, Mom.
13:37You're welcome.
13:38But it's not too much of this, right?
13:39But it has to have the flavor in there.
13:41Okay.
13:45All right.
13:46We're there with the meringue, Mom.
13:48Okay.
13:48Get those in.
13:52How's it coming?
13:54I don't know.
13:55They both came out the same.
13:56It's the best I could do.
13:58I don't think we have time to make another batch.
13:59No.
14:00It'll be too warm.
14:01I'm just going to keep what we have.
14:02Oh, these all cracked.
14:04Well, not all of them, so the good ones we'll keep.
14:07I mean, we have so many.
14:07I need to make another tray.
14:08No, honey.
14:08We have so many extra.
14:09Gabby, I think I'm going to put another batch in.
14:12Bubby.
14:13I just feel like we don't have a lot of good ones.
14:16Ben is making another batch.
14:18He wants to be certain we've got perfect macaroons that aren't split.
14:22I think he just wants a couple solid ones.
14:25I think they are.
14:26But he's striving for perfection here, and I applaud that.
14:31Okay, go ahead.
14:33You need to really keep an eye on those little boogers.
14:35Okay, they're rising.
14:37I don't know if I should make another ganache.
14:38I don't really like it at all.
14:40No, it is no time.
14:43Not even to make, like, a quick one?
14:45If you make it, like, really quick.
14:49All right, we need to pull that next batch out.
14:52Ten minutes!
14:54You have ten minutes left!
14:56Here, let me have it.
14:57Go.
14:58Go work.
14:59Just do a tree?
15:00Yeah, a tree.
15:01And then we'll dot it with gold.
15:02Okay.
15:03Oh, goodness.
15:04We just got to start decorating, I think.
15:05All right, let's go.
15:06So, at the moment, we're currently redoing our ganache, because I'm not quite happy with
15:12how the first batch turned out.
15:14Back to square one.
15:16All right, that's 12, I believe.
15:17Okay, here's the white chocolate.
15:20Okay, here's the ganache.
15:22Just go like the wind.
15:24Yeah.
15:24And I'm going to follow behind you with the cream cheese.
15:26All right, let's ganache.
15:28Five minutes!
15:29Perfect.
15:30Just go fast, go fast, go fast, go fast.
15:31Let me clean this one.
15:32It's coming out.
15:33So, then just get another one.
15:34Don't even clean it.
15:35If it's coming out, just get another one.
15:37Very careful.
15:39Mm-hmm.
15:40Some on this is too thick.
15:42Okay.
15:43Okay, Susan, we've got to get it on.
15:44Yep.
15:44Come on, come on.
15:45You got this, girl.
15:47One minute!
15:47Oh, God.
15:48One minute!
15:50Come on, Sally, get it on.
15:52Okay, just get them all topped and pretty.
15:54Cute.
15:55Oh, I love them so much.
15:56Nothing like a little hairspray to hold it in place.
15:59How about, like, a little swirl?
16:01Silver swirl?
16:02Just hustle, mama, hustle.
16:04Ice petals.
16:05These are just signifying your romance.
16:08The dish.
16:09Okay, that's good, honey.
16:10There's no wiping.
16:10There's no wiping.
16:11There's no wiping.
16:11Just leave it, please.
16:13Don't touch it.
16:13Outer sugar?
16:14Nope.
16:15Make it snow?
16:16Nope.
16:17Don't touch.
16:17Don't touch.
16:18Time's up.
16:19Step away from your macarons.
16:23Wow.
16:26We're done.
16:28I'm so proud of you.
16:36Sally and Amy, please tell the judges about your macarons.
16:39The flavors are white chocolate ganache.
16:42The filling is a mixed berry compote.
16:45These are gorgeous.
16:47They look like they were professionally made.
16:49Wow.
16:50Okay.
16:51Oh, that looks really good.
16:51Yeah, that's a nice cross-section.
16:53I think they've got a really nice texture.
16:55The acidity of your jam is exactly what you need with a macaroon, because macaroons are
17:00sweet.
