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00:02This program is rated G
00:04and considered acceptable for all ages.
00:12In the beginning, there were eight bakers
00:15with a hunger for holiday magic.
00:17This is so cute.
00:19I love to deck the halls.
00:20With every bake,
00:21their abilities and artistry were tested,
00:24resulting in cheerful confections.
00:26This cookie's delicious.
00:28Cute.
00:28I fell in love with this cake.
00:30And heartwarming triumphs.
00:32Grandma Jeannette will be so proud of me.
00:38But along with the cheer...
00:40This is not what I normally do.
00:41...came some challenges.
00:43These were a disaster.
00:44What the ?
00:46It's not looking good for them.
00:48Oh, my God.
00:51No!
00:52And one by one,
00:53five bakers were eliminated.
00:55Brian, Dwight, Shannon, Richard,
00:58Corey.
01:00Now, just three remain.
01:02Pastry prodigy Kyle.
01:04That's looking great.
01:05Who, at only 21 years old,
01:07has flexed unbelievable technical skills
01:10and creativity well beyond his years.
01:13Nature-loving bakery owner Marie Michelle.
01:16Oh!
01:16Who has charmed us with her whimsical creations
01:19inspired by nostalgia and her childhood.
01:21Her bakes have been bold, playful,
01:23and full of unforgettable flavor.
01:26And piping powerhouse Kelly.
01:28Always odd numbers of petals.
01:30She has dazzled us with her exceptional artistry,
01:33infusing her heritage and her heart into every dessert.
01:36I did that.
01:36We've watched her confidence soar with every bake.
01:40One final festive challenge stands between these bakers
01:44and the ultimate holiday glory.
01:46Oh, my gosh.
01:47The Bake Shop champion title
01:49and a sweet $25,000 grand prize.
01:53Oh, my God.
01:55Wow.
02:00Kyle, Kelly, and Marie Michelle,
02:02welcome to the Holiday Bake Shop finale.
02:05Woo!
02:06Hi.
02:07From the moment you strutted through those doors,
02:10the three of you have delighted and dazzled us
02:13with your desserts.
02:14For your final challenge,
02:15you will create your dream holiday bake shop.
02:19Your bake shop will include three desserts.
02:22First, we want a bestseller that slays.
02:24Give us six small desserts
02:26that will have customers lining up
02:28from here to the North Pole.
02:30For your second dessert,
02:32we want a holiday twist.
02:33Give us a festive spin
02:35on one of your favorite desserts.
02:36This could be a cherished family recipe
02:38or just a sweet tradition that you love.
02:41Finally, we want a seasonal showpiece.
02:44We want a cake that showcases your decor
02:47on a grand scale.
02:49Give us a window-worthy showstopper.
02:52And because the holidays are filled with magic,
02:54your showpiece must include an element
02:57that surprises us.
02:59Bakers, this will be your most demanding bake yet.
03:03You have four hours on the clock
03:05to complete your Holiday Bake Shops.
03:08Are you ready?
03:09Yes!
03:10All right, my final three.
03:13Your finale bake starts...
03:18Now!
03:19Oh my gosh!
03:25This is real.
03:27I'm one bake away from winning $25,000
03:31from cakes and desserts.
03:34Focus.
03:34For my best-seller, I'm making moon cakes.
03:39For the holiday twist,
03:41I'm making a deconstructed apple custard pie.
03:44For my seasonal showpiece,
03:46I'm making a classic vanilla bean cake
03:49with a milk candy buttercream.
03:51This is the time to give them the
03:53oh my gosh moment.
03:56Today, I need to stick with what I know,
03:59what I love, what I do best.
04:01So, I'm taking the judges to Quebec today.
04:05Allons-y!
04:05For my best-seller,
04:07I'm making a bonbon aux patates
04:09with a peanut butter filling.
04:11For my holiday twist,
04:13I'm making a classic Quebecois donut
04:15topped with maple toffee.
04:17For my seasonal showpiece,
04:19I'm making a Queen Elizabeth cake
04:21with coconut toffee.
04:23These are bold flavors,
04:25just like a Quebecoise.
04:26This is me.
04:27All right, let's grab the yeast.
04:29This is by far the most important bake of my life.
04:33So far, at least.
04:34I really do feel like it's anyone's game.
04:37We all have such different strengths and weaknesses.
04:40Any of us are up to walk home with the 25K.
04:42I'm gonna mix this.
04:44For my best-seller,
04:45I'm making my graham brownie bars.
04:47And then on top,
04:48I'm gonna pipe some espresso buttercream.
04:49For my holiday twist,
04:51I'll be making a plated pumpkin cheesecake
04:53with cherry compote,
04:54mascarpone chantilly,
04:55and a lace pumpkin seed tuile.
04:58For my seasonal showpiece,
04:59I'm making a chocolate banana cake.
05:02Let's do this.
05:04It's the most wonderful time of the year,
05:06the Holiday Bake Shop finale!
05:08Yes!
05:09I'm so excited.
05:10Let's talk about each of the finalists.
05:12Let's start with Marie-Michelle.
05:13She's fun, she's quirky,
05:14her creations reflect that.
05:16We've seen amazing flavors from her.
05:18She's a really high-level competitor.
05:21There you go.
05:22Kelly, great flavor combinations.
05:24She's all about the fine details.
05:26Yeah.
