Bakers vs. Fakers (2016–…): Season 1, Episode 8 - Marshmallow Meltdown - full transcript

I'm Michele
from Davis, California,

and I am a professional baker.

I'm Percy from Oak Ridge,
New Jersey,

and I am a professional baker.

I'm Jennifer
from Los Angeles, California,

and I am a professional baker.

I'm Henry from Alameda,
California,

and I am a professional baker.

Hang on! The fun
is about to begin.

Four bakers are here
to do battle.

Golden-brown delicious.



Two are amazing amateurs.

Do I look like I need help?

Hey, have you got an
Easy-Bake Oven down there?

And two are professionals.

Lovely.
Out of this world.

But only they know
their true identities.

Their mission?

Just winnin' a bunch of money.

Outbake the competition.

If a professional baker wins,

they take home $10,000.

That sounds fancy.

But if an amateur is able
to fake out the judges...

I didn't wanna stop eating it.



You're a baker.

...and take down the pros...
- Pssh! Pssh!

...they walk away
with 15 grand!

- Wow!
- [Gasp]

Bada-bing, bada-boom.

Are you a baker

or a faker?

- I...
- Am...

A...

[ Suspenseful music climbs ]

What?!

- What?!
- No way!

I don't believe it!

Welcome to
"Bakers Vs. Fakers."

- Whoo!
- Let's do this.

There are two rounds
of competition here.

In Round 1, it's my choice.

Uh-oh.

Today, you're going to be
baking...

...cheesecake.

Nice.

I love cheesecake.

Hmm.

Cheesecake definitely takes
a lot longer

to cook than your regular cake

and kind of have to be careful
in the timing of it.

Even a home baker
can make a decent cheesecake.

But it takes a real pro

to make a cheesecake using...

...popcorn.

- Popcorn?
- Yeah.

Are we going to a movie or what?

Popcorn?
Popcorn in cheesecake?

I got to make this work.

We have buttered popcorn,

cheddar popcorn, chili popcorn.

Caliente.

Whoo!

Bacon popcorn...

That's the one right there.

...and unpopped popcorn.

You've got 45 minutes
on the clock.

You ready?
- Ready!

- You sure?
- Absolutely!

Okay.
Get baking!

Behind you.

All right, guys.
Popcorn in cheesecake.

ALEX: If you did
a New York-style cheesecake

with a lot of cream cheese

as a good support system
with eggs,

let it hang out while
you figure out the popcorn,

you could get somewhere
with that, I think.

There's definitely
technique to it,

but it's also kind
of an easy dessert.

I feel like a baker
would maybe hug the shoreline

a little bit more and let
the cheesecake really shine.

Are you saying bakers are safe?

- Yeah.
- Come on.

I live on the wild side.
Oh, my God.

I mean, to me, you're baking
cheesecake in 45 minutes,

they have to bake it
at a higher-temperature oven.

I mean, you could make
a no-bake cheesecake.

All right.

What would a baker
do with popcorn?

With popcorn, it's all about
the aromatherapy.

I want to feel like
I'm in a movie theater.

Maybe a pro will
pop fresh popcorn

and make caramel corn.

It's going to take
a real baker to figure out

how to get that real
popcorn essence and flavor

and not give us a mushy,
disgusting mess.

Stay.

I kind of describe myself
as a little bit a-dork-able.

I'm generally just kind of silly

and try to have fun with things.

Let's see.

My personality gets reflected

in my baking style.

I like to try to do something
a little different

in how something's presented.

I like to have fun
with the things that I do.

There we go, baby.

I am making a cheesecake parfait

with a bacon popcorn shortbread

and caramel bacon sauce.

So the first thing
I'm going to do

is start the no-bake cheesecake,

got cream cheese.

I'm doing a no-bake cheesecake

because I don't have to worry

about the possibility of it
not setting up.

I know it's a safe bet.

I add cream cheese
and a little lemon juice.

Look at Jennifer's kitchen.

She's doing
a non-bake cheesecake,

and I think that's smart.

It's such a fast way
to reduce the time

that you need to spend
actually making the custard.

Now, if she's not a baker,
I don't know who is.

Let's get some of that
cheesecake filling in here.

I've been baking since I could
pretty much reach the counter.

I was a fat kid.

I wanted to learn
how to make sweets.

I picked up the bag of chocolate
chips and read the recipe,

and, you know, I figured it out.

And I've just grown from there.

Put you aside.

Oh. Oh, my goodness.

- You all right over there?
- Yeah.

Just dropping popcorn,
trying to throw you off.

Even though
I'm a small-town girl,

I go big and bold
with my baking.

Let's go here.

I'm using my favorite butter.

I started baking just being

in the kitchen
with my grandmother.

