Currently sitting in the No. 1 spot on Netflix’s “Top 10 in America Today” queue, new baking contest series “Is It Cake?” is a recipe for fun.
Viewers tune in to watch nine bakers, including Des Moines’ Andrew Fuller, create eerily realistic cakes that look like everything from bowling pins to bowls of chips.
Here’s everything you need to know about the new series and the colorful Des Moines baker who appears on the show.
What is “Is this cake?”
New Netflix series “Is It Cake?” follows nine skilled pastry chefs as they compete to create cakes in eight hours that realistically mimic other objects. The concept is based on a popular meme which began in July 2020 after a Tasty video of seemingly everyday objects went viral on Twitter.
The goal of each episode is for the bakers to fool three rotating famous judges. Judges have 20 seconds to observe each cake among decoy objects. If he correctly chooses the baker’s cake from the mix, the baker is eliminated from this turn. If he doesn’t guess the cake, the baker has a chance to win up to $10,000. If more than one cake per round is guessed incorrectly, the judges choose the winner based on the flavor of the cake and its close appearance. The winning baker receives $5,000 and a chance to win an additional $5,000 if they can identify which container filled with money is actually a cake.
Each episode features three competing bakers, and the show’s format changes over the course of the eight-episode series. In most cases, the winning baker in the previous round can choose who they will bake against in the next round.
Who hosts ‘Is It Cake?’
“Saturday Night Live” star Mikey Day hosts the show.
Who are the bakers who appear on ‘Is It Cake?’
The series features bakers Andrew Fuller (Des Moines), April Julian (Toronto), Desiree Salaverria (Orlando), Hemu Basu (Houstons), Jonny Manganello (Los Angeles), Justin Rasmussen-Ellen (Northern New Jersey), Nina Charles (Carencro, Louisiana), Sam Cade (Dallas) and Steve Weiss (Ashburn, Virginia). It was released worldwide on March 18, 2022.
Continued:Des Moines baker Andrew Fuller of Sugar Freakshow will star in new Netflix show “Is It Cake?”
Who are the judges of “Is It Cake?”
Every “Is this piece of cake?” The episode has a new set of celebrity judges who are tasked with choosing the cake from the actual objects. The judges for each episode are:
- Episode 1: Food critic and rapper Daym Drops, comedian Fortune Feimster and chef Ronnie Woo
- Episode 2: Fashion designer Hester Sunshine, actor and comedian Michael Yo and stylist Jason Bolden
- Episode 3: Model Camille Kostek, actor Chris Witaske and travel journalist Kellee Edwards
- Episode 4: Courtney Parchman, the Average Fashion Blogger, Actress Finesse Mitchell and Eater LA Editor-in-Chief Farley Elliot
- Episode 5: Actor Arturo Castro, actor Jon Gabrus and singer Rebecca Black
- Episode 6: Comedian Tony Rock, actor Lyric Lewis and singer King Princess
- Episode 7: TikTok Creator Brittany Broski, ‘SNL’ Star Heidi Gardner and Actor Dan Ahdoot
- Episode 8: Comedian Loni Love, actor Bobby Moynihan and ‘Queer Eye’ star Karamo Brown
Spoilers: How did Des Moines baker Andrew Fuller do on the Netflix show “Is It Cake?”
In the new Netflix baking series, Fuller takes the cake. Fuller participates in the beach-themed episode 3 for the first time with conch cake. In episode four he creates a compelling challah bread, and in episode five he steals the show with a stack of red Solo cups. Every episode Fuller appears in, he cheats the judges and beats the other bakers for $5,000.
In the finale, Fuller chooses to create a suitcase overflowing with clothes in his quirky style to pay homage to the first cake he ever made in 2018: a suitcase for her travel-loving husband, Cole Fuller. Since 2015, the couple have traveled together to nearly 20 countries. The judges are amazed by the realistic leather look of the cake and the multiple flavors Fuller has incorporated, and he wins the show.
How much money did Andrew Fuller make on “Is It Cake?”
Over three baking challenges, three rounds of guess the money bag, and the final baking challenge, Fuller left the show with $80,000 in winnings. He plans to use the money to work on his Des Moines-based baking studio Sugar Freakshow and to travel with her husband.
Continued:Maggie’s Rumble Room opens in former Sambetti’s with vintage vibes and specialty pizzas
Does Andrew Fuller have a bakery in Des Moines?
Fuller has worked as a licensed home baker in Des Moines since 2018, but his baking workshop is in the works.
Sugar Freakshow, 3023 SW Ninth St., Des Moines, will open this spring. Unlike a typical bakery, Sugar Freakshow will not be open to the public during regular hours. Fuller will use the space to bake and decorate her ordered cakes and to book appointments with new clients.
Fuller attaches 15-foot inflatable tentacles to the roof of the studio. When they explode, it will mean that Fuller is working in the studio and the public is free to visit and watch him sculpt live on a stage he built. He may occasionally provide pre-made cake pops in the shape of severed toes and fancy coffee drinks during live sculpting hours.
The small space has three distinct sections: In the entryway, Fuller’s collection of goofy glasses is on display along with the cardboard coffin he uses to deliver ordered cakes in his personal hearse. The south end of the studio is where the behind-the-scenes sculpting takes place, and the live sculpting stage is at the north end. The meeting space for new clients is near the stage and set up to look like a tarot card reading. Fuller’s business cards are also tarot-themed.
What other baking shows has Andrew Fuller appeared on?
“Is this cake?” is Fuller’s third appearance as a contestant in a baking series.
In 2018, he participated in the fourth season of the Food Network’s “Halloween Baking Championship” and he qualified for the semi-finals of the network “Candy Land”. In 2021, he was a guest judge on “Buddy vs. Duff” with bakers Buddy Valastro and Duff Goldman.
Is Andrew Fuller on Instagram?
Fuller’s Spooky Desserts first became popular on her Instagram page, @sugarfreakshow. Here, he shares behind-the-scenes photos and videos of his cooking process. In 2021, Fuller’s “people pie” was featured in a story on the macabre art of the “people pot pies” of Atlas Obscura.
Continued:Aaron Hall’s bakery is in a former classroom in Iowa. The James Beard Foundation has taken note.
Elle Wignall covers meals for the registry. Join her at [email protected]. Follow her on Twitter @ElleWignallDMR.
