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This is really fierce competition.
WILLMAN: In just a few moments,
four of the most successful bakers in "Cupcake Wars" history
return to battle for cupcake superiority.
It's delicious.
I'm shaking.
And one by one, they will be eliminated,
as they're judged on taste...
This cupcake is just a dream.
...presentation...
Well, whew. Good job on the decoration.
...and, in the final round, the remaining two bakers
will bring it all together
into one jaw-dropping cupcake display.
The winner gets to have their creation
at the center of a party celebrating an icon.
Barbie is moving to her new Dreamhouse.
Holy moly.
And they'll walk away with $10,000.
It's clumpy, and it looks curdled.
We might have just lost.
I want to sit down and cry in a corner.
Get ready, 'cause this is "Cupcake Wars."
-- Captions by VITAC --
Closed Captions provided by Scripps Networks, LLC.
[ Ding! ]
What's up?
I'm Justin Willman,
and the ultimate cupcake showdown
is about to begin right here.
Overseeing today's war are our judges --
Candace Nelson,
founder of the world's first cupcake bakery,
Sprinkles Cupcakes,
and Florian Bellanger, owner of Mad Mac Macarons
and former executive pastry chef at the world-renowned Fauchon.
The kitchens are stocked. Our judges are ready.
Let's meet today's competitors.
People are always so surprised that gluten-free could win.
I don't think it's a big surprise if we're just better.
My name is Kyra Bussanich,
and I own Kyra's Bake Shop
just outside of Portland, Oregon.
It's an entirely gluten-free bakery.
I can't eat gluten.
I had no idea there were that many people out there
who also eat gluten-free.
That's why I started this gluten-free bakery.
You know how on our window,
it says "2-Time Cupcake Wars Winner"?
We're gonna have to change that to "3" if we win.
I've been on "Cupcake Wars" four times before.
We've lost twice, and we've won twice.
You are so good at coming up with decorations.
My assistant today will be Jackie Eizik.
She and I went to pastry school together,
and she's my right hand at the bakery.
Not very many people have won three times.
But if we lose, it's going to be awful.
I need to win "Cupcake Wars"
because I'd like to start expanding.
The judges have seen us so many times
that we really need to bring something new and fresh
that they've never seen from us.
Yes!
Good afternoon. Just Cupcakes.
My name is Carla Hesseltine.
I own Just Cupcakes in Virginia Beach, Virginia.
Our cupcakes are like little jewels.
We have two storefronts,
and we just started our first cupcake-mobile.
I don't even have to say anything.
You can absolutely read my mind.
My assistant is Nicole Culver.
She's been our lead baker for over a year.
When we win this time,
store number three is definitely happening.
I have been on "Cupcake Wars" three times.
I made it all the way to round 3 multiple times,
but I haven't won.
This one we're gonna win.
I am wanting this so badly
that nothing's gonna stand in my way.
All right, here we go.
We've got to wow Florian and Candace yet again.
We've done it before. We'll do it again.
I'm Arleen Scavone, and I own Sweet Arleen's
in Westlake Village, California.
We really do use the finest ingredients.
We've just started to franchise. We have six locations.
We have a goal of opening 100 stores in five years,
and we are on track with that plan.
Arleen, we're the best, and we're gonna take it.
My assistant today is Julia San Bartolome.
She has been with me since the beginning of Sweet Arleen's.
She always delivers. She's got my back.
Three-times winner. We're gonna win again.
We are three-time undefeated champions.
Even with three wins, I can't go in being overly confident
because any little mistake can send me home.
All right. Let's go to "Cupcake Wars"!
Whoo!
I just love to bake.
I think, like, it makes people happy
when they eat delicious treats.
My name is Megan Faulkner Brown.
I own the Sweet Tooth Fairy,
and we are in Salt Lake City, Utah.
Business is sweet.
We currently have 10 stores throughout Utah and Arizona.
You've been on it so many times before.
Only twice.
This is my third time coming on "Cupcake Wars."
The first time, I won.
The second time, I was eliminated in round 2.
I'm really nervous, Meg. I haven't done this before.
My assistant is Haley Flores Neilson,
and she is the manager of one of our stores.
You know, there are so many talented bakers.
I feel like it's more important
to just do our best and win.
If we win the $10,000, I'm gonna use that money
and get a big, fat billboard along I-15.
Shall we?
Welcome back, old friends. You know the drill.
What's up, ladies? Welcome to "Cupcake Wars."
You are all familiar faces, and you have all returned
to battle for a very special episode,
because today we're honoring
one of the most cherished ladies of our time,
a role model who's inspired
millions of girls across the world.
That special woman is none other than Barbie.
Barbie has just finished an epic 15-city tour
in search of her new Dreamhouse,
and found it in Malibu, California.
And one of you is taking your cupcakes
to a giant celebration at Mattel headquarters.
And, in addition to spotlighting your creations
at this mega party for Barbie fans young and old,
we will throw in extra icing on the cake
in the form of $10,000 cash.
