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Baked With Love: Holiday - Season 1 Episode 7 - The Night Before Christmas
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00:08T'was the night before Christmas on our show Baked With Love.
00:12Four pairs of contestants compete for what they've dreamed of,
00:16making their families cherish festive bakes a place in the final.
00:21There can be no mistakes.
00:22So settle down on the sofa with something sweet.
00:25You're in for a joyous Christmas treat.
00:28This is Baked With Love.
00:36Last week...
00:37Can't see.
00:39The teams tried to keep a cool head.
00:41This is okay.
00:42No, they're not hard.
00:43But struggled with their cold cheesecakes.
00:46It reminds me of a shard of glass stabbing this and the blood running out.
00:51Oh, no.
00:52That's not a white Christmas.
00:54Amy and Sally impressed with their baked Alaska.
00:57I mean, well done.
00:58But there was a meltdown for the rest.
01:01Oh.
01:02Didn't freeze at all.
01:03It's literally dying.
01:04And one more team left the competition.
01:07Marco and Steven.
01:09Woo!
01:14Woo!
01:15Semi-finals.
01:17So many things went into getting here.
01:20It's kind of unbelievable that it's here.
01:23Today feels like the day of competition.
01:25Today we really need to bring everything we've got just to be able to get to the finale.
01:29Does that feel good?
01:30Yeah.
01:31It's great.
01:31Perfect.
01:32I'm really getting to do this.
01:33We are in the semi-finals and amazingly happy.
01:37Today is very much that anticipation and excitement and nervousness of Christmas Eve.
01:43And so we're just hoping that Central will come through for us and that we will be here for that
01:48finale.
01:50Well, welcome back, semi-finalist teams.
01:53Woo!
01:53You 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.
02:20Hi.
02:21Good 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.
02:40Oh, I love that.
02:42Very magnificent.
02:43You call them macaron.
02:45In Ireland, we call them macaroons.
02:46I like to say macaron because I like to feel like I am French.
02:50Oh, you're fancy, girl.
02:52We want 12 perfectly identical macaroons in size, shape, and color.
03:01You need two fillings, one that is a chocolate ganache, and the other one can be a curd, a jam,
03:07or a homemade spread.
03:09What's really important is that you give yourself enough time to do really beautiful finesse finishing on top of your
03:17macaroons.
03:18Okay, good luck, everyone.
03:20Stay calm and macarons.
03:25You have an hour and 45 minutes for this challenge.
03:29Off you go.
03:30All right, here we go.
03:32Have you guys made this before?
03:34No, sir.
03:35This is our first time making macaroons, but we're excited.
03:38Okay.
03:39Do you think that's enough to make the confo?
03:41I think so.
03:42Yeah.
03:42I'm not experienced in macarons, but there's a first time for everything.
03:47Preheat oven to 300.
03:51So I'm mixing up some pistachios, a little bit of cocoa nibs, pour in some tahini for hold, and this
03:57is inspired by my dad's famous nut spreads.
04:01Hopefully I could make him proud here.
04:04Susan and Salmon.
04:05Oh, those look great, Susan.
04:07Thank you, Chef.
04:07Have been consistently strong with their flavors.
04:10I love that.
04:11I think that's really good.
04:12But issues with timing and finesse could cost them a place in the final.
04:18If you'd had more time, I think you would have executed it well.
04:22Okay, we can't get too caught here right now.
04:24I know.
04:25A macaron, there's definitely a lot that could go wrong.
04:29What could go wrong in this is in the macaronage itself, which is the actual act of mixing the macaron
04:35better.
04:36When they're folding in their Italian meringue mix, if they underfold it, the macaroons will not work.
04:41It will not work.
04:42You cannot have any type of roughness in there.
04:45But if you overwork it, then they become sloppy and wet.
04:48So what you want is to have this perfect balance of a light, crisp coating and a lovely, soft center.
04:55It's the semi-final.
04:56There's a lot at stake for them.
04:58We don't want an easy challenge where everybody just nails it and then you go, oh, well.
05:01Oh, okay.
05:02It has to be tough.
05:04Come on.
05:06So far, all I've done for this entire challenge is sieve.
05:10You've got a sieve.
05:11It's important, apparently.
05:13Gabriel and Ben.
05:14Our oven was not on.
05:15Often struggled in the surprise challenge.
05:18Our dough is not going well and I don't know what we're going to do.
05:21But after turning a corner.
05:23You got this.
05:24Christmas.
05:25They improved their time management.
05:27I am in awe of you.
05:29My comeback kids.
05:30That's right.
05:31But is this enough to secure a place in the final?
05:33I love it.
05:34I think it's really good.
05:35Great job, guys.
05:36Yeah, great job.
05:37We will sieve.
05:38We will keep calm and sieve on.
05:41Doing all this sifting makes me think this is just going to be a very delicate, delicate shell.
05:47We're going to have to pipe with ease.
05:51When I mentioned macarons, you seemed really excited.
05:54We actually made them together for our wedding because we had a Christmas time wedding.
