This Weeks Theme
This was the final episode of Cupcake Champions 2012. The Finale had the winners of the last four episodes returning to battle it out to find who is the Cupcake Champion of the television show Cupcake Wars. The theme of this episode was the television show The Next Food Network Star.
The judges for this episode were Florian Bellanger of MadMac Macarons and Candace Nelson of Sprinkles Cupcakes. The guest judges for this episode were Bob Tuschman and Susie Fogelson, the Food Network Star judges. This week’s prize was a $50,000 cash prize, the title of Cupcake Champion, and to present the winning cupcakes at the Food Network headquarters in New York in celebration of a new app.
Contestants
The four competing bakeries were Kevin Vanderaa for Cupcake located in Minneapolis, Minnesota; Jane-Marie Kane for Cake Dreams located in Rockville, Maryland; Kyra Bussanich for Crave Bake Shop located in Lake Oswego, Oregon; and finally Rebecca Ybarra for Suite 106 Cupcakes located in Rancho Cucamonga, California.
Round 1: Taste Challenge
The taste test challenge was all about the Food Network Star mentors with their culinary styles and flavors. The flavors were representations of Bobby Flay, Alton Brown, and Giada DeLaurentiis. Bobby had ingredients such as piquillo peppers, cilantro, and blue corn. Alton had ingredients such as grape juice, bourbon, and cherries. Giada had ingredients such as bail, tomato paste, and mascarpone.
All the competitors did an amazing job. Each of them have two wins under their belts and their results spoke to that. It was Rebecca who was sent home for a simple cupcake.
Round 2: Visual Challenge
The visual challenge was all about the competitors themselves. They had to make three cupcakes telling their personal stories. Jane had her mother focus on decorations but in the end they failed to finish their cupcakes. Both Kyra and Kevin had amazing results and it was Jane who went home.
Round 3: Presentation Challenge
The final round had Kyra Bussanich and Kevin Vanderaa competing in a 1000 cupcake battle. The contestants had to a display with the theme of the Food Network. Kevin totally redid his decorations and made each cupcake represent a Food Network personality. He turned his carrot cake into a Guy Fieri cake with his spiky hair. Kyra also improved her cupcakes by changing some of her strange flavor combinations.
Final Results
The final winner was Kevin VanDeraa! Congratulations on being named the first Cupcake Champion!
