Netflix’s ‘Nailed It!’ Releases First Ever Companion Cookbook — Here’s an Exclusive Recipe Sneak Peek!

Fans of the Emmy-nominated Netflix Original reality cooking competition series Nailed It! have a lot to feel pumped about right now. Not only has the show recently released its sixth season, which includes everything from out-of-this-world creatures to comedy-minded celebrities like Jack McBrayer and Sam Richardson, but it also has just taken its delicious disasters to a whole new level in the form of its first official cookbook, Nailed It! Baking Challenges for the Rest of Us.

Co-hosted by the fantastic and delightful duo that is Nicole Byer and Jacques Torres, Nailed It! is Netflix’s longest-running unscripted series, in which three amateur bakers compete to recreate complex confectionaries in order to walk home the winner of a $10,000 cash prize and “nailed it” trophy that helps set them apart as the least bad baker of the bunch. In the Nailed It! cookbook, which was released just last week, us viewers are give the incredible chance to feel as if we, too, are contestants on the show as we are challenged to recreate everything from simple cupcakes and cookies to some expert-level challenging cakes.

Just like the contestants in the show, you and your loved ones will find great joy in the mistakes you make along the way to creating the final products (or your best attempt at them, at least) that you’ll find in the cookbook. Nailed It! Baking Challenges for the Rest of Us also features tips, tricks, and general advice from the show’s creators and stars that will benefits novice bakers and pro-cooks alike.

Eager to get started on your own chance to “nail it”?! Well, you’re in luck, because show production company Magical Elves is serving up an exclusive sneak peek recipe for Decider readers to try for themselves before going all-in on this lavish literary venture.  Read on to see the instructions to recreate ¡Nailed It! México‘s “Donkey Piñata Cake” (which is found on page 84 in the cookbook):

DONKEY PIÑATA CAKE 

¡Nailed It! México, Season 1, Episode 1, “Birthday Blunders” 

Makes one 2-layer, candy-filled piñata cake 

A combination of two traditional Mexican celebrations, this donkey piñata is made entirely of cake and contains a candy-filled chocolate egg inspired by cascarones, eggshells filled with confetti or toys. 

FOR THE CAKE 

• 2½ cups (315 g) all-purpose flour 
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• ¼ teaspoon salt 
• 4 large eggs
• 2 cups (400 g) sugar
• 2/3 cup (150 g) unsalted butter, melted 
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 cup (240 ml) whole milk
• Pink food coloring 

FOR THE BUTTERCREAM 

• 4 cups (8 sticks/900 g) unsalted butter, room temperature, cut into chunks 
• 16 cups (2 kg) powdered sugar 
• 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
• ½ teaspoon salt
• ¼ cup (60 ml) whole milk 

FOR THE CHOCOLATE EGG 

• 4 ounces (115 g) chocolate candy melts 
• ½ cup (84 g) M&M’s or other wrapper-less candy 

FOR THE DECORATIONS 

• Orange, pink, neon green, and neon blue food coloring 
• 8 ounces (225 g) black fondant 
• 4 ounces (115 g) pink fondant 
• 2 ounces (55 g) blue fondant
• 2 ounces (55 g) white fondant 

SPECIAL EQUIPMENT 

• Three 8½ by 4½-inch (21.5 by 11-cm) loaf pans 
• Chocolate egg mold, 4 to 5 inches (10 to 12.5 cm) tall 
• Food-safe paintbrush
• One 8 by 4-inch (20 by 10-cm) cake board 
• 5 wooden cake dowels, 1⁄4 inch (6 mm) thick and 4 inches (10 cm) long 
• Hot glue gun and glue 
• Styrofoam base, at least 10 by 5 inches (25 by 12 cm) and 1⁄2 inch (12 mm) thick 
• Food-safe wrapping paper or foil 
• Toothpicks
• 4 piping bags
• 4 piping bag couplers 
• 1 ruffle piping tip 

Make the Cake: 