05:26Cute aesthetic.
05:27To me, I think she's really gonna give the other two
05:30a run for their money.
05:31110%.
05:32Let's talk about Kyle.
05:34Plastically trained.
05:35Very high-level technique.
05:36Great with flavors.
05:38So impressive for his age.
05:39Yes.
05:39I can't believe it.
05:41There's a lot of money on the line,
05:43and all three of them want it.
05:44They are the top three for a reason.
05:46I can't wait to see who makes
05:47some holiday bake shop history.
05:50That's baked.
05:52You can rest a little bit.
05:54My first bake is a bonbon aux patates.
05:57It means potato candy,
05:59and it's really an old-fashioned
06:02French-Canadian dessert,
06:03and it's made with potatoes.
06:06Hey, what?
06:07Potatoes.
06:07She's creating some sort of dessert
06:09that involves potatoes.
06:10Okay.
06:11One dessert would use potatoes.
06:12There you go.
06:13I have enough.
06:14My mom taught me how to make these candies.
06:16My mom was my first role model.
06:21She cooked everything from scratch.
06:25Oh!
06:26I need to smash the potatoes
06:27to obtain a nice rolly ball paste.
06:30I'm gonna fill it with peanut butter.
06:32So it's really a peanut butter dessert.
06:35Let's do a moon cake.
06:36Let's do a moon cake.
06:38With this final bake,
06:39I want to get really personal.
06:41I'm gonna start with a Chinese moon cake.
06:44It's pretty much the Chinese holiday pie.
06:47I just kind of want to do something
06:49that represents me and my culture.
06:52We would gift moon cakes as gifts,
06:55and you're supposed to kind of like
06:56cut into slices and eat it with your family,
06:58because we're celebrating love and togetherness.
07:01That's just part of our culture, too.
07:03Love is food.
07:04Truly made with love.
07:06I just want to share that with the judges today,
07:08because they're family now, I guess.
07:11I hope I make my parents proud.
07:13This is like a very traditional thing.
07:16The moon cake really is just two main elements.
07:18The filling of my moon cake is classic white bean paste.
07:22It's a very common filling for a traditional moon cake.
07:24And for the crust,
07:27instead of an oil-based dough,
07:28I went with a sable dough
07:29because I know sable gives it a really flaky,
07:31nice crunch to it,
07:33so that contrast should be something the judges would love.
07:36I'm using a mold for the moon cake,
07:37so it's very important to get the perfect ratio
07:39of the filling and the crust
07:42to make it perfectly shaped moon cake.
07:45Let's go!
07:47Perfect.
07:48This is so cool.
07:50And they do.
07:54I'm going to start working on my whole wheat sable now.
07:57My strategy to win today
07:59is to really pack a lot of flavors
08:01and a lot of techniques in a few punches.
08:04For round one, I'm making my graham brownie bars.
08:07Just a little bit of flour.
08:08My best seller is a shout-out to my dad.
08:11We used to go camping a lot when I was younger,
08:13and whenever I have s'mores,
08:15it just throws me right back to spending time with him.
08:17I'm going to turn this into my bonfire bar.
08:19So it's a layer of graham cracker sablée,
08:22and then it's got a brownie layer and a cookie layer.
08:25And then I'm also going to pipe some meringue on top.
08:27In it goes.
08:29Let's add some red color.
08:32I want to color the dough in red and white.
08:36So when I roll it down,
08:38it looks like a candy cane.
08:41There you go.
08:41Once the dough is rolled down,
08:45I need to spread some peanut butter on it,
08:48and I roll it carefully to make a perfect swirl.
08:55One roll done.
08:57I love the two-colored dough.
08:59I think I'm going to keep this secret for my family next year.
09:02I'm going to chill it.
09:04All right, that's going.
09:05This is going.
09:06That's going.
09:07This dessert has three layers.
09:09I've made my brownie layer.
09:10Now I'm getting started on my cookie dough base.
09:12I'm really proud of myself, honestly.
09:14I'm the youngest baker in this competition,
09:16and I've managed to make it to the end.
09:18So now I'm just going to kind of sprinkle over
09:19my chocolate chip cookie dough.
09:21I want to show that I can bring some complex ideas to the table.
09:25I'm not here just to play.
09:27Beautiful.
09:28Let's check on the mooncake.
09:29I'm too short for this oven.
09:32Oh, they're so pretty.
09:34Oh, my gosh, I can't wait for the judges to try them.
09:36Bold is lucky.
09:39Such a pretty marbling.
09:41Perfect fit.
09:42My mooncakes look so cute.
09:45They're perfectly uniformed in shape.
09:46Oh, my God, my heart.
09:49This is looking fantastic.
09:52It's great.
09:54Tastes delicious.
09:55With my best seller, I'm going for a bold,
09:57of a rich chocolate flavor throughout this entire bar.
10:00All right, sweet.
10:01Three hours left.
10:03Three hours left, bakers.
10:05That's a quick hour.
10:06This is snow joke.
10:09I'm sorry.
10:11Looking at my best seller,
10:13I'm thinking,
10:14this bonbon looks sexier than ever.
10:17I'm a bit worried about
10:20the unique kind of dessert that I'm making.
10:24Maybe the judges will think
10:26it's weird using potatoes for dessert.
10:29Marie-Michelle comes from a very, very rural place.
