The Sprinkle Sisters

Two Palisadian Teens Tackle “Disney’s Magic Bake-Off”

By SARAH SHMERLING | Editor-in-Chief

Palisadian teenagers and best friends Ivy Woolenberg and Ella Dorfman are going on their biggest adventure yet: The two bakers were selected to participate in the second-ever episode of “Disney’s Magic Bake-Off” as the Sprinkle Sisters team.

The show, a creation of Disney Channel and Tastemade, is a one-hour, unscripted competitive series for participants between the ages of 6 and 14 co-hosted by Dara Reneé and Isaac Ryan Brown.

“I’ve always watched Disney since I was super little, so it’s kind of surreal that I’m going to be on it,” 14-year-old Dorfman shared with the Palisadian-Post ahead of the episode air date. “I remember when we found out we were going to be on it, I was like, ‘I can’t believe it, this is crazy.’ I didn’t actually believe that it could happen.”

Reneé and Brown, along with Disneyland Resort pastry chef Graciela Gomez, who serves as baking judge, lead the participating teams through “fun challenges and unexpected twists,” according to a statement about the show, all of which are designed to elevate the young bakers’ abilities, techniques and creativity, bringing them to new culinary heights.

“For me, I am super passionate about baking and decorating,” Woolenberg shared.

Woolenberg and Dorfman, who have been friends since they met on the first day of school in sixth grade, each had their own history with cooking before meeting each other and mixing their interests.

Dorfman has lived in Pacific Palisades since she was 8 years old and going into the third grade. She has been baking her whole life, she said, having learned from her dad.

“He loves to bake bread and grow things in his garden,” she said. “When I was around 10, I started baking independently.”

The Via Bluffs resident said her favorite thing about baking is cake decorating, but she also loves making bread, which she still does on the side with her dad.

Woolenberg, a 14-year-old resident of Marquez Knolls, shared that she has also been baking her whole life, just like Dorfman.

“I’ve been baking my whole life with my mom and my grandma,” she explained. “My grandma is a pastry chef and my mom has kind of always been in the kitchen. I’ve been inspired by her as well.”

Woolenberg began baking more independently several years ago, decorating cakes and honing her own personal style. She sells cakes, cupcakes and treats through her website, Baked With Love by Ivy, and spent time during the pandemic teaching virtual classes.

Her favorite thing to make is a decorated cake, which she explained combines her love of art and baking.

“I love cake decorating just because there are so many elements to it within the decorating,” she added. “My second would probably be cupcakes because they’re just a mini version and they’re so much fun to decorate.”

When the two work as a team, they shared that they love to create cakes and cupcakes and other treats—they even play “Chopped” when they’re together, pretending like they’re on a baking or cooking show and completing different challenges. Woolenberg said that baking is a way for the two of them to connect.

“We love to use tricky ingredients and figure out how we can make something delicious,” Dorfman said.

When the two are not in the kitchen, they both play tennis and dance—for the past three years, they have been doing a dance show at school each year, practicing together.

When asked if they would be hosting a watch party for their episode of “Disney’s Magic Bake-Off,” Woolenberg and Dorfman answered “yes” in unison, with Dorfman adding they hope to do it in her backyard, complete with snacks.

At the end of each episode, one of the teams will be selected as the Disney Baking Champion. Their recipe will then be featured as a Tastemade video, which will be available on Disney Channel and Tastemade’s social media platforms.

“We are super grateful to have the experience of being on a Disney Channel show, getting to share our passion of baking and cake decorating with the world through Disney,” Woolenberg concluded. “We’re really excited for our community in the Palisades to see us do what we love on Disney, so everyone can tune in.”

Tune in on Friday, August 20, on Disney Channel and DisneyNOW at 8 p.m. to see the Sprinkle Sisters compete.