17:01I just think they are absolutely stunning.
17:05Thank you so much.
17:05Great job.
17:06Well done.
17:08Good job, mom.
17:10Inside of the macarons incorporates a ring of chocolate ganache.
17:14And inside of that, we have a dollop of pistachio spread.
17:18I love the trees.
17:20I think the trees are so cute.
17:23Also, your plating is really nice.
17:25It's clever.
17:25Yeah.
17:26We going for the same one?
17:27Oh, yeah.
17:27I was going to go for that one.
17:30Wow.
17:31I do actually really like this.
17:34I think often with pairing it with something that's like acidic to balance those, but you
17:39paired it with kind of like a nut butter of sorts, which I think is really nice.
17:44I think the flavor is so delicious.
17:46I just wish you'd made them a little bit bigger, because I think the bake would have been more
17:49even.
17:50I still think it's a great attempt at a macaroon.
17:52We have a strawberry cream cheese filling and a dark chocolate salted ganache.
18:03I do think that the powdered sugar is maybe not necessary.
18:09The presentation's nice with the rose petals, but yeah, you haven't really decorated them.
18:15You know, my top shell is really rather baked.
18:19I think because you made them smaller, you ran the risk of overbaking them.
18:24I do like the flavor, though.
18:26I think you had a good use of the acidity of the strawberry and the bitterness of the
18:29chocolate kind of helps balance out the macaroon.
18:31It's too crunchy.
18:33It is too crunchy, and it's a little bit dry.
18:35You can see it.
18:36I think that they've just been in the oven too long, but the flavor is good.
18:40Yeah, the flavor is nice.
18:43Good job, honey.
18:45Inside is a lemon and thyme cream with a white chocolate ganache.
18:51I'm excited to try them because lemon and thyme sounds delicious.
18:54You do see some that are bigger than others.
18:58They're not all quite uniform.
19:01So you do have some filling that is spilling out, and also your ganache does look split.
19:07Yes.
19:07There is a little bit of inconsistency with some colors.
19:11I think they look really good.
19:13I think your white chocolate looks like, can you see the way it's a little bit grainy?
19:17I liked the flavor a lot.
19:19I loved that thyme in there.
19:20It was a really nice flavor to get.
19:23And very innovative.
19:24Texturally wise, if you eat this, you'll enjoy it.
19:26Like, it is really nice, but it's a little bit chewier than I would expect.
19:30Oh, we did it.
19:32Oh, we did it.
19:34One of those times where we're like, yeah, we're in a competition.
19:36They didn't explode.
19:37That is just a win for us.
19:39Big sense.
19:40Next time, we would not make a chocolate ganache out of white chocolate.
19:44I think the feeling that I would describe myself right now feeling is relieved.
19:49With capital letters, relief.
19:52Yes.
19:52That was definitely the low point for us, but we still held it together.
19:55They still said it was good flavors.
19:58It's the semifinals, and we've worked so hard to be here, and I think we're not ready to go home.
20:03We have the same message.
20:04Yeah.
20:04Last bake of the semifinal, three hours long.
20:08I have a little surprise for you.
20:11Y'all are good.
20:20Welcome back to the barn, guys.
20:22Now it's time for your ultimate festive baking challenge.
20:26But, before we begin, I have a little surprise for you.
20:32Salman and Susan.
20:34Hi, Susan and Salman.
20:35Are you surprised to see us?
20:36Well, we are really surprised you made it this far into the competition.
20:41Come on.
20:42Just kidding.
20:44We miss you.
20:45We love you.
20:46And I wish you all the best for the rest of the show.
20:49Good luck.
20:51Bye.
20:54That's pretty cool.
20:56Hi, girls.
20:56I know y'all are doing well.
20:58I couldn't be prouder for both of you.
21:00I just want to let you know I'm cheering for you, and you'll do great.
21:05I love you, and have a great day.
21:09Hi, Mommy, and hi, Rosanna.
21:11You guys are doing great.
21:13We love, and we miss you so, so much.
21:15You're almost there.
21:16You got this.