She would spend hours with me,

coming up with different recipes

that we could enter
in the State Fair.

And after that, I was hooked.

It's going.
Churros and caramel corn

always take me
back to my childhood.

So today I'm making a cheesecake
with caramel popcorn.

I'm going to use
the buttered popcorn

in my graham cracker crust,

and then I'm going to use
the unpopped popcorn

to make my caramel popcorn

and then garnish it
with a cinnamon churro.

All right.
And the first thing

I need to do
is start my churro base.

Churro time.

A churro is a fried pastry dough

rolled in cinnamon and sugar.

As a child,
I would go to the fair,

and you got to have that churro
to walk around with.

All right.

I put the dough into
a piping bag

and get over to the hot oil.
Almost there.

Michele's churros
look delicious.

Come on, baby.
Come on.

But her churros seemed
very soft to me.

She might have put too
many eggs in the batter.

And when you do a churro,

it's got to be so tough
you can barely

even squeeze it out of the bag.

Michele is a faker.

They're going to be good.

Bacon popcorn.

My motto is,
"Never trust a skinny chef."

So I try to follow that,
as you can tell.

Yep, definitely bacon.

I'm going to be making
a maple cheesecake

with a bacon popcorn crust

and then garnish it
with a candied bacon.

Who doesn't love bacon, right?

My personal baking style
is the balance

that I can create
between two ingredients.

So I think I got this.

I'm going to win this
competition.

MICHELE: Bring it, buddy.

You don't want my children
to starve, do you?

Family's everything to me.

I wouldn't be where
I'm at today without them.

All right.
Baking's definitely my passion,

and I feel like
it shows through.

I baked my first cake
when I was 10.

My mom was in
a boating accident,

and when I found
out what happened,

I went into the kitchen and
started looking at her recipes.

I said, "You know what? I'm
going to make a cake for her."

And I've been doing
it ever since.

First thing I need to get
done - make the crust,

grind up the graham cracker
and the bacon popcorn

to add texture to the base.

Figure we'd put it
in the crust to give it

that popcorn flavor.

Look at Henry.

He's grinding up
the popcorn, the butter.

He's pressing that down
to make a crust.

It is going to be
crisp and buttery

and perfect, baker move.
- Good, good, good.

Second thing I'm going to do
is the cheesecake batter.

I need to cream the cheese,
then add the maple...

Add the maple syrup.

It's going to add
some sweetness.

...and then add the eggs.

I picked two simple ingredients,
maple and bacon,

but when they come together,

it becomes this
salty-sweet-tasting cheesecake.

In they go.

The next step - I need to work
on the candied bacon.

I want to make sure
that the maple

and bacon flavors
will definitely shine through.

I'm baking with bacon.

The next step -
I brush maple on to the bacon

and add some of the crushed
bacon popcorn to add texture.

In the oven it goes.

Henry's got the bacon baking
in the oven at the same time

as the cheesecake...
- Mm-hmm.

...could actually infuse
the flavor of the bacon.

I was thinking about that,

and a little bit of smoke
in there as well.

It's a definite baker move.

Okay.
Come on, P-Dubs.

Come on, P-Dubs.

I would consider myself
very competitive.

I'm not trying
to be braggadocious here,

but I've been around
the block a few times.

And, you know, these new kids,

I'm not really concerned
about them.

We can do this.
We can do this.

My style of baking
is spicy and sweet together.

So today I'm making
a chocolate cheesecake

with a chili popcorn crust.

Come on, Percy.
Come on.

The first thing I know
I got to do is the crust.

That's going to be the base.

So I've got to grind
the popcorn, melt the butter,

put that into the springform pan

because I have to make
individual servings here.

Okay.
I'm parbaking this crust

because I want my crust
to be stiff at the bottom.

Percy is using
a springform or mold

so he can serve the cheesecake

without any walls.

That's a baker.

And he's parbaking his crust
so that it's crispy,

and his popcorn
doesn't get soggy.

Trust me, baker.

Come on. Come on.
Come on. Come on.

Growing up as a kid,
we enjoyed popcorn in my house.

I was the oldest of 14 children,
so I knew

that if I wanted something
really good,

I had to go make it myself.

So I started baking.

At this point, my wife and I,
we have two wonderful children

and three lovely granddaughters.

I just want to win
this for them.

In here for 5 to 8.

I don't know who's the baker
and who's the faker.

I'm pretty confused.
They're all so good.

For me, the bakers
are Henry and Michele.

I think Michele
is being creative.

Her cinnamon churro,

it's going to go so great
with the popcorn.

It's going to be very flavorful.

And Henry, for me,

has been the most ambitious
in this competition.

He is trying the most
creative use of popcorn.

HENRY: How's your cheesecake
cooking in there?

