Wedding Cake Championship recap: Super cakes take flight

In this Wedding Cake Championship recap, the premiere episode had a superhero theme. But did these super cakes take flight or crumble into pieces?

For the first Wedding Cake Championship recap, the six teams of wedding cake bakers took on super cakes, or a superhero themed cake. While this theme didn’t seem to require super powers, a few of the baking duos seemed to be overwhelmed by the task. Which baking duo soared to new heights and which baking duo crumbled under the pressure?

In this first episode of Wedding Cake Championship, the six baking duos had an interesting first challenge. By winning the first challenge, that team would get an advantage in the main challenge.

Before talking about the challenges, did anyone look at the clip when the bakers were walking into a tent? Did anyone get a vibe to a certain British baking show? Usually, Food Network uses an indoor kitchen for these type of baking championships. I can’t tell if the kitchen is really outdoor or was the clip just good editing. I would never want to make a wedding cake in an outdoor kitchen.
Special guest fashion designer Randy Fenoli is introduced by Hosts Tara Lipinski and Johnny Weir, as seen on Wedding Cake Championship, Season 1. photo provided by Food Network
The first challenge had the baking duos create a wedding dress cake topper. This idea is quite interesting. Instead of an old school bride and groom, the wedding dress cake topper could be a fun way to incorporate the bride’s style into the cake. Even if the cake topper isn’t an exact replica of her dress, it could be a nice way to convey the wedding’s theme.

Overall, the baking duos made nice wedding dress cake toppers. Each design seemed to convey the baking duos style. Picking a wedding cake designer is as much about design personality as it is about cake flavor. Don’t pick a designer who loves glitter if you want simple.

Looking at all the wedding dress cake toppers, some of the bakers had difficulty with the scale. Some of the cake toppers were too small or too big for the cake. Even if the dress was pretty, the scale made the cake topper a poor fit.

The winning cake topper was by Viki and Reva This cake topper was pretty, but it also showcased an entire scene. With the dress hanging from the arbor, the cake topper was framed in a pretty picture. While the dress’ hem was slightly off, the whole visual was impressive. It was clear that this wedding dress cake topper was the top choice.

For their win, Viki and Reva received an advantage in the main challenge. That advantage was a special detail that the wedding couple wants to see in their wedding cake. For this couple, they wanted a super here logo using their initials. This piece of information could make the difference between moving onto the next round and going home.
Judges Maneet Chauhan, David Tutera, and Kimberly Bailey with Contestants Kaylinn Draper and Holly Webster during the Cake Round, Wedding Cake for Meilani and Kevin, Say Yes to the Wedding (Dress) Cake, as seen on Wedding Cake Championship, Season 1.
In the main challenge, the baking duos had to create a tiered wedding cake for a couple. The couple wanted a superhero themed cake, incorporating red, black, silver and white colors. While the color scheme wasn’t too outlandish, the cake flavors were more problematic.

The groom wanted a plain vanilla cake. While he didn’t want a lot of flavor, his fiancée wanted lots of fruit flavors. Truthfully, I don’t think that the groom wanted a plain cake. I think that he just didn’t know what type of flavors he likes. Maybe he didn’t want a cake with crazy flavors. It could be that he thought plain vanilla would be a safe choice.

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Looking at all the cake flavors, the majority of bakers made vanilla cake with some type of funfetti. This choice concerns me. Sprinkles can be bitter. Also, that type of cake is slightly juvenile. I would have hoped for something a little more sophisticated for a wedding cake.

While the cake flavor is important, this competition seems to focus more on the decoration. With only five hours to create and decorate a tiered wedding cake, these bakers aren’t going to be perfect. Unfortunately, several bakers had cake disasters.

Even though everyone enjoys a good kitchen mishap, the top cakes were quite impressive. Viki and Riva, with the help from their advantage, had a top cake. While their cake flavor wasn’t perfect, the cake decoration was lovely. The cake incorporated the superhero theme, wedding colors and a touch of sophistication.

The other top cake was Sabrina and Regina. Their cake flavor was a favorite with the couple. Also, this baking duo incorporated a superhero logo, even though they didn’t know the secret advantage. Overall, the cake was quite impressive.

Winning the both challenges in this Wedding Cake Championship recap was Viki and Riva. The double win shows that this team is a force in the competition. Can they keep up the winning streak next week?

Of course, there is something oddly enjoyable about watching the cakes that didn’t quite live up to the challenge. True, it is sad to see those talented bakers have mis-steps. Still, if you didn’t secretly giggle a little at the cake toppers falling over, I would be surprised.

The two bottom baking duos were quite obvious. First, Stephen and Jarod had the most disturbing, yet awesome cake of the day. While they intended to make an inverted tiered cake, the cake’s structure didn’t cooperate. Unfortunately, they had to create a traditional tiered cake instead.

The problem became that the head toppers, aka the bride and groom, were too large for a traditional tiered cake. The large heads fell off the structure. One head was decapitated before judging and the second head fell during judging. I wonder if this scenario is a bad omen for the couple’s marriage?

But, this cake’s flavor was impressive. They were the only team that did a flavored cake. The banana cake was delicious.

Host Tara Lipinski and Johnny Weir with Contestants Dawn Alston and Sharon White during the Cake Round, Wedding Cake for Meilani and Kevin, Say Yes to the Wedding (Dress) Cake, as seen on Wedding Cake Championship, Season 1.
The other bottom team was Sharon and Dawn. While their concept, a slanted cake with the bride and groom superheroes saving the cake, was cute. The problem was that they couldn’t execute that idea. The presented wedding cake was a hot mess.

Since Stephen and Jarod had more impressive flavors, they were safe. Sharon and Dawn were sent home. It was unfortunate, but each week someone has to go home.

Looking ahead to the rest of the season, the key to this competition will be time management. The teams that can create stunning, yet achievable cakes within the timeframe will do well. Over ambitious cakes might crumble under the pressure.

Next: Cocktail cupcakes are the perfect summer dessert

Who do you think has a great chance at becoming the Wedding Cake Champion? Check back next week for another Wedding Cake Championship recap.

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