This summer, Food Network audiences have been awestruck with the Duff Goldman-led show, “Super Mega Cakes.” In the “Ocean Predators” episode, Chef Henderson Gonzalez dove into the immense task of battling the Ace of Cakes. During an interview with FlickDirect, the Florida-based cake artist and baker revealed how he created a jaw-dropping edible scene.
Fans of Netflix’s “Is It Cake?” have been wowed by Henderson Gonzalez’s talent during his Season 3 win. The Orlando-based cake artist is known for his realistic and over-the-top creations. From Disney characters to stunning multi-tiered cakes, these desserts are almost too beautiful to eat.
This summer, Chef Henderson took on Food Network’s “Super Mega Cakes” challenge. For those unfamiliar with the show, Duff Goldman and his team take on various pastry chefs and cake artists in themed challenges. In addition to a tasting element, the teams must create over-the-top, visually realistic, and otherwise unbelievable cakes and edible scenes.
Going against Chef Duff was a tall task. When asked about the difficulty of this competition, Chef Henderson said,
“Chef Duff is really creative. We had to be prepared for everything, and we did not have any chance to fail. He is so good.”
In addition to being prepared for Team Duff, the competition itself was quite tedious. Over the course of four full days, Chef Henderson and his collaborating chefs had to build and create this gigantic cake. Unlike other baking shows, these long hours are definitely grueling.
While he had competed before, Chef Henderson said,
“‘Super Mega Cakes’ is not like any show, and it cannot be compared (to others).”
Even though the pressure was high, he said,
“I trusted my partners and our skills. That is the key to success.”
For his episode, Chef Henderson had to tackle “Ocean Predators.” When asked about his interpretation of the theme, he and his team took a different approach. Specifically, he said,
“We flipped the concept. We thought about the deep sea and tried different creatures than what we usually see. I think it’s beautiful.”
He described his team as hyper-realistic artists. Their idea was to make a cake display that looked as if it came from National Geographic. This display is more a scene from “Shark Week” versus Finding Nemo.
The challenge required the bakers to incorporate a floating element. Chef Henderson explained,
“When something is floating, it means that there is nothing underneath. We worked with the structure and the armature to create that floating element inside of the deep sea.”
Given that the chef has a background in building houses, these structural elements make sense to him.
While those technical terms might sound intimidating to the novice, Chef Henderson wants people to embrace the possibilities and the fun in baking. He said,
“Just follow your dreams and passions. Sometimes you can fall. When you keep working on what you love, you can find your passion everywhere.”
Chef Henderson is always following his dreams and passions. From his successful stints on food television competitions to his own cake company, he finds inspiration all around. Those amazing cakes are part imagination and part dedication. Just like Walt Disney’s simple phrase,
“If you can dream it, you can do it,”
Speaking of art, Chef Henderson loves to make cartoon-style cakes. While his cakes tend to be super realistic, those detailed replicas of favorite characters get people’s attention. No one wants to cut into Pinocchio’s foot, but a tasty cake cannot be wasted.
Did Chef Henderson hook a big win on “Super Mega Cakes?” Be sure to tune into his episode, “Ocean Predators,” on .
Food Network’s Super Mega Cakes airs every Monday at 9 p.m. ET/PT. The Season Finale airs on . Episodes can be streamed the next day on HBO MAX.