Summer Baking Championship episode 7: It is pink colored Barbie world

With a place in the Summer Baking Championship finale on the line, the four remaining bakers were hoping that their sweet futures would shine brightly. In these Barbie inspired desserts, the bold colors might have overshined the flavors in Summer Baking Championship episode 7.

Overall, the Summer Baking Championship challenges have been a feast for the eyes. Even though some of the desserts might be more complicated than the options that a home baker might be able to create, many Food Network viewers look to ideas to inspire the sweet ending to their next big gathering.

In Summer Baking Championship episode 7, Barbie inspired these creations. Luckily in the Food Network kitchen, there is no shortage of pink.

For the pre-heat, the desserts needed to be Barbie pink inspired and include a particular pink ingredient. While that vibrant pink might be Barbie’s signature color, it can be difficult to put that hue on a plate.

Looking at the four flavors, it was curious that some ingredients were not included. Sure, pink pineapple is a great addition to a fruit cup, but it can be difficult to balance in a dessert. The same can be said about hibiscus. While the visual might be easy enough to capture, the flavor required more finesse.

Overall, the desserts delivered the visual, but the flavors were not as bright. For example, Yohann’s dessert was lacking that tropical guava note. Even if that wasn’t his favorite flavor, he had to use it. His dessert was ambitious. but it was not well executed.

Alyssa had a great visual. Even though her colors were saturated, the taste and texture of her surf boards were on point. The hibiscus was subtle, but it was good.

Winning the Summer Baking Championship episode 7 preheat was Anrika. With the hardest flavor, pink grapefruit, she was able to bring that fruit note without the unpleasant acidic note. Although it was more elegant Barbie colors than bold pink, it was well received.

This dessert should be one that bakers go back and watch again. Grapefruit often stumps bakers. Anrika’s use of green cardamom and cinnamon helped to balance the flavors. It might be the trick that more bakers keep in their tool box.

For the Summer Baking Championship episode 7 main heat, the bakers had to create cakes that looked like play pieces. The aesthetic was more cartoonish than real. In a different version of “is it cake,” the look felt comic book-ish. It might not exactly be a cake sitting in that Barbie Dream House, but it was a fun visual to see.

In addition, the cake itself had to be a neon color. The color conversation has been a big part of Summer Baking Championship. Although it makes for a great visual, all that food coloring can impact the flavor. It does not appear that that situation occurred for these bakers.

Overall, given the time limit, the four cakes were good. Although they might have needed a little more polish, they were impressive.

As the pre-heat winner, Anrika was able to decide the mid-challenge twist. Presented with either pink peppercorn or strawberry milk as the required ingredient. To the delight of all the bakers, she picked strawberry milk.

Looking at the desserts, the top two cakes were clear. Yohann and Zoe were moving into the Summer Baking Championship finale. Although Zoe’s cake might have been more subtly colored on the outside, her pistachio flavors impressed. Even that slight crunch was quite good.

Yohann hit is out of the park again. The use of blueberries played into his internal color scheme and captured summer flavors. After his slight misstep in the pre-heat, he recovered. Winning this challenge, he could be the baker to beat in the finale.

Unfortunately, Anrika and Alyssa were in the bottom. Anrika had issues with her fondant. In addition to being too thick, it was not applied well. From seams to buckles, it hurt the visual. Given that the finale was within her grasp, it might have been a mistake to use fondant.

Alyssa had décor issues. Her heavy use of the black outline was not well-received by the judges and the candle was a huge miss. Also, some of the judges did not appreciate the cookies and cream layer, which read grey in color.

Unfortunately, Anrika was eliminated. Was it the curse of the pre-heat win? Too many bakers have been eliminated or almost eliminated after a pre-heat win this season.

Who will be crowned Summer Baking Championship champion? Be sure to tune in on Monday, June 26 at 9 p.m. on Food Network to watch the finale.