- It's going.
- Oh, Henry.

I thought Henry was a baker,
but I just changed my mind.

Why?

How many times is Henry
going to open the oven

and let all the heat out?

How is his cheesecake
going to be cooked?

I think Henry looks
like a faker.

Oh, you're just totally
switching sides.

So you're flipping.
Say it.

Just say it.
- I am. Am I wrong?

You're wrong.
You're wrong.

We can do this.
We can do this.

Oh.
- Splash zone.

Are you a baker
or are you a faker?

- I...
- Am...

A...

What?!

- What?!
- No way!

Popcorn, come to mama here.

I have my no-bake cheesecake
filling.

So the next thing I'm getting
going is the shortbread.

I want to use bacon popcorn
because it's going to be,

like, a nice savory note to go
with the cheesecake filling,

which is actually going
to be a little tart.

There we go.
There we go.

Jennifer looks like she's got
some kind of shortbread.

Very smart,
that shortbread can add sweet

and dense texture

that I really welcome
in a cheesecake.

- Yes. Yeah.
- Baker all the way.

Okay, but when you have
a wet filling

like you have in a cheesecake,

you need the crust to be dried
out and crisp on its own

or you're just going
to get straight sloppy mess.

A shortbread crumble
is very fatty,

so it's going to stay soggy.

I think that's
a huge faker move.

JENNIFER:
We're in a good place here.

We got bacon on high.
Oops.

The last thing I need
to make is the caramel sauce.

Got to get a little
caramel going here.

I want to give this
my special twist,

so I'm going to add
little bits of bacon.

No bacon left behind.

It's going to add some texture,
and who doesn't love bacon?

I love bacon.

MICHELE: Smells good.
I smell bacon.

Yes, ma'am.

Jennifer is cooking bacon

and then using the bacon
to put into her caramel sauce

to accentuate the smokiness
in her sauce.

I love that.
That's a baker.

We got this, right?

MICHELE: Got a couple tricks
up my sleeve.

Now that the churros are done,

I'm working on
my graham cracker crust.

All right, popcorn.

I think the buttered popcorn
will add a little bit of salt

and a little bit of the butter
flavor to the crust.

So I pulse those together.

Smells good in here.

Now I need to get
going on my cheesecake.

I pour the cream cheese
into my mixing bowl,

so I can get it nice and fluffy,

and then I'm going
to add condensed milk

to add some sweetness.

Time to get these in the oven.

And then I'm going to scoop
the cheesecake mixture

into Mason jars

so that the cheesecakes
cook faster.

All right.

Next, I want to concentrate
on my caramel popcorn.

Change it up a little bit.

By just popping my own popcorn,

I get to create whatever
flavor I want with it,

and the caramel will be
a perfect balance

to my cheesecake.

Yummy.

Next, I get the caramel
coated onto the popcorn.

They didn't have
my favorite caramel.

I had to make it myself.

Every component Michele's making
has so much sugar in it.

She is not salting her popcorn,

and I think, as a baker,

you understand that balance
between salty and sweet.

She's a faker.

Doing good.

- Yours baking yet?
- Oh, it's almost done.

What are you doing over here?
You're supposed to be baking.

Don't be coming over
here for some tips.

HENRY: I pull my cheesecakes
out of the oven,

and I put the cheesecakes
in the freezer,

so I can let them cool down.

Hopefully they set in time.

If I serve them
a warm cheesecake,

it's going to taste
more like a custard,

and the whipped cream
will just melt off.

This is going to work.
I'm going to make it work,

and I have no backup plan.

You got to keep it
chilled, you know?

DAPHNE: Here's my baker
move for Henry.

His cheesecakes are already
out of the oven,

and he's giving them
time to settle

because if he adds
whipped cream on top,

it's not going to just melt
into a pool of cream.

I need that prize money.

Come on, now.

HENRY:
I feel pretty good.

We can do this.
We can do this.

So now I need to make my
cheesecake batter, cream cheese,

flour and eggs into all this.

Percy, he just looks confident.

He's so Zen, right?

- Oh.
- Uh-oh.

Splash zone.

All righty, then.
All right.

That was such good timing.

I still think Percy is a baker.

I've done that so many times.

Focus here, Percy.

You know what you need to do.

Chocolate.
I'm putting in cocoa powder

because chocolate and the heat

from the chili popcorn
work well together.

They just bounce off each other.
Come on, P-Dubs.

ALEX: Percy is pouring
a chocolate batter.

He's not pouring them very high,

which I think
is a real baker move.

It will be cooked in time.

PERCY: We're almost
a finished product.

Now I'm making the topping
for my cheesecake.

I'm going to use
that same chili popcorn

just to get that crunch factor.

A few more minutes,
few more minutes.

