As the owner of Artisan Cake Company in Portland, Ore., Liz Marek will find any excuse to put a nontraditional twist on her creations, like using glow-in-the-dark techniques, animatronics and electrical installations, among others. Liz and her assistant Michelle Honeman have won several competitions.

Kim Simons is the creative director of The Food Artist Group and was recently voted one of Dessert Professional's Top 10 Cake Artists in the nation. Without any formal training, she produces whimsical, lifelike cakes. Her longtime collaborator, Michelle Boyd, is joining her in the competition.

Wiley Saccheri is the head cake artist of Sublime Cake Design in Redding, Calif. As a former punk rock drummer with no formal training in decorating, he was inspired to take his talents to the dessert world by none other than Duff himself. Wiley co-owns the business with his mother-in-law, Jackie New.

Kelly Zubal is the owner, designer and lead decorator at Inticing Creations in San Francisco. Entirely self-taught, she bakes and decorates her sculpted confections with help from her husband, Pete Ngau. Together the two fashion some of the most-creative cakes in the Bay Area.