After being a judge on “Buddy vs. Duff,” Milwaukee cake artist Kimberly Adams is going up against one of those kings of cake on another Food Network show.
Adams — a baking competition show veteran and the owner of Signature Sweets — is on one of six teams competing against pastry chef and former “Ace of Cakes” star Duff Goldman and a team from his Charm City Cakes bakery on the inaugural season of “Super Mega Cakes.”
From the previous show Goldman and Adams did together — and from following Duff’s career over the years — Adams has an idea of how he operates: How he thinks when it comes to cakes, his attention to detail, as well as the “out of this world” creations he’s capable of.
While Adams flew out to Los Angeles for filming “SMC” in March, the season began airing in mid-June.
On the season premiere, the six teams were revealed and each were assigned a different theme for their cake. While all the teams are creating the cakes simultaneously over the course of four days, the episodes focus on one team at a time.
Goldman’s team of 12 has to create a cake for each of the six themes — so, six cakes total — during that same time period.
And, these aren’t just any ol’ cakes. They’re massive and elaborate — complete with bells and whistles, like special effects and interactive elements.
Adams and fellow cake artist Natasha “Lucky” Anderson are on a team led by renowned cake designer Lincoln Alexander. They’ll be the stars of July 14’s episode.
Here’s what to know, including how Adams ended up on the show, her journey and how to watch the upcoming episode of “Super Mega Cakes”:
Milwaukee cake artist Kimberly Adams is going to be competing on an upcoming episode of the Food Network’s “Super Mega Cakes.”
Milwaukee cake artist Kimberly Adams on ‘Super Mega Cakes’
Food Network approached Adams about being on “Super Mega Cakes.” She said Goldman, who she really looks up to, “literally hand-picked” the cake artists he wanted to compete against.
“It was truly an honor to be a part of this show with some of the best cake artists across the world,” Adams said. “So, that meant a lot to me.”
Adams’ teammates, Alexander and Anderson, were previously a duo on “Cake Toppers,” hosted by Buddy Valastro, and scored two wins during their season.
“It was amazing working with them,” Adams said. “They are such a comedy show together, those two … Their personalities are so awesome and funny. For me to join the team, it was like the perfect chemistry.”
The cake themes showcased so far this season have been “Superman,” “Best Meal Ever,” “Architectural Wonders” and “Ocean Predators.” The theme for the episode Adams is featured on is “Classic Cartoons,” which she loved.
Goldman’s team opted for “a famous moment from the world of Bugs Bunny,” while Adams’ trio created “a chaotic Tom and Jerry chase scene,” according to the network’s website.
“I literally watched ‘Tom and Jerry’ all the time when we were kids,” Adams said. “I got to make my childhood favorite cartoon into a cake. Who wouldn’t want to do that?”
On each episode, the two cakes are judged on creativity, execution, theme, a required element and taste by “The Chocolate Guy” Amaury Guichon, James Beard Award-winner Sherry Yard and a special guest.
That’s right ― looks aren’t everything. One team member per trio goes 1v1 with Goldman in the taste category, Adams dished. Cake flavors must be inspired by the theme, too.
“This man is diabolical when it comes to the types of things he creates in terms of tasting elements,” Adams said.
The required element for the “Classic Cartoons” cakes is gravity-defying effects, the network’s website said. And, the special guest judge: Eric Bauza, the voice of Bugs Bunny.
The victorious team of each episode wins $10,000 and a chance at the grand prize.
“At the end of the competition, the finalist cakes will be presented to and tasted by a 50-person audience,” per the network’s site. “Together they will determine which cake deserves the grand prize.”
That grand prize? $40,000.
More on Milwaukee cake artist Kimberly Adams
Instead of playing outside, Adams spent her childhood in the kitchen, baking with her mom.
Adams — who graduated from Greendale High School and studied business management at Upper Iowa University — continued baking into adulthood and made cakes for family and friends.
In 2008, she made a cake for a coworker — a 3-D “gag” cake of a toilet. People were so impressed with the design, she said in a prior Journal Sentinel interview, that they started asking her to make cakes for them.
“It kind of just snowballed into an entire business,” Adams said.
In 2010, one of Adams’ coworkers entered her in Food Network’s “Hometown Showdown” cake-decorating contest in New York without telling her. She won.
Since then, Adams has competed on several more shows, including “Cupcake Wars,” “Sugar Dome,” “Macy’s Thanksgiving Cake Spectacular,” “Holiday Wars,” “Halloween Wars” twice, “The Big Bake” twice and “Harry Potter: Wizards of Baking.”
“They are so fun, and I feel like I like challenging myself,” she said.
But, it’s not all about the competition — and prizes — for Adams. It’s also about getting to meet the best cake artists in the world — the camaraderie, forming friendships and learning from each other.
Adams has also appeared on “Sister Circle,” a Steve Harvey show and “You Bet Your Life with Jay Leno.”
For years, Adams made cakes on the side while working full time. In 2017, she started doing cakes full time.
Previously, Adams had a cake shop in Wauwatosa with a friend, and later, a brick-and-mortar bakery in Shorewood.
Adams continues to specialize in 3-D and wedding cakes, which she creates out of a commercial kitchen. She also teaches culinary and cooking programs, most recently through ETPL.
Adams, who has been self-taught, is finishing up her studies of pastry arts at Milwaukee Area Technical College, where she’s on the Baking and Pastry Arts advisory board.
The rest of her time is dedicated to her four grandkids, three of whom live in the area. Together, they go to Chuck E. Cheese and parks, watch movies and have backyard parties ― bounce house included.
How to watch Kimberly Adams on ‘Super Mega Cakes’
The July 14 episode of “Super Mega Cakes” airs at 8 p.m. CT on the Food Network. It streams the next day on Max and Discovery+.
Additional times the episode will air on the network can be found here.
This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: Kimberly Adams, Duff Goldman on Food Network’s Super Mega Cakes