Nine elite professional bakers gather to begin the first in a series of 14 challenges designed to test the limits of their baking mastery. In the master challenge, the bakers must create a mind-bending cake using vanilla as the featured flavor.

The remaining eight bakers are charged with making perfect wedding-themed mini mousse cakes in the Skills Challenge. In the Master Challenge, the bakers must create a croquembouche-inspired wedding tower that includes two types of pastry and uses champagne as the featured flavor.

The seven remaining bakers begin by making perfect strawberry shortcake in the Skills Challenge. In the Master Challenge, the bakers must create a "fire and ice" dessert that features one frozen element, one bruleed element and has mint as the featured flavor.

The six bakers left in the competition face a Skills Challenge to create flawless mini Boston cream pies. For the Master Challenge, they're asked to bake their version of the "ultimate" New York cheesecake with apple as the featured flavor.

The five remaining bakers must make mini meringue pies in the Skills Challenge. In the Master Challenge, they're challenged to feature raspberry flavor in a classical French layered meringue cake called a marjolaine.

The four remaining bakers have one more chance to get into the Best Baker in America finale. Their Skills Challenge is to make historic Mont Blanc cakes, which are tarts topped with a tower of chestnut paste. In the Master Challenge, the bakers have to make a striking cake called a Charlotte Royale -- also known as "brain cake" -- with peanut butter as the featured flavor.

In what is becoming a Best Baker in America tradition, the finale is all about the world's most beloved ingredient -- chocolate. In the Skills Challenge, the three remaining bakers must create a perfect version of the glazed Austrian chocolate cake called sachertorte. The final Master Challenge is to create the ultimate chocolate cake for 100 people that features caramel flavor and elaborate chocolate decorations, three types of chocolate and three flavors of chocolate bonbons.