As you know, there are three rounds of competition.
After each round, one of you will be sent home.
Now, challenge 1 is a taste test.
Your goal is to celebrate Barbie's new Dreamhouse
by using at least two ingredients
guaranteed to give sweet dreams.
You'll find our inspiration table jam-packed
with gum balls, saltwater taffy, and marshmallow cream.
Mmm. So much more.
You have 45 minutes. Good luck. Starts now.
Everything I see is sugar --
lemon drops and gumdrops and cotton candy,
and sugar and sugar, sugar, and sugar.
Oh, my gosh. Oh, my gosh. Okay, I'm so excited.
It's, like, all these frilly delicious things.
Cotton candy...
I saw lemon drops...
Caramel corn.
It feels, like, really artificial to me.
Everybody here is a returning baker,
so we really have to bring it.
These are really fierce competitors,
and they take no prisoners,
but my confidence is a whole lot stronger
than I've ever felt on "Cupcake Wars."
Okay, we'll do a chocolate cake, and then we'll do
a caramel-corn and marshmallow frosting, all right?
So I'm going to make a gluten-free chocolate cake
dipped in dark-chocolate ganache,
rolled in our caramel corn,
topped with a marshmallow mascarpone cream,
with a white chocolate bow.
In you go.
I want you to get this in the oven.
I know you do.
We're gonna get going on this caramel corn.
I'm gonna get it in the grinder.
I'm going to make a caramel-corn cupcake
with a marshmallow caramel filling,
a salted caramel-corn crumble topping,
a creamy marshmallow frosting
with a dark-chocolate ganache,
and a sweet-and-salty chocolate bark.
HALEY: A caramel-corn cupcake -- that's pretty insane.
I'd like to take the caramel corn and grind it up
so I can put inside of the cupcake batter.
I think that they're really gonna like it.
I don't think they've seen that before.
It'll be delicious.
I'm gonna start chopping up these gumdrops.
I'm thinking I can make a fruitcake, sort of,
out of gumdrops, filled with an orange-scented lemon curd,
with a marshmallow buttercream,
topped with a gumdrop Barbie flower.
Yes.
Almost done.
It's been a while since I made lemon drops.
Well, it should be something you'll never forget.
I'm going for a win. I'm gonna use four ingredients.
I'm going to make homemade lemon drops baked into a lemon cake,
a marshmallow buttercream
with a deconstructed cherry-and-gumdrop filling,
with a Barbie "B" made out of bubble-gum fondant.
I'm cooking the lemon drops on the stove.
Okay.
I'm the only one here that has not won.
It's a little intimidating.
I know. We've beat her before.
Oh, great.
Ah, smells like home, sweet home in here, guys,
with emphasis on the "sweet."
You have 30 minutes.
30 minutes. Oh, my gosh.
This tastes like a bag full of caramel corn.
Oh, my gosh. Carla, I almost forgot the gumdrops.
I don't think anyone's ever made a fruitcake
on "Cupcake Wars."
I think they're gonna love this.
Okay. Go, go, go. Go, go, go.
They're in.
You got the xanthan gum?
I have the xanthan gum.
And you were careful about measuring that, right?
To make a really good gluten-free cake,
there is a precise science --
different gluten-free flours, the xanthan gum,
and the leavening agents,
and if you mess up,
it's gonna be dense and dry and not taste good.
How much longer do you think they have?
I think like five minutes.
I'm gonna go ahead and get this started
over the double boiler.
It's gonna whip into a beautiful cloud of marshmallow fluff.
JACKIE: You got to hurry.
I know. I know.
Make sure it's covered.
Two minutes.
I should have scooped them a little smaller.
It would have baked a little faster.
Cupcakes look good, Arleen.
Come on, please be done. (bleep)
We've only got 15 minutes left, and it's still soupy.
They should have been done seven minutes ago.
Okay, go check that oven, please.
I start to panic. These women are fantastic bakers.
There was no sliver for error.
Oh, no. Why? Why?
We may be screwed.
This was my challenge. This was my time to win.
The one thing that I thought I could count on --
these cupcakes being ready on time.
They aren't ready on time.
Oh, my goodness.
Shoot.
They should have been done seven minutes ago,
and it's still soupy.
I start to panic.
I have no choice but to keep them in the oven.
We're gonna run the clock down as long as possible.
Oh, wow, I still need to get
the gumdrops cooled down for the topping.
For our deconstructed cherry- and lemon-gumdrop filling,
we're gonna take the gumdrops,
then add some cherry and lemon purée
to give it that sweet and tart balance of flavor.
It should have a little bit of texture.
I don't want it to be like mush.
I want there to be crunch.
Get it on an ice bath.
ARLEEN: Okay, Julia, I'm gonna go ahead,
I'll do it.
This bark, we're just gonna use it as, like,
hopefully something to kind of set us apart.
WILLMAN: Hey, bakers, 10 minutes.
We got to get those cupcakes in the refrigerator.