05:58What they really love about you two is the fact that you do go for it with your flavors.
06:03Are those pistachios?
06:05They are.
06:05So you're doing pistachios and dates?
06:07Dates, cocoa nibs, tahini.
06:10Your flavors are very diverse.
06:13And that's what I think sets you guys apart.
06:16Fingers crossed.
06:17Bye.
06:18Bye.
06:21When we think of Christmas Eve, we think of a Christmas Eve dinner, and we do Feast of
06:25the Seven Fishes, which involves a lot of lemons and herbs.
06:29So we're going to do a white chocolate ganache with a lemon and thyme curd.
06:34A lot of Christmas desserts can be a little heavy, so it's nice to have that one refreshing
06:38dish.
06:40Drawing on their heritage flavors.
06:42Beautiful.
06:43Italian food?
06:44You can't ever go wrong.
06:45Rosa and Rosanna have consistently wowed the judges.
06:51That is amazing.
06:53It's the kind of cookie that gets you in trouble.
06:55But their communication will need improvement.
06:58What did I do wrong?
07:00You were supposed to put it on opposite sides to make it look like a sandwich.
07:03I did.
07:04No.
07:04If they're to reach the final.
07:06Yes, mother.
07:07Good job.
07:07Okay.
07:12There we go.
07:13Okay, so macaron.
07:14How are you feeling?
07:15Have you made them before?
07:17We have not.
07:18Never made, enjoyed eating quite a few.
07:20Yes.
07:21Love to eat them, never made them.
07:22But we're going to incorporate strawberry and dark chocolate.
07:27Oh, yum.
07:27We love strawberries and chocolate together.
07:29It's a romantic flavor.
07:31Paris being a special place for us kind of makes this an extra fun one.
07:35I'm really excited to try everything that you're making today.
07:37Good luck.
07:38Balance out timing in addition to precision.
07:41Yes.
07:41Timing for sure.
07:43Come on.
07:43Come on.
07:46The water and the sugar, is it on, mommy?
07:49Yes, it is.
07:49It's boiling.
07:50I just have to pour the sugar into the egg white.
07:53We are currently making the Italian meringue to fold into our macaroni mixture.
07:59I'm just whipping the meringue until we get stiff peaks here, which were just about there.
08:04Then I'm going to fold it into our flour-sugar mixture with egg.
08:11And then we're about ready to go.
08:14Semifinals.
08:15Y'all are coming in on a high note, which is great.
08:18Last week was really fantastic.
08:22I'm really proud of you guys.
08:23Okay, so macarons.
08:25Yes.
08:26How are we feeling?
08:27I feel all right right now.
08:29I'm working on getting the actual shells made.
08:31Mom's working on the compote.
08:33I always err on the side of making more shells because you never know.
08:37Amy and Sally set an early high bar.
08:39Coming first in the last round adds a little more pressure.
08:43She's in.
08:44Let's say a little prayer.
08:46But after playing it safe too many times...
08:49I'm over the vanilla with the vanilla frosting.
08:52And their bold new approach.
08:54We're working on flavor.
08:55That's our focus.
08:56See them through.
09:00It's starting to thicken up.
09:02I have to make sure you don't get it too gummy.
09:04We are folding our Italian meringue into our almond-based mixture.
09:09For our macaroons.
09:11Because you don't want to over or under mix according to the recipe.
09:14We're folding.
09:15Preserving all of that air that we just incorporated into our egg whites.
09:19So it's all in the flick of the wrist.
09:23Do you feel good about the texture?
09:25Yeah, this is good stiff peaks.
09:27Okay, let's get that piped.
09:28And then just pipe like the wind.
09:32So I am making the tops and the bottoms of the macaroons now.
09:36It's a little tricky.
09:38Take your time with these.
09:39This is very important.
09:40They're all consistent, right?
09:41Pipe and flick.
09:43This is tough.
09:44The batter's too loose, so it's still creating peaks when I do that.
09:48It's okay.
09:49You just gotta keep going.
09:50Okay, we'll just leave it.
09:51They're fine.
09:51They're all setting anyway.
09:52Let's pop them in the oven.
09:55You are halfway through.
09:59Mommy, since I have both ovens done and I have so much, I'm just going to make two batches just
10:03in case.
10:03Yep.
10:04But I need you to really focus.
10:09I have messed up.
10:13I grabbed the wrong sugar.
10:14I'm going to have to redo that or they're not going to cook.
10:19I was supposed to combine the icing sugar and the ground almond and I did not.
10:24I need help.
10:25Okay, let's go.
10:26We can stop what we're doing and fix it.
10:29Lord, help me.
10:30I'm struggling.
10:32You're fine.
10:33It's okay.
10:35All right, let's ganache.
10:37Go.
10:38Go work.
10:38These all cracked.
10:40I need to make another tray.
10:41No, honey, we have so many extra.
10:42Come on, come on.
10:43You got this.
10:50With 45 minutes left, most macarons are baking in the oven.
10:54Well, they're cuties.
10:56Bunch of cuties in there.
