Winner Cake All episode recap: A very colorful hungry caterpillar

In this week’s Winner Cake All episode recap, the bakers found inspiration in the classic children’s book, A Very Hungry Caterpillar. Which cake captured the imaginative spirit?

For this Winner Cake All episode recap, the bakers needed to find the sweet balance between a whimsical cake and vibrant cake flavors. Given the inspiration was specifically the children’s book, A Very Hungry Caterpillar, the bakers needed to stay true to the inspiration. Which baking team created the picture perfect confectionary creation?

Before the theme cake was created, the four baking teams had to show their cake topper skills in the first challenge. With the theme of party animal, the cake topper needed to celebrate the whimsy and fun that animals can convey. These animals didn’t have to be pet; truthfully, the animals were far from the domesticated variety.

Looking at the four different cake toppers, the details really set the teams apart. From height to movement, the top cake toppers clearly set a scene.

For example, Erika and Antoinette’s penguin reveal party was quite cute. The floating pink balloons and adorable penguins made everyone smile.

Host Giada De Laurentiis and competitors Aura Fuenmayor and Rebecca Kipp during the decoration challenge, as seen on Winner Cake All, Season 1.

Jennifer and Wendy’s purple hippo who over indulged at the party was showed a dessert overload. While the expression on the hippo was questionable, the little details were superb. Even little bite out of the cake showed that these bakers knew had to make a total story. But, their use of non-edible items was a slight negative.

While Rodolfo and Lilian had a happy little monkey enjoying his birthday party, a few items were a little sloppy. Granted, hand making so many bananas was time consuming. Still, staying away from a few little detailed mistakes, like a messed up water, could have made this scene more impressive.

Unfortunately, the team sent up was Rebeca and Aura. While their penguin piñata story was quite adorable, the shapes were less defined. With presents that looked more like blobs and a lack of shine on the water, too many missed details added up to one too many.

Going into the main challenge, the three baking teams had to create a cake themed after The Very Hungry Caterpillar. This cake would be the feature of a 50th birthday celebration for the book at the Eric Carlisle Museum.

The wish list for this cake was rather straightforward. The cake should show the caterpillar’s path, foods from the book and the final leaf. While not specifically stated, the colors and vibe of the book should come through the cake visuals.

Additionally, lemon, Carlisle’s favorite flavor, was requested. Other fruits would be preferred, too. But, no specific cake flavor was suggested.

In this episode, the bakers had a very different challenge from previous episodes. Since the inspiration is an iconic book, with specific visuals, the bakers really needed to pay attention to all the details. While there was a little room for interpretation, the bakers could veer too far from the original artwork.

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Clearly, the most interactive cake was Rodolfo and Lilian’s creation. The bottom cake layers individually spun to tell the story. The cake found the right balance between innovation and whimsy. It is a smart choice for a child-centric event.

The cake flavors were nice, but needed a little boost of flavor. The lemon poppy seed needed more flavor. While it was good that the bakers avoided the artificial lemon flavoring, it needed a brighter flavor to match the brightness of the design.

The most concerning about this cake was the sloppiness. From the last minute moon painting (technical issue) to visible structural pieces, those little details make this cake a little disappointing.

Jennifer and Wendy had a very colorful and creative cake. Unfortunately, they could have pushed the design further. It had a few elements from the book, but the design didn’t feel cohesive.

It was a lovely cake, but it didn’t fit this challenge. For this Winner Cake All episode, the cake needed to feel as if it stepped out of the pages of the book. The bakers shouldn’t have taken liberty with any changes.

Also, the cake’s flavors weren’t as bold as they needed to be. The lemon was hidden. In contrast to the shocking red colored cake (strawberry flavored), the cake was a little blah.

Lastly, Erika and Antoinette had a massive cake. Their design basically brought the book to life. As the caterpillar and fruits sprung from the book’s pages, everything was incorporated. Also, it was the only cake that incorporated the 50 into the design.

Unfortunately, the choice to go with a vanilla cake wasn’t a good one. While their strawberry buttercream was divine, the cake itself was lackluster. Although the judges would have loved another layer of the strawberry buttercream.

The winning cake was from Rodolfo and Lilian. This decision was baffling. The cake had many mistakes and missed details. Additionally, the cake itself wasn’t necessarily the best tasting cake.

While a specific reason wasn’t given as to why this cake won, the obvious answer is the innovative/spinning feature. Young children would love to be able to touch, feel and even play with the cake. Even though it wasn’t perfect it did seem to capture the feeling of the book.

What do you think about this Winner Cake All episode recap? Did the right cake win the big prize?