Carmel woman to appear on Cake Wars tonight (June 20).

Update: Reba Wilson didn't win the $10,000 prize on Cake Wars this week, but she did make the finals, earning four hours to complete what sounds absolutely nuts. 

Peanuts, really.

Her team's masterpiece was 3-foot-tall, six-level cake with a baseball glove made of cake and rice krispee treat in the webbing with Charlie Brown (made of modeling chocolate) balancing on top.

"I'm not artistic but I can somehow translate three-dimensional shapes with my hands," she says. "I didn't have any idea I could do that until I started making cakes."

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It's hard not to get excited about a cake shaped like R2D2.

Or one sculpted like the Iron Throne in Game of Thrones.

But take that excitement and quadruple it and you're still probably not as amped up as Carmel's Reba Wilson of Sweet Reba's Custom Cakes (601-7875), who has been eagerly awaiting her appearance on the Food Network for weeks.

Cake Wars airs on Food Network today (Monday, June 20) at 8pm ET/PT, and in it Wilson will test her mettle under time pressures against other gifted bakers. 

The theme that the challenges will center around is reportedly Charlie Brown All-Stars, in honor of the 50th anniversary of its release.

I caught up with Wilson to run some questions by her in advance of the big night. Learn more—and see more insane cakes (peacocks! pink dinosaurs! pirate ships!)—at the Sweet Reba website.

Where does your love and passion for cakes come from?

I have loved baking and creating delicious meals and goodies for my friends and family for as long as I can remember. My grandmother loved French cooking, and was probably most responsible for sparking my love of cooking.



What was the most surprising discovery you made over the course of the show?

My sense of pride in my work actually surprised me. When I know I did something well, it makes me really proud to be able to take ownership of it, knowing that I am completely self-taught, and I am able to create not only visually impressive cakes, but cakes that taste really delicious! 



What are some of your favorite cake-creating hacks?

I would say that using the refrigerator during the decorating process is my best hack/tip. It makes every part of it easier, from trimming the cake layers to filling the cake, to the frosting, and especially carving!



What was the most fun element of Cake Wars? The most demanding? The most surreal?

I think the most fun for me was getting to meet other amazing cake artists from across the country. I have been able to stay in touch with a few of them, and consider them true friends! 

The most demanding by far is the time element. There is soooooo much going on at once, and you know the clock is always ticking away! So hard to make sure everything gets done!

The most surreal part for me was just being in the Cake Wars kitchen and knowing that I was doing what I have watched for so long on Food Network. Meeting the judges was pretty crazy, too! 

How have cakes—and Cake Wars—changed your life?

I think being able to share my talent and create a thriving business doing something I truly love has changed my life forever. My boys are watching me work hard for something and they are seeing that it is paying off. I am so grateful for the opportunity to have my own business and show my boys that anything is possible with hard work!