The Winning Creations from Cake Wars, Season 2

Meet the bakers who won the second season of Cake Wars and see the next-level creations that earned them a $10,000 prize.

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Re-Creating the Wonderful World of Alice

"You have given us such a spitting image of Alice in Wonderland," Waylynn told Nathalie, who clinched the win with a maddeningly beautiful cake. Her design featured the Cheshire Cat as the centerpiece, and on his tail he balanced some of the most-famed Alice in Wonderland elements, including Alice herself.

The Looking Glass Comes to Life

Mike Gabriel, who's a production designer and director at Walt Disney Animation Studios, also praised Nathalie's work, noting the realness of the figures she created. "When I look at the characters," he told her, "they just feel like they're animated."

Get the Recipe: Vanilla Bean Cake

The Return of the Dinosaurs (Kind Of)

These prehistoric creatures may be long extinct, but for one night only, they enjoyed a taste of life in 2016. Baker Brie wowed the judges' panel with her technology-focused cake, complete with none other than a selfie-stick-wielding dino. "The modern-day technology features that you gave [the dinosaurs] are so smart and they're so well-executed," judge Waylynn Lucas told Brie.

A World of Dinosaurs

"Your coloring is just magnificent," judge Ron Ben-Israel praised Brie of her bright design. And guest judge Jesse Daniel, of the National History Museum of Los Angeles County, was fond of the dinosaurs. "I really, really love the dinosaurs on this cake," he noted. "They're all perfectly proportioned to each other."

Get the Recipe: Chocolate Surprise Stripe Cake

The Sweetest of Love Triangles

Archie Comics is turning 75 years old, and it was up to the bakers to celebrate the Riverdale High crew in the form of towering confections. Baker Shantal wowed the panel, which included Jon Goldwater, the publisher and CEO of Archie Comics, with her beach-focused creation. "The exciting thing about the cake is that it has life," judge Ron Ben-Israel told her. "It has dynamics."

Setting the Scene

"When I look at your cake, that is a beach party. You tell a really great story with your cake," judge Waylynn Lucas praised Shantal. And Goldwater agreed, noting the characters atop her cake. "I think you did a great job," he told Shantal.

Get the Recipe: Toasted Coconut Cake

All About Willy Wonka

There are chocolate cakes, and then there's this over-the-top creation from baker Jason, featuring a dark-chocolate layer cake laced with caramel, that would star at a party to celebrate the 45th anniversary of Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory. "Really excellent, super-duper chocolately cake," judge Waylynn Lucas explained of his masterpiece.

The Sweet Quest for the Golden Ticket

"Your buttercream is one of the best I've ever tasted," judge Ron Ben-Israel told Jason of his vanilla-flavored topping. In terms of the design, Jason's cake featured multiple oversize chocolate bars as well as no shortage of candy figures and Oompa Loompas. "I love that you went for it," guest judge Paris Themmen, who played Mike Teevee in the Willy Wonka movie, praised Jason of his thorough work.

Get the Recipe: Special Turtle Cake

Sesame Street Goes Sweet

No one knows Sesame Street quite like one of its most-famed characters, Cookie Monster. The treats lover took his place at the judges' table to review competitors' best confections, and ultimately the panel found baker Melissa's block-party cake the best of the day. "Waylynn [Lucas], Cookie Monster and me agree that the cake is so delicious we are all speechless," judge Ron Ben-Israel praised Melissa.

A Winning Creation

"You brought us the innocence and the charm of Sesame Street," Ron told Melissa of her finished design. For Waylynn, the success of the cake came from the overall air of the piece. "It just feels and looks like a party," she noted.

Get the Recipe: Chocolate Cake

Happy Birthday, Hippopotamus Style

This isn't your everyday birthday bash. Rosie, a hippo who resides at the Los Angeles Zoo, is turning 1 year old, and to celebrate the occasion, star bakers gifted her the ultimate sweet treat. Baker Nicole wowed the panel with her towering party cake, featuring Rosie at the top. "This cake reminds me of a classic strawberry shortcake, which is what my mom used to give me on my birthday, so it is making me smile," judge Waylynn Lucas told Nicole.

A Sweet Animal Kingdom

"I do like your cream frosting with the mascarpone," judge Ron Ben-Israel praised Nicole. "It's as light as whipped cream but more stable, so that's a very good choice." And as for the design, Waylynn noted the realism of the animals. "I love the characteristics of all of your animals," she said. "They look like something out of a children's storybook."