21:17Oh, goodness gracious.
21:19Hey, Gabi, Ben, and Baby B.
21:21We want you to know that we are rooting for you, and we are so excited to see the results.
21:26And you know you'll always be our family's top baker.
21:30We love you.
21:30We love you.
21:31I love you.
21:35Y'all are good.
21:38Ah, you guys are all truly, truly loved.
21:42Now, the theme for this week is the night before Christmas.
21:46So, judges, what festive treats would you like our teams to make for their ultimate festive baking challenge?
21:54We would like you to make a Christmas snow globe inspired by the night before Christmas.
21:59It must have two tiers, and each tier must have two layers.
22:04And the decoration needs to be exquisite.
22:07We would like the flavors of this cake to be inspired by your favorite festive holiday beverage.
22:14The sugared dome on top will create the effect of a snow globe, encapsulating your night before Christmas scene.
22:23That is so cool.
22:24Yeah.
22:25I love that.
22:26I cannot wait to see your Christmas Eve scenes.
22:29You have three hours for this challenge, and a place in the final is at stake here.
22:36So, good luck, everyone, and off you go.
22:43We got this to mama.
22:44All right, I got the mixer.
22:46There you go.
22:47The last bake of the semifinal, three hours long.
22:55Our bake is being inspired by a rainbow cookie espresso martini that we make during Christmas time.
23:01The sponge itself is just almond, and then the espresso flavor comes from the buttercream,
23:05and we're going to make a raspberry compote to go with it as well.
23:09All of our flavors have proven to be true time and time again,
23:12so I'm not worried about the flavor combination.
23:19We are making a hot chocolate peppermint cake made with hot chocolate poured into it.
23:25With peppermint chocolate buttercream, the inspiration behind the cake is for Ben and I's big family party every year.
23:33Him and I sub in for Santa and Mrs. Claus.
23:37The moment where I knew that Gabby was the one was our Christmas party with my family,
23:43where she dressed up as Mrs. Claus, and I was Mr. Claus,
23:46and just the way that she committed to the role and that moment for me was like, that was everything.
23:52We actually are going to carve the cake into a chimney with a fireplace on it,
23:58and at the top, we're going to have Santa going down the chimney.
24:02Yeah, this is a fun one for us.
24:04Hi, ladies.
24:05Hi.
24:05What is your signature drink that is inspiring?
24:10Pink champagne.
24:12The flavor is a pink champagne cake.
24:15The little cookies are lemon crisp cookies that have a lemony royal icing.
24:21Gathering with family and cheersing to Christmas and the whole season that we've been working towards celebrating.
24:28Treat yourself.
24:29Absolutely.
24:30So tell us, what's the flavors in your Christmas snow globe?
24:38It's chai and espresso powder coming together in marbled cake layers for the base and the top tier.
24:44And the upper tier will have buttercream transfers.
24:47So you've gone for three layers in each tier.
24:50Yes.
24:51Okay.
24:51So you're making it harder for yourself.
24:53Yeah.
24:53I know.
24:54We keep doing that.
24:54You guys always do seem to really just make things a little bit more difficult.
24:58So, you know, you sound like you've got a lot to be doing.
25:01We do.
25:02Good luck.
25:03I feel like when you go back home, you're going to bake so quickly.
25:06I'm going to bake quickly.
25:07Yeah.
25:08I'm going to think I'm on a timer for the rest of my baking life.
25:10Yeah.
25:11Your unsweetened cocoa powder.
25:13I'm starting with the batter, the champagne cake batter.
25:16Mmm.
25:17The espresso powder is very fancy.
25:19Chai.
25:21Also very nice.
25:22Keep going.
25:23Keep going fast.
25:24One more of those big scoops and you're good.
25:26All right.
25:27I'm almost done.
25:27And then we can put them in the oven.
25:29Good, good, good, good.
25:31We just want to make sure we've got this in, then out, and cooled as quickly as possible.
25:36Is that okay?
25:38He's going to bake fast.
25:39All right.
25:41Sponge is in the oven.