Ooh, yeah, those are nice.
They're done.
Yay!
It looks great.
The trick to this buttercream is gonna be
to balance that sweetness.
I'm gonna do a bunch of vanilla-bean paste
and make it taste really marshmallowy.
Holy cow. Everybody is doing something with marshmallow.
I'm thinking that we have this really great cupcake
and that it's super unique,
and then I realize everybody is using
that marshmallow fluff for the frosting.
We got to do something to stand out.
I'm just gonna fold this fluff with some caramel.
It might not be the most, like, sophisticated filling,
but hopefully, it'll kind of set it apart
from everyone who's using marshmallow.
Okay. Let's get them out.
Finally, the cupcakes come out of the oven.
I've got less than five minutes to get these cupcakes
cooled, frosted, and out to the judges.
Get the smallest ones that we have,
put them in the refrigerator.
It's the texture of bubble gum, the taste of bubble gum,
Oh, my.
It's delicious.
MEGAN: I need every single thing to get on this cupcake,
or else this balance won't work very well.
NICOLE: I should have scooped them a little smaller.
They would have baked a little faster.
WILLMAN: One minute.
I'm glad you caught that everyone
was doing a marshmallow frosting.
These are so cute. They are so cute.
Okay. That's beautiful.
Yeah. Okay, you sparkle.
ARLEEN: Just do three. Just do three.
So, salted caramel with the crumble, right?
NICOLE: It's not the presentation, it's the taste.
WILLMAN: 10, 9, 8,
7, 6, 5,
4, 3, 2, 1.
Time's up.
JACKIE: I really like our cupcakes.
Yay! I think they look great.
We did good. We did it.
Well, bakers, your mission was to concoct a cupcake
that pays homage to Barbie's Dreamhouse.
Let's see how you did.
You guys, of course, know Candace and Florian,
but let's meet our guest judge.
She is a woman who has worked with Barbie for over 25 years,
senior vice president of Mattel's North America division Lisa McKnight.
McKNIGHT: Hi, bakers.
As you know, Barbie's been inspiring girls to dream big for many years,
so I am looking for cupcakes that are inspired
by Barbie's dreaminess and fabulousness.
Hi, Justin.
Tell us about your dream cupcake.
I baked a tutti-frutti cupcake,
but instead of using candied fruit,
we used gumdrops.
And inside is an orange-scented lemon curd
and topped with a marshmallow-cream buttercream.
Well, speaking of dream,
the texture of this cupcake is just a dream.
I mean, it is light and fluffy like a cloud.
I can't get over it.
Now, I don't really love the plasticky taste of gumdrops,
but it was a challenge ingredient,
and you took it head-on, and I think you worked it out.
What do you think?
I'm on the same page with Candace here.
The cake is really fluffy, I mean, incredibly fluffy.
Your version of gumdrops I think was very good.
It was just acidic enough and lemony enough,
so I think you did a great filling.
Thank you.
Lisa, what do you think?
The citrus flavor is really sunny and optimistic
and really feels like something Barbie would love.
Hi, Justin.
Thank you.
What did you bake them?
It's a chocolate cake that is gluten-free,
dipped in dark-chocolate ganache,
rolled in homemade caramel corn,
topped with a marshmallow-cream mascarpone whipped cream
with a modeling-chocolate bow.
Well, whew.
I can help Barbie move any time
if she served me this cupcake.
The mascarpone-fluff cream is just delicious.
The caramelized popcorn, I think,
brings some crunch to the entire experience.
You did a great cupcake today.
This cupcake was so decadent and creamy and rich,
it actually reminded me of an ice-cream sundae.
What could be better?
I think this would give Barbie a ton of energy
to move all those boxes.
It's fabulous.
Hi. Great.
Tell us about your cupcake.
You have a dense caramel cupcake
filled with marshmallow caramel filling,
a crunchy caramel-corn crumble,
topped with a marshmallow-cream frosting,
a dark-chocolate ganache, and a sweet-and-salty bark.
I did taste that beautiful caramel,
and my frosting was nice and lush,
but I think you overpacked this cupcake
with too much caramel corn, and it just became a little too dense --
not fit for Barbie, I'm afraid.
BELLANGER: I know you described it as a dense cupcake,
but this cupcake was way too heavy.
Although I could recognize
the caramelized popcorn and everything,
I think I'd take a rain check on Barbie's moving day.
Hello, Arleen. Always good to see you.
Tell us what you baked.
It begins with homemade lemon drops
baked in a lemon cake
iced with a homemade marshmallow-fluff buttercream,
filled with a cherry- and lemon-gumdrop compote
accessorized with a bubble-gum fondant Barbie "B."
I think this cupcake was a really nice blend
of sort of classic, traditional Barbie and modern-day Barbie.
You have that old-school Barbie script tasting of bubble gum --
bravo -- as well as sort of the deconstructed and homemade gumdrop,
so that was a really nice blend,
and I think it was really on point for today's challenge.
Your cake was really fluffy and buttery.
