Sugar Rush Season 2, Episode 2: Light My Fire review

Sugar Rush Season 2 asks bakers to create a series of delicious confectionaries based on themes. We review episode two—Light My Fire.

In the second episode of Netflix’s Sugar Rush Season 2, four teams of experienced bakers were set the task of creating beautiful desserts based around the theme of light. Competing across three rounds, the teams vied for the grand prize of $10,000.

Alongside show judges Candace Nelson—owner of Sprinkles Cupcakes—and baker extraordinaire, Adriano Zumbo, the bakers also had to impress the episode’s guest judge, Irene Choi, one of the stars of Netflix’s Insatiable.

Round 1

The first team to finish in the opening round of this episode of Sugar Rush Season 2 were married couple Rachael and Matt. They made a pink champagne cupcake and used a floating magnet for their presentation. Impressive!

The judges loved the amount of champagne used in the cupcake and frosting, plus the pop rocks that gave the cupcakes more texture. The colour was the only aspect they would have changed.

Team two were friends Tracy and Darline who bake alongside their day jobs. Their lemon and strawberry cupcakes wowed the judges in terms of flavour, but the floating balloon cake toppers didn’t work presentation-wise.

More from Food TV

• Kitchen Nightmares ended their return season on a whimper
• Holiday Baking Championship season 10 episodes 5 and 6: Double the holidays
• The Big Bake: Holiday season 4 episode 5: North Pole preschoolers
• Great British Baking Show season 14 finale: And the winner is…
• Next Level Chef Season 3 arrives on Fox on Jan. 28

Team three, Jovana and Estefany, also used champagne in their cupcakes with a lemon pastry cream and macerated strawberries. Despite their beautiful presentation, their flavours weren’t strong enough and the cupcake was dense.

The final team to finish were Maria and Kasey, who work together. They decided to make two cupcakes—honey lavender, and crème brûlée—a tricky choice for a competition that puts so much store in saving time.

The judges loved the frosting and the crème brûlée cupcake but the lavender was too strong and too dense.

In this opening round, the judges were torn on which teams would stay, and which team would be eliminated. In the end, Rachel and Matt came out on top, but Jovana and Estefany’s competition came to an end.

Round 2

In round two of this episode of Sugar Rush Season 2, it was all about lighting up confections with live fire, either during cooking or presentation.

Rachel and Matt finished first again with their twist on a Baked Alaska—a herb and thyme sugar cookie with lemon blackberry cheesecake ice cream and torched Italian meringue. The judges loved the flavours and the presentation, but struggled to find the thyme.

Second to finish were Tracy and Darline, who made bread pudding with apples and raisins and a caramel drizzle. Their fire element was left for their presentation but the flames weren’t quite big enough to make an impact. However, the flavours were excellent, and the texture of the bread putting was light.

Maria and Kasey finished last again with their chocolate shortbread ice cream sandwiches with a torched meringue on top and flambéed bananas for their banana foster. The judges were impressed with the idea and the flavours, but the biscuit was too hard.

The judging decision for this round depended on how the teams incorporated the fire element. Unsurprisingly, Rachel and Matt won this round, as well. Tracy and Darline’s flavours couldn’t save them here, as their fire element was deemed an afterthought.

Sugar Rush on Netflix

Round 3

Round three of Sugar Rush Season 2 episode 2 was remarkably challenging. The bakers had to create chandelier cakes that would have to be hung from a chandelier, and they needed to incorporate a light element.

Maria and Kasey’s geode wedding chandelier cake was made of chocolate, with coffee buttercream and cocoa nibs. They also hid lights inside the cake to make their geode glow. Their presentation unsurprisingly stunned the judges, and the taste and crunch from the nibs blew them away.

Rachel and Matt’s bonfire night anniversary cake had pumpkin spice flavour with cream cheese filling and chocolate ganache. They had some serious issues with stacking their cakes because they used the wrong rods, but they managed to cover it with star lights and buttercream.

Their presentation was gorgeous and elegant—the judges could not stop admitting it. Their flavours were generally good but the buttercream ended up being too sweet.

Though the two teams appeared neck and neck in this round, the judges unanimously voted for Maria and Kasey’s brilliant execution and excellent flavours.

Final Thoughts

Sugar Rush Season 2 really upped the ante with the second episode. Not only were the challenges much harder but the teams pushed themselves beyond their comfort zone to impress the judges and the audience. The final result was a sweet treat that we thoroughly enjoyed savouring.

Watch Sugar Rush now on Netflix!