Bake the Best Cake 18 Photos
Get the basics on how to mix, prep and bake your best cake ever.
Episodes
See Episode GuideFlying Colors
Hosts and judges Valerie Bertinelli and Duff Goldman embrace the brushstroke decorating trend by asking the 12 young bakers to create colorful and delicious brushstroke mini cheesecakes.
Garden of Eatin'
Garden-themed decorating is gaining in popularity, so Valerie Bertinelli and Duff Goldman challenge the 11 young bakers to create garden cakes decorated with actual fruits, herbs and other natural ingredients -- no glitter, sprinkles or fondant allowed.
Party in the Sky
What's that beautiful arc of color in the sky? It's a rainbow! For this challenge, Valerie Bertinelli and Duff Goldman task the 10 young bakers with working in teams to create vibrant and dazzling cupcake rainbows.
Three Square Meals
It's the most-anticipated challenge of the competition -- dessert imposters! Valerie Bertinelli and Duff Goldman challenge the nine kid bakers to create breakfast, lunch and dinner imposters.
Picnic Time
Valerie Bertinelli and Duff Goldman love picnics, but desserts don't always fit into a picnic basket. They challenge the eight young bakers to create portable hand pies and a dressed-up version of "ants on a log."
Garden of Eatin'
Garden-themed decorating is gaining in popularity, so Valerie Bertinelli and Duff Goldman challenge the 11 young bakers to create garden cakes decorated with actual fruits, herbs and other natural ingredients -- no glitter, sprinkles or fondant allowed.
Party in the Sky
What's that beautiful arc of color in the sky? It's a rainbow! For this challenge, Valerie Bertinelli and Duff Goldman task the 10 young bakers with working in teams to create vibrant and dazzling cupcake rainbows.
Three Square Meals
It's the most-anticipated challenge of the competition -- dessert imposters! Valerie Bertinelli and Duff Goldman challenge the nine kid bakers to create breakfast, lunch and dinner imposters.
Picnic Time
Valerie Bertinelli and Duff Goldman love picnics, but desserts don't always fit into a picnic basket. They challenge the eight young bakers to create portable hand pies and a dressed-up version of "ants on a log."
The Spice is Right
Desserts get a balanced hit of sweet, savory, bitter and sour from Chinese five-spice powder, which is a mix of star anise, Szechuan peppercorns, fennel, cinnamon and clove. For this challenge, Valerie Bertinelli and Duff Goldman ask the seven young bakers to create Chinese five-spice desserts to stay in the game.
Puppy Treats
The competition has gone to the dogs! Supercute puppies, to be exact. To celebrate Puppy Bowl on Animal Planet, Valerie Bertinelli and Duff Goldman pair each of the six bakers with an adorable, adoptable puppy and challenge them to create a cake that reflects their puppy's happy life after adoption on his or her first birthday.
Edible Expressions
In the cookie face challenge, Valerie Bertinelli and Duff Goldman challenge each of the five bakers to create a giant cookie face with 3-D features that communicate an assigned expression like happy, sad, angry, surprised or excited.
Pie Squared
Why have one kind of pie when you can have two? Valerie Bertinelli and Duff Goldman task the four young bakers with creating a two-flavor sheet pan pie. Successfully making two different delicious pie fillings and a tasty crust plus great decorations will land three bakers in the finale.
