Spring Baking Championship Season 9 premiere: Falling in love with sweet blooms

During the Spring, the holidays might be full of sweet treats, but a common theme unites them all, love. For this Spring Baking Championship season, the theme is love is in the air. While this bright, happy Food Network competition is different from other baking championships, that love fest may be a little less happy go-lucky as the competition heats up. For Spring Baking Championship Season 9 episode 1, the love is blooming and so are the bright flavors.

With so many bakers entering the kitchen, it can be hard to separate the top bakers from those who will struggle throughout the competition. Still, this Food Network competition has been around for a while and the bakers should appreciate the challenge. No one better serve pumpkin spice flavors, or they might get scolded by Nancy Fuller.

For the preheat challenge, the bakers had to think back to a special baking memory and elevate that particular dessert. In addition, they had to incorporate a particular floral decoration.

Overall, the first challenge was impressive. Although there were a few missteps, everyone presented a dessert. Even if the tart shells were a little blonde and a few flavors were a little muddled, the desserts were a love letter to baking. Still, the top bakers were the ones who balanced great execution with creativity.

Winning the preheat was Christian. His twist of a pistachio frangipane wowed the judges. In addition, he had delicate hand with the hibiscus flavor. It was a perfectly balanced dessert with an impeccable decoration. He won the first pre-heat challenge on Spring Baking Championship Season 9 episode 1 and earned an advantage for the main challenge.

What was the main heat challenge on Spring Baking Championship Season 9 episode 1?

For the main heat, the bakers had to create a two tier cake that incorporated berries. In addition, the decoration had to showcase a favorite spring activity. Given that it is the first challenge, it was surprising that the bakers had to create a two tier cake. Usually, this type of challenge comes later in the season.

Since Christian wow the pre-heat, his advantage was that he could use his favorite fruit, the Cara Cara orange. In addition, all the other bakers had to incorporate some element of citrus in their cake. In some ways, this advantage was not that big of deal for Christian. He was already making a citrus themed cake.

Looking at the various cakes, it was clear which bakers were skilled in cake art and those who prefer more plated desserts. There were several falling, leaning, and sunken cakes. It was surprising that these bakers forgot that choosing the right style of cake and using cake supports is vital in this type of challenge. Sorry, an olive oil cake is not going to work in this challenge.

Overall, the cakes were well done. Even the bakers who had to use golden berry and lingonberry were able to find the flavor balance with these tart berries. Although some of the flavor combinations seemed complicated, the cakes were well done.

Building on his win from the pre-heat, Christian was a top baker in the main challenge. From his bright citrus flavors to his décor, it captured that Florida farmer’s market. It was modern and stood out in the crowd. Christian is definitely setting himself up as a favorite in Spring Baking Championship Season 9 episode 1.

The winning baker was Jai. Her cake flavor impressed with her strawberry filling. Similar to her pre-heat, the judges commented that the mousse tasted almost like ice cream.

While the flavor was on point, it was her décor that earned her the win. The delicate piping created a 3D effect. As Duff Goldman said, it was as if he was shrunk and transported into that beautiful garden.

Unfortunately, the bottom bakers had technical problems. The three bottom cakes, Keem, Jessica, and Manja, were ready to topple over. From forgetting supports to choosing the wrong cake style, these disappointments were clearly in the fail category.

Although Jessica’s cake collapsed, her chocolate cake flavor was a win. The mayonnaise chocolate cake was rich yet still balanced. Her flavors saved her. But, Jessica had time management issues all episode long. If she cannot control her nerves and get on track, her time on Spring Baking Championship could be limited.

Manja had a nice idea, but her cake was wonky. Overall, the execution of the cake was a fail. Her decoration was a nod to Arizona, but it was not well received. It was just off.

Unfortunately, Keem did not seem to appreciate the challenge. His idea to make a basket full of raspberries looked like a hasty choice. Piling unglazed raspberries on top of a cake was not a good choice. Plus, the cake split and it looked rather amateur.

Keem was the baker eliminated in Spring Baking Championship Season 9 episode 1. He did not seem quite prepared for the difficulty of this Food Network challenge.

What can Food Network fans expect from Spring Baking Championship Season 9? If it is the season of love, there could be some grand moments and some broken hearts. If all is fair in love and war, does that sentiment apply in the kitchen, too?