The Great American Baking Show Season 4

Complete season breakdown

Every episode and bake

The 2018 Holiday Edition presents six themed episodes across three two-hour broadcasts. Cake, pastry, cookies, and bread lead into a semifinal and final built around custards, European cakes, gingerbread, cannoli, and a last holiday celebration cake.

1. Episode 1 · Cakes

   Cake Week

   Dec 6, 2018

   The season begins with flavored coffee cakes, a flourless chocolate technical, and eighteen individual celebration cakes requiring consistent scale and decoration.

   • Signature

     Coffee cake

     Bake a coffee cake with a distinctive flavor profile and a tender, evenly baked crumb.

   • Technical

     Flourless chocolate cake

     Reproduce the judges' flourless chocolate cake, relying on eggs and chocolate for structure without wheat flour.

   • Showstopper

     Eighteen miniature cakes

     Present eighteen matching miniature cakes with a cohesive holiday design and individually finished details.

   Episode source 1Episode source 2

2. Episode 2 · Pastry

   Pastry Week

   Dec 6, 2018

   Pastry Week combines a large slab pie, the careful caramel and fruit work of tarte Tatin, and two dozen eclairs in contrasting flavors.

   • Signature

     Slab pie

     Bake a large rectangular slab pie with a crisp pastry base and a filling chosen by the baker.

   • Technical

     Tarte Tatin

     Produce an upside-down caramelized fruit tart with evenly cooked fruit and fully baked pastry.

   • Showstopper

     Twenty-four eclairs

     Make twenty-four eclairs divided between two flavors, with well-risen choux shells, fillings, and polished finishes.

   Episode source 1Episode source 2

3. Episode 3 · Cookies

   Cookie Week

   Dec 13, 2018

   Cookie Week starts with rolled rugelach, shifts to delicate Florentines, and ends with a cream-filled cookie tart crowned by a dozen macarons.

   • Signature

     Twenty-four rugelach

     Bake twenty-four evenly rolled rugelach with a flavorful filling and crisp, defined layers.

   • Technical

     Twenty Florentines

     Make twenty matching Florentine cookies with a thin, lacy caramelized structure and a neat chocolate finish.

   • Showstopper

     Cookie cream tart with twelve macarons

     Construct a large cookie-based cream tart and decorate it with twelve macarons as part of the finished design.

   Make our home version →Episode source 1Episode source 2

4. Episode 4 · Bread

   Bread Week

   Dec 13, 2018

   Bread Week tests quick savory flatbreads, a Swedish cinnamon loaf, and a freestanding holiday centerpiece assembled from shaped bread.

   • Signature

     Four flatbreads

     Make four savory flatbreads with consistent shaping and a properly baked, flavorful crumb.

   • Technical

     Kanellangd

     Recreate a Swedish braided cinnamon loaf with an even filling, defined shaping, and a well-baked center.

   • Showstopper

     Three-dimensional bread centerpiece

     Build a freestanding holiday centerpiece from bread, combining decorative shaping with sound flavor and structure.

   Episode source 1Episode source 2

5. Episode 5 · Semi-final

   Semi-Final Week

   Dec 20, 2018

   The semifinal asks for individual custards, a layered Swedish princess cake, and a detailed winter gingerbread scene sturdy enough to stand as a centerpiece.

   • Signature

     Pot de creme

     Prepare individual pots de creme with a smooth set and a balanced flavor chosen by the baker.

   • Technical

     Princess cake

     Reproduce a Swedish princess cake with sponge, cream, jam, and an even marzipan covering.

   • Showstopper

     Winter gingerbread scene

     Design and assemble a three-dimensional winter scene from gingerbread with stable construction and detailed decoration.

   Episode source 1Episode source 2

6. Episode 6 · Final

   Final Week

   Dec 20, 2018

   The finalists pipe and fill cannoli, tackle the many thin rings of Baumkuchen, and close the season with a personal holiday celebration cake.

   • Signature

     Twelve cannoli

     Make twelve crisp cannoli shells with a smooth filling and consistent final decoration.

   • Technical

     Baumkuchen

     Build the judges' Baumkuchen one thin baked layer at a time so the cut cake reveals even rings.

   • Showstopper

     Holiday celebration cake

     Create a polished holiday cake that demonstrates the finalist's flavor, baking, construction, and decorating skills.

   Episode source 1Episode source 2

Inspired by the briefs

Bake it at home

These are original Baking Show Guide adaptations for a home kitchen. They are inspired by the challenge briefs, not the contestants' recipes or an official recipe from the show.

Inspired by Episode 3

Cranberry Pistachio Rugelach

Tender cream-cheese pastry rolled with tart cranberry preserves, toasted pistachios, and a restrained layer of cinnamon sugar.

Time

59 min

Makes

24 rugelach

Level

Medium

▶View ingredients and method

Ingredients

• 225 g unsalted butter, softened
• 225 g full-fat cream cheese, softened
• 40 g granulated sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon fine salt
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 280 g plain flour
• 120 g thick cranberry preserves
• 80 g shelled pistachios, toasted and finely chopped
• 45 g light brown sugar
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1 large egg
• 1 tablespoon water
• Coarse sugar, for finishing

Method

1. Beat the butter, cream cheese, granulated sugar, salt, and vanilla until smooth. Add the flour and mix only until the dough comes together.
2. Divide the dough into three equal disks. Wrap and chill for at least 90 minutes, or up to two days.
3. Mix the pistachios, brown sugar, and cinnamon. Line two baking sheets with baking paper and heat the oven to 190 C, or 170 C fan.
4. On a lightly floured surface, roll one disk into a 25 cm circle. Spread with 40 g cranberry preserves, leaving a 1 cm border, and scatter over one-third of the pistachio mixture.
5. Cut the circle into eight wedges. Starting at the wide edge, roll each wedge toward its point and place it point-side down on a prepared sheet. Repeat with the remaining dough and filling.
6. Chill the shaped rugelach for 20 minutes. Beat the egg with the water, brush the pastries lightly, and sprinkle with coarse sugar.
7. Bake for 20 to 24 minutes, rotating the sheets halfway through, until the pastry is deeply golden and the filling is bubbling at the edges. Cool on the sheets for 5 minutes, then move to a rack.

This is an original Baking Show Guide adaptation, not a contestant recipe or an official show recipe.

Use a thick preserve; a loose jam is more likely to leak and burn on the baking sheet.

The dough can be frozen in disks for one month and thawed overnight in the refrigerator.

Open the full recipe →

Episode guide sources

Challenge details verified 2026-07-14. en.wikipedia.org, thetvdb.com.

Season result

The winner stays hidden until you choose to reveal it.

See every Great American Baking Showwinner, season by season →

Full cast

Everyone recorded for Season 4, listed alphabetically without result spoilers.

Season fact sources

en.wikipedia.org.