Get the Recipe: White Vanilla Bean Cake with Balsamic Strawberry and Mascarpone Filling

Seeing Green

The beloved movie Shrek is turning 15 years old, and to celebrate, the top three bakers were challenged to bring the ogre's bright-green world to life in a masterpiece worthy of Far Far Away. Baker Meghan wowed the panel with her party-ready creation, featuring a chocolate-nougat cake. "The nougat filling is delicious," judge Ron Ben-Israel told her.

The Battle of Ogre-Size Proportions

"Your cake is organic. It calls for us to move around," judge Ron explained to Meghan, praising the apparent action of the dragon. Gina Shay, a producer of Shrek the movie and a guest on the judges' panel, told Meghan: "I would love to have a porcelain sculpture of this cake. I would put it on my desk."

Get the Recipe: Chocolate Cake

An Underwater Life Brought to Life

Tasked with creating an over-the-top oceanic shark lagoon, baker Sabrina delivered a towering masterpiece that not only showed off a shark but the elements of the sea in which it lives as well.

Flavors and Dedication

"This cake is so labor-intensive. It has so many layers of cakes and fillings. It's time-consuming that you went there," judge Ron Ben-Israel told Sabrina, "so I so appreciate [that]." Waylynn Lucas praised Sabrina for "all of the technique" in her design; the judge wondered if there were too many elements adorning the creation.

Get the Recipe: Tropical Jaconde

We Love You, Chocolate

It was a battle fit for chocoholics as top bakers competed for sweet victory and a $10,000 prize in a special Valentine's Day contest. Baker Renata wowed the panel with a towering design that celebrated one couple's enduring love story.

For the Love of Excellence

"Those cakes have the sharpest corners we've seen in Cake Wars, and that's a big achievement," judge Ron Ben-Israel said, praising the cake elements of Renata's design. Judge Waylynn Lucas said, "I love when I look at your cake that there's aspects of it that are so perfect they almost look real, but then when you really look you see that they are handmade."

Get the Recipe: Chocolate Cake with Raspberry Buttercream

Making Minecraft a Reality

It was a battle of pixelated proportions as bakers created Minecraft-inspired confections, and for baker Emily, who ultimately earned the win, that meant a towering masterpiece depicting the world of Minecraft coming to life level by level.

An Emotional Experience

"This cake brought a little tear to my eye," judge Waylynn Lucas told winning baker Emily of her lingonberry-layered creation. "It is so unique and it is so delicious and it is so smart." As for Emily's concept, Minecraft's Lydia Winters, who joined the judges' panel, noted, "You really thought about how someone plays Minecraft."

Get the Recipe: Almond Lingonberry Cake

A Sweet Story

Challenged to bring kung fu to life in the form of an unbeatable cake starring Po and his pals, baker Liz featured the panda in a moment of rescue atop the pagoda.

Spotlight On: Po

"The thing that I love the most about it is you really captured how hard Po is working in order to save the day," Jen Nelson, the co-director of Kung Fu Panda, told Liz. Judge Ron Ben-Israel added of the main character, "There's a whole personality going on there."

Get the Recipe: Almond Cake with Plum Sauce Filling and Ginger Buttercream

A Sweet Seussian Competition

Tasked with bringing Dr. Seuss' famous characters to life, baker Melissa earned the $10,000 prize with a towering creation complete with the Lorax, Thing 1 and Thing 2, as well as the two children who star in Dr. Seuss' just-released publication, Which Pet Should I Get?

Creative Construction

"Your cake screams Dr. Seuss," judge Waylynn Lucas told Melissa. And judge Ron Ben-Israel noted the cake's form. "Really love the movement here," he said. "There's so much negative space, but your cake is amazingly stable."

Get the Recipe: Vanilla Bean Buttermilk Cake

Make the Force of Cake Be with You

Asked to design an out-of-this-galaxy cake depicting an epic Star Wars battle, cake creator Gonzuela delivered a masterpiece complete with lightsabers, Yoda and Darth Vader, and earned the $10,000 prize.

Character Strength

Though judge Ron Ben-Israel noted that he would have liked to see a 360-degree approach to Gonzuela's design, he praised her work in bringing Yoda, Darth Vader and other iconic figures to life. "You have wonderful characters very dynamically fighting with each other," he said.

Get the Recipe: Blue Velvet Cake

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