10:57We need another mixing bowl up here because we've got to make egg whites and the dough separate.
11:02I thought it was all one bowl.
11:03Okay.
11:04Sorry, Mom, I just didn't.
11:06That's fine.
11:07I accidentally mixed an ingredient wrong.
11:11I'm glad I discovered it before I went all the way through.
11:13So we're getting a fresh start.
11:16We have definitely practiced communicating, even though we're under a time constraint,
11:22to take our time to read our recipe.
11:25At the end of the day, it's just cake and cookies and pies.
11:28So there's no need for us to get upset with each other.
11:31100.
11:33Thanks, Mom.
11:34No problem.
11:35I'm just about to turn on my turbojet.
11:38What are you making there?
11:39What's that?
11:39I'm making the curd for our macaroons.
11:42Is it lemon?
11:43It's lemon and thyme.
11:46I'm making the curd for our macaroons.
11:47So what are the other flavors in the macaroons?
11:49White chocolate ganache.
11:50Gorgeous.
11:51Keep up the good work, guys.
11:52I'm looking forward to your macaroons.
11:53Thank you so much, Leslie.
11:57They're working?
11:57They're getting little feet.
11:59They bake quickly, which is good.
12:01They're like your babies.
12:02With cakes, with anything, really, the edges bake the quickest.
12:06So the ones on the edges are kind of the sacrificial lambs.
12:09They're blowing up, like, literally.
12:10They have a lot of air and a lot of heat that hits them first.
12:13But the ones in the center, no cracks.
12:15They have their feet.
12:16They are doing what they're supposed to.
12:19I think being part of people's lives through baking is really fun and rewarding to serve
12:24people food.
12:24And it's something that you've made.
12:26And it's something special and kind of elevated in a way that desserts, they're just a little
12:31extra fancy.
12:32They're a little extra fun compared to other foods.
12:35We love all food.
12:36But desserts, we get an extra love.
12:39Man, those all cracked, Gabby.
12:42It's fine.
12:42They count how many are good, and that's all we need.
12:44I think we overcooked these a little bit because they cracked.
12:48Gabby, I think I'm going to put another batch in.
12:50Okay.
12:52All right.
12:54We have macarons, people.
12:55Yay, macarons.
12:5730 minutes left!
12:59I haven't even got ours cooked.
13:0130 minutes.
13:0330 minutes.
13:05We'll do eight minutes on these guys.
13:07All right, are we close, Mom?
13:09Okay.
13:0939, 240.
13:12Thank you, Mom.
13:13You're welcome.
13:13But it's not too much of this, right?
13:15But it has to have the flavor in there.
13:17Okay.
13:21All right, we're there with the meringue, Mom.
13:24Okay, get those in.
13:28How's it coming?
13:30I don't know.
13:30They both came out the same.
13:31It's the best I could do.
13:33I don't think we have time to make another batch.
13:34No.
13:35That'll be too warm.
13:36I'm just going to keep what we have.
13:37Oh, these all cracked.
13:39Well, not all of them.
13:40So the good ones we'll keep.
13:42I mean, we have so many.
13:42Another tray.
13:43No, honey, we have so many extra.
13:45Baby, I think I'm going to put another batch in.
13:47Bubby.
13:48I just feel like we don't have a lot of good ones.
13:51Ben is making another batch.
13:53He wants to be certain we've got perfect macaroons that aren't split.
13:57I think he just wants a couple solid ones.
13:59I think they are, but he's striving for perfection here, and I applaud that.
14:05You're going in.
14:07You need to really keep an eye on those little boogers.
14:09Okay, they're rising.
14:11I don't know if I should make another ganache.
14:12I don't really like it at all.
14:14No, there's no time.
14:17Not even to make like a quick one?
14:19If you make it, like really quick.
14:22All right, we need to pull that next batch out.
14:26Ten minutes!
14:27You have ten minutes left!
14:29Here, let me have it.
14:31Go.
14:31Go work.
14:32Just do a tree?
14:33Yeah, a tree.
14:34And then we'll dot it with gold.
14:35Okay.
14:35Oh, goodness.
14:37We just got to start decorating, I think.
14:38All right, let's go.
14:42So at the moment, we're currently redoing our ganache,
14:44because I'm not quite happy with how the first batch turned out.
14:47Back to square one.
14:48All right, that's 12, I believe.
14:50Okay, here's the white chocolate.
14:53Okay, here's the ganache.
14:55Just go like the wind.
14:56And I'm going to follow behind you with the cream cheese.
14:58All right, let's ganache.
15:00Five minutes!
15:01Perfect.
15:02Just go fast, go fast, go fast, go fast.
15:03Let me clean this one.
15:04It's coming out.
15:05So then just get another one.
15:06Don't even clean it.
15:07If it's coming out, just get another one.
15:09Very careful.
15:10Mm-hmm.
15:12Someone, this is too thick.
15:14Okay, Susan, we've got to get it on.
15:16Yep.
15:16Come on, come on.
15:17You got this, girl.
