4 Levels of Birthday Cake: Amateur to Food Scientist | Epicurious
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- Опубліковано 31 сер 2021
- We challenged chefs of three different skill levels - amateur Emily, home cook Gabrielle, and professional chef Penny Stankiewicz from The Institute Of Culinary Education - to make us a celebratory birthday cake. Once each level of chef had iced up and served their creation, we asked expert food scientist Rose to explain the choices each made along the way - both good and bad. Which birthday cake are you blowing out the candles on first?
Check out Penny's level 3 recipe on the ICE blog: www.ice.edu/blog/explosion-cake
Follow chef Penny at @penny.stankiewicz
Follow Emily at @emilyslamduncan
Find Gabrielle at @gabchappel
Looking for Rose? Head to @rosemarytrout_foodscience
The Institute of Culinary Education is on Instagram at @iceculinary
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Level 1 - Emily Duncan
Level 2 - Gabrielle Chappel
Level 3 - Penny Stankiewicz
Director: Vanessa Moreno
Editor: Manolo Moreno
Director of Photography: Eric Brouse
Producer: Tyre Nobles
Associate Producer: Blake Jesse
Culinary Producer: Carrie Parente
Culinary Assistant: Leslie Raney
Culinary Assistant: Stevie Stewart
Audio: Austin Rumsey
Post Production Supervisor: Stephanie Cardone
Associate Director, Post Production: Nicole Berg
Epicurious Video Team
Jonathan Wise
Ali Inglese
Dan Siegel
Rhoda Boone
Carolyn Gagnon
June Kim
Holly Patton
Myra Rivera
Billy Keenly
Still haven’t subscribed to Epicurious on UA-cam? ►► bit.ly/epiyoutubesub
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Talk about a dream team!!!!
Hi Frank
We're waiting for another Frank vs. Lorenzo ingredient swap series.
Emily, Gabrielle, Penny, Rose and a comment from Frank!
My day has just been made.
Hi Frank. So nice to see you on the comment section. Love the recipes you showed us.
Hi chef its kinda fourth wall here haha
Emily: Reality
Gabrielle: Expectation
Penny: The video explaining what to do
Quite literally the pitch for this whole series...
This comment made me laugh out loud lol
I thought Emily's cake was really cute.
Gabrielle shouldn't have put those big glops of icing. The icing would have been so pretty with just shaved chocolate.
Penny lost me with all that crunchy crap in the middle. It screams Pinterest gender reveal cake. Lol.
I clicked for the 666th like.
This comment needs more likes 😂😂😂
I love the fact the level 3 chef is always like, “i’ve been making food since moses split the red sea”.
Underrated
Pls don’t joke about that
@@riyascorner9198 but like why tho? I’m also a man of religion, and i don’t see whats wrong with it?
@@riyascorner9198 it’s ok to have a sense of humor…
@@riyascorner9198 grow a spine.
Emily is the average thing I bake, Gabrielle is when I'm actually making someone else's birthday cake, and Penny is what I think I can make when I'm watching Bake Off
It’s not that easy. Winning a competition still makes you an amateur baker, and in no way an expert or professional
🤣
The professional cake looks awesome, but Emily's looks wholesome. Maybe as a kid I would not appreciate that, but hers would make me feel the best on my birthday.
!!! same
I was thinking the same thing too!! I think it's the fact that it comes from a place of a genuine love of the person the cake is made for. For it would mean the most knowing someone took the time and made the effort to do it themselves vs buy. Emily is so proud of those sprinkles. I'd be like YES GIRL! SPRINKLES!!!!!!
she’s giving off bubbly girl vibes and it reflects on the stuff she makes
I make more of a level two cake. I sure hope my kids know how much love went into making it!
There’s nothing unwholesome looking about the professional cake. Y’all be using that word wrong.