10:32So I think that there are some traditional things
10:35that we may be seeing from her,
10:36like in our last challenge,
10:37which were new to all of us.
10:39Very new.
10:40Roll the clip.
10:46It's weird.
10:48I think she knows what she can do
10:50and she doesn't want to be boring.
10:51There's also a time to be strategic in a competition.
10:54Yes.
10:54And I hope that Marie-Michelle knows the balance of that.
10:57Don't get weird.
10:59Just don't go too far to the left.
11:09Okay, for this finale bake,
11:11we've asked for three desserts.
11:13Let's talk about the holiday twist.
11:14You know, a cherished family recipe
11:16or a sweet tradition that they love.
11:18In the holiday bake shop,
11:19we want festive fun.
11:21Mm-hmm.
11:21We want feels.
11:22Pour on my heartstrings.
11:24The clock is ticking for my holiday twist.
11:27This is a trip to the sugar shack.
11:29The precious nutmeg!
11:31A sugar shack is in the middle of a large maple forest.
11:36You can taste maple syrup.
11:38It's usually made there.
11:41There you go.
11:42There's two desserts that I'm putting together.
11:45One is a classic French-Canadian donut
11:48and maple toffee.
11:54Today, with the stress and the small time that we have,
11:57doing some fried dessert could be a disaster.
12:02It's going to take a lot of my time.
12:06Oh my gosh, it's like, go, go, go today.
12:08For my holiday twist dessert,
12:10I'm making a deconstructed apple custard pie.
12:13I'm going to do a twist
12:14and plate it as like a fancy dessert.
12:17A lot of hand-mixing today.
12:19One of my favorite holiday dessert is apple pie.
12:23Like, during holiday season,
12:24everybody brings a pie at a potluck.
12:26So this is supposed to mimic a pie.
12:28Oh, so it should be flaky.
12:31This is the finale.
12:33Like, I can't just serve a regular apple pie.
12:35So this is the part where I'm going to go
12:36way outside of my comfort zone.
12:38Very ambitious here.
12:40And it has to be beautiful and perfect.
12:42The pressure is on.
12:44There we go.
12:46I'm making the pumpkin cheesecake right now,
12:49which is going to be my holiday twist dessert.
12:52Around the holidays,
12:53I make a lot of just plain vanilla cheesecake.
12:56And I also make a lot of pumpkin pie.
12:57Those are like the two household favorites.
12:59So I decided to condense them into one dessert.
13:02So I'm just going to add my wet ingredients in,
13:05in increments.
13:06The cheesecake is the most technical part of this dessert
13:09because if you overbake it, it's going to be super dry.
13:12And if I underbake it, it's going to be soup for the judges.
13:15So I need to nail the baking on the cheesecake.
13:17So let those go.
13:18Then I need to make my pumpkin seed tuile,
13:22my cherry compote,
13:24and my mascarpone chantilly today.
13:26All right, cool.
13:27Here's another piece of trivia for you.
13:29At some point in this competition,
13:31every one of these bakers has been in the bottom two.
13:34Yes, I recall.
13:35So what you're thinking is, who's the underdog?
13:38Answer, all of them.
13:39All of them.
13:41The doughnuts is frying up very well.
13:44I want it to look gorgeous.
13:47Okay, let's go for real.
13:51It's undercooked.
13:53Feels like mozzarella stick.
13:55There's no way I'm serving an underbaked dessert for the finale.
14:00All right, let's actually go check these cheesecakes.
14:03I can tell those still have a good ways to go,
14:05so I'm just going to leave them be.
14:06All right, next up is the tuile.
14:08This is just butter, sugar, some corn syrup, and flour, just to combine.
14:13And then I'm going to spread it nice and even with my offset,
14:16throwing the pumpkin seeds on before it goes in the oven.
14:20These are done now.
14:21And this is going to go right in the freezer.
14:24I'm making a lot of different elements for my festive twist.
14:28Because I'm going for, like, fine dining vibe, right?
14:31A plated dessert.
14:32I'm making apple roses as part of the element of an apple pie.
14:36I'm going to soak it to make it softer for me to roll the roses.
14:40I don't know if this will work.
14:41I'm going to try.
14:42Let's give it a try first.
14:44This is a nice little bud.
14:46This will be cute.
14:48And then you just add more petals.
14:50At least it's pretty.
14:52Oh, is that my cookies?
14:54Has it been 10 minutes?
14:55There's too much going on in the kitchen.
14:58Oh, don't burn myself.
15:04It's time to make the maple taffy, the most delicious part of my dessert.
15:08It looks like I'm using a lot of syrup,
15:11but it's going to give me a tiny little bit of taffy.
15:15You need to boil the maple syrup, and then it thickens.
15:19I am using a coupe, stacking two doughnuts,
15:23adding some meringue to look like snow.
15:26And on top, there will be a popsicle stick full of maple taffy.
15:31And eat it.
15:33Maple taffy is very sweet, but sophisticated, too.
15:37I'm really excited to bring the judges to the sugar shack
15:41and to give them a taste of Quebec.
15:45Do I, like, brush it?
15:47Like, what does that look like?
15:48Is that too old school?
15:50I'm struggling to really think of how I can present
15:53all these different elements on this plate beautifully.
15:56Oh, oh, oh, that's not what I want.
15:59How do restaurant people do this?
16:01This is, like, so out of my comfort zone.