15:18One minute!
15:19Oh, God.
15:19One minute!
15:21Come on, Sally, get it on.
15:23Okay, just get them all topped and pretty.
15:25Cute.
15:26Oh, I love them so much.
15:27Nothing like a little hairspray to hold it in place.
15:30How about, like, a little swirl?
15:32Silver swirl?
15:33Just have some of my hustle.
15:35Roast petals.
15:36These are just signifying your romance.
15:38The dish.
15:39Okay, that's good, honey.
15:40There's no wiping.
15:41There's no wiping.
15:41There's no wiping.
15:42Just leave it, please.
15:43Don't touch it?
15:44You want powder sugar?
15:45Nope.
15:46Make it snow?
15:46Nope.
15:47Don't touch.
15:48Don't touch.
15:49Time's up.
15:49Step away from your macarons.
15:53Wow.
15:54Oh, sorry.
15:56Oh, we're done.
15:58I'm so proud of you.
16:05Sally and Amy, please tell the judges about your macarons.
16:09The flavors are white chocolate ganache.
16:11The filling is a mixed berry compote.
16:15These are gorgeous.
16:16They look like they were professionally made.
16:18Wow.
16:19Okay.
16:20Oh, that looks really good.
16:21Yeah, that's a nice cross-section.
16:22I think they've got a really nice texture.
16:24The acidity of your jam is exactly what you need with a macaroon, because macaroons are sweet.
16:30I just think they are absolutely stunning.
16:33Thank you so much.
16:34Great job.
16:35Well done.
16:36Good job.
16:39Inside of the macarons incorporates a ring of chocolate ganache, and inside of that we have a dollop of pistachio
16:46spread.
16:47I love the trees.
16:48I think the trees are so cute.
16:51Also, your plating is really nice.
16:53It's clever.
16:53Yeah.
16:54Are we going for the same one?
16:54Oh, yeah.
16:55I was going to go for that one.
16:58Wow.
17:00I do actually really like this.
17:01I think often with pairing it with something that's, like, acidic to balance those, but you paired it with kind
17:08of like a nut butter of sorts, which I think is really nice.
17:11I think the flavor is so delicious.
17:13I just wish you'd made them a little bit bigger, because I think the bake would have been more even.
17:17I still think it's a great attempt at a macaroon.
17:23We have a strawberry cream cheese filling and a dark chocolate salted ganache.
17:30I do think that the powdered sugar is maybe not necessary.
17:36The presentation's nice with the rose petals, but, yeah, you haven't really decorated them.
17:41You know, my top shell is really rather baked.
17:46I think because you made them smaller, you were in the risk of over-baking them.
17:50I do like the flavor, though.
17:51I think you had a good use of the acidity of the strawberry and the bitterness of the chocolate kind
17:55of helps balance out the macaroon.
17:56It's too crunchy.
17:59It is too crunchy, and it's a little bit dry.
18:00You can see it.
18:01I think that they've just been in the oven too long.
18:04But the flavor is good.
18:05Mm, yeah, the flavor's nice.
18:08Good job, honey bear.
18:11Inside is a lemon and thyme cream with a white chocolate ganache.
18:16I'm excited to try them, because lemon and thyme sounds delicious.
18:19You do see some that are bigger than others.
18:23They're not all quite uniform.
18:25So you do have some filling that is spilling out, and also your ganache does look split.
18:31Yes.
18:32There is a little bit of inconsistency with some colors.
18:35I think they look really good.
18:37I think your white chocolate looks like, can you see the way it's a little bit grainy?
18:41I liked the flavor a lot.
18:43I loved that thyme in there.
18:44It was a really nice flavor to get.
18:46And very innovative.
18:47Texturally wise, if you eat this, you'll enjoy it.
18:50Like, it is really nice, but it's a little bit chewier than I would expect.
18:57One of those times where we're like, yeah, we're in a competition.
18:59They didn't explode.
19:00That is just a win for us.
19:03Next time, we would not make a chocolate ganache out of white chocolate.
19:07I think the feeling that I would describe myself right now, feeling is relief.
19:12With capital letters, relief.
19:14Yes.
19:15That was definitely the low point for us, but we still held it together.
19:18They still said it was good flavors.
19:20It's the semifinals, and we've worked so hard to be here.
19:23And I think we're not ready to go home.
19:25We have the same method.
19:26Yeah.
19:27Last bake of the semifinal.
19:28Three hours long.
19:30I have a little surprise for you.
19:33Y'all are good.
19:42Welcome back to the barn, guys.
19:44Now it's time for your ultimate festive baking challenge.
19:48But before we begin, I have a little surprise for you.
19:53Salman and Susan.
19:55Hi, Susan and Salman.
19:56Are you surprised to see us?
19:58Well, we are really surprised you made it this far into the competition.
20:02Come on.
20:03Okay, I'm just kidding.
20:05We miss you.
20:06We love you.
20:07And I wish you all the best for the rest of the show.
20:10Good luck.
20:11Bye.
20:14That's pretty cool.