BUDDY: Two minutes left.

Alex, who are your two bakers?

I think my bakers
are Jennifer and Percy.

Percy, with the prebaked
crust - sign of a baker.

And Jennifer's really
infusing flavor very smartly,

and I think a no-bake
cheesecake's brilliant.

I think she chose
something foolproof,

like a baker would.
- Daphne?

My bakers are still
Henry and Michele.

Michele is our only person

in this kitchen
making her own popcorn.

And the Mason jars -
such a fast and easy way

to make this cheesecake
bake evenly.

And I think that Henry,
he is trying

the most
creative use of popcorn.

Henry put the popcorn
in his crust,

and he's adding more popcorn

on top of the bacon
to really crisp it up.

Henry is such a baker.

Let's go.

10, 9, 8, 7, 6,

5, 4, 3, 2, 1.

Stop your work.

Nice job.

HENRY:
So everything's in place.

I think the candied bacon

will kind of give you
that sweet-savory taste.

That will give me the edge
that I need to win.

Bakers and fakers,
I gave you 45 minutes

to make cheesecake
using popcorn.

It's time to face the judges.

Percy, what did you make for us?

I made a chocolate cheesecake
with a chili-popcorn crust.

Honestly, I was worried
that the chili

and the chocolate would kind
of kill the idea of popcorn,

but it has that popcorn flavor

and that nice heat
from the chilis.

I do have a lot of
unpopped kernels of popcorn...

Hmm.

...and I'd almost
call this cheesecake

underbaked in the center.

Percy, the best thing
on this plate

for me was actually this,

like, toffee crisp
on the bottom.

It still is crispy.
It's still crunchy

and really holds up
to all the wetness on top of it,

but the cheesecake didn't
hit the mark for me.

It is undercooked in some spots.

Jennifer?

I did a cheesecake parfait
with a bacon-caramel sauce

and the bacon-popcorn
shortbread.

So, Jennifer, look.
I love your cheesecake filling.

It's tart and not too sweet,
also a brilliant move

because everything else
layered on here

does have its own sweetness,

and I think that was
a smart balance.

But the shortbread crumb
at the bottom,

for me, wasn't as successful
because it's a very wet crumb,

and I think when you have
so many layers of wet,

you actually are craving
something drying at the bottom.

Yeah.

The caramel and the bacon
is just so good.

That combination is dynamite.

If I were in a conversation

with somebody eating this,
I would stop.

You lose me a little

with your crumble
topping in the bottom.

You chose a glass like this.

I got to get all the way down.

I mean, I got to go to
the sub-subbasement...

Yeah.

...to get the crust
of my cheesecake.

- Michele?
- Yes?

What did you make?

I made a cheesecake

with caramel popcorn
and a cinnamon churro.

DAPHNE: Your cheesecake
is beautifully cooked,

really soft, creamy, luscious,

and your crumb is the most
satisfying in its texture

with the dryness of it playing

so nicely with that
luscious cheesecake topping.

But your churro, to me,

tastes like a cream puff
that was deep-fried

and then rolled
in cinnamon sugar.

It doesn't have that
sort of yeasty-dough taste

that I associate with churros.

- I like your cheesecake...
- Thank you.

...in terms of texture
and baking and execution,

and you popped your own popcorn.
You're the only one.

The unique chewiness

of freshly popped popcorn,
it's really good.

But I think, overall,
the popcorn, a little sweet.

This popcorn really needed salt.
- Okay.

- Henry!
- Yes?

What did you make for us?

I made a maple-bacon
popcorn cheesecake.

I'm getting a lot of the flavor
of the popcorn,

particularly the crust.

It's packed.

It's got that
compressed feeling.

It's almost like a cookie.

But your cheesecake
is undercooked,

and when I eat
the bacon, weirdly,

the taste of the uncooked egg

comes out in the smoke
of the bacon.

The flavoring of this
custard is fantastic.

I love this combination
of maple and bacon.

Your custard is so sweet
and so powerfully flavorful

that I like it even better

when it's blended
with this very neutral cream.

Did you want your
bacon to be crispy?

- Yes.
- You did?

I think the idea to put the
popcorn on top was a clever one,

but I do think
it would have been

a more satisfying pairing

if this had been
a crispier bacon.

- Thanks, Henry.
- Thank you.

And I want to thank
all of you guys.

Now comes the hard part.

The judges need to deliberate.

My dish - It definitely isn't
as cooked as I wanted it to be.

If I go home right now,

I don't know how I'm going
to face my family.

They're going to be
so disappointed in me,

and most of all, I'm going
to be disappointed in myself.

Bakers and fakers,

now it's time to find out
who won the round,

who's going home and who
that person really is.

Alex?

The winner of this round is...

...Michele.