16:04Just like a blob.
16:06It is much harder than what I anticipated.
16:08I just gotta believe.
16:11Two hours!
16:12Two hours left in this bake, bakers!
16:16My cheesecakes are in the freezer,
16:17and they're not really firming up.
16:19I know they're not gonna freeze in time.
16:21So I'm at the point where I'm like,
16:23all right, I need to pivot.
16:25Okay, so Kyle is pivoting.
16:28Time is running out, and I'm concerned about him.
16:30This is gonna be a hard one to come back from.
16:33All right.
16:39My cheesecakes are not really firming up,
16:42so instead, I decide to pipe the cheesecakes
16:44into a trifle cup so it still holds their shape,
16:47and that way I can layer them
16:48with the other fillings and toppings,
16:50and it'll still look beautiful.
16:53And honestly, like, I think it worked out better.
16:56It looked so, like,
16:57the only word I could think is, like, sexy.
16:58Like, it looked so sexy in the side of the glass.
17:00I don't know.
17:01I think this pivot saved my ass today, honestly.
17:06A lot of egg yolks today.
17:07A lot of egg yolks.
17:08For my seasonal showpiece,
17:10I'm making a classic vanilla bean cake,
17:13pairing it with a milk candy buttercream.
17:16My surprise element is actually the cake batter.
17:19I'm gonna dye it.
17:21Oh, yeah.
17:22Now we're talking.
17:23By now, judges should know
17:24my favorite color is pink, right?
17:27I'm gonna dye half the dough in pink
17:29and leave the half as the classic vanilla color.
17:31It's gonna be so fun.
17:35I'm gonna start my cake batter.
17:38For my seasonal showpiece,
17:40I'm making a Queen Elizabeth cake.
17:43It's a date batter.
17:46I need to cut those in tiny pieces,
17:49and I'm gonna top this
17:51with brown sugar buttercream.
17:53Oh, there's one left in the bottom for you.
17:56I'm not leaving you there alone.
17:59It's really a French-Canadian recipes.
18:02They come from my family book,
18:05and we use those flavors at the bakery, too.
18:08Coconut oil.
18:10I love coconut desserts.
18:12Those are the flavors that I love the most.
18:14I want to show them what I do best.
18:17There you go.
18:20All right, let's get the cake going.
18:21For my seasonal showpiece,
18:23I'm making a chocolate Bananas Foster's inspired cake.
18:26I want to show the judges
18:27how much passion that I'm putting into everything,
18:30and hopefully I can take home the wings today.
18:31I need to make my cakes,
18:33and then I also need to make my banana caramel filling,
18:36and then I also need to fold that into my buttercream
18:38and ice and stack the cake.
18:40Big money.
18:43Next, this is going to be fun.
18:45Candy time.
18:47The more the merrier, right?
18:48Next, I'm working on my milk candy buttercream.
18:51To start off,
18:52I have to melt these hard candies with milk
18:55to create like a milk candy syrup.
18:57Brings back so much memories.
18:59I love milk candies.
19:01They're my childhood favorite thing.
19:03I still love them today.
19:04We have a lot of these at Chinese New Year, too.
19:07It's made with evaporated milk, condensed milk,
19:09so there is like an extra sweetness to it.
19:12I feel like not a lot of people know about this flavor,
19:14and I'm like, you know what?
19:15I need to make that into a buttercream.
19:17Okay, there we go.
19:18One hour left, bakers!
19:21So that's going to be the buttercream
19:22for my three-tiered cake for my showstopper.
19:25I'm just going to town.
19:27So because we love holiday magic,
19:29we've asked the bakers to incorporate a secret surprise
19:32into their seasonal showpiece.
19:35I'm desperate to know what these bakers are going to do
19:38for the holidays.
19:40I am, too.
19:41My surprise element is going to be the top tier of my cake,
19:45which I filled with sprinkles,
19:46and when the judges slice into it,
19:47I'm hoping that it will snow all over my cake.
19:50I just love the snow.
19:51I have so many family memories of me and my siblings,
19:54like, out and sledding,
19:55and, you know, mom and dad are there taking pictures,
19:57and it just screams holiday and Christmas time to me.
20:00All right, cool.
20:02I'll take a look at my cakes.
20:04Yeah, perfect.
20:06There you go.
20:07Now you can breathe.
20:08When I bake, I love to create an ambiance.
20:12Every detail is part of a story.
20:15When I was young,
20:15the holiday parties were the biggest thing ever.
20:20Oh!
20:20Oh!
20:21On this cake,
20:22we're going to see people dancing.
20:24We're going to see sheet music.
20:25I want this cake to feel like home.
20:27For the final piece de resistance,
20:29I have to cover it with fondant,
20:32and I put all of my fine details on the cake.
20:35So that's a lot to do.
20:37The black and red plaid pattern
20:39in the middle tier of my cake,
20:42it's kind of a lumberjack shirt.
20:44We often wear them when we go to the sugar shack.
20:48As we say in Quebec,
20:49c'est comme ça qu'on fait dans le temps des fêtes.
20:55The fun part.
20:57My surprise element
20:58is a checkerboard design pattern in the cake.
21:02Again, it's about precision.
21:04It's fun.
21:05You actually just use circle cutters,
21:07and you cut your way through.
21:10It's something that can wow the judges,
21:12but it won't take up too much of my time.