20:16Hi, girls.
20:17I know y'all are doing well.
20:18I couldn't be prouder for both of you.
20:21I just want to let you know I'm cheering for you.
20:23And you'll do great.
20:26I love you.
20:27And have a great day.
20:29Hi, Mommy.
20:30Hi, Rosanna.
20:31You guys are doing great.
20:33We love and we miss you so, so much.
20:35You're almost there.
20:36You got this.
20:37Oh, goodness gracious.
20:38Hey, Gaby, Ben, and Baby B.
20:40We want you to know that we are rooting for you and we are so excited to see the results.
20:45And you know you'll always be our family's top baker.
20:49We love you.
20:50We love you.
20:51I love you.
20:54Y'all are good.
20:57Ah, you guys are all truly, truly loved.
21:01Now, the theme for this week is the night before Christmas.
21:04So, judges, what festive treats would you like our teams to make for their ultimate festive baking challenge?
21:12We would like you to make a Christmas snow globe inspired by the night before Christmas.
21:18It must have two tiers and each tier must have two layers.
21:22And the decoration needs to be exquisite.
21:25We would like the flavors of this cake to be inspired by your favorite festive holiday beverage.
21:32The sugared dome on top will create the effect of a snow globe encapsulating your night before Christmas scene.
21:40That is so cool.
21:42Yeah.
21:43I love that.
21:43I cannot wait to see your Christmas Eve scenes.
21:46You have three hours for this challenge and a place in the final is at stake here.
21:53So, good luck, everyone, and off you go.
21:59We got this to mama.
22:01All right, I got the mixer.
22:03There you go.
22:05The last bake of the semifinal.
22:07Three hours long.
22:11Our bacon is being inspired by a rainbow cookie espresso martini that we make during Christmas time.
22:17The sponge itself is just almond, and then the espresso flavor comes from the buttercream, and we're going to make
22:22a raspberry compote to go with it as well.
22:24All of our flavors have proven to be true time and time again, so I'm not worried about the flavor
22:29combination.
22:34We are making a hot chocolate peppermint cake made with hot chocolate poured into it.
22:40With peppermint chocolate buttercream.
22:43The inspiration behind the cake is for Ben and I's big family party every year.
22:48Him and I sub in for Santa and Mrs. Claus.
22:52The moment where I knew that Gaby was the one was our Christmas party with my family where she dressed
22:58up as Mrs. Claus and I was Mr. Claus.
23:00And just the way that she committed to the role and that moment for me was like, that was everything.
23:06We actually are going to carve the cake into a chimney with a fireplace on it, and at the top
23:13we're going to have Santa going down the chimney.
23:16Yeah, this is a fun one for us.
23:18Hi ladies.
23:19Hi.
23:20What is your signature drink that is inspiring?
23:23Pink champagne.
23:26The flavor is a pink champagne cake.
23:29The little cookies are lemon crisp cookies that have a lemony royal icing.
23:34Gathering with family and cheersing to Christmas and the whole season that we've been working towards celebrating.
23:41Treat yourself.
23:42Absolutely.
23:47So tell us, what's the flavors in your Christmas snow globe?
23:51It's chai and espresso powder coming together in marbled cake layers for the base and the top tier.
23:57And the upper tier will have buttercream transfers.
23:59So you've gone for three layers in each tier.
24:03Yes.
24:03Okay.
24:03So you're making it harder for yourself.
24:05I know.
24:06We keep doing that.
24:07You guys always do seem to really just make things a little bit more difficult.
24:10So, you know, you sound like you've got a lot to be doing.
24:13We do.
24:14Good luck.
24:15I feel like when you go back home, you're going to bake so quickly.
24:18I'm going to bake quickly.
24:19Yeah.
24:20I'm going to think I'm on a timer for the rest of my baking life.
24:22Your unsweetened cocoa powder.
24:24I'm starting with the batter.
24:26The champagne cake batter.
24:27Mmm.
24:28The espresso powder is very fancy.
24:31Chai.
24:32Also very nice.
24:33Keep going.
24:34Keep going fast.
24:35One more of those big scoops and you're good.
24:37All right.
24:38I'm almost done.
24:38And then we can put them in the oven.
24:39Good, good, good, good.
24:41We just want to make sure we've got this in, then out, and cooled as quickly as possible.
24:47Is that okay?
24:48He's going to bake fast.
24:50All right.
24:52Let's bring this in the oven.
24:57So I'm working on our sugar cookie dough.
25:00It's delicious.
25:01It's got almond in it.
25:02These are definitely the sugar cookies that I love to lay out for Santa.
25:06So I figured these would be perfect to decorate as the stockings that are going to go on our
25:13chimney.
25:14This will be for the meringue that we're going to place around our ballet scene here.
25:20So I'm going to make some trees and pipe them onto these popsicle sticks.
25:23So then we can quickly place them once they are done baking.
25:27I'm going to check on these cakes.
25:29Good.
25:29Good?
25:30Yeah.
25:34Our cakes are finished.
25:35They're cooling.