Your take on lemon drops was excellent.
My only concern is that, on your frosting,
I was more tasting really like an Italian-meringue buttercream
more than the marshmallow fluff in it.
I could not taste this at all.
I could just taste the buttercream.
I loved the combination of flavors
and the surprise of the lemon drops and the bubble-gum "B."
And Barbie loves to be surprised.
Thank you, judges. Thank you, Arleen.
Okay, bakers, we're gonna give our judges a chance to chat.
I'll bring you back in a few.
I think it's gonna come down to a small technicality
between who stays and goes, so it looks
like it's gonna come down to the density of my cupcake.
ARLEEN: This is such a tight race.
By Florian not tasting the marshmallow in our icing,
that certainly could be our issue to cause us going home.
Ladies, the upside of a battle with all returning bakers
is the bar is set high -- really high.
But the downside of a battle with all returning bakers
is, well, the bar is set high,
and one of you didn't reach it.
With dense caramel-corn cake and an overwhipped icing,
Megan, I'm sorry, you're done in the cupcake war.
If I could change one thing,
I would not have put as much caramel corn
inside of the cupcake,
but I still think it tasted delicious.
WILLMAN: Well, cupcake makers,
Barbie is relying on one of you
to deliver the cupcakes for her moving party,
and if you want that person to be you,
you have to make it to the final challenge,
where you'll create a 1,000-cupcake display.
But first, you have to survive this round.
Now, in this challenge, you must create three cupcakes
that fulfill every girl's dream-house fantasy,
which means your cupcakes can't just taste great,
they have to look great.
In fact, they'll be judged
50% on flavor and 50% on decorations.
You have 75 minutes...
starting now.
Oh, my gosh.
Oh, my gosh, I can't believe it.
The judges loved our cupcakes.
Yes.
Yes, we made it.
Let's go little-girl flavors with big-girl execution.
Exactly.
Okay.
Our first cupcake is a lemon cake with lemon buttercream,
drizzled with a strawberry coulis.
It's gonna be decorated one of three ways --
the Barbie silhouette, a Barbie poodle, or a Barbie bag.
Exactly.
The second cupcake is gonna be the yellow buttercake
filled with a peanut-butter filling,
topped with a grape Italian meringue.
And I'm gonna do the frosting to make this big, poufy dress
and create a heart for Barbie's bodice.
And then the third cupcake --
Let's do a dark, decadent chocolate.
Our third cupcake is a dark-chocolate cupcake
with a fresh-mint ganache,
vanilla-bean American buttercream
topped with the iconic Barbie logo.
We cannot make any mistakes.
It is all on.
Ready.
Let's do it.
We should do a couple different cities,
and we could pair those with some of the iconic Barbies,
so, obviously we start in California with Malibu Barbie.
My first cupcake is paying homage to Malibu Barbie.
It's an orange-scented cake filled with orange mousse,
topped with a strawberry passion-fruit buttercream
and garnished with a gluten-free Barbie silhouette tuile cookie
in the shape of a heart.
Oh, my gosh. How's your chocolate cake coming?
Our second cupcake is fashionista Barbie.
It's a chocolate cake
filled with peppermint milk-chocolate ganache,
topped with peppermint chocolate-chip Italian-meringue buttercream,
the Barbie signature,
and her accessory -- a pearl necklace.
I think we should do a ginger-cookie crust
on the key-lime so it tastes more like a key-lime pie.
Our third cupcake is pastry-chef Barbie's key-lime-pie cupcake
filled with a key-lime crémeux
and topped with an Italian meringue, which we toast,
with a "Home sweet home" stamp out of modeling chocolate.
I really hope they love these cupcakes.
Arleen, I'm getting that fresh mango you asked for.
Our first cupcake is Malibu Barbie.
It's a fresh-mango cupcake, iced with a strawberry mascarpone,
topped with a kiwi buttercream
and adorned with a pink white-chocolate bow.
What can we do with the chocolate
to make it more fudgy-like?
I could mix some chocolate chips in.
Our second cupcake is the vintage Barbie.
It's a dark-chocolate cupcake
with a white-chocolate mint buttercream,
topped with a framed silhouette of Barbie.
I'm gonna go ahead and cook the pineapple
so it has more taste to it.
Tropical Barbie is our third cupcake.
It is a fresh-pineapple cupcake with a key-lime-curd filling,
a coconut buttercream,
and then accessorized with a fondant handbag,
sunglasses, and flower for her hair.
A great team that's here today.
They're gonna be tough competitors, though,
that is for certain.
This is the toughest competition
we've ever had at "Cupcake Wars."
Makes me a little bit nervous.
All right.
Barbie's moving to a new Dreamhouse.
One of you is moving home.
One hour left.
One hour? Oh, my gosh.
Oh, my gosh, Jackie.
We have to really push the limit of what we're doing.
We have so much to do. Oh, my gosh.
We are doing
some really complicated, challenging cupcakes
with difficult fillings and difficult frostings,
and they're gluten-free, which takes longer.