Yay.
Thank you.

The texture of your custard,

the crust underneath,
it really came together,

and we really liked that you
used both the ready-made popcorn

and you popped your own, fresh.

Good job.
- Thank you.

I just won Round 1.
Are you kidding me right now?

Daphne, please, tell us.

Who made
the second-best cheesecake?

Jennifer.
Well done.

PERCY:
Well done, Jennifer.

Good job, Jennifer.
You're safe.

Okay, judges.

We are down to
your bottom two bakers.

Alex, please tell us
who's moving on to Round 2.

Henry.
- Yes.

- Good job, man.
- Thank you.

Unfortunately, Percy, that means
you've been eliminated.

But before you go,
tell us, are you a baker

or are you a faker?

I... am...

a...

faker.

- Oh!
- Oh!

BUDDY: Get out of here.

That's some cheesecake
for a faker.

What do you do for a living?

Many folks in New York
know me from being

on gospel music radio
in New York City for many years.

No way.

PERCY:
What I love about radio

is that it takes me
into people's worlds.

I'm Percy Williams
on your radio.

Thank you very much
for listening, New York,

New Jersey and Connecticut.

I get a chance to inspire them,

and I get that same feeling
while baking.

Keep it locked where it's at.

You're enjoying music
for your spirit.

And nowadays, I bake for family.

I bake for friends.

I like the happiness that
I see on people's faces

when they enjoy something
that I baked in my kitchen.

So how would you describe your
dessert in your radio voice?

That was Brotha Percy's
chocolate cheesecake

with a beautiful
chili popcorn crust.

Enjoy.

I love it. I love it.

Thank you, Percy.

Hello, bakers and faker.

I'm giving you the freedom
to bake whatever you want...

Yay.

...as long as you
incorporate...

...marshmallows.

- Oh.
- Oh.

Mm. Marshmallow
is so sweet,

and it really can
overpower your dish.

So I am not happy
about this ingredient.

Ugh, okay.

We got freeze-dried
marshmallows,

vanilla marshmallows,

coconut marshmallows,

peppermint marshmallows
and marshmallow cream.

45 minutes
on the clock, you ready?

- Ready.
- Yes.

- Get baking!
- Whoo!

All right, guys.

What do you think
of marshmallows?

I like this ingredient
because you can play with it.

Yeah. I immediately
thought of toasting them,

kind of hoping that someone
who's a baker explores

that idea of the toasted,

almost-burned marshmallow
and the goo.

I love marshmallows melted
into hot cocoa.

If you make hot chocolate

and throw the marshmallows in,
that's a cop-out.

For anybody who's had
a hot chocolate

at the bus station,

there's something endearing
about that to me.

Totally.
The baker will know

that marshmallow itself
is just pure sugar,

and we want to see
a little bit of bitterness

that I think will carry the
marshmallow flavor a long way.

For me, I would
definitely go for salt.

I would go peanut butter.

I think marshmallow and peanut
butter pair beautifully.

Maybe a carrot cake

and then make the filling
with the marshmallow cream.

So I guess loser's
buying drinks tonight?

All right.

I'm very embarrassed

that my cheesecake
was undercooked,

but making it
through motivates me

more to kill it
in the second round.

- Is that carrots?
- It's carrots.

What?

HENRY: So for Round 2,

I'm going to be
making a carrot cake

with a cream cheese
marshmallow frosting.

I'm baking carrot cake.

My wife's my number-one fan.

So I'm going to make this
carrot cake to honor my wife.

Henry's making a carrot cake.

That's a great idea.

I'm a sucker for carrot cakes.

So I really love the texture
of the grated carrots

in the cake.

DAPHNE: It's a risky move.

Not everyone does
like carrot cake,

and I'm obsessed.

Plenty of time.

My strategy for this round
is to get the cake in the oven

as soon as I can
and to stack the cakes,

so the cakes will hold up
to the cream cheese frosting.

All right.

I start mixing the oil,
the sugar and the eggs,

and then I get the dry
ingredients together...

Make sure it's exact.

...and then fold
in the shredded carrots,

get that all set
and stick it in the oven.

I got it.

Now that that's in,

I start making
the cream cheese frosting.

Cheese.
I'm going to use

the marshmallow cream
in the cream cheese frosting

to give it the sweetness,

and hopefully,
that'll shine through.

Marshmallows and carrots -
two things that I don't think

would ever go well,
but I can make this happen.

BUDDY: Henry's doing

a marshmallow
cream cheese topping.

I think it's going to be sweet.
- Why?

The yin and the yang
with carrot cake

is that snap you get when
you eat the cream cheese,

and if it's too marshmallowy,
it's going to miss that tang.

- I agree with that.
- That's a faker.