"you can be as aggressive as you want"
*Cuts to penny tapping the hell out of that batter* 😭😭😭 the editors are gold
Reminds me of that cuts in French Toast video when Emily said "Mm.. Eggy" after Penny said otherwise ToT
Whoever edits these videos deserves a raise lmao. That lemon juice video where the girl asked "do people really not know how to do that?" and the video just immediately cuts to some dude aggressively whacking a whole lemon in a slap chop still makes me laugh
Spicy symbolism.
Timestamp: 5:16
I wheezed badly
Emily: traditional kid's birthday cake
Gabrielle: grown-up Reese's cake
Penny: PARTY BOOZE CAKE
Stephen: CHEESECAKE
Or Pancake
Hahahahaha Stephen loves cheesecake
No only half a cheesecake, the other half is in the pancakes he had for breakfast
chesecak
more cheese better..
Emily was having fun, Gabrielle was having her pinterest moment and Penny was giving us a cake making lecture
I think Penny had a blast giving us that lecture tho
Penny: knows exactly what shes doing at all times and explains it well
Gabrielle: joking around and cutting a few corners but still knows what shes doing
Emily: i cal it the dump and spread
Alcohol to penny is what ketchup is to Emily.
And what cheesecake is to Stephen.
Just starting to watch. She didn't put ketchup in the birthday cake, right?
Kristin Wright nope
@@kristinwright6632 not on camera, but we all know it's there...
And what chives to Julie
Only Emily's says "Happy Birthday" so really she's the only one who made a birthday cake.
agreeeed
15:05 not true
@@syoncheung I'm talking about the cake. Only Emily's (implying the cake made by Emily) has any writing on it.
So yes, it is true that only her cake has "Happy Birthday" on it.
at the end of the day everyone uses candles
For the other two, you can get number birthday candles (or a question mark if you want to be sarcastic about it) or regular birthday candles to make up for it. Spelling out "Happy Birthday" on a cake is for kids parties and supermarket cakes. Those other two cakes are high-end bakery quality.
Honestly, Gabrielle's cake would likely be everyone's favorite in my family. Its a decent cake, not over the top but just the right amount of sweetness and flavor, and its simple
@@jav7899 to you
@@jav7899 just think in the resees chocolates they are so good
@@jav7899 to you bcs I think peanut butter is good, and I'm not immature about food I don't like
Don’t personally like peanut butter frosting but if I did I’d probably like it
Nah, I'd definitely prefer lvl 3 cake. Lvl 2 looks generic and homemade, lvl 3 is next level.
I love how the birthday cakes sorta seem to represent their personalities.
I've just realised Emily's cake looks like the one Hagrid gave Harry when he turned 11 😂
Awwww
@@xXJokerAtWorkXx why
That's why I clicked on the video 😂
Awwww yes! I love when Harry Potter comments come, your soooo right!
Yup true.
Ooh Penny’s in this video I wonder if she’s gonna add alco-
“Soaked in St. Germaine”
There it is
My thoughts exactly
At this point I’m primarily concerned.
My thoughts exactly 😆
She really likes tonput alcohol in everything
Everything tastes better with a lil bit
*Penny and Gaby: Never crack the eggs on the edge of the bowl
Cut to Emily:
*Cracks egg on the edge of the bowl
Never change, Emily!!!
You can get shells on the batter. Get half you egg on the counter. Plus raw eggs contains bacterias. Hence why
@@LemonRose59 raw eggs aren't dangerous in the US.
@@flairy1661 how come
@@LemonRose59 all eggs in the united states have been pasteurized, as regulated and enforced by the USDA. every egg in this country has been heated to a certain level to kill bacteria and salmonella especially. it's still recommended to cook them, but rest assured, it's safe.
@@flairy1661 Ooh that's a very interesting fact however I don't the same goes everwhere else unfortunetly.
Aww, Emily’s cake is so charming, Gabrielle’s is classic, and Penny’s is extravagant. And Rose is a pink dream. 💖
Lol props for not misusing the word “wholesome” like everybody else to describe Emily’s cake
@@BijinMCMXC Emily's cake is a mess, it's chaotic and it's everything we all expected from her in the best way
Good to have Emily back. Eager to see how she will incorporate ketchup into a birthday cake.