Oh, my goodness.
Usually we're in the oven by now, Jackie.
Okay, yellow cupcakes going in the oven.
I'm scooping the ginger-cookie crust.
Arleen, Malibu Barbie's going in the oven.
Key-lime is going into the oven.
Chocolate going in the oven.
Okay.
30 minutes.
30 minutes?
Now I'm working on all the buttercreams.
I really want to keep this fresh and natural,
so I'm gonna take a pure grape juice
and substitute that for water to add into the meringue.
Italian meringue always scares me.
I don't know why I chose to do it,
but this will be a great flavor if I can pull it off.
Ah. My gosh, it's fantastic.
They look perfect.
Mango cupcakes coming out.
Beautiful. Done.
We have finally conquered the oven demons here.
I go to check on the key-lime cupcakes.
They look really pretty,
but I try to get them out of the pan,
and the tops are ripping off
and the bottoms are staying in the pan.
Shoot. Jackie, we may have a problem after all.
Look at that. It's not even holding together.
Not only do we not have time to remake the batter for this,
we don't have time to bake it.
But, Kyra, this is like -- it's just too hot.
You can't pull them apart when they're this hot.
I know that we have to go with what we have,
but I'm not at all pleased about them.
Okay. Okay, we'll go with it.
Jackie, I'm making the key-lime crémeux.
Come on, cool down.
I don't know if we're gonna finish, Kyra.
I don't know if we are, either.
Arleen, I'm making little Barbie sunglasses.
CARLA: I really like the poodle.
I'm doing that strawberry mascarpone you talked about.
ARLEEN: I love mascarpone. I love strawberry.
Bakers, 10 minutes.
Oh, my gosh, Jackie, 10 minutes.
JULIA: Arleen, the mascarpone is totally broken.
It's clumpy, and it looks curdled.
Julia's mixing the strawberry-mascarpone mousse,
and I'm looking over, and it starts to curdle.
Oh, my God.
I'm hoping I can get it to heat up fast enough.
We only have 10 minutes.
Our only option is to torch the bottom,
heat the bowl up
so I can get this back incorporated and we can ice.
It's giving me a hard time,
but I have my Barbie fingers crossed.
Huh?
We're out of time. Hurry.
They came together, Arleen. I think we're gonna be okay.
Oh, Julia.
This is disastrous.
Go, go, go.
One minute.
We got to hurry.
KYRA: I want to cry. This is terrible.
Hurry. Hurry. Okay, do it.
All right.
Blowtorch. These are not the prettiest cupcakes.
10, 9, 8,
7, 6, 5,
4, 3, 2, 1.
Time's up.
Holy moly.
[ Sighs ] Huh?
Oh, gosh.
I'm looking at the plate,
and I'm disappointed with what we've been able to do.
My cupcakes all have problems.
Things have been so close today
that even the smallest mistake could totally send me home.
WILLMAN: Cupcake makers, your second challenge
was to make three cupcakes whose flavors and presentations
capture the spirit of Barbie and her Dreamhouse.
Let's see how you did. Carla, what'd you bake?
The first cupcake is a lemon cake
with lemon buttercream and a strawberry drizzle,
decorated with some of Barbie's iconic images.
The second is a yellow buttercake
with a peanut-butter filling
and a grape Italian-meringue topping,
with a heart on top.
Third is a dark-chocolate-chip cake
with a mint-scented chocolate ganache,
topped with vanilla-bean American buttercream
decorated with a chocolate "B."
BELLANGER: Hi, Carla.
Your decorations were cute, but, at this stage of the competition,
I thought you would have pushed yourself
a little bit on the decoration.
I thought they were quite simple.
Regarding your cupcakes, the chocolate was delicious.
The ganache was silky and good,
but besides that chocolate cupcake,
the other two, I thought, were just too ordinary.
NELSON: Well, I could definitely tell,
looking at your plate of cupcakes,
that I was in Barbie's Dreamhouse.
In terms of your cupcakes,
your strawberry-lemonade cupcake was really well done,
although I felt like this peanut-butter-and-jelly cupcake,
I was eating the same cake, but otherwise a yummy cupcake.
I really appreciate the way you honed in
on some of Barbie's key icons,
but I will say, overall, I'm not inspired.
You could have gone a little bigger
and a little more over the top.
Thank you, judges. Kyra, tell us about this trio.
We start with a gluten-free orange-scented cake,
filled with an orange mousse,
topped with a strawberry passion-fruit buttercream
and a gluten-free Barbie heart tuile silhouette.
And the next one is the chocolate cake
filled with peppermint milk-chocolate ganache,
topped with a peppermint chocolate-chip Italian-meringue buttercream,
a sparkly Barbie signature, and the pink pearl necklace.
On your right, it starts with a gluten-free ginger-cookie crust
topped with vanilla cake, filled with lime crémeux,
topped with Italian meringue
and then a "Home sweet home" medallion.
NELSON: Hi, Kyra.