I have to tell you,
I am kind of excited

about a marshmallow-flavored
frosting.

I hope he torches it.

I hope he gives it some nice,
like, deep, dark,

golden-brown bitterness,

which is going to play
this cake even more savory

than a traditional
carrot cake would be.

Baker move.

In we go.

There we go.

You're talking
to yourself over there.

I can make anything I want.

So I want to make something

that reminds a lot
of people of childhood.

I am making peanut butter

and marshmallow cream pies
and peanut brittle.

Okay.

I'm using almond flour

to make these
little pie crusts...

Sugar.

...but because of
the high fat content,

it takes a little bit
longer to bake.

I just want to get those in the
oven as quickly as possible.

Want to grease that first.

I put a little bit of butter
on the bottom of the jars

to make sure they don't stick.

Get a little bit
of that dough in there.

ALEX: Jennifer is making
an almond crust,

and she's packing it
in those small jelly jars.

I feel like we've
seen ground-up,

baked crust already
this competition.

That's a faker move.
- Mm.

Off you go.

Time to make some candy.

Peanut brittle was
the first candy

I learned how to make
with my dad.

So I need to get that
started with some sugar

and some corn syrup,

and I'm using salted,
roasted peanuts.

Come on, baby, cook for me.

Ah!

So Jennifer has a candy
thermometer out,

baker all the way.

It's definitely a baker.

Baking's a science.
You can't eyeball it.

There we go.

It would be really nice
to win the money.

I haven't been able
to see my dad for years

because it's expensive
to take time off

and go and visit him.

That looks beautiful.

How many can I fit in my hand?

Whoo!

I'm not a big fan
of marshmallows.

They are so sweet.

But that's what always
goes in hot cocoa,

and hot cocoa reminds me
of sitting around the fire

with my grandma.

All right.
Here we go.

So I am baking
a hot cocoa cupcake

with marshmallow buttercream
filling.

I'm, like, making
a mess over here.

The first thing I need to do
is get my batter made.

All right.
I'm shaving the chocolate down

so it will melt a lot faster.

I decided to add a little hint
of espresso in there

to bring the chocolate out more.

ALEX: I love that Michele
is using espresso

to enhance her chocolate flavor.

I think that's
a real baker move.

MICHELE: Going to taste
like Grandma's house.

This recipe comes directly
from my grandma.

It's got such
a deep chocolate taste.

I know it's going to take it
to the next level.

I want to win this competition
in memory of my grandmother.

She taught me everything I know,

and I really want to show
how far I've come

and how proud my grandma
would be of me today.

I am going in the oven.

Here we go.

JENNIFER:
I check on my crust.

I had put a little bit of butter
on the bottom of the jars

to make sure they didn't stick.

They turned out
a little buttery.

When the crusts
come out of the oven,

that butter has seeped up.

So I had little pools of hot
butter on top of the crust.

Oh, man.

Check out Jennifer,
soggy and greasy crust.

It is a disaster.

I don't want the judges
biting into a chunk of butter.

I might have to make this again.

JENNIFER: They turned out
a little buttery.

When the crusts
come out of the oven,

I had little pools of hot butter
on top of the crust.

I might have to make this again,

but I don't have enough time
to start over.

We'll clean you up.

So given the time frame,

I'm going to stick to my guns
and stay with what I've made.

There we go.

So I have to try
to soak up that butter.

Let's go cool you off.

HENRY: That's my timer.

So I take the cake
out of the oven

and set them in the freezer.

Got a hot pan coming through.

This definitely is a huge risk
that I'm taking

because it could ruin
the texture of the cake,

but at this point, I'm panicking

because I need to get
these cakes cooled

so that they can set up in time.

Henry immediately put the cake
in the refrigerator

after it came out of the oven.

I think that really compromised
the last few minutes of baking.

I feel like it's not done.

That's a faker move.

And this.

Next, I'm going to toast some
almonds to give it some texture.

I think I'm the one that's going
to be winning today.

So I stick them in the oven.

Almost done.

Every year, I make my wife
a birthday cake,

and it's carrot cake.

So the last thing I want to do
is melt some chocolate

and write
"Happy Birthday" on the plate.

Look at Henry.

Watch him cut this
parchment paper.

Watch him fold it.

He's making his own
points right now.

I mean, who is this person?

He's a mathematician or a baker.

He's a calligraphy teacher
who does greeting cards.

HENRY:
I hope these come out.

Let's go stick you
in the chiller.

I've got the crust
and the brittle in the cooler.

Now I'm going to work
on the peanut butter mousse.

And just salt here,
little vanilla.

Then I'm going to whip
some cream to a soft peak.

Okay.
There we go.

And then I fold that whipped
cream into the peanut butter.