21:14It's all about precision and attention to details.
21:17This is my surprise.
21:18They're going to cut it in C-checkers pattern.
21:21I just kind of want to remind the judges
21:23this is what I'm good at.
21:27Nobody saw that.
21:28Marie-Michelle, how are you doing?
21:31Oh, my God.
21:33I'm not here.
21:34Please leave a message.
21:36Marie-Michelle will call you back as soon as possible.
21:40I love you.
21:43All I'm going to do right now
21:44is to decorate my showpiece cake.
21:46Are you guys ready for this madness?
21:55When it comes to cake, it is my thing.
21:58I've got to do it right.
21:59Okay.
22:01Guys, 30 minutes left.
22:03Let's go, let's go get it all.
22:05My surprise element is a burn-away effect.
22:13There'll be this big Christmas wreath.
22:15Hidden behind is a bird's nest,
22:17and inside there is two cardinals.
22:20Ernest that we know now
22:22and his girlfriend, Claire.
22:31Cardinals have brought me a lot of luck in this competition.
22:35When I made my cardinal cake pops, I won.
22:38When I made my cardinal madeleine tree topper, I won.
22:42This looks like a real bird.
22:44Ernest.
22:45Ernest.
22:46Ernest.
22:47So good.
22:48Ernest the cardinal.
22:49I can't wait for this bird nest to be revealed.
22:55There's less than half an hour to go,
22:56and my cakes are still blank.
22:58I'm decorating my cake with white buttercream,
23:01and then I'm going to airbrush it blue
23:02to give it a little bit of like an ombre effect,
23:04like almost like it's frosted over.
23:06The hardest part of my showpiece, I think,
23:07is definitely going to be decorating everything
23:09and finding the time to get all the details in that I want,
23:12but that will be only if time alots.
23:14I'm all for taking risks,
23:15but I'm all for taking smart risks.
23:1815 minutes.
23:19We're in the home stretch, bakers.
23:22It's interesting to see how these cakes
23:24are coming together in the 11th hour.
23:26Cal still hasn't stacked his showpiece cakes.
23:29He hasn't stacked it.
23:30He also hasn't decorated it.
23:32I'm nervous for him, honestly.
23:33Like, I'm 100% nervous for him.
23:35He may not finish or complete in time.
23:4712 minutes.
23:4812 minutes left, bakers.
23:50Oh, my God.
23:51I need to get this finished.
23:53I'm going to buckle down and finish these three tiers.
23:56I hope it all comes together for them.
24:03I can't even see straight.
24:05There's so much piping.
24:08Okay.
24:09Kelly's hand is shaking.
24:11She's stressing it out from the piping.
24:13Yeah.
24:13But you don't want to catch a muscle spasm,
24:15and you can't complete the design.
24:18That happens.
24:18Clearly.
24:19It's happening right now.
24:20My wrist is cramping at this point.
24:23It's screaming, like, please stop piping.
24:26Three minutes.
24:27Come on, bakers.
24:27You got this.
24:28You got this.
24:29Oh, my God.
24:30Oh, my God.
24:30Oh, my God.
24:32I'm looking at my cake,
24:33and it's missing some sort of holiday theme.
24:36Kelly is over here second-guessing her decision-making.
24:39She isn't, actually.
24:40She's waiting for a step stool because she can't reach.
24:42Oh, yeah.
24:43She was not second-guessing.
24:45She was literally like,
24:46I don't think I can physically do it.
24:49It's all about the details.
24:51I need to use every second that's left.
24:5530 seconds left.
24:57This is in.
24:59Yes, yes, yes, yes, yes.
25:09I'm freaking out.
25:12Sweet.
25:1610, 9, 8, 7, 6, 5, 4, 3, 2, 1.
25:26Time's up!
25:28Woo!
25:28Woo!
25:29Woo!
25:30Woo!
25:31Well done, bakers!
25:34Love you guys.
25:34We did it, guys.
25:36I love you guys so much.
25:37Love you guys.
25:38Love you guys.
25:39Yep, they're all friends until about two hours from now.
25:46Hi, Marie-Michelle.
25:48Congratulations on making it to the finale of Holiday Bake Shop.
25:52Thank you so much.
25:53When you see your bake shop here, what do you see?
25:57I see my childhood, so many family gatherings, flavors that are meaningful for me.
26:05Talk to us about your best seller.
26:06This is le bonbon aux patates.
26:10It means potato candies, and it's filled with peanut butter.
26:14Look at that.
26:15Look at that.
26:16I love that.
26:21Marie-Michelle, I didn't know what you were doing with the potato, but I'm so glad you did it.
26:27It was delicious.
26:29It's peanut butter forward, but the sweetness from the ice and sugar mixed into the potato kind of cuts.
26:35Some of the peanut flavor, I love that you added the toasted peanuts on top because it gave it some
26:40texture.
26:40Great job, and thank you for introducing me to a childhood favorite of your own.
26:45Fantasy.
26:46Um, what are you doing?
26:49For real.
26:50The ingenuity and creativity to bring something that you are so used to, but you know that no one else
26:56is, is such a smart play in a finale because this is legitimately delicious.
27:02What an opening bite.
27:03Yes.
27:04And I can't believe it, but I don't have anything to say.
27:08Girl, you need to just take that and file it in your permanent memory bank.
27:12What a compliment.
