Summer Baking Championship Season 2 episode 4 recap: Cakes bring all the feels

After spending some time by the lake, Summer Baking Championship Season 2 episode 4 focuses on how those summer vacation emotions. From core summer holiday memories to summer emotion cakes, these sweet treats bring all the feels.

To kick off the Pre-Heat, the bakers were inspired by a summer holiday memory. From trips to Hawaii to favorite desserts that mom would make, these baked treats were even sweeter because of the personal connection.

Overall, the desserts were impressive. The visuals might not have been head turners, but the flavors delivered a taste of escapism. From the childhood favorite flavors to a turning point in their pastry careers, the reality is that food flavors the best memories. One bite can bring all those moments back to the forefront.

One top dessert was Stephanie’s summer fruit tiramisu. The creative take on the traditional Italian dessert had the judges dreaming of the Italian coast. Even if the recipe could have benefited from a touch of salt, the cloud-like texture was dreamy.

The winning Pre-Heat dessert came from Rob. The Hawaiian inspired dessert was a celebration of pineapple. It was sweet and juicy. Plus, the macadamia nut crust brought the whole bite together.

Whether Rob manifested that win or it was smart baking on his part, he earned the first class baking station. In addition, he received a kitchen concierge to help with the Main Heat. That assistance would be his runner, coffee maker, and more during the challenge.

For the Main Heat, the bakers had to create emotion cakes. Inspired by the characters of Inside Out 2, these cakes needed to capture those feeling both visually and with flavor. Some sentiments were easier than others.

The emotions were joy, sadness, anger, disgust, anxiety, embarrassment, and fear. For the bakers who understood the challenge, they impressed the judges.

Even though he made an almost fatal error during the bake, Chris recovered and earned high praise from the judges. By using the piping tip for his buttercream, the cake’s visual captured that anxiety feeling where everything seems to be on edge. It was a smart decision.

In contrast, his flavors looked to calm that anxiety. The chamomile tea and orange cake was smart. It had enough tea flavor without becoming overwhelming.

The top baker in Summer Baking Championship Season 2 episode 4 was Stephanie. Her joy cake captured the fun, whimsy, and simplicity of the emotion. From the vibrant yellow to the emoji like smiles, it was clearly a happy cake.

Additionally, the cake’s flavor was near flawless. The olive oil cake with passionfruit captured that exuberance. Overall, it was clear that she was the winner.

Unfortunately, the two bottom cakes missed the mark. While anger seemed like a straight forward concept, Austin made a big decoration mis-step with his arm addition. It made the judges angry, which was not a good idea.

Additionally, his cake had errors. Parts were soggy and parts were dry. It was confusing and elicited an unhappy response.

German had fear and he chose a flavor that he fears, blueberry. His face looked more like anger than fear. The purple color did not convey the right emotion, either.

Additionally, he picked a flavor that he has never accomplished correctly. If he could not master blueberries outside of a competition, he should not have attempted the cake here. There is something commendable about facing his fears, but he was set up for failure.

The baker eliminated in Summer Baking Championship Season 2 episode 4 was German.  

Which baker will get bougie in the next episode as they go glamping? Watch new episodes of Summer Baking Championship Season 2 on Food Network every Monday night at 8 p.m. ET/PT. Episodes can be streamed the next day on MAX.