ALEX: I like that Jennifer
is folding cream

into her peanut butter mixture
to keep it light and fluffy.

Okay.

Jennifer is definitely a baker.

JENNIFER: This last one.

The next thing I need to start
is the marshmallow cream.

I pipe it on top
of the peanut butter mousse.

Okay.

Ooh, she's getting a torch out.
Watch out, everyone.

Playing with fire.

I want to brûlée
the tops a little.

All right.
Look at what Jennifer's doing.

Like, that, to me,
is a faker move.

The cream, it wasn't
transformed at all.

Jennifer really just, you know,
took it out of the jar

and put it onto the plate.

JENNIFER: Perfect.

Toasting really changes
the flavor of a marshmallow.

I think this dish is going
to impress the judges.

There we go.

Check my cupcake.
Almost.

Now that the cupcakes
are in the oven,

I want to start
on my marshmallow buttercream.

Ooh, this stuff's sweet.

I want to use
that marshmallow cream

because it's already melted
down and ready to go.

All right.
What a mess.

If I don't balance
that marshmallow cream

with enough butter,

it might make it way too sweet

and overpower the chocolate.

Come on, baby.

I want to get my ganache going,

so when the cupcakes are ready,
I can just dip them.

All right.
I'm adding a little bit

of corn syrup
to give it a nice shine.

I think she's probably
making a ganache frosting.

Michele's adding corn syrup
to her chocolate chips

to make sure
it's glossy and smooth.

You do want a bitter
chocolate topping

on what is going to be

an extremely sweet
sugar bomb of a cupcake.

I think that's
a really baker move.

I agree.

Ganache is done.
All right.

I get my cupcakes
out of the oven.

Come on, baby.

I want to use the fondant
to make a little handle off

the side of the cupcake.

Everything's got to be edible.

- She's making some decorations.
- I don't like that.

What does fondant have
to do with marshmallow?

There's a lot of frills
on Michele's cooking.

MICHELE:
I'm in it to win it.

Two minutes left.

Alex, who are your two bakers?

I'm going to go with Jennifer
because of her concept.

You're so pretty.

Love the toasted and burned
edges of marshmallows.

So all she had to do was
toast that marshmallow,

and you went hook,
line and sinker?

It doesn't take much for me
to get on your team.

It doesn't take much
for me to jump ship.

And Michele did
the pro pastry bag,

twisting the top to get
all the air out of it,

and adding the corn syrup

to the glaze
was a really nice touch

that makes the chocolate
shiny and slick.

That's a total baker move.

All right.
Daphne?

I stay loyal to
the bitter, bitter end.

My bakers are Henry and Michele.

Michele has thought
of everything.

Her cupcakes are perfectly iced,

and marshmallow is going
to feature prominently

in Michele's dish
no matter what.

Meanwhile, my man, Henry,

who I've been rooting for
from the beginning,

I like to see Henry cut rounds
out of his carrot cake

and doing a layering
of marshmallow frosting.

It's going to be
a very textural play,

and that's a baker move to me.

BUDDY: Okay, guys.

10, 9, 8, 7, 6,

5, 4, 3, 2, 1.

Stop your work.

- Yeah.
- Drop the marshmallows.

MICHELE:
Looking down at my dish,

the presentation came out
exactly how I wanted.

What it comes down to is flavor.

I'm still a little concerned

if the marshmallow's
going to come through.

Are you a baker or a faker?

- I...
- Am...

A...

- Yes!
- No!

- Yes!
- Oh. Really?

Bakers and faker,

you had 45 minutes
to bake anything you want,

as long as it had
some marshmallows in it.

But now you must
face the judges.

Henry, what'd you do, man?

Well, I made a carrot cake

with a cream cheese
marshmallow frosting.

That cake is kind of
inspired by my wife.

It's her favorite flavor.
I figured I'd pay homage to her.

Henry, you made
a really good cake.

I really loved
the grated carrot texture,

and I love
the "Happy Birthday" piping.

The calligraphy was expert.

But I think your cake
is borderline undercooked,

and I think the cream cheese
in this frosting

overpower the marshmallow.

I agree with you.
I don't taste the marshmallow

in the frosting,
but it is delicious.

- Thank you.
- And I love the toasted almonds.

They really give a great crunch,

but they could have had
a little bit of salt on them.

I just wish there'd
been more marshmallow.

Thank you.

Michele, what did you make?

I made a hot-cocoa cupcake
with marshmallow filling

and then some mini
marshmallows on top.

I think you've made
an amazing cupcake.

Thank you.

The bitterness of the chocolate,

and then we get
this gooey filling.

It's just perfect.
- Great.

But you made a number
of components,

the fondant, I think
this stuff is beautiful,

but it just didn't
taste like marshmallow.

Michele, the execution
on this dish is perfect.