25:42So I'm working on our sugar cookie dough.
25:50It's delicious.
25:51It's got almond in it.
25:52These are definitely the sugar cookies that I love to lay out for Santa.
25:56So I figured these would be perfect to decorate as the stockings that are going to go on our chimney.
26:04This will be for the meringue that we're going to place around our ballet scene here.
26:10So I'm going to make some trees and pipe them onto these popsicle sticks so then we can quickly place them once they are done baking.
26:17I'm going to check on these cakes.
26:20Good.
26:20Good?
26:21Yeah.
26:21Our cakes are finished.
26:26They're cooling.
26:26We're melting down our isomalt at the moment to make our snow globes.
26:30Because it's such a crucial element of the cake, I just want it to be done with so we could just pop it on the cake right before we present it to the judges.
26:37So today's my first day ever working with isomalt.
26:39So we'll see how it goes.
26:41To create their domes, the teams can either use sugar caramel.
26:45I've chosen granulated sugar, corn syrup and water and I chose that because I have not worked with isomalt before.
26:54We'll see.
26:55No promises.
26:56Or the less temperamental substitute, isomalt.
26:59So isomalt, as I understand it, has better clarity than going with sugar.
27:04So I am going to try this with isomalt.
27:09The thing is, when you're using different sugars to make sugar work, they react in different times.
27:14So if they use something like isomalt, it takes a lot longer to actually cool down and set than normal kind of sugar caramel.
27:21Oh, she's doing the water balloon method as well.
27:26All right.
27:27We have the same method.
27:29Yeah.
27:30I think a couple of the sugar domes look like they might be maybe not fully domed or a little bit small.
27:37Mm-hmm.
27:38I've also seen some domes that they went over it once, the sugar set and then they're kind of going over it again.
27:44So you get like little ripples and it's not going to be as clear as the other sugar domes where it's just one kind of thinner layer of isomalt or sugar and you can see really nicely inside.
27:58I would have liked to try the balloon because that looks like people got yours going at least.
28:03Um, but you know, we're out here trying to...
28:07I'ma let this bad boy cool to room temp before I'm allowed to touch her.
28:11Must be one of these or both of these.
28:15Okay.
28:16Just pop the balloon gently and let the water out.
28:19Yes, very gently to mama.
28:24She's never done it before.
28:26We all have to push ourselves today.
28:28Okay.
28:33Oh, I knew that was going to happen.
28:36I knew it.
28:38How are you looking, Susan?
28:39Oh!
28:40Shoot, shoot, shoot.
28:41Spin, spin, spin, spin.
28:43Uh-oh, the star fell on.
28:53It was on it.
28:54The whole thing shattered.
28:55It popped.
28:56The whole thing was cracked?
28:57The purple one did.
28:58I have the pink one on there.
29:00Okay, listen.
29:01I'm gonna go do that.
29:02Yeah.
29:03I think mom's feeling the pressure only because she wants to make me proud, but I'm already
29:07proud of her, of how far we've come, you know?
29:09But at the same token, I'm trying to make her proud.
29:12So, it's a two-way street.
29:1445 minutes left!
29:20That worked?
29:21It can be saved.
29:22It actually looks kind of cool.
29:23Looks kind of cool.
29:24It's water broke.
29:25Just have to move on.
29:26I have one that I think will work for what we need.
29:27Sally, Amy, how are you feeling?
29:28Hello.
29:29Hi.
29:30Great.
29:31Feeling busy.
29:32Feeling busy?
29:33Yeah.
29:34Yeah.
29:35Let's be honest.
29:36The night before Christmas, you're usually pretty busy.
29:37And we're still wrapping the presents.
29:38Yeah.
29:39What about your snow globe?
29:40Yeah, what's the scene?
29:41It's gonna be a little marzipan red rug, a little tree, some presents decorated.
29:46Santa's already been by.
29:47Oh, nice.
29:48And if you'll notice, it's named Becky's Winter Wonderland.
29:52I had a special needs sister.
29:53She couldn't hear and talk, but I was like, I'm going to go.
