Spring Baking Championship Season 10 episode 5: Vibrant colors and flavors

While the seasonal colors might be cheery and bright, the competition is getting a little heated on Spring Baking Championship Season 10 episode 5. For this challenge, international flavors blend with bold colors to make memorable desserts.

As the Spring Baking Championship competition continues, the line between top and bottom bakers is starting to grow. While everyone in this competition is quite talented, handling the pressure of the moment can make even the most celebrated baker feel a little nervous.

For the Spring Baking Championship Season 10 episode 5 Preheat, the bakers needed to create a fried doughnut filled with traditional Indian ingredients. In addition, the doughnuts needed to capture the colorful, festive Holi celebration.

Anyone who has watched Spring Baking Championship appreciates that making dough in a short period of time is never easy in this competition. Getting the dough’s consistency correct is a sign of a skilled baker who can handle the pressure.

Overall, the Holi inspired doughnuts had both ups and downs. The judges commented that many of the doughnuts’ dough was dense or the incorrect consistency. A doughnut should not resemble a biscuit or a hockey puck.

While the dough might have stumped the bakers, the Indian flavors did not. Overall, the bakers were able to balance ingredients like rose, saffron, and turmeric.

Winning the Spring Baking Championship Season 10 episode 5 Preheat was Rochelle. First, her visual captured the Holi celebration in a festive yet delicate way. It had all the color but it was not gaudy.

In addition, her rose pastry cream was delightful. The luscious consistency paired with a light, airy doughnut was a pure delight.

For winning the Spring Baking Championship Preheat, she earned an advantage in the Main Heat. In another twist, the bakers would have to face their second team challenge of the season. As the Preheat winner, Rochelle was able to pick her partner for the Main Heat challenge.

The other baking pairs were matched based on their rankings in the Preheat. By giving a glimpse into the judges’ Preheat rankings, the bakers were able to see how they fell in the competition. This idea is not only good for the Food Network viewers to get a sense of the competition, but also it tells the bakers where they stand. While the bakers are only as good as their last bake, sometimes being toward the top is a mental advantage.

With her advantage, Rochelle decided to pair with Alex. Given their success on the previous team challenge, the sparkling cocktail dual cake challenge, it made sense. Team Rolex earned that win and was hoping to repeat.

What no one could have expected is that all the teams were the same as the previous challenge. Sometimes familiarity can have its benefits in these situations.

In the Main Heat challenge, the bakers had to make cakes inspired by Thailand’s Songkran Water Festival. The visual for these cakes needed to display an elephant and incorporate a particular Thai flavor. With the limited amount of time, the bakers needed to be strategic with their design elements.

Looking at the ingredients, the flavors were both approachable and difficult. Thai Basil can be hard to balance and Pandan is an unusual ingredient. While the flavor, cake texture, and overall taste is vital, it was the visuals that set some cakes apart from others.

The two top cakes were Rochelle and Alex and Steven and Anna. Rochelle and Alex’s cake looked like an elephant. The smart use of an elephant trunk made sense. Overall, the colors and petals fit into the theme.

In addition, the combination of mango and cinnamon worked well. While it might not necessarily be the most commonly paired food, it worked in this scenario. With the passion fruit butter cream, it was a satisfying bite.

Steven and Anna went big with their cake. The three tier cake impressed with its visual. From the reference to chalk decorated elephants to the various textures, it was visually stunning.

More importantly, their coconut flavor captured the fusion of American and South East Asian ingredients. Without venturing into an artificial coconut flavor or being too coconut forward, it offered nuanced flavor. From the brown butter coconut to the peanut and coconut caramel, the cake was superb.

Steven and Anna won the Spring Baking Championship Season 10 episode 5 Main Heat. After Anna’s moment of self doubt in the Preheat, hopefully, this moment gives her a boost of confidence.

Unfortunately, the bottom bakers were quite obvious. In an overly ambitious move, Kate and Sabrina tried to make a 3D cake that looked like an elephant. With too many structural issues, the cake fell apart. An elephant with no head is not a good look for a celebration.

Beyond the timing issues, the Thai Basil flavor was curiously paired with a strawberry chiffon cake and marshmallow. While the flavors were mellow and worked together, nothing could overlook the structural disaster.

Since she was in charge of the cake’s structure, Sabrina was the baker sent home. While she deserves credit for her vision, choosing designs that fit within the time constraints is key in Food Network competitions.

Could another shake-up happen in the next Spring Baking Championship Season 10 episode? Be sure to watch new episodes Monday nights on Food Network. Episodes can be streamed the next day on MAX.