Cake Boss -- "Apples, Arguments, & Animal Prints"

Tonight on Cake Boss, "Apples, Arguments, & Animal Prints", Buddy made our mouths water at the same time he and his Cake Boss crew wowed us with their mad sculpting skills.

Commissioned to make a cake for a party at an apple orchard, Buddy was determined to make a cake that was apple through and through, from the decorations to the core.

He had Joe bake him up a sponge cake using apples, a recipe they'd never attempted before. Joe tried it first with applesauce, spices, and nuts, which turned out well but not exactly what Buddy was looking for. He asked Joe to try again with chopped apples, and the Cake Boss taste test crew declared the new recipe a winner.

The Cake Boss crew also whipped up butter cream filling with apple bits, caramel, and nuts. Watching them put the apple cake and apple filling together was truly mouth-watering. One of the frequent criticisms of specialty cakes is that they look great but taste terrible--I have a feeling that this apple orchard cake tasted as fantastic as the final result looked.

It's always fun to see what the Cake Boss crew comes up with for the designer cakes. The orchard cake in "Apples, Arguments, & Animal Prints" had three tiers of hand-painted orchard along with sculpted trees, apples, apple baskets, pumpkins, and little signs pointing the way to areas of the "farm". I think the little modeling chocolate apples in the tiny baskets was the highlight of the cake. There were red, yellow, and green apples, rice crispie treat trees, and perfectly formed fondant leaves. The large tree on top even had a tire swing attached for perfect authenticity.

It was also fun to see how even with all the stress in his day, Buddy loves his job and can be soothed by the joy of painting "happy trees" on the cake. It shows how being creative in your life can be fulfilling, stress-relieving, and even meditative. There's also the reward of seeing the thrilled and excited people at the orchard who love every bit of the cake, from the detail to the taste.

The second part of Cake Boss, "Apples, Arguments, & Animal Prints" involved a bit of manufactured drama between Buddy and his sister Mary over her 40th birthday cake. After being teased and ignored by Buddy, Mary orders a cake from another baker--who, being that he's a friend of the family, quickly calls Buddy to let him know his sister has gone behind his back.

Mary and Buddy have a bit of a shouting match, Mom steps in, and everyone makes nice and hugs. Buddy and his Cake Boss crew are in fact already working on the cake, full of animal prints, and girlie bling. The cake makes a fantastically bold statement, with bright colored layers wrapped in varying animal prints and then studded with beads and rhinestones. There are shoes, and shopping bags with fluffy tissue, eye shadows and lipsticks, but the crowning glory is a black patent leather purse trimmed in rhinestones, with Buddy's initials as the designer label.

Mary looks truly thrilled at the presentation of her cake, overwhelmed at all the details and attention to the things she loves best. It's hugs and kisses all around, and the Cake Boss family is all happiness once again.

Watch Cake Boss on TLC, Monday nights at 9/8c. Check your local listings for Cake Boss new episode encores and older episode repeats.




PHOTOS: Elizabeth Baez; Buddy and his Cake Boss crew at work; Cake Boss "Apples, Arguments, & Animal Prints, c2010 TLC.