9 of America's elite professional bakers gather to begin the first in a series of fourteen Skills and Master Challenges designed to test the limits of their baking mastery. Petit Fours and Mind Bending Cakes are the challenges.

The remaining eight bakers are challenged with making the perfect wedding-themed mini mousse cakes before having to create croquembouche-inspir ed wedding towers that include two types of pastry.

The remaining seven bakers begin by making perfect strawberry shortcake before creating a fire and ice dessert featuring frozen and bruleed elements.

The six bakers left in the competition face a Skills Challenge to create flawless mini Boston cream pies. For the Master Challenge, they 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.