29:56We're not going to go.
29:57We're going to go.
29:58I'm going to go.
29:59I'm going to go.
30:00I'm going to go.
30:01I'm going to go.
30:02I'm going to go.
30:03I'm going to go.
30:04I'm going to go.
30:05I'm going to go.
30:06I'm going to go.
30:07I'm going to go.
30:08I'm a master.
30:09She couldn't hear and talk.
30:10But visual was very important to her.
30:11So my mom, through the years, bought her snow globes with different scenes in it.
30:16She loved them.
30:17So we thought snow globe, that makes me think of Becky.
30:20Becky's gone now.
30:21And each of us got a snow globe from Becky's collection.
30:25Well, we're going to keep that great Becky spirit alive.
30:28Okay.
30:29You know?
30:30I hope so.
30:31Good luck, guys.
30:32Thank you so much.
30:34Thank you so much.
30:36It's no storm.
30:37It's snowing.
30:39It's like milking a cow.
30:40There you go.
30:41You can take the boy out of the farm,
30:42but you can't take the farm out of the boy.
30:44So now we are getting our icing to color.
30:48We're going to next start on our crumb coat of our cake,
30:50and then I'm going to start icing our sugar cookies.
30:54Just starting to crumb coat our cake
30:57so that we can frost it and decorate it.
31:02Right now, I am making nice, pretty candy cane-colored layers
31:07for when Vaughn and Anna cut into the cake.
31:09They'll get an extra surprise.
31:11We want to be the star students of the day,
31:13so we're going for extra credit.
31:14We are.
31:15This is extra credit now.
31:16We just thought of this.
31:18So gold, gold, red, green, gold, white.
31:23So we are creating some of the characters from the Nutcracker,
31:28and with buttercream, adding them onto the upper tier
31:32of our two-tier cake.
31:34That's pretty cool.
31:3615 minutes!
31:39We have more coffee buttercream, right?
31:41Yeah.
31:42OK.
31:43How are you looking, Susan?
31:44I'm doing OK.
31:45OK, are you comfortable?
31:46Yep, I'm about to put the other layer on top of this.
31:48We're just going to.
31:49Do you need help, or you got it?
31:50I'm going to just do it, because I know you're busy, so.
31:52Thank you so much.
31:54Oh!
31:54Shoot, shoot, shoot.
31:55I had a similar situation just happened.
31:57Just keep moving it for me.
31:59Yes.
31:59Perfect.
32:01A little faster than that.
32:04Are you OK that we haven't popped the balloon yet, honey?
32:06Yeah.
32:07Can you do this?
32:07Yes.
32:08All right.
32:09Really thin on the top.
32:12Shoot.
32:13I hope that one's all right, because...
32:15It's fine.
32:16That's a good one.
32:17There's holes in the top.
32:18Just let it drain slow.
32:20OK, sir.
32:21Careful, careful.
32:23OK, that's nice.
32:24You got it?
32:25Yeah, but...
32:25All right, let's put it on top.
32:26That kind of works.
32:28Uh-oh, the star fell off.
32:29Here, let me put it back.
32:31Five minutes!
32:33Santa's pants.
32:36You better stay Santa.
32:40Perfect.
32:42I feel like our Christmas tree needs a little shush.
32:44Two minutes!
32:46Can you spin it, please?
32:48You're doing that one again?
32:49Yeah.
32:50Just spin.
32:50Spin, spin, spin.
32:51Sorry.
32:52Oh, another thing.
32:54That's good.
32:55OK, one more.
32:57One minute!
32:58Yep, just help me with this.
32:59Could you pull some trees for me, please?
33:01Get those snow globes on your boards!
33:04One minute, they said.
33:06OK, Susan, I'm just going to put the...
33:08Hold on.
33:09I'm putting her on.
33:10Yep, that's perfect.
33:11I'm down.
33:12How are you doing?
33:14Oh, the stocking just fell.
33:16What?
33:17I don't know.
33:18Is it OK?
33:20Cool, cool.
33:22Yeah.
