Netflix’s Iron Chef: Quest for an Iron Legend recent challenge winner Caludette Zepeda has partnered with bakery chain Sprinkles to release a limited-edition La Gloria cupcake that brings national recognition and honor to Mexican desserts.

Available in all bakeries and ATMs next month, La Gloria cupcake is the bakery’s final iteration of the 2022 Female Chef Series – a collection of desserts from leading women in the culinary industry.

For the Mexican American chef, La Gloria’s placement on a national bakery platform brings honor, visibility and distinction to Hispanic culture and food traditions, while empowering the community to pursue a leading career in the restaurant industry. The inspiration for Zepeda’s Glorias cupcake is a homage to her childhood. Glorias are a raw milk and pecan-based candy that was invented in Northern Mexico and affectionately known as “grandma’s purse” surprise.

Growing up in Mexico, Zepeda spent days rounding up as many coins as possible to buy a gloria at the bodega or curled at her grandma's side enjoying one together. Zepeda approaches her pastry-making with permission to be childlike and whimsical and to evoke the sweet moments in her childhood.

“As a former pastry chef, this is a full circle moment for me in my professional career. I'm honored to be part of this series, representing my country alongside Sprinkles, a company that shook our industry and shows what can be done with a dream and perseverance. The fiercest fuel in my drive is to honor the generational power the women before us gifted us with. I hope to empower the next generation of Latinas, a cause that Hispanic Heritage Foundation takes on every day,” says Zepeda.

La Gloria cupcake is a decadent caramel cake studded with pecans, filled with dulce de leche, topped with a salted caramel frosting and sprinkled with cinnamon sugar. The cupcake will be available in all nationwide bakeries and ATMs September 12-25 for a price of $6.