She actually did make a ketchup cake on her personal channel.
@@trevorpacelli8056 hmmm
Ketchup frosting lol
@@trevorpacelli8056 what’s her YT name!? I need to watch this
@@Kingy-wz8tg Emily Duncan
it ain’t penny if there’s no alcohol
Everything is better with alcohol in it. Especially alcohol.
@@tinyb4165 Touche
Alcoholics United
Chemical dependence.
And it wouldn't be her cake if it was not for kids
Penny at the end when she says "I make good cake." is happiness in a soundbite.
I love how Emily is growing with the series. She was nervous in the beginning and joking to relieve some of that stress, now she makes fun of it, almost trolling. Also her humor and overall personality is very lovely. (We'll make it pink, so Epicurious knows I care.)🥰 She genuinely amuses me. And I really enjoy the Penny the teacher. You can say she's so used to teach it, one hand on the mixer, relaxed, explaining nicely..and booze. I like booze. She likes booze. I'd love to let her go on my birthday cake with dark ganache and rum aaall the way she wanted.
Penny: "This is how you hold an off-set spatula. Not like this"
Emily: *Holds it the wrong way.*
Tbf gabby was also holding it wrong.
I found it funny that Penny held the spatula wrong for most of the video after her rant.
Yeah penny didn't hold it like that either, or at least used the wrong side 🤣🤣🤣
The editors are the best lmaooo
I saw this comment as soon as she said it lol
Penny has grown on me the more I’ve watched her. At first I thought she was kind of stuck up and pretentious but I’ve learned that she’s just serious and passionate about what she does. She’s self aware about alcohol being in her dishes and subtly rolls with the jokes and I think it’s opened her up to be a little more goofy and I like to see it
i love penny a lot, she often brings up science-y stuff while cooking which makes the process a learning experience while being funny and imteresting unlike most of the teachers in school
Agreed. I wasn’t sure if I was going to like her at first but she has grown on me the more I watched her. I rather enjoy her quite a bit now.
@@nrs318 I don't have any problem with her personally, but I strongly feel that many UA-camrs do things solely to get us to comment on them. Babish with the whisk and painted fingernails, for example, or Emily with the ketchup.
You really have to ask yourself if these people really would be putting alcohol in everything they didn't know it was getting them attention.
@@ModernGamesSuck Penny was putting alcohol in majority of the dishes she cooked on Epicurious, which is where the joke came from. It wasn't like she put alcohol in her dish one time and it suddenly became a meme. Since she's been doing it long before it became a running joke, it's not a stretch to assume that any time she does it after isn't just for the sake of that running joke.
That said, you do have a good point, but it personally doesn't bother me. It is just entertainment, after all, and I as a viewer do not want to assume I know them personally just from watching videos of them cooking. It doesn't particularly matter if they are doing it for the act, because ultimately, we are here for the act.
@@364-unbirthdays8 No problem, it's not serious
As usual, Level 1 feels the most genuine, Level 2 is the one that I'm desperate to actually eat, and Level 3 is just so good looking I can't understand why you would sully it by cutting off a slice. EDIT: And then Penny cuts the cake, and I understand.
Emily - Cooking Class Cake
Gabrielle - Actual Birthday Cake
Penny - Wedding Cake Extravaganza
"Usually I just follow a box mix" and "I'm just reading the internet and doing what I'm told"
Spoken like a true level one, glad to see it. She's getting toward level 2 in cooking, but baking is still the old Emily we remember. Though her humor is always top notch.
I like how the amateurs cake just looks like the main objective was having fun, thats what cooking is about!
True but still isn’t something you claim being a professional or expert.
level one chef: makes a birthday cake
level two chef: makes a fancy birthday cake
level three chef: makes a wedding cake
Emily's cake is a cake i would demolish in 10 minutes in the office, no shame
Gabrielle's cake is the kind you save for a coffee breakfast for the week
Penny's cake is the one you hide from the other goblins who you share a roof with
It's the goblins for me 🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣👀
For me I’m the goblin
I’m also the goblin 😂!
