Findlay Acura 7028924100

These days, a few hours in front of the tube might just give you a sugar high. With a recent onslaught of dessert TV shows flooding the airwaves, it appears American audiences have an appetite for all things sweet.

 

The Learning Channel (TLC), WE, Bravo and the Food Network are at the forefront of the confection obsession with shows such as Cake Boss, D.C. Cupcakes, Top Chef: Just Desserts, Fabulous Cakes and Have Cake, Will Travel to name just a few.

 

After a wildly successful run, the Food Network's popular Ace of Cakes hung up its hat in 2010. It's hard to imagine that there was ever only one show serving up the baking fix people were hungry for, but this was the series that paved the way for the others, and it is largely considered "the godfather" of cake TV. The documentary-style show followed the team of Baltimore area's Charm City Cakes and proprietor Duff Goldman as they navigated their way through daily operations, hurriedly cranking out massive, sculptural cakes to fill orders and exceed buyer expectations – buyers who included some pretty high-profile clientele. Over 10 seasons, their noteworthy customers included the Radio City Rockettes, the NFL, Baltimore Zoo, the Chicago Cubs, Newport Aquarium and the casts of Hairspray, Harry Potter, LOST and Kung Fu Panda.   

 

Charm City's team used unconventional methods to make their unconventional cakes; belt sanders, power saws and blow torches were only a few of the hefty tools used to create replicas of Radio City Music Hall, Wrigley Field and fictional Hogwarts Castle, as well as the Hubble Space Telescope, shark rays, volcanoes, cigar boxes and more.   

 

It seemed TV networks found their perfect recipe, and so the great 'Cake Quake' began. "Cake is something we all identify with – a primal thing we've all had growing up," states Howard Lee, TLC's Vice President for Development and Programming.  

Another hit that employs the style Ace established is TLC's popular Cake Boss, which follows Buddy Valastro as he runs amok, shouting orders to his Hoboken, New Jersey team at Carlo's Bakery. A fourth-generation Italian family baker, Valastro must live up to the demands of customers, as well as audiences hungry for more than just buttercream frosting. Viewers want cakes to be complex exaggerations of the dessert they once knew including animated treats that move with the help of electronic components.

 

"Every week is a challenge," Zalastro said in an interview with ItaliaLiving.com. "Last week I had to make a toilet bowl cake that flushed. Now that I am the Cake Boss, stuff comes out of the woodwork. I get requests to bake a cake that can walk and talk."

Of course, perhaps inevitably, shows have begun to steer away from documenting the pleasantries of pastry making and have started feeding viewers more cutthroat cake-centric competitions. The Next Great Baker, Cake Challenges and Last Cake Standing have bakers facing off in elimination challenges for big-ticket prizes and bragging rights. In the cake business, improvisation is extremely rare, as the perfect confection requires precision in measuring and timing. Throwing these chefs into situations where they must think on their feet and utilize creativity and culinary wiles, all against the clock, makes for intense and entertaining reality TV.

 

Candace Nelson judges one such competition. Her wildly popular Cupcake Wars pits bakers of cupcakes against one another. "I continue to think of cupcakes as sort of sleek and simple and nostalgic, but the reality is, it's a very competitive marketplace out there, and I think it's genius for the Food Network to pick up on that," she said to Pazsaz Entertainment Network. "These bakers...they want to win it so badly, and it really adds quite an emotional element to the show."

 

Whether you crave the dog-eat-dog competition, behind-the-scenes drama or larger-than-life delectable designs, don’t worry; TV's "virtual feast" of fondant-covered programming isn't cooling off anytime soon. Tune in and enjoy pastry-based entertainment in its prime. The good news: Watching is calorie free!