The final competition to find the Super Cake Champion was held very fiercely and attractively at the 5-star Sofitel Saigon Plaza hotel in Ho Chi Minh City. Displaying remarkable skill and boundless creativity, bakers Bao Khanh and Phuong Nguyen metamorphosed into true artists, orchestrating a harmonious blend of flavors that evoked a captivating and unforgettable tasting journey.
The final round had the participation of leading culinary experts in the industry
Apart from the seasoned judges who have been with Super Cake since the beginning, namely Judge Kieu Oanh and Judge Van Anh, the final round also featured distinguished guest judges who are top culinary experts such as the esteemed "King of Cakes" Kao Sieu Luc, the renowned "Queen of Eggs" Ba Huan, the accomplished Culinary Artist Phan Ton Tinh Hai, the illustrious Mr. Valentin Tran from Andros Asia, the esteemed Mr. Alistair Minty representing Sofitel Saigon Plaza Hotel, and the esteemed Journalist Tracy May-Wagner.
Super Cake'll be a great boost for talented bakers who dare to break through
Super Cake not only served as an interesting playground for cake enthusiasts but also functioned as a pivotal platform for daring and talented bakers to showcase their skills. By confronting challenging tasks and continuously honing their craft, participants in that competition round faced a formidable assignment: crafting towering super cakes standing at a minimum height of 1.2 meters, each designed to embody a symbol or scenic spot of Vietnam. Not only that, contestants were tasked with curating a lavish banquet table featuring four distinct cake flavors: vegetarian, chocolate-infused, chilled, and savory, each offering a diverse sensory experience encompassing: pre-taste, middle, after-taste and lasting flavor impression. The challenge is even more difficult when bakers must apply molecular gastronomy cooking methods to at least one type of cake.
Marvel at the landmark Lung Cu and the "happy road" crafted from... sponge cake!
Recreating the Lung Cu flagpole - the northernmost point in Vietnam that many tourists checked in, baker Phuong Nguyen skillfully created both a mountain and a "happy road" in Ha Giang with incredibly realistic bushes, all made from sponge cake.
The giant cake of baker Phương Nguyên
The female baker also recreated another famous landmark, Ba Be National Park, and crafted lifelike animals listed for conservation in Vietnam by hand.
Phuong Nguyen shapes endangered species with her own hands
For the second challenge, Phuong Nguyen brought a feast with four types of cakes requested by the judges: pig skin cake, Wagyu beef savory cake, chocolate pudding cake with chili pepper, and lastly, a cold cake with toad fruit flavor.
Pig skin cake and Wagyu beef savory cake
Overall, Phuong Nguyen's banquet table and super giant cake were highly praised and provided a wonderful experience for the judges.
Recreating the North-South train journey across iconic landmarks in all three regions, Bao Khanh impressively clinched the title of Super Cake champion in the inaugural season.
Bao Khanh's massive 1.39m Super Cake takes the shape of a book, showcasing a scene of the North-South train extending towards the vast sea, accompanied by three iconic symbols representing the Northern, Central, and Southern regions: One Pillar Pagoda, Dragon Bridge, and Ben Thanh Market.
Bao Khanh's giant super cake with a height of 1m39 is the shape of a book
The iconic Vietnamese train stretching towards the vast sea symbolizes the ambition to elevate and expand the country's bakery industry, connecting with friends across all five continents.
Each detail on the cake was carefully and meticulously crafted by her, with Bảo Khanh even going to the extent of intricately sculpting a temple within the pagoda.
Every detail on the cake is meticulously shaped by baker Bao Khanh
In part two, Bao Khanh continued to surprise by bringing a table of incredibly attractive and delicious cakes, including 4 dishes: Floating rice cake with pistachio filling, salty cake filled with foie gras and Wagyu beef, spicy chocolate dessert, and finally a fruity cold cake.
From left to right: Floating rice cake with pistachio filling; Fruity cold cake; Salty cake filled with foie gras
The breakthrough and perfection in the set of cakes and gigantic super cakes in terms of both appearance and taste by Bao Khanh brought her the victory in this final round, officially crowning her as the champion of the first season of Super Cakes. It is hoped that this will be a stepping stone for chefs to reach further in their career development in baking.