33:23Let's take her off.
33:24I'll cover it.
33:25Time!
33:26OK.
33:27Susan and Solomon, we see you!
33:33Good job, the mama.
33:35It's fine.
33:36OK.
33:41With their ultimate festive bake complete,
33:46there's one last judging before determining our finalists.
33:50Rosa and Rosanna, so today we present to you our Vigila di Natale,
33:56also the night of Christmas Eve.
33:58I think it looks really good.
34:01I think your colours are lovely.
34:02I can see through your snow globe.
34:04I feel that seeing so much of the silver boards...
34:07OK.
34:08...kind of takes your eyes away from all the beautiful work that you've put in.
34:12Your piping is beautiful.
34:14OK.
34:18That's delicious.
34:20Oh my goodness.
34:22I love that.
34:24The raspberry cuts through.
34:26It all just works super, super well together.
34:28All of your flavours are elegant.
34:31Everything is kind of like high-fiving each other in the background
34:34as opposed to fighting for attention.
34:36That was delicious.
34:38Thank you guys so much.
34:40This is our waltz of the buttercream dancers, buttercream ballerinas.
34:44We have a chai and coffee cake flavouring.
34:48I definitely think there's flashes of brilliance.
34:52You can see that you have some really nice transfers here.
34:55I think your meringue lollipops look very nice,
34:59but the back is missing a few elements to it.
35:03Your sugar dome is difficult to see through.
35:06And then there's some icing missing.
35:09Mm-hmm.
35:10Oh, that's gorgeous.
35:11Mm.
35:14The cake itself has a really nice flavour.
35:17I'm getting a lot of those chai spices.
35:20Mm-hmm.
35:21I wish that the buttercream were a coffee buttercream.
35:23I think it would have really bolstered that flavour.
35:26The pipe work on the side is really impressive.
35:28And the meringue.
35:29Mm-hmm.
35:30Crispy and crunchy.
35:31Very nice.
35:34The flavour is a pink champagne cake.
35:36The little cookies are lemon crisp cookies
35:39that have a lemony royal icing.
35:43The thing was Becky's Winter Wonderland.
35:47You can eat it.
35:48Yes.
35:49That's Mom's late sister.
35:51My late sister, she was special needs and snow globes.
35:54That was her thing.
35:55So we call it Becky's Winter Wonderland.
35:58Yes.
35:59This cake just makes you really happy to look at.
36:02I love it.
36:03Being a champagne cake and being Becky's cake
36:06is such a celebration of life.
36:07I am very impressed that you've used sugar
36:10for your snow globe because it shows a lot more skill.
36:14And I think it gives a beautiful, brilliant effect.
36:19Look at the little pooch.
36:23I just thought it was the same as the...
36:24Oh!
36:25Oh!
36:26I love the look of that.
36:29Beautiful.
36:34I think it's great.
36:34Look at it.
36:35Yeah.
36:36The flavour is delicate.
36:38I think it's a smart use of lemon and other flavours
36:42to really bolster that champagne effect as well.
36:46So, really good job.
36:48It's great.
36:50I think it's still a little bit sweet.
36:51I just would've liked maybe an extra little flavour profile
36:55in there.
36:56OK.
36:57I think, visually-wise, it's stunning.
36:59And the love and the heartbeat of what Christmas represents,
37:03100%.
37:04Remembering the people who matter to us.
37:06I have, in my life, had many people who have extra needs,
37:10who are so celebrated and so loved,
37:14and their stories have to be told,
37:16because they're such a vital part for our society
37:19and what makes us better people.
37:20Yes.
37:21I mean, that's-that's true.
37:29Amazing job, ladies.
37:33Last but not least, Gabriel and Ben.
37:35All right.
37:37Christmas Eve is all about Santa Claus coming down the chimney.
37:41And our flavours being incorporated for our favourite
37:44beverage is a hot cocoa cake and a peppermint buttercream.
37:49Like, wow.
37:50Yeah.
37:51It's so good.
37:52Your cookies look great.
37:54Such amazing flooding.