Finally, the old female trio: Emily, Gabrielle and Penny, along with Beth and Julie. Good to have them back. It's been a long time since we got the originals. Onika, Bianca and Palak are also good. Next we want Stephan or John; Lorenzo, Daniel or Anthony and Frank-the male trio. Shariff, Rawlston and Chris also hit the spot.
Rawlston has never been in the Four Levels series actually.
Why hello there.
@@jervisdd4339 I know, but his explanation and attitude, just like Chris, deserve him to appear in the four levels series. He's better than other level three chefs that come and show off, without even explaining the procedures properly or making the required dish or making ot very complex.
Don’t forget pink shirt dude
@@BondandBourne Oh yeah, how can I forget Discount Rien Reddles.😅
all three cakes look so delicious, 10/10 would finish them ALL in one sitting
Penny’s so funny and fun to watch- PLEASE do more desserts
Epicurious: *Is making a baking video
Penny: It's showtime
And congrats gaby on getting into culinary school
She finished
She is now a level 2.5 chef.
I read: *"Penny: It's SHOT time"* ! Hahaaha
Next time we see her she better be on the level 3 tier. She deserves it! 👏
I love how Penny's dishes are always so artistic and pretty! And they look so yummy!
It's SENSE COMPLETE
☺️☺️☺️😋😋😋
And also alcohol
I agree 100%, but I still have a grudge against Penny after her cookie episode. I tried to make those chocolate chip cookies, and what I ended up with was... giant slab of something that used to resemble cookie mix, with decorative salt sprinkled on top, and a couple of weird green hairy bits (don't ask). ...I fully realise this was my execution rather than Penny's recipe, but I choose to blame the bad instructions anyway, because self-delusion can be as fulfilling as actual achievement!
@@H0lyMoley Aww at least you tried...I just watch these for aesthetic and cuz I don't want to study
@@H0lyMoley wait my baker friend tried them and they were great, she had to adjust ingredients for weather in my country though
Penny: “how do I know it’s done?” *looks at cake* “it’s done.”
Same, Penny, same.
Honestly, I would be so happy to receive any of these cakes, you can tell with every single one how much love and care was put into it 💖💖💖 I love them all, I can’t pick a favourite
Emily's birthday cake looks like something I would bake, Gabrielle's is like something you would buy in a shop for a friend's birthday.
The wedding cake was little off topic but it looks delicious.
Yeah i agree
I agreed when penny said here’s my birthday cake i immediately said no you made a Wedding cake
Penny's is what the lady who does catering at parties does for her own kids birthday.
*grown kids
@@TheDorkKnight824 no she made a disappointment.
The prophecies were true, Frank is still milling his flour and raising chicken to harvest
He’s got his own channel that’s really good. He lays out all his recipes really clearly and easy to follow.
😂😂😂
@@justindchaney Subscribed! No need to even check.
Frank LITERALLY mills his own flour, he had a recipe swap video where instead of having flour, he had wheat and a milling machine.
CLassic frank lol
How dare you. Everyone knows Frank is leveling his Karma so as to be reincarnated into a chicken in his next life and lay the eggs himself.
personally i think emily’s cake looks the best. it just has that charm and the colors are so cute
Lol.
It always makes me happy when they try their food at the end and they're all so proud and saying mmm and loving what they've made.
Happy b-day Epicurious
Gabriele is always so dreamy, and she is stepping up her cooking game every time.
Penny's sprinkles look so fancy, they look like pieces of jewellery.
Gabrielle: You know, this is made with love.
**cuts to Emily threatening her spatula**
6:53 😂😂
i love how each cake mirrors the maker's personality!
Penny: Alcohol makes everything better
Emily: ♪ ~ just a little splash of milk ~ ♪
Level 1! If it don't say 'Happy Birthday' on it, it ain't a birthday cake! Hooray for Emily! She gets it!
