Ep 1. Food Network Friends

In the first episode of Ace of Cakes season 5, entitled "Food Network Friends," Chef Duff Goldman and his team receive a unique request from the Food Network for a cake to celebrate their upcoming lineup of shows. The team is thrilled to take on this challenge but as always, they need to deliver something extraordinary.

The pressure is on as they only have a few days to complete the cake, and they need to make sure it is not only visually stunning but also tastes delicious. Duff decides to go for a pizza-themed cake, something he has never attempted before. The cake will feature a giant pizza slice, complete with all the toppings, and other food items from the network's shows.

Duff and his team start brainstorming on how to make the pizza slice look as realistic as possible. He decides to use his friend's hand as reference to sculpt the realistic-looking hand-tossed pizza dough, dusting it with flour to add a touch of reality. They make the pizza sauce from scratch, using a secret blend of spices that Duff has had for years.

As the team gets busy with creating the pizza crust, they also need to make sure the toppings look and taste exactly like their real-life counterparts. They start with vegetables like mushrooms, onions, peppers, and fresh tomatoes. These toppings need to be carefully sliced and seasoned. Then there's the meat toppings, which include pepperoni, sausage, and ham. These need to be cooked to perfection, and again, seasoned well.

While the team works on the pizza toppings, Duff's assistant, Anna, focuses on creating various other food items from different shows on the Food Network. She makes tiny burgers inspired by Diners, Drive-ins and Dives, fish tacos from Rachael Ray's show and sushi rolls from Iron Chef.

As they progress with the cake, there are a few speed bumps that the team has to overcome. First, the team realizes that they've used too much flour, which makes the pizza crust look too dry. Duff then decides to use a spray bottle to add some moisture to the crust, which works perfectly. Secondly, the amount of toppings they have made is too much for the pizza, and they need to be selective about which toppings they use. Duff realizes they've made some errors, and they need to make some quick revisions, which adds to the time crunch they already have.

Finally, the team puts the finishing touches on the cake, adding the tiny food items. They carefully place them on the cake, creating their own miniature restaurant scene. The final cake is a beautiful masterpiece, an edible ode to all the shows on the Food Network.

In conclusion, "Food Network Friends" is a great episode that showcases the team's creativity, hard work, and their love for food and baking. It's amazing to see how they can come up with something so complex and make it look so realistic. Duff and his team have truly outdone themselves in this episode and fans of the show will not be disappointed.