Two local bakers stole the show -- and won the grand prize -- on Food Network's Cake Wars with a larger-than-life Powerpuff Girls cake.
Escondido baker Linda Caro, owner of Little Hunnys Cakery, and her assistant, Alicia Becerra, owner of Alicia's Delicias, competed on the Sept. 12 episode of show.
Caro said she was first contacted through Instagram, asking whether she would be interested in competing. She took a some time to think about it before she said, "Why not? I'll give it a shot!"
Once she picked her assistant, Becerra -- "I was so relieved" she said yes, Caro said -- the pair submitted an audition-esque video and were sent contracts to compete on the show.
The bakers faced off against three other teams in the Powerpuff Girls-themed episode.
For the first round, Caro made sweet Mac 'n Cheese, replacing the cheddar cheese with mascarpone cheese and adding sugar and spice (and all that's nice).
But the main event was the larger-than-life cake made as a homage to the Powerpuff Girls. Caro had four hours to create a massive cake with Becerra and two additional assistants.
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Caro had the team working on baking, fondant designs, hand painting and 2D fondant work. She recalled the uphill battle as she looked up and saw the clock.
"The two hour mark hit and we were so far behind, I didn't think we were going to finish," Caro said.
Judges Waylynn Lucas, Richard Ruskell and the three girls who voiced the Powerpuff Girls. They eliminated one contestant right off the bat, so Caro and Becerra faced off against another team.
"I was beyond nervous, my whole body was shaking," Caro said. "My lips quivered. I could envision them saying the other contestants name."
Caro said when she finally heard host Jonathan Bennett call out her name, she couldn't believe it.
"I was so shocked, my jaw dropped," she said. "I immediately started crying."
When the team cleaned up, they headed over to Cartoon Network headquarters, where they presented their cake and celebrated the Powerpuff Girls at a party.
The experience was one of the most rewarding experiences, Caro said.
"It was the most stressful and nerve wracking thing I have ever done, but it was by far the most rewarding," she said.
The episode aired on Sept. 12.
You can learn more about Caro's bakery, Little Hunnys Cakery, by clicking here. Learn more about Alicia's Delicias by clicking here.