25:36We're melting down our isomalt at the moment to make our snow globes.
25:39Because it's such a crucial element of the cake, I just want it to be done with.
25:42So we could just top it on the cake right before we present it to the judges.
25:46Today's my first day ever working with isomalt.
25:48So we'll see how it goes.
25:50To create their domes, the teams can either use sugar caramel.
25:54I've chosen granulated sugar, corn syrup, and water.
25:58And I chose that because I have not worked with isomalt before.
26:02We'll see.
26:03No promises.
26:04Or the less temperamental substitute, isomalt.
26:07So isomalt, as I understand it, has better clarity than going with sugar.
26:11So I am going to try this with isomalt.
26:16The thing is, when you're using different sugars to make sugar work, they react at different times.
26:22So if they use something like isomalt, it takes a lot longer to actually cool down and set than normal
26:27kind of sugar caramel.
26:30Oh, she's doing the water balloon method as well.
26:32All right.
26:34We have the same method.
26:35Yeah.
26:37I think a couple of the sugar domes look like they might be maybe not fully domed or a little
26:43bit small.
26:43Mm-hmm.
26:44I've also seen some domes that they went over it once, the sugar set, and then they're kind of going
26:50over it again.
26:50So you get like little ripples and it's not going to be as clear as the other sugar domes where
26:57it's just one kind of thinner layer of isomalt or sugar and you can see really nicely inside.
27:04I would have liked to try the balloon because that looks like people got yours going at least.
27:09But, you know, we're out here trying to...
27:13I'm going to let this bad boy cool to room temp before I'm allowed to touch her.
27:17Must be one of these or both of these.
27:21Okay.
27:22Just pop the balloon gently and let the water out.
27:24Yes, very gently to mama.
27:29She's never done it before.
27:31We all have to push ourselves today.
27:32Okay.
27:38Oh, I knew that was going to happen.
27:41I knew it.
27:42How are you looking, Susan?
27:44Oh!
27:44Shoot, shoot, shoot.
27:46Spin, spin, spin, spin.
27:47Uh-oh, the star fell off.
27:57It was on it.
27:58The whole thing shattered.
28:00It popped.
28:00The whole thing was cracked.
28:02The purple one did.
28:03I have the pink one on there.
28:04Okay, listen.
28:05I'm going to go do that.
28:06Yeah.
28:06I think mom's feeling the pressure only because she wants to make me proud, but I'm already proud of her,
28:11of how far we've come, you know?
28:12But at the same token, I'm trying to make her proud.
28:15So, it's a two-way street.
28:18Forty-five minutes left!
28:23Is that weird?
28:28It can be saved.
28:31Actually looks kind of cool.
28:32Looks kind of cool.
28:34It's water broke.
28:36Just have to move on.
28:38I have one that I think will work for what we need.
28:42Sally, Amy, how are you feeling?
28:44Great.
28:45Feeling busy.
28:46Feeling busy?
28:46Yeah.
28:47Let's be honest.
28:47The night before Christmas, you're usually pretty busy.
28:49And we're still wrapping the presents.
28:51Yeah.
28:51What about your snow globe?
28:53Yeah, what's the scene?
28:54It's going to be a little marzipan red rug, a little tree, some presents decorated.
29:00Santa's already been by.
29:01Oh, nice.
29:02And if you'll notice, it's named Becky's Winter Wonderland.
29:06I had a special needs sister.
29:08She couldn't hear and talk, but visual was very important to her.
29:12So, my mom, through the years, bought her snow globes with different scenes in it.
29:17She loved them.
29:18So, without snow globes, that makes me think of Becky.
29:21Becky's gone now, and each of us got a snow globe from Becky's collection.
29:25Well, we're going to keep that great Becky spirit alive.
29:29Okay.
29:29I hope so.
29:31Good luck, guys.
29:32Thank you so much.
29:37Snowstorm.
29:37It's snowing.
29:39It's like milking a cow.
29:40There you go.
29:41You can take the boy out of the farm, but you can't take the farmer out of the boy.
29:44So, now we are getting our icing to color.
29:47We're going to next start on our crumb coat of our cake, and then I'm going to start icing
29:52our sugar cookies.
29:54Just starting to crumb coat our cake so that we can frost it and decorate it.
30:01Right now, I am making nice, pretty candy cane colored layers for when Vaughn and Anna cut
30:08into the cake.
30:08They'll get an extra surprise.
30:10We want to be the star students of the day.
30:12Yeah.
30:12So, we're going for extra credit.
30:13We are.
30:14This is extra credit now.
30:15We just thought of this.
30:17So, gold.
30:18Gold, red, green.
30:20Gold, white, green, white.
30:21Right.
30:22So, we are creating some of the characters from the nutcracker, and with buttercream,
30:28adding them onto the upper tier of our two-tier cake.
30:32That's pretty cool.
30:3415 minutes!
30:37We have more coffee buttercream, right?
30:39Yeah.
30:39Okay.
30:40How are you looking, Susan?
30:42I'm doing okay.
30:43Okay.
