Cake Boss Recap: Celebrating the Year of the Dragon

As the second new episode of Cake Boss on Monday night opens, Buddy meets with a woman named Michelle from the Better Chinatown Society of New York. She wants a cake for the Chinese New Year parade. Buddy already knows that this year is the year of the dragon. Michelle says the dragon symbolizes royalty, prosperity, good luck and good fortune. That's as opposed to the year of the dog, which symbolizes pooping on the carpet.

Michelle wants Buddy to make a cake with two intricate dragons holding a large flaming pearl. That's crazier than the dragons Will Ferrell asked for in the prison scene of Starsky & Hutch. “That's not going to be easy but let me talk to my team,” Buddy says.

Back at the bakery Buddy meets with two more clients, Marco and Rich, who own the gym here in Hoboken. They want a cake that looks like an old punching bag to celebrate the launch of their new training boot camp.

Buddy says Cousin Anthony is studying jiu-jitsu. He calls Cousin Anthony over and organizes an exhibition match between him and Rich, who is a professional mixed martial artist. The deal is, if Cousin Anthony lasts two and a half minutes fighting Rich then Buddy will give him a two-day vacation. If he doesn't last that long, Buddy gets to give him a haircut. This is just like the hairbrained match Vince McMahon booked between the Honky Tonk Man and Brutus "the Barber" Beefcake at the Survivor Series back in '89. “He's going to look like Mauro,” Buddy promises. "Bald on the top, little strips on the side."

While Buddy is working on the cakes, Maurizio calls him to inspect something. But it's a trap! Maurizio has rigged a pipe gun to shoot whipped cream into Buddy's face.

But wait, it's a double-cross! When they walk through the door Joey has the gun and shoots Maurizio. “You ain't smart enough to get me in my own bakery,” Buddy says.

Buddy learns that his cousin Jay is Maurizio's accomplice in the failed attack. Since Buddy's son Buddy Jr. is at the bakery that day he has him nail Cousin Jay with a pie.

He does, and for a moment Cousin Jay looks covered like a juggalo from the Insane Clown Posse. Cousin Jay picks up the boy and covers his face with cake batter. But now Buddy has to take revenge for his son. “Cousin Jay, you're officially marked for death,” he says, making the throat slashing sign. Looks like Cousin Jay will be working on his next cake with Al Neri on a boat in Lake Tahoe.

Back to work, Buddy figures out how to make the dragon pearl to light. “The pearl came out pretty good,” he says. Maurizio accidentally cracked it, but Buddy thinks that gives it some character.

The punching bag cake is coming along too. Buddy starts slapping it, and it holds up. They add a white towel and some gloves.

They go to deliver the boxing cake. Rich says Buddy should have brought him a cupcake. Then he sees Anthony and says, “There he is, you brought me a cupcake.”

Rich and Cousin Anthony step onto the fighting mat, with Buddy serving as referee. Buddy's got the clippers to cut Cousin Anthony's hair.

Rich goes for the kill quickly and drives Cousin Anthony towards the padded wall and then to the mat.

But Anthony breaks free! He's already lasted a minute. Rich takes a deep breath. Buddy is prodding Rich like the deranged sensei from the Cobra Kai.

They lock again and this time Anthony takes down Rich! He's only got to last 40 more seconds. Now the rest of the bakers are starting to root for Anthony.

He makes it! They all clap except for Buddy, who boos. “He's a lot stronger than I thought he would be,” Rich says. “You deserve your two days off,” Buddy says begrudgingly.

Later the bakers finish the dragon cake and deliver it to the parade. “It's beautiful, it's fantastic,” Michelle says. “Happy new year, to the year of the dragon, baby,” Buddy yells as the credits roll.