"It's made with love... which means I licked the spoon and then kept using it."
Emily is amazing❤️❤️❤️
She just has this innocence which is wholesome
Really loved the other ladies as well
Happy belated Birthday Epicurious
Emily’s cake honestly looked the most appetizing lol, they were all delicious looking but I loved all the colors on hers and was really cute!
Penny is trying to make everyone drunk with her food again.
Always 😌
Penny is a pro for sure, but Gabrielle has so much love in her food. I would choose Gabrielle's cake
Couldn't agree more.. Penny seems bored out of her mind in this episode!
I'd definitely choose Penny's cake. Lvl 2 cake is generic and homemade, lvl3 is next level and something I've never tried before.
Wayyyy too much chocolate imo because it's too strong and bitter (not super elegant tasting), but I do think peanut butter icing sounds unique. Penny's seems like heaven to me. Not too heavy, light and floral themed, and nice texture to the sides of the cake.You can tell Penny's a pro
penny put a lot into her cake too.. she’s passionate at what she does so her cake wins for me. anyone could mimic gabrielle
I really liked Emily and Gabrielle's cake. Reminded me of how the birthday cakes I got for my birthday evolved over the years
I thoroughly enjoyed that, Level 1, Level 2 and Level Professional , they've all added their unique Personalities to make this whole Presentation Professionally Flavourful!
You know it’s gonna be good when Emily is here
She said it best when she said she's basicaly a child.
*Everybody loves Emily!*
Even in the preview Penny’s got her alcohol ready. Amazing. What a line up as well.
Thank you ladies! This was an absolute treat. This is my first time to your channel and I have liked and subscribed! I enjoyed each personality-each comfortable to watch and Emily is funny!
this was so cool! i love the editing and everyone is a joy to watch. 💖
Pennys cake looks amazing my god, i’d break my diet for a slice of that cake
They all were great but Emilys is the kind of cake that just makes you feel so loved and appreciated, its just so wholesome 💕
This video is so cute. I love seeing all of the love and passion go into each of these cakes for different reasons. And they're all so cute and beautiful. I love it.
i really love how happy and proud they each are of their cake
Nobody:
Penny:
"Don't be afraid to be the boss of your cake."
Edit: thx for my first 1k likes ☺️🙌
Lol
Unless your bosses' last name is cake, then they'll be seeing you in their office.
I am always the boss of my cake. I see cake. I eat cake. Cake gets pwned.
OMG THEY UPLOADED THIS IN MY BIRTHDAY, i feel special, seeing penny cooking is a gift everytime
Happy birthday!
You share a birthday with epicurious
Happy birthday! 🎈
HAAAAAPPY BIRTHDAAAAY 🥳🎁🎂🎈
Happy birthday
I'm always amazed to see this grand cakes. And now I'm in aww seeing the level 3 making it action
Love the confidence: it doesn’t look even but it’s a super power. It’s even.
I love penny so much! I love how matter a fact she is about everything and does everything so casually and yet it turns out amazing!
Please never stop making this series. I beg you.
The level 2 chef is so happy during the whole thing, it makes me happy while watching for no reason😂
This episode felt so intimate, *happy birthday Epicurious!*
I would love to have any of these on my birthday. From Penny's gorgeous, elegant cake to Gabirelle's sumptuous peanut butter flavored cake with love, to Emily's: Made with THREATS!
Emily's cake reminds me of the time I made a birthday cake with my mother!
14:34
Penny: How do I know when it's done?
My mind (ohhhh we're gonna get some level 3 cake decorating tips)
Penny: It's *DONE*
Some thing about Emily always just makes me feel safe she’s hands-down one of my favorite 😍
How do they constantly find such delightful/talented people at all levels?!😍
Sometimes I still feel that the level 4 should bake her own version.
Same lol
All three cakes were iced beautifully! I love the smoothness of Penny’s, the swirls on Gabrielle’s, and the waves on Emily’s!