30:43Are you comfortable?
30:44Yep.
30:44I'm about to put the other layer on top of this.
30:46We're just going to...
30:47Do you need help or you got it?
30:48I'm going to just do it because I know you're busy, so...
30:50Thank you so much.
30:51Oh!
30:52Shoot.
30:52Shoot.
30:53Shoot.
30:53I had a similar situation just happened.
30:55Just keep moving it for me.
30:56Yes.
30:57Perfect.
30:58A little faster than that.
31:01Are you okay that we haven't popped the balloon yet, honey?
31:03Yeah.
31:04Can you do this?
31:04Yes.
31:05All right.
31:06Really thin on the top.
31:09Shoot.
31:10I hope that one's all right because...
31:12It's fine.
31:12That's a good one.
31:13There's holes in the top.
31:14Just let it drain slow.
31:17I guess, man.
31:17Careful.
31:19Okay.
31:20Okay.
31:20That's nice.
31:21You got it?
31:21Yeah, but...
31:22Let's put it on top.
31:23That kind of works.
31:24Uh-oh.
31:25The star fell off.
31:26Here, let me put it back.
31:27Five minutes!
31:30Santa's pants.
31:32You better stay Santa.
31:35Perfect.
31:37I feel like our Christmas tree needs a little shush.
31:40Two minutes!
31:42Can you spin it, please?
31:44You're doing that one again?
31:44Yeah.
31:45Just spin.
31:45Spin, spin, spin.
31:47Oh.
31:48Another thing.
31:49That's good.
31:51Okay.
31:51One more.
31:52One minute!
31:53Yep.
31:54Just help me with this.
31:55Could you pull some trees for me, please?
31:56Get those snow globes on your boards!
32:00One minute, they said.
32:02Okay, Susan, I'm just gonna put the...
32:03Hold on.
32:04I'm putting her on.
32:05Yep, that's perfect.
32:06Come on, come on, come on, come on!
32:07And then...
32:08Oh!
32:09The stocking just fell.
32:11What?
32:11I don't know.
32:12Is it okay?
32:15Cool, cool.
32:17Let's take her off.
32:18I'll cover it.
32:19Time!
32:21Okay.
32:22Susan and Solomon, we see you!
32:26Good job, the mama.
32:29It's fine.
32:30Okay.
32:37With their ultimate festive bake complete, there's one last judging before determining our finalists.
32:44Rosa and Rosanna, so today we present to you our Vigila di Natale, also the night of Christmas Eve.
32:52I think it looks really good.
32:54I think your colors are lovely.
32:55I can see through your snow globe.
32:57I feel that seeing so much of the silver boards...
33:00Okay.
33:01...kind of takes your eyes away from all the beautiful work that you've put in.
33:04Your piping is beautiful.
33:06Okay.
33:10That's delicious.
33:12Aw!
33:13Oh my goodness.
33:13I love that.
33:16The raspberry cuts through.
33:18It all just works super, super well together.
33:20All of your flavors are elegant.
33:23Everything is kind of like high-fiving each other in the background as opposed to fighting for attention.
33:28That was delicious.
33:29Thank you guys so much.
33:31This is our waltz of the buttercream dancers, buttercream ballerinas.
33:36We have a chai and coffee cake flavoring.
33:40I definitely think there's flashes of brilliance.
33:43You can see that you have some really nice transfers here.
33:47Mm-hmm.
33:47I think your meringue lollipops look very nice.
33:51But the back is missing a few elements to it.
33:54Your sugar dome is difficult to see through.
33:57And then there's some icing missing.
34:00Mm-hmm.
34:01Oh, that's gorgeous.
34:03Mm-hmm.
34:05The cake itself has a really nice flavor.
34:09I'm getting a lot of those chai spices.
34:11Mm-hmm.
34:11I wish that the buttercream were a coffee buttercream.
34:14I think would have really bolstered that flavor.
34:16The pipe work on the side is really impressive.
34:19And the meringue.
34:19Mm-hmm.
34:20Crispy and crunchy.
34:20Very nice.
34:23The flavor is a pink champagne cake.
34:26The little cookies are lemon crisp cookies that have a lemony royal icing.
34:32The theme was Becky's Winter Wonderland.
34:36You can eat it.
34:37Yes.
34:38That's Mom's late sister.
34:40My late sister.
34:41She was special needs and snow globes.
34:43That was her theme.
34:44So we called it Becky's Winter Wonderland.
34:48This cake just makes you really happy to look at.
34:50Yeah.
34:50I love it.
34:51Being a champagne cake and being Becky's cake is such a celebration of life.
34:56I am very impressed that you've used sugar for your snow globe because it shows a lot more
35:01skill.
35:02And I think it gives a beautiful, brilliant effect.
35:07Look at the little pooch.
35:11Oh!
35:12Oh!
35:14I love the look of that.
35:16It's beautiful.
35:21I think it's great.
35:22It's lovely actually.
35:23Yeah.
35:23The flavor is delicate.