Barbie's life is nothing
if not over the top and glamorous,
and that's exactly what these cupcakes were.
I loved how all of your decorations
were deliciously edible.
I think you captured Barbie perfectly
in these cupcakes and in the taste, as well.
BELLANGER: Overall, good job on the decoration.
Regarding your cupcakes --
what a delicious plate of cupcakes.
My only note would be this frosting --
the passion fruit gave a kick to the strawberry
that make it taste artificial.
I don't think that was a good idea.
The Barbie fans would say "pinktastic."
Arleen, tell us about your Barbie fantasy.
To your right is our fresh-mango cupcake
with a strawberry mascarpone,
topped with a kiwi buttercream
and a pink white-chocolate bow.
The middle is a pineapple cupcake
filled with a key-lime curd,
iced with a coconut buttercream,
decorated with sunglasses, handbag,
and a flower for her hair.
Our third is a dark-chocolate cupcake
and a white-chocolate mint buttercream,
topped with a vintage Barbie silhouette,
all framed in pink.
BELLANGER: Hi, Arleen.
I liked your approach on the vintage Barbie.
The silhouette on fondant was perfectly executed,
but regarding your cupcakes,
I think you had an issue with the chocolate cupcake.
It was a bit overbaked.
The cake was, like, crumbling away.
But otherwise, I loved the other two cupcakes.
I think you did a great job.
These accessories are just so cute, so small,
and perfectly detailed.
In terms of your cupcakes,
I was having so much fun with these two cupcakes
that by the time I got to the chocolate-mint cupcake,
I felt a little let down
because it was a bit plain and a little dry.
I don't know if you were going for this or not,
but I felt like this pink bow
was plasticized in its aesthetic,
which, I think, girls would respond to really well.
Thank you, judges.
We're gonna give our judges a moment to chat.
I'll see you in a few.
ARLEEN: Florian and Candace
didn't care for the chocolate cupcake.
I'm really hoping that's not the cupcake that sends us home.
CARLA: This is such a tough competition.
There was no sliver for error.
I'm just waiting for the hammer to drop.
WILLMAN: Bakers, let's face it.
You're here to make cupcakes that, like Barbie,
are playful, fun, and iconic,
and sadly, one of you did not.
Carla, you're done in the cupcake war.
Thanks.
I'm devastated. This was my best.
It's hard to come back and not win.
It's just really hard.
Kyra, Arleen, round 3.
You've both been here before. You know what this means.
For your final challenge,
you each must complete a 1,000-cupcake display
that celebrates Barbie's amazing 54-year legacy
and also looks ahead to life in her new digs.
Pull if off and your cupcakes
will be the hit of Barbie's bash.
Now, like moving itself,
this is a task more easily accomplished
with the help of friends, so we're giving you each
a master carpenter to help you build, Justin and Jake,
and four baking assistants each.
What's up, ladies?
You will have a quick two hours.
When the clock hits zero,
our judges will evaluate your cupcakes,
rate your presentation,
and, based on who brings it all together the best,
name one of you the winner of "Cupcake Wars."
Good luck. Clock starts now.
Oh, my gosh. Oh, my gosh. Oh, my gosh.
We made it to round 3.
We're going into round 3 on the defensive.
We need the judges to love all four flavors and our display
to go home with a fourth win.
This is all about Barbie's Dreamhouse,
so what we've envisioned is giving her her own vanity.
I want a life-sized vanity
dressed up just in the Barbie fashion style.
So it's gonna have a mirror,
and we want to have see-through shelves
to place the cupcakes that we've created.
The Barbie branding and the silhouette of Barbie
at the top of the display
will be great for the actual event.
Life-size so everyone can actually use the vanity
and enjoy the party.
I like it. I'll get started.
See you kids in a bit. Good luck.
We want everything pink and sparkly,
just like that headband.
What better display than a Dreamhouse?
Maybe it'll say "Barbie's Dreamhouse Tour,"
Of course.
We want to have our version of the Dreamhouse.
Instead of the different rooms,
what better place to put the cupcakes than in shelves?
I want "Barbie" on top, and I want it to spin.
Arleen is undefeated.
I really want to beat her so badly.
Yeah. Exactly.
See you in a couple hours. Thank you.
Let's go. Lots of sparkles on everything.
ARLEEN: Buttermilk, a little oil --
we just got the change the base, but keep the chips.
The judges had a problem with our chocolate cake.
It was too dry, overbaked.
This round, I'm gonna reduce the baking time,
and if I use buttermilk and oil,
I'll be guaranteed to produce a moist cake.
If they don't think this is moist,
then we got a bigger problem.
We have to be focused and fix that chocolate cupcake.
If I do those two things,
I could be going home with the win.
That could be the difference with winning or going home.
Amen, sister.
They only had one change for us, which I think is amazing.
The judges felt like the passion fruit overpowered
the strawberry buttercream on the orange cake.
There's nothing in the purée. It's strawberries.
I just don't want this to taste artificial.