The crumb is so moist.

It is so decadent
and rich and chocolaty,

the glossy ganache on top,
perfect.

I will say this.
Those little mini marshmallows,

torching them a little bit,
I think,

would have worked
really nicely as well.

It changes the texture
and the flavor of a marshmallow.

Right.

Jennifer,
what'd you make for us?

I made a peanut butter
and marshmallow cream pie

with an almond crust
and a peanut brittle.

The brittle is delicious.

It's, like, an avalanche
of all the nuts.

I mean, I love it.

But when I get the peanut butter
and the almond crust,

it's tough for the marshmallow
to survive the street fight.

It just doesn't taste
like marshmallows.

Okay.

DAPHNE: I do think
this peanut butter filling

is really nicely balanced.

It's smooth.
It's creamy.

It's the right sweetness,
so good.

- Thank you.
- What undid the dessert

for me was actually
the almond crust on the bottom.

- Okay.
- The crust ended up

being a little bit wetter
than I had hoped.

What ends up happening is,
when you have a really fatty,

wet dessert on top
of a really fatty, wet crust,

there isn't the differentiation

that you need to really have
the perfect mouth effect.

Okay.

Now comes the hard part.

The judges got to deliberate.

HENRY: Man, I'm nervous
about the cake

not being cooked long enough.

You know, there's
so much at stake.

Winning with this recipe
that has been with me

since I was a child

would be the most special thing
I could even imagine.

JENNIFER:
I think the flavors are great,

and there's a really
good balance going on.

I feel like that
I could possibly win this.

Inside this envelope
is the name of the winner,

but before I tell you
who that person is,

tell me who you are.

Henry, are you
a baker or a faker?

I... am... a...

Henry, are you a baker
or a faker?

I...

am...

a...

baker.
- Yes!

- Oh.
- Yes! Oh.

I am the owner
of Whisk Cake Creations

in Alameda, California.

At Whisk Cake Creations,

we specialize in custom
cakes for all occasions.

That looks great.

Through high school,
I worked at different bakeries,

and I went into culinary school.

And I've always had this dream
of starting my own business.

You let us know what you want,
and we can definitely create it.

The best part of my job
is that I get to do what I love,

which is making people happy.

Here you go.
- [ Gasps ]

So it doesn't feel
like a job at all.

Thank you.

BUDDY: We know we got
one baker in Henry.

Michele?
- Yes?

Tell us, are you a baker
or are you a faker?

I... am...

a...

Baker, baker, baker.

- ...faker.
- No!

- What?!
- No way!

- Yep.
- I don't believe it.

BUDDY: No.

Are you faking right now?
Are you really a faker?

- No, I am truly a faker.
- What's your deal?

I work for a police department.

- What?!
- You're a cop?

I'm not a cop.
I'm a civilian worker,

but I work with the police.

Yes.
I oversee the civilian side

of the police department
in Davis, California.

Davis, 152.

I've worked at the police
department for 12 years.

We are a family, and a lot of us
grew up together.

So I'm super proud of being able

to give back
to the community now.

I brought you down, so we can
look at a couple camps today.

I was hoping you guys
can do some medical assessments

and any other services
that we can provide them.

I bake cakes for family,
for friends.

Baking is how I show my love.

I definitely utilize
my baking skills

to get some stuff
done around my work.

I love going out
into the community

and really showing
my pride for my city,

plus the department.

Well, Jennifer, I guess
we know what that makes you.

But for the record,
please, tell us.

Are you a baker or a faker?

- I am a baker.
- Ah! Ha-ha.

Where are you a baker, Jennifer?

I'm actually not just a baker,
but I'm an ice-cream maker.

I am the executive chef
of Local Ice,

an artisan ice-cream parlor

in Studio City, California.

I'm liking how this one looks.
I get to see customers

come in and taste
the things that I make.

Mm.
That is delicious.

I get to make something
that makes people happy

because who's in a bad mood
when they eat ice cream?

I like it.
It looks so good.

So now that we know who you are,

it's my turn to
reveal the winner.

Henry, Jennifer, if you win,
you win $10,000.

And, Michele, if you win,
you win 15 grand.

The winner is...

...Michele.

Whoo!
Yay!

That's awesome.

Thank you so much.

Honestly, the cupcake
was beautifully baked,

the chocolate, the sweetness
perfectly balanced.

It felt cohesive.

It felt like something
I would buy in a bakery.

Thank you.

I'm so excited.

I can't believe I won $15,000.

This is a dream come true.

Beating two professionals
at their own game,

it makes me super proud.

I can't wait to go back
and share this with my town.

Thank you.
- Congratulations.

Thank you.
Thank you very much.

Great work.
Thank you very much.

Thank you.
Great job.