35:26I think it's a smart use of lemon and other flavors to really bolster that champagne effect
35:33as well.
35:34So, really good job.
35:36It's great.
35:37I think it's still a little bit sweet.
35:39I just would have liked maybe an extra little flavor profile in there.
35:43Okay.
35:44I think visually wise, it's stunning.
35:46And the love and the heartbeat of what Christmas represents, a hundred percent.
35:51Remembering the people who matter to us.
35:53I have in my life had many people who have extra needs, who are so celebrated and so loved,
36:01and their stories have to be told because they're such a vital part for our society and
36:06what makes us better people.
36:07Yes.
36:07I mean.
36:08That's true.
36:14Amazing job, ladies.
36:16Good job.
36:18Last but not least, Gabriel and Ben.
36:21Perfect.
36:22Christmas Eve is all about Santa Claus coming down the chimney.
36:26And our flavors be incorporated for our favorite beverage is a hot cocoa cake and a peppermint buttercream.
36:34Like, wow.
36:35Yeah.
36:36It's so good.
36:36Your cookies look great.
36:39Such amazing flooding.
36:41Oh, thank you.
36:42That is so skillful.
36:43Okay.
36:44Ooh.
36:44Oh.
36:45Oh.
36:46Oh.
36:47Oh.
36:47Look how cute that is.
36:49Oh, my goodness.
36:50Oh, my goodness.
36:51Oh, that's fantastic, guys.
36:53Well, where I come from, we call this flexing.
36:57It's the same thing here.
37:02It's so good.
37:03It's so good.
37:03The sponge is really nice and moist without being dense.
37:08And the buttercream is really light.
37:10It really does taste like a mug of hot cocoa with peppermint in it.
37:14It's so good.
37:15I think the creativity in it was excellent.
37:17The only thing I will say is that your sugar dome was a little bit damaged, but we could see
37:22through it.
37:23So that was good.
37:24All in all, this is, has to be one of the best bakes that we've seen in the competition.
37:31Get down there, Santa.
37:32They deserve, they need their presence.
37:36Amazing job, guys.
37:39To hear that feedback at this point in the competition.
37:43That was worth $50,000.
37:45It was worth $100,000.
37:47My biggest goal was to actually get to this point.
37:50We gave it our best, and we're just happy, happy to make it to this point.
37:53Next week's the final, and if we do get to go, I would just be so incredibly proud of ourselves.
37:59It's, it's incredibly surreal.
38:01It's a very surreal moment.
38:10Today was a really technical day.
38:13I feel like everyone rose to the occasion.
38:15Yes.
38:16Today really felt like a semi-final.
38:19They all really impressed me.
38:21I mean, to think of how far these teams have come from week one, I just can't believe it.
38:26Yeah.
38:26They are just inspirational.
38:28So do you have an idea of who you think might be going home?
38:32I think it's difficult because they've all improved so much.
38:36I think maybe there's a team that might have dropped the ball a little bit.
38:44Bakers, what a magical day it's been.
38:47You brought Christmas Eve to life with your skill, your imagination, and every bake has such a beautiful story.
38:56Judges, what did you think?
38:58It's really making me proud to see how far all of you have come in this competition.
39:04Amy and Sally, starting off the competition so strongly, there's a lot of mounting pressure.
39:10But the last couple of weeks, I have really seen that spark come back in both of you.
39:16And you're making Alabama proud.
39:18We had Rosa and Rosanna.
39:21The first couple of weeks, you were just nailing it.
39:23And then you just had a dip.
39:25And I was so worried that you'd give up the fight.
39:29But resilient returners, you just take the knocks and you keep coming back.
39:34Well done.
39:34Thank you so much.
39:35Susan and Salman, you came in with tempered chocolate and it blew my mind.
39:40I consider you flavor alchemists.
39:44Sometimes the timing is the thing that gives me a little bit of heart palpitations.
39:50But the precision in executing flavor has always been there.
39:56Gabriel and Ben, you just scare us and then wow us back in week two.
40:03It was like 15 minutes to go.
40:05There's gonna be no cookies.
40:06You should be very proud of your comeback kid status.
40:12Okay.
40:12It is the semi-finals.
40:15Only three pairs can move forward.
40:17So, sadly, one pair will have to say goodbye.
40:24The pair that will be going home today is Susan and Salman.
40:34Please hang up your aprons and come and say goodbye.
40:39We are so sorry to see you go, but we really hope you continue to bake at home with love.
40:51What a whirlwind.
40:53Yeah.
40:53We had a good run.
40:54We are just still so in awe that we made it all this way.
40:58And what other feeling could you have besides gratitude?
41:02I'm just so proud that I really feel like we earned our spot in the finale.
41:08Our family will be proud of us.
41:10They'll be excited to see us go into the finals.
41:15This is the biggest challenge that we're gonna face yet.
41:19The cakes are getting bigger.
41:20The judges are getting more strict about what they're looking for.
41:23And so, you know, this is far from over.
41:26We've got a lot of work to do next week.
41:30Bye.
41:31Bye.
41:57You
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