I'm going to remove that passion fruit
and simply make a strawberry buttercream,
and bump it up with a little tartness
from the orange-juice concentrate.
Try that, 'cause it needs a little acidity.
If I'm gonna have a prayer to win this, I have to fix that.
Just as is?
Too much is orange is gonna taste like orange buttercream.
This is a lot of buttermilk going in here.
That looks great. Perfect amount of sparkles.
You've got the pineapple cupcake?
It set up a lot.
It's nice and lightly beaten.
This came out perfect.
I'm gonna scoop the key-lime-pie cupcakes right now
and get those in the oven.
These cupcakes are about to go in the oven.
They look really good.
Going in the oven.
Set it for 10 and then rotate it.
Oh, my gosh.
Those B's need to look beautiful.
"B" for beautiful Barbie.
ARLEEN: I've been here before. I know what it takes.
We have a lot of complicated decorations to perform.
Clock is ticking. We've got to move faster.
JULIA: Arleen, it's gonna take a long time
to do 250 of these B's.
I guess we should have thought about that.
Do you think what we asked the carpenter to build
is just way too much for that amount of time?
I hope not.
It's not a dollhouse, it's a Dreamhouse.
These props from the prop shop are gonna be perfect.
From Florida to New York.
[ Telephone rings ]
Sweet Arleen, your display is ready.
I'll be bringing it in in just a moment.
All of our cupcakes are in the oven.
Time is literally ticking away. You have one hour left.
One hour?
We only have one hour, and we have no frostings.
Just stay very focused.
These have to be perfect for the judges.
KYRA: I don't know if we can do this, Jackie.
We haven't decorated anything yet.
Do you think we can keep our undefeated title?
We were born to be undefeated, Julia.
Italian meringue -- get that going, and then I'll tell you egg whites.
I am so stressed out
'cause I still have three frostings to make,
our cakes are just barely being cooled,
and the clock is ticking.
Just take my time pouring this in.
I have to get this frosting right
because this is the base for three of my frostings.
I turn the mixer up for the egg whites
so that they'll be whipped up enough to add the sugar,
and they're overwhipped.
This is a disaster.
I totally ruined the Italian-meringue buttercream.
I don't know what to do.
750 of my cupcakes hinge on this batch being perfect.
There's no way I can use this.
We're gonna have to start the buttercream all over again.
I have to dump it, and that's huge
when you're doing 1,000 cupcakes.
I don't have time for this.
I'm breaking down at this point,
and I really just want to throw the towel in
and wash my hands and walk away.
I totally ruined the Italian-meringue buttercream.
I don't know what to do.
The egg whites are overwhipped.
If I try to use it,
my frosting's gonna taste gritty.
This cannot happen. I don't have time for this.
I have to dump it, and that's huge
when you're doing 1,000 cupcakes.
We're gonna have to start the buttercream all over again.
I don't have time for this.
I'm breaking down at this point, but I am not a quitter.
It's okay. Breathe, breathe, breathe.
750 of my cupcakes hinge on this batch being perfect,
and I can't seem to get it right.
We have no frostings.
No time to toy around, bakers. 45 minutes left.
45 minutes, Jackie. Fill, dip, scoop, drizzle.
ARLEEN: Go as fast as you can.
I cannot screw this one up, so this better work.
All right. Those look really good.
I can't believe 1,000 cupcakes again.
Oh, my God. Do you want to stop that mixer?
I go to check the giant batch of buttercream.
JACKIE: That looks good.
That's how it's supposed to be.
This second batch of buttercream is silky and smooth,
and I'm very pleased.
We are going to be cutting it really close.
We got to frost.
We got to fill and frost and get them decorated,
otherwise we're never gonna get this done.
Bakers, 30 minutes.
Hurry, hurry, hurry.
ARLEEN: Go, go, go, go, go.
Now it's glittered.
Okay, these are looking great.
Worried about time right now.
KYRA: As quick as somebody can frost these cupcakes,
I'm throwing glitter on them.
We're just trying to frantically get everything decorated.
I'm putting on decorations as fast as I can.
Look at this, Julia.
This display just screams Barbie. It's perfect.
[ Laughs ]
That's pretty. That's pretty, Arleen.
I just hope ours is glitterier.
KYRA: I'm worried -- That's like a life-sized vanity set
that Mattel might make.
Look at that. Look at all the glitter.
I love it.
It is everything I hoped for and more.
It's pink and sparkly. I think Barbie would be pleased.
Thanks.
Well, I'm not quite sure yet what it is.
I think our vanity has an edge.
This is it, Barbie lovers. 10 minutes.
Okay, let's load. Pick a flavor and make it clean.
Okay, let's load.
Let's get these cupcakes on fast, but beautifully placed.
KYRA: Two hands, two cupcakes.
If you're not covered in buttercream, you're not doing it right.
Two minutes, guys. Two minutes.
Oh, my gosh. I want them all neat and neat and smooth.
Try to keep our display clean, please.