27:14One of the things I love about food is when you taste something and you're immediately transported somewhere else.
27:20I've had these before as a child, and I never had one again, and I love that food has that
27:25power to do that, and I also love that I was like, I've never heard of this before.
27:30Yes, I have.
27:31I think that's always such a, like, cool, special thing that food can do, so thank you.
27:35Okay, let's talk about this second piece, the holiday twist.
27:39Yes.
27:40So this is a trip to the sugar shack for our American here.
27:44A sugar shack is where you tap the trees to get the sap to make maple syrup.
27:49So it's like I mashed two desserts together, a classic Quebecois donut topped with meringue and a drizzle of maple
27:57toffee.
27:58I love it.
27:59Yeah.
28:06And just right there, you're five years old again.
28:11First of all, this toffee, ooh, girl, this thing is good.
28:16Thank you for giving us a piece of your childhood that also represents all of us Canadians.
28:21That's just fun to be a part of and fun to devour.
28:24This was delicious.
28:25Where I think this falls a little short is the donut itself on the bite.
28:29It leaves a metallic kind of flavor in there.
28:32My guess is in order for this to rise, you use baking soda, baking powder.
28:36It's just an aftertaste, but as I'm devouring everything else, it all kind of comes together, and it is good.
28:40But that's the only kind of negative about that.
28:42This toffee, ah, it's the perfect amount of maple flavor.
28:47It makes every Canadian cell in my body stand and want to sing O Canada.
28:53This really spoke to me in that way.
28:55Oh, thank you.
28:56All right, the seasonal showpiece.
28:59Talk to us about what we have here.
29:00This really reminds me of the holidays, the Christmas of my childhood.
29:06There was music.
29:07Everyone was singing.
29:08So you can light up the middle of the wreath to reveal a surprise.
29:16Okay.
29:16Here we go.
29:21Ah!
29:23No!
29:24No!
29:25He's got a girlfriend!
29:28Ernest has a girlfriend!
29:30Oh my gosh!
29:35Marie-Michelle!
29:40That, that's incredible!
29:43Their lovebirds perfectly centered in the wreath.
29:45Oh, it's beautiful.
29:47That was so magical!
29:49I didn't see it coming.
29:51I did not see it coming.
29:52The cardinal has been this north star throughout your entire time in this competition.
29:57What a treat.
29:58And they are adorable.
30:04Wow!
30:07It's a Queen Elizabeth cake with brown sugar buttercream.
30:14Ah.
30:15Oh, man.
30:17Ah.
30:17This is beautiful.
30:18It's eye-catching.
30:20It's bold.
30:21It gave me texture.
30:22A hint of maple in there.
30:24The brown sugar dough from the buttercream that you used.
30:27I feel like I'm a Canadian now.
30:30Wake up!
30:31Thank you, Marie-Michelle.
30:36That bite of cake.
30:38That's the best cake I've had in the entire competition.
30:41Best.
30:41Number one.
30:42That's the best cake I've had.
30:43That's it.
30:44Your textures were perfect.
30:47Caramelization of dates, of coconut, of sugar.
30:49Amazing.
30:51The surprise?
30:52What?
30:53Honestly, what could you possibly reveal?
30:56Birds!
30:57Love birds.
30:59Yes.
31:00And then the theme of, like, Easter eggs, like a movie series that you've just been dropping
31:04all competition.
31:06You are a talent.
31:07You're incredible.
31:08Not only are you representing Canadians, but you're representing French Canadians in
31:12every way.
31:13Okay.
31:14When you made your sweater cake, I shared with you about how my grandmother was my favorite
31:18person.
31:18Yes.
31:19And that the item I kept of hers is her sweater.
31:22What I haven't shared yet in this competition was she collected cardinals.
31:27No!
31:28Oh!
31:29And at Christmastime, here I go, her house had all of these festive Christmas cardinals.
31:36And truthfully, she's been gone for over a decade, but I have these times where I forget
31:39she's gone.
31:40And I think, oh, I want to call her, and then I remember.
31:43When that went up in flames and those little cardinals were in there, I thought, oh my God,
31:48I got to call my grandmother.
31:49Thank you so much.
31:50That was so magical, and it was so meaningful to me.
31:54I feel like she's, I don't know, here with us, and what a gift.
31:58You should be proud of this entire competition, and you should be very proud of what you've
32:03presented to us here with your bake shop.
32:05The flavors, the nostalgia, the connection to your culture.
32:09Magnifique.
32:10Mm-hmm.
32:11Mwah.
32:12Merci beaucoup.
32:13Merci.
32:19This is the magic of baking.
32:22My job is done.
32:30Hi, Kyle.
32:31Hey.
32:32How are you feeling?
32:33I could stand here for hours on end and tell you what I've learned, and hearing the critiques
32:37from you guys has given me great feedback on how I can improve as a baker and as a chef.
32:42I'm just beyond proud of myself, and I couldn't be happier with this experience.
32:47I love that.
32:48Let's get started with Kyle's best seller.
32:50That is my graham brownie bar, and then on top is an espresso buttercream in the shape
32:54of a star.
32:55So it's six points, so it's my core six family members, my mom, my dad, me and my three siblings,
33:01so.
33:01I love that.
33:01I love that.
33:02Let's do it.
33:05Kyle, great job on the clean cuts with your pastry.