1. Preheat the oven to 350°F (175°C). Grease the loaf pans. Cut three 8½ by 4½-inch (21.5 by 11-cm) pieces of parchment paper and place in the bottom of each pan. 
2. In a large bowl, sift together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. 
3. In another large bowl, using an electric mixer, combine the eggs, sugar, butter, vanilla, and milk. Add the dry mixture a large spoonful at a time and mix until just combined. Do not overmix. Use a spatula to scrape the sides and bottom of the bowl to incorporate the last bits of dry ingredients. Add a few drops of pink food coloring to the batter and stir to incorporate. Divide the batter among the pans, filling halfway. 
4. Bake for 18 to 24 minutes, until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Let cool completely. 
5. Run a butter knife around the edge of the pans. Place a plate over each pan and flip. Tap the bottom until the cakes slip out. Remove the parchment paper. If any of the cakes has a domed top, flip it over and cut it off with a large, serrated knife so the top is level. Set aside. 

Make the Buttercream: 

1. We need a lot of buttercream for this recipe, and most mixers can’t handle this much powdered sugar at one time, so we’ll make it in four batches. 
2. In a large bowl, using an electric mixer, beat 1 cup (2 sticks/225 g) of the butter until creamy, about 1 minute. 
3. Add 4 cups (500 g) of the powdered sugar 1 cup (125 g) at a time, mixing until well combined. 
4. Add 2 teaspoons of the vanilla, 1⁄8 teaspoon of the salt, and 2 tablespoons (30 ml) of the milk, and mix on high until thick and creamy. If the butter- cream is too thin, add more powdered sugar, 1 tablespoon at a time. If the buttercream is too thick, add more milk, 1 tablespoon at a time. 
5. Repeat with the remaining buttercream ingredients to make three more batches.
6. Scoop out 8 cups (1 kg) of white buttercream into a large glass bowl. Stir in a few drops of pink food coloring. 
7. Fill three bowls each with 2½ cups (320 g) of buttercream. Color one bowl with orange food coloring, one with bright green, and one with bright blue. 

Make the Chocolate Egg

1. Place the candy melts in a microwave-safe bowl. Microwave in 20-second bursts, stirring after each. When half melted, stir to melt the rest. 
2. Spoon several scoops of the melted candy melts into each side of the egg mold. Swirl the mold so that the candy melt begins to cover the inside, then use a paintbrush to finish. Aim for a thick coating at least 1⁄4 inch (6 mm) thick. Wipe down the edges of the mold so the eggs will have smooth sides to join to each other. Refrigerate until very firm, about 15 minutes. Gently pop each side of the egg out of its mold. 
3. Carefully fill one side of the egg with M&M’s. Zap the melted candy melts in the microwave for 10 seconds until soft again, then use to paint around the rim and press the other half of the egg on top. 

Build the Cake Base

1. Wrap the Styrofoam base in food-safe wrap- ping paper or foil. 
2. Take the cake board and cut four 1⁄4-inch (6-mm) diameter holes into the corners for the feet, about 1½ inches (4 cm) from the shorter edges and ½ inch (12 mm) from the longer edges. Cut one more ¼-inch (6-mm) hole about 2 inches (5 cm) from the center of the short side on one end to support the head. (See diagram below.) 
3. Stick four of the wooden dowels into the holes for the feet, leaving 1½ inches (4 cm) of the dowel above the cake board and 21⁄2 inches
   (6 cm) below. Hot-glue the dowels into place. Stick the fifth wooden dowel into the hole for the head, leaving just ¼ inch (6 mm) beneath the cake board and the rest above. Hot-glue into place. 