Wow, Gabrielle is absolutely stunning 😍. All three cakes look amazing 😊
So happy to see you all back in the studio!
Penny: Here's my hero flower..
Emily: DUMP and SPREAD 👁👄👁
Damn Rose is rocking that pink biker jacket! Ok girl, we see you Rose ❤️
Super great to see Emily back and her cake was sooooo cute 🥰 ❤️
To be fair, rose is the word for pink in a ton of languages.
En verdad disfruté viendo este video. Me encantó ver las distintas formas de trabajar. Cada una a su nivel y estilo.
Ngl I love how the level 1 cake is so colorful. It might be the one I visually liked the most. But it does seem like Penny is the one I would like to eat the most since it just seems very moist and with an interesting flavor.
Penny not needing to level her cakes was heartbreaking. That's the best part of the cake. Especially when it's still slightly warm.
My mother baked cakes professionally when my sister and I were little and those thin slices of cake top with a glass of cold milk was one of our favorite treats.
It's a smart technique for baker's tho and it won't go to waste like most bakeries
@@zerishkamal279 I hate leveling cakes. Today I learned something.
@@zerishkamal279 Oh, I completely agree! It also saves time. My mother baked two or three a week so it wasn't a lot, it's just such a happy memory for me. Back when the worst thing I had to worry about were the wolves that lived in my closet. (Most kids have monsters in their closets, I had a pack of wolves. I was a slightly "different" child. Lol)
What a line up! So good to see Emily again, and I always know there's going to be alcohol when Penny's involved 😂
the one who always makes the best-looking/tastiest-looking food is alwayyys level 2. they never fail
I felt like a child when I saw the sprinkles pour out of Penny's cake. Loved it ❤
Made a cake for my mom’s birthday recently. Heavily chocolate based as thats what she wanted. Mostly similar to level with some changes (no eggs for example). My icing was a chocolate ganache buttercream. Where I make buttercream and then fold in cooling ganache and it comes out so well. And then using blueberry jam to complement the icing in the middle gives it a new flavour that breaks through the rich chocolate. Cherry would have probably worked well too.
Though my ability to apply it is more like level one.
Raspberry sounds like it may have been a good option, too! It sounds delicious, though, good job!
Wow, that sounds really good!
Your mum is lucky to have you
Dump and spread is a good method for frosting though, the more you start out with the less chance you have of getting crumbs in the frosting.
That’s why people do a crumb coat.
I loved Emily. What a fun narrative she has!
A video with Emily in it, always makes my day 🎉
Chefs: *make delicious cakes *
Me: * almost electrocutes himself using hand mixer *
I'm a simple girl - I see the new 4 Levels vid, I click.
This just crushed all my dreams of making an awesome looking cake from just watching a video. I even already bought most of the supplies well ingredients the bags for frosting and such I haven't
I love how the Amateur is just really chill, I love her 😭
okay for real though, if I have a bunch of sprinkles just sadly fall out of a cake and the center of the slice is just... that, along with all that booze, I'm going to be so disappointed. Emily's is perfect for me. I love it.
That cake is perfect as a show piece. For that extra bougie office party, gender reveal, graduation party (the nonpareils are the color of the university the high school graduate is going to) it's amazing.
I hate hard sprinkles and nonpareils. Booze is an issue where I live because so many people don't drink for a variety of reasons. I'd probably be stuck with 3/4 of a cake.
I've seen a variation of tiny mini brownie squares stacked in the middle instead of the sprinkles. That was really cute
Penny’s cake is divine! Also mind-blown with turning the cakes over for a flat top. Never thought of it that way!
I feel like on every one of these videos, the "level 2 chef" is always the best.
Emily is the winner, she's got the feelings.
But all three did amazing.
I feel like the chefs tell the home cooks and level one cooks how to do stuff properly but only gabrielle and Daniel listen 😂😂😂
Emily, you're precious. please don't ever change!
Lots of charm in this one. And I never say stuff like this but the level four jacket is FIRE
that's the most beautiful sprinkes i've ever seen 🥺