WILLMAN: Bakers, one minute.
ARLEEN: One minute. Okay.
We need two Barbie B's. Two pretty ones.
Yes. Let's make sure this is Barbie beautiful.
WILLMAN: 10, 9, 8,
7, 6, 5,
4, 3, 2, 1.
Time's up.
[ Applause ]
Buttercream high 10. Buttercream high 10.
WILLMAN: Cupcake makers, for round 3,
you were tasked with completing a 1,000-cupcake display
celebrating America's favorite doll for over half a century.
Kyra, tell us what you did.
We wanted to really take the theme
and translate that into our Barbie's Dreamhouse.
There's Barbie's cameo, everything is pink and sparkly,
it's accessible from 360 degrees,
and just to remind you where our cupcakes came from,
we have the map of the U.S. with Barbie's "B"
on the three states where we had our cupcakes.
Any cupcake changes?
I cut the passion fruit from the strawberry buttercream,
so hopefully, you'll like that a lot better.
Thank you, Kyra. Arleen, present your display.
We wanted to create an interactive experience
for every guest to actually sit down and get dolled up,
and what better housewarming gift
than to give a vanity that's two-sided
and has the branding that she'll always remember -- Barbie.
We did.
That chocolate was overbaked,
so we decided to swap out an entire recipe.
We're really pleased with it,
so I sure hope you are, as well.
Bakers, we're gonna let our judges have a chance
to check our your displays, taste the changes.
I'll bring you back in a few. Thanks.
ARLEEN: We've had a good day.
It was the toughest challenge
we've ever had at "Cupcake Wars,"
but we executed, for the most part, over and over, perfectly.
KYRA: I'm representing the entire gluten-free community.
I need to prove that gluten-free is better than everything else.
I want to win so badly.
I don't think I've ever seen this much pink
on the set of "Cupcake Wars," and it's pink here.
Let's talk about these displays. What do you think, Candace?
Wow, Kyra has basically built us a modern Barbie Dreamhouse.
It's deluxe, and it's all for Barbie.
Look at this gigantic mansion.
I mean, it looks like Versailles castle, and I like that.
I know you do.
I really appreciate all the details --
the spinning glitter logo and the map plotting the tour.
NELSON: I think the one problem I have with it, however,
is that you really are hit smack in the face with the house,
but you have to do a little bit more searching for the cupcakes.
Florian, you gave her a strong note
about her passion-fruit and strawberry frosting.
It's great.
I mean, it tastes really good now,
and, I mean, the funny thing is, it was a strong note,
but it was the only note of the day.
McKNIGHT: Kyra has been delivering
outstanding cupcakes all day.
They are spot on.
Moving over to Arleen's display,
Candace, what do you think?
Well, I think Arleen's display really screams Barbie.
She has those classic silhouettes up there.
Barbie is front and center. This is an interactive display.
It's meant for girls to come pull up a chair at the vanity,
do their nails, put on some jewelry,
and that's a really fun touch.
That's fun.
It's very well done, and what struck me
when I turn around that display
is the fact that it's a real 360.
I think it'd look amazing in the middle of a room.
Now, Lisa, how would this fit in at the event?
Barbie loves fashion, she loves beauty,
so I think a vanity absolutely fits in her world.
I do think the aesthetic is a little bit dated,
but I love that it's interactive.
Well, Arleen gave us really good cupcakes all day,
the one major exception being that chocolate-mint cupcake.
And she didn't just bake it for less time,
she changed the recipe entirely,
and I think it was a great move.
That chocolate cake is moist and springy and delicious now.
Although she took our note of changing the chocolate cupcake,
and she did a great job,
I have to say the kiwi frosting was amazing.
The flavors were terrific,
and I thought the design of the cupcakes --
they're playful and fun, just like Barbie.
All right, judges, do we have a cupcake display for Barbie?
We do.
Okay, let's bring these ladies back.
Bakers, you have both been to this final round before
not once, not twice, but three times.
This was a true clash of the cupcake titans.
And both of you, obviously, came to win.
But, at the end of the day, only one of you was able
to take your cupcakes, your decorations, and your display,
and use them all together to tell the story of Barbie's move.
Congratulations...
...Kyra.
You're the winner of "Cupcake Wars!"
Oh, my gosh!
I am so excited. I cannot believe it.
ARLEEN: We didn't lose because we weren't good.
We lost because someone else
was just slightly better this time.
Congratulations, Kyra.
Let's get these cupcakes to the Barbie event.
Whoo!
Do it.
It feels amazing to say I'm a three-time champion.
I am so excited to go to the Barbie event.
[ Indistinct conversations ]
This is good.
Hi, girls. How are you? Great to see you.
This is gonna be great for business.
So delicious.
Oh, my goodness. Wow.
We've won three times now,
and hopefully, this will propel us to opening another store.
So good.
KYRA: This isn't just a win for me, this is a win
for the entire gluten-free community.
It reinforces that gluten-free
can be absolutely delicious.
ALL: Barbie!