33:09The piping, spot on.
33:10You balance the flavors really well.
33:13Not overtly sweet, but it's something that you can keep coming back for as you're eating.
33:16Bang.
33:17Balance, dynamic flavor, but just exactly what I wanted in the nostalgic comfort factor.
33:23It's so triumphant.
33:25Absolutely delicious.
33:26Unbelievable.
33:27Let's talk about your holiday twist.
33:30Around the holidays, we have cheesecake and pumpkin pie out the wazoo.
33:34So this is my pumpkin parfait with cherry compote and then a pumpkin seed tuile.
33:40Originally, I was going to do more of like a plated style cheesecake.
33:43I realized these obviously aren't going to freeze in time.
33:45I need to pivot.
33:46So I decided to do more of a trifle style instead.
33:49Beautiful.
33:54So, Kyle, well, I'm going to tell you something, baby.
33:56The pivot saved you.
33:58Now, when it comes down to the flavors, this was so good.
34:01And the tuile, great execution.
34:03Wow.
34:03Added another level of crunch.
34:05Thank you for this.
34:06You think kind of cozy and love and warmth, and this is something that I'm going to eat,
34:10and I'm going to don't care, and I'm going to eat more of it, and I won't care then either.
34:13You should be proud of this.
34:14I'm going to continue eating as Lauren speaks.
34:16Wow.
34:18I know I say a lot of wows, but I'm just like, wow.
34:21No, we know it's genuine.
34:23Respect.
34:24All right, bye.
34:24I'm getting lost in this thing.
34:26See you later.
34:27Bye.
34:27Bye.
34:28All right.
34:29Your seasonal showpiece.
34:31Kyle, walk us through what we're about to experience.
34:33This is called Bananas for Snow because I go bananas for snow every time I see it.
34:38It just brings back so many memories of me and my whole family.
34:41And there's a surprise element.
34:43There's a little bit of a surprise, yes.
34:44Okay.
34:45I like that you're keeping those cards pretty close to your chest.
34:47I like that.
34:48All right.
34:49Ooh.
34:51Ooh.
34:53Okay.
34:55So this is a chocolate banana cake.
35:01Nice profile.
35:03Kyle, thank you for my sprinkle surprise.
35:06It was fun.
35:07Baby, these shell borders are tight.
35:11They are tight.
35:11They are right on top of each other with just enough space.
35:14You know what I'm talking about.
35:15Mm-hmm.
35:16Thank you so much.
35:17As it pertains to the cake, clean, cut, lines.
35:21I love it.
35:22In terms of the flavor, though, I just had a bite of the caramel.
35:25That was so good that I wanted that drenched inside of the cake.
35:30It literally should have been dipped and submerged in there for it.
35:34Oozing out, right?
35:35Oozing.
35:35Because it was that good.
35:38Okay.
35:38Oh, Kyle.
35:39I think it's a showstopper for sure.
35:41I love the ombre.
35:42Love the surprise.
35:43How fun.
35:45How festive.
35:46I don't think I ate anything of yours in this entire competition that wasn't a knockout.
35:51Flavor, baking, you got it, my friend.
35:5410 out of 10.
35:54This is such a gift to be here, so thank you.
35:57Good job, man.
35:58You killed it, buddy.
35:59Thank y'all so much.
36:01I'm just going to say it.
36:02I'm a force to be reckoned with.
36:03Whatever happens today happens, but I'm going to be proud no matter what.
36:09Hi, Kelly.
36:10Hi, judges.
36:12Welcome to the Holiday Bake Shop finale.
36:15It still feels very surreal to be one of the finalists.
36:18Well, listen, Kelly, you've created this unbelievable bake shop.
36:22Let's taste your best seller.
36:24This is a mooncake bake with white bean filling and a sabe crust.
36:29We usually gift mooncakes as gifts to our family and friends, and we eat it together to celebrate love and
36:36togetherness.
36:38Kelly, this is good.
36:40The crust on the outside, it's buttery, it's flaky, and I love the cute golden design.
36:46It really shines and gives a level of elegance.
36:50This is so fun because we as Filipinos have this exact dessert.
36:55We call it hopia.
36:56And what's so cool about this is just seeing it on a baking competition.
37:01And with this specific dessert, it's really easy to go too dry, which means that there wasn't enough filling.
37:06But you hit it, and I appreciate it.
37:08So, great job.
37:09Way to represent.
37:11I'm hyped.
37:12These are delicious.
37:14One of my best friends is no longer with us, and she was Chinese.
37:18She introduced me to mooncakes for the first time.
37:21I only have ever eaten them with her, and this reminded me of her.
37:25And so, I really thank you for this.
37:27It really deeply affected me, actually.
37:30They're really delicious.
37:33Oh, my gosh.
37:34I love that.
37:34Those were incredible.
37:35Yeah, they were.
37:36All right.
37:37Let's talk about your holiday twist.
37:39So, this is my take on the deconstructed apple custard pie.
37:46Kelly, do you know what this tastes like?
37:48What does it taste like?
37:49An apple pie.
37:51This is something I know a lot about.
37:52It was like eating at my family's holiday dinner party when my aunt Janet was known for making all of
37:59the pies and baked goods until I started to take over.
38:02The apples, amazing.
38:04I love that they still had a nice crisp to them.
38:07Thank you so much.
38:08Oh, my gosh.