37:56Oh, thank you.
37:57That is so skillful.
37:58OK.
37:59Ooh.
38:00Oh.
38:01Yeah.
38:02Oh.
38:03Look how cute that is.
38:04Oh, my goodness.
38:05Oh, my goodness.
38:06Oh, my goodness.
38:07Oh, that's fantastic, guys.
38:09Well, where I come from, we call this flexing.
38:13It's the same thing here.
38:18It's so good.
38:19It's so good.
38:20The sponge is really nice and moist without being dense.
38:24And the buttercream is really light.
38:26It really does taste like a mug of hot cocoa with peppermint in it.
38:30It's so good.
38:31I think the creativity in it was excellent.
38:33The only thing I will say is that your sugar dome was a little bit damaged,
38:37but we could see through it.
38:39So that was good.
38:40All in all, this has to be one of the best bakes that we've seen in the competition.
38:46Wow.
38:48Get down there, Santa.
38:49They deserve it.
38:50They need their present.
38:52Amazing job, guys.
38:54And to hear that feedback at this point in the competition, that was worth $50,000.
39:02It was worth $100,000.
39:04My biggest goal was to actually get to this point.
39:07We gave it our best, and we're just happy to make it to this point.
39:11Next week's the final, and if we do get to go, I'd just be so incredibly proud of ourselves.
39:18It's incredibly surreal.
39:19It's a very surreal moment.
39:29Today was a really technical day.
39:31I feel like everyone rose to the occasion.
39:34Yes.
39:35Today really felt like a semifinal.
39:37They all really impressed me.
39:39I mean, to think of how far these teams have come from week one, I just can't believe it.
39:44Yeah.
39:45They are just inspirational.
39:47So do you have an idea of who you think might be going home?
39:51I think it's difficult because they've all improved so much.
39:55But I think maybe there's a team that might have dropped the ball a little bit.
40:03Bakers, what a magical day it's been.
40:06You brought Christmas Eve to life with your skill, your imagination, and every bake has such a beautiful story.
40:16Judges, what did you think?
40:18It's really making me proud to see how far all of you have come in this competition.
40:25Amy and Sally, starting off the competition so strongly, there's a lot of mounting pressure.
40:31But the last couple of weeks, I have really seen that spark come back in both of you.
40:37And you're making Alabama proud.
40:39Rosa and Rosanna, the first couple of weeks, you were just nailing it.
40:44And then you just had a dip.
40:46And I was so worried that you'd give up the fight.
40:50But resilient returners, you just take the knocks and you keep coming back.
40:55Well done.
40:56Thank you so much.
40:57Susan and Salman, you came in with tempered chocolate and it blew my mind.
41:02I consider you flavor alchemists.
41:06Sometimes the timing is the thing that gives me a little bit of heart palpitations.
41:12But the precision in executing flavor has always been there.
41:18Gabriel and Ben, you just scare us and then wow us back in week two.
41:25It was like 15 minutes to go, there's gonna be no cookies.
41:29You should be very proud of your comeback kid status.
41:34Okay, it is the semi-finals.
41:37Only three pairs can move forward.
41:41So sadly, one pair will have to say goodbye.
41:48The pair that will be going home today is Susan and Salman.
41:58Please hang up your aprons and come and say goodbye.
42:03We are so sorry to see you go, but we really hope you continue to bake at home with love.
42:16What a whirlwind.
42:17Yeah.
42:18We had a good run.
42:19We are just still so in awe that we made it all this way.
42:23And what other feeling could you have besides gratitude?
42:27I'm just so proud that I really feel like we earned our spot in the finale.
42:32Yes.
42:33Our family will be proud of us.
42:35They'll be excited to see us go into the finals.
42:40This is the biggest challenge that we're gonna face yet.
42:43The cakes are getting bigger.
42:45The judges are getting more strict about what they're looking for.
42:48And so, you know, this is far from over.
42:51We've got a lot of work to do next week.
42:55M
42:58Let's see you next week.
43:00Let's leave.
43:01태ore
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