Assemble the Cake

1. Set 2 of the cakes aside; they will be used for the donkey’s body. The third remaining cake will be cut into pieces for the feet and head. 
2. Place the third cake horizontally in front of you and slice a 1 by 4½-inch (2.5 by 11-cm) rectangle off the end. Cut that rectangle into 4 equal pieces; these will be the feet. Cut another 1 by 4½-inch (2.5 by 11-cm) strip off the cake, then cut two triangles from this strip and set them aside, discarding the excess; these triangles will be used for the ears. Set the remaining cake piece (which will be about 6½ by 4½ inches/16.5 by 11 cm) aside for the head. 
3. Lay each donkey foot with the long cut side down (they should be about 2 to 3 inches/
   5 to 7.5 cm long, depending how deep the cake was before you cut it). One at a time, slide them fully onto the wooden dowels under the cake board, and then carefully press the exposed wooden dowels left poking out of the feet into the Styrofoam base. 
4. Gently place one full cake layer onto the top of the cake board platform. Spread a layer of pink buttercream about ¼ inch (6 mm) thick on top and add the other full cake layer.
5. Carefully cut an egg-shaped hole out of the middle of the cake body and gently set the chocolate egg inside. Re-cover the hole with a thin piece of the cake you just cut out.
6. Cut the remaining rectangle reserved for the head in half so you have two pieces, each approximately 3¼ inches by 4½ inches (8 by 11 cm). Place one layer of the head over the fifth wooden dowel. Spread a thin layer of pink buttercream on top and add the second layer of the head. Add the ears to the top of the head, securing with buttercream and toothpicks. 
7. Carefully frost the entire head and body with pink buttercream. It doesn’t have to be smooth or pretty (as if you could have done that even if you wanted to), since we’ll be covering it with ruffles. 

Decorate!

1. Fit a piping bag with an icing coupler. Fill the bag with the remainder of the pink butter- cream. Prepare three more bags for the other icing colors. 
2. Attach the piping tip to the bag of orange buttercream. Add ruffles around each leg until the legs are half covered. Move the piping tip to the pink buttercream and finish covering the legs in ruffles. 
3. Attach the piping tip to the blue buttercream and pipe two layers of ruffles around the bottom of the donkey’s body. Repeat with ruffles in green, then orange, then pink. Add colored ruffles around the donkey’s head and on its back. Cover one ear in pink buttercream and one in blue. 
4. Divide the black fondant in half. Lightly dust a flat surface with cornstarch. Roll out one piece 1⁄8 inch (3 mm) thick. Cut out 2 triangles for the inner ears. Stick onto the donkey’s ears. Cut out four ½-inch (12-mm) circles. Attach 2 to the front of the donkey’s head for nostrils. Set the other 2 black circles aside. 

1. Roll the remaining black fondant into ropes a few inches (about 6 to 10 cm) long and attach to the back end of the donkey for its tail. 
2. Roll out the white fondant 1/8 inch (3 mm) thick. Cut out two 1-inch (2.5-cm) circles. Cut out two ¼-inch (6-mm) circles. Cut out two 1⁄8-inch (3-mm) circles. Set aside. 
3. Roll out the blue fondant 1⁄8 inch (3 mm) thick. Cut out two ¾-inch (2-cm) circles. Using a little water, attach the blue circles to the largest white circles for the eyes. Add the small black circles for pupils, then add the smallest white circles for sparkle. 
4. Roll out the pink fondant ¼ inch (6 mm) thick for the bow on the tail. Cut out a 2 by 6-inch (5 by 15-cm) rectangle and a 1½ by ½-inch (40 by 12-mm) rectangle. Take the larger rectangle and fold the short ends back to make a loop. Gently squeeze the loop in the middle to form a bow. Wrap the smaller rectangle around the center to secure the bow. Place on the cake using a dab of buttercream to secure it. 

*NOTE: Don’t have three loaf pans? You can easily make the recipe with just one pan in three shifts. Just make sure to completely cool the pan between baking. 

The sixth season of the Magical Elves-produced Nailed It! is streaming on Netflix, and the official companion cookbook Nailed It! Baking Challenges for the Rest of Us is now available for purchase.

Buy Nailed It!: Baking Challenges for the Rest of Us on Amazon