38:10I'm torn.
38:11I'm torn because I do appreciate the effort, but you need to be more certain on where you place the
38:17items when you're doing fine dining plating because I can see when you move something.
38:23However, this was an apple pie on a plate.
38:25It was delicious.
38:26The flavor was there, and you should be proud of that.
38:29I knew I can't pass you.
38:30Keep trying it, girl.
38:31I will.
38:32I love it.
38:33But I am going to keep eating it.
38:35Yeah, exactly.
38:35So, guess what?
38:39Okay, let's move over to your final dessert, your seasonal showpiece.
38:43Yes, so here is my pastel Noel cake.
38:46You guys mentioned it's a dream bake shop, so, of course, I'm going with buttercream and piping, and I piped
38:51the life out of it today.
38:53I want to know if this arises.
38:54I want to know if this arises, too.
38:57Oh!
38:57Beautiful.
38:58Oh, my gosh.
39:00That's the surprise.
39:01Even how I stack my cake to create this checkerboard requires precision and attention to details.
39:06I want to know how you do that.
39:08Well, she just said because she's got the touch.
39:10Okay.
39:11It's a classic vanilla bean sponge cake, paired with milk candy buttercream.
39:21Oh, that's a good arm, right?
39:23Oh.
39:26I know we're supposed to wait for people in my house to be clean.
39:29No, go, go.
39:29This is truly a showstopper.
39:32I love the fact that you stood true to who you are and piped.
39:36This is magnificent.
39:38And then the flavor, that milk candy, never had it before, now I want to pop 1,000 of them
39:44in my mouth.
39:45Oh, my God.
39:45This is amazing.
39:46This is true.
39:47I can't get my words together.
39:49It's exciting.
39:49This is true storytelling at its best using food.
39:54I really, really appreciate that from the bottom of my heart.
39:57I started giggling.
39:58Like, you executed it literally perfectly.
40:00It's exactly milk candy without it being too much, but just enough.
40:05And just the flavor is so unique.
40:06And I thank you for representing just the Asian continent by showing everyone how delicious a milk candy cake can
40:12be.
40:13I don't even know what to say to you.
40:15Get out.
40:16Yeah, exactly.
40:17Get out of here.
40:18You consistently impressed me throughout this entire competition.
40:20And it's nothing compared to what you brought today.
40:23Truly, you should be so proud of yourself.
40:26And I am.
40:27That's what makes me happy when I bake is I can't put a part of myself in there.
40:32I was always afraid to do that before because of self-doubt.
40:34But here in the bake shop, I get to do, like, what I want to do.
40:38And then to know that people like it, love it, like, I won.
40:43Like, I truly think I won.
40:45Like, this is the best experience ever.
40:48I'm overjoyed.
40:51Here I go.
40:52I know.
40:53I feel it too, though, girl.
40:54I love the bake shop.
40:55You love the bake shop.
40:56Oh, my God.
40:58I really do.
40:59And the bake shop loves you back.
41:02I do think I can win.
41:04I'm just really, really happy and so proud of myself.
41:08This bake shop is a very magical place.
41:20Kelly, Kyle, and Marie-Michelle, all three of you have given us more than desserts.
41:26You've given us delicious memories and filled this kitchen with warmth, love, and the spirit
41:33of the season in every bite.
41:36Kelly, your bake shop was you through and through.
41:40A pretty and pink aesthetic, all while expertly delivering the Asian-inspired flavors that are
41:45true to you.
41:47We've seen your confidence grow with each and every bake.
41:51You entered this bake shop whispering, and now you're leaving a roaring success.
41:56Maddie-Michelle, thank you for inviting us back into your childhood.
42:02Your desserts don't just taste and look stunning.
42:04They make us feel something.
42:06They tell stories and spark memories and transport us to beautiful places.
42:11Please never change.
42:16Kyle, prodigy, wonderkind, virtuoso, all words we could use to describe you.
42:23You're talented for your age, but the truth is, you're talented for any age.
42:28You are an incredibly gifted baker, and we are all so excited to see how unstoppable you're
42:34going to become.
42:35Okay, the stockings are stuffed, we're stuffed, and there is only one thing left to do.
42:43Name our winner.
42:46This is, without a doubt, the hardest decision we had to make in this competition.
42:53The winner of the $25,000 prize and the holiday bake shop champion is...
43:06Marie-Michelle.
43:19I am so happy for Marie-Michelle.
43:21I aspire to have her level of skills.
43:24It doesn't matter where you come from.
43:26It doesn't matter your age.
43:27If you want to learn something and you're serious about it, you can absolutely achieve
43:32it, and you surpass your own goals.
43:34Congratulations.
43:36That's a wrap on the bake shop.
43:40My favorite bake shop.
43:42But I'm so happy for Marie-Michelle.
43:45This is mind-blowing.
43:48I'm so proud of myself, and I have said that multiple times because of bake shop.
43:52This has just been a wild ride.
43:54It was a pleasure.
43:56Oh.
43:57In French, we say, je suis sur mon X.
43:59It means, I'm at the right place at the right time.
44:03I put myself on the plate.
44:05All in.
44:05Show your true colors, it pays off.
44:09Now I know that.
44:10The holiday bake shop champion, Marie-Michelle!
44:14Woo!
44:16Champion.
44:17Yeah!
44:18Ha-ha!
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