Sugar Rush Season 2, Episode 6: Science of Sweets review

Sugar Rush Season 2 is all about racing against the clock as professional bakers try to make the best desserts for a grand prize. We review episode six— Science of Sweets.

Space. Physics. Science. We had everything nerdy in episode six of Netflix’s Sugar Rush Season 2, as four teams of co-workers were challenged to create stunning science-themed confections across three rounds to win $10,000.

As if the ticking clock wasn’t pressure enough, the bakers also had to impress the show’s judges, Candace Nelson—owner of Sprinkles Cupcakes—and baker extraordinaire, Adriano Zumbo. Joining them for this final episode of the season was guest judge Paris Berelc, star of Netflix’s Alexa and Katie.

Round 1

In the opening round of this episode of Sugar Rush Season 2, the teams were asked to make space-themed cupcakes.

First to finish in this round were Christy and Shanna, who made dehydrated carrot cake cupcakes, because that’s what astronauts eat in space. They also added a snickerdoodle cookie on top for added texture. Zumbo and Nelson found the carrot cake a bit dry and chewy, though they all loved the story.

The second team to finished were Gaby and Mayra. They were inspired by the Milky Way for their cupcakes, incorporating the texture of the galaxy via a meringue centre. Berelc loved the cupcakes and Zumbo found the flavours good. Nelson did comment about the filling overwhelming the actual cupcakes, however.

Team three were Zac and Corey. They made chocolate buttermilk cupcakes with strawberry compote and crushed astronaut ice-cream sandwiches. Unfortunately, their first batch had to be thrown away because they forgot to add oil.

Sugar Rush

Despite the hitch, they still managed to create beautiful cupcakes. Their presentation blew the judges away, as did their excellent textures.

The last team to finish were Brittany and Briana, who made moon pie cupcakes with dehydrated mangoes and a graham cracker dome. Unfortunately, the dome ended up being too hard and the judges were visibly struggling to cut through it. Though the presentation and flavours were good, the execution left much to be desired.

The judges named Gaby and Mayra as their team of the round. Christy and Shanna were eliminated for their dry cupcakes.

Round 2

In the second round of this science-themed episode of Sugar Rush Season 2, the teams were asked to create a confection based on geology.

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First to finish in this round were Zac and Corey, who made a sulfur bank using a chocolate pot de crème and microwave cornmeal cake. Their presentation was out of this world and the flavours were generally good. But the cornmeal cake tasted like stale bread to Nelson.

Next to finish were Gaby and Mayra, who were inspired by the forest floor for their confection. They made sedimentary strawberry cheesecakes with a variety of fruits and chocolate ganache tree bark. The judges loved the number of elements in the confection and the techniques used, but Zumbo felt the ganache didn’t have enough flavour.

Last to finish again were Brittany and Briana. They made a sedimentary layered limoncello cake with a torched lemon curd top. Zumbo loved the number of flavours but the lemon was too  overpowering. Nelson and Berelc also felt that the layers weren’t defined enough.

The judges once again picked Gaby and Mayra as their favourite. After making it through to the second round by the skin of their teeth, Brittany and Briana were eliminated in round two.

Sugar Rush on Netflix

Round 3

For the cake round of this episode of Sugar Rush Season 2, the remaining two teams were asked to make a gravity-defying cake. Interestingly, both teams chose to make black hole cakes, but had very different interpretations and stories for their ideas.

Gaby and Mayra made vanilla cakes as their base. They created a chalkboard outer layer with fondant, which the judges absolutely loved. The colour accents were pleasing to the eye, as well. However, the cake did have some structural issues and was tottering a bit. The fondant work was excellent, but there was a bit too much butter in the cake and buttercream.

Zac and Corey made an astounding looking white almond cake, and also had a great story to go with it—a space shuttle trying to escape a black hole with tentacles. Their execution blew the judges away. Though the flavours were good, the cake was too dense and way too sweet.

As in earlier episodes of this season, the votes were tied until Nelson cast the deciding vote—Zac and Corey.

Final Thoughts

This last episode was a doozy to watch. The inventive theme of this Sugar Rush Season 2 episode produced gorgeous confections that looked far too good to eat. The technique on display was marvelous to watch and it was hard to choose a favourite in almost every round. A delight to watch from start to finish, and a great way to end this season.