With six bakers remaining and no immunity left in the Food Network competition, Spring Baking Championship Season 11 episode 8 challenges the bakers to soar toward the finale. From butterfly napoleons and table top cakes, these bakers were hoping to cast a flavorful spell over the judges and earn a spot in the semi-finals.
For the Pre-heat challenge, the bakers divided into teams of two to create butterfly inspired napoleons. They only had two hours to make blitz pastry, filling, and décor for the dessert. The difficult dessert had some bakers longing to go back to a safe cocoon.
The biggest disappointment was Priya and Paul. He made a big misstep with the pastry which had them serving raw dough. Additionally, the pastry cream was flavorless. While Priya’s chocolate décor was lovely, it was not really part of the challenge.
Lisa and Raveena did ok with their napoleon. Unfortunately, their pastry was floppy in the middle. It made the dessert less successful. While the colors and décor represented their Purple Empress butterfly, the dessert needed to be better executed.
The clear winner was Corey and Mary Frances. Their Golden Butterfly was a vision in accuracy, color, and execution. The judges raved over the bourbon peach cobbler filling. More importantly, their blitz puff pastry was perfectly flakey. Those layers ensured their win and advantage in the Main Heat.
For the Spring Baking Championship Season 11 episode 8 Main Heat, the bakers had to create table top cakes. This style of cake is basically combining cakes together to make a long, almost like a table runner, cake. Additionally, there was a mid-round twist where each cake had to include lemongrass.
The advantage for winning the Pre-Heat was that Corey and Mary Frances were able to pick their theme and assign the themes to other the other bakers. It did not seem that either baker tried to sabotage their fellow competitors. At this point in the competition, an advantage should be used to ensure a spot in the next round.
In a twist that no one saw coming and for the first time, the judges tasted the cakes blind. It was interesting to see that the blind tasting did not cause a different outcome, but it can be hard to get the point across without any explanation.
The blind tasting did not seem to make a huge difference in the judges’ opinions. These cakes would have stood up to knowing who created them. The biggest issue was that the bakers could not explain their designs.
The top cakes were quite clear. Corey might not have had a defined path, but the judges could eat all the goodies along the path. The judges appreciated that the idea of macerating the berries with the lemongrass. Overall, the almond cake was outstanding.
The winning cake was created by Lisa. She excels with cakes. Her trees were quite magical and the path had a lot of movement. The judges appreciated the lemongrass in the frosting and the crunch was a nice touch.
Joining Lisa and Corey in the semi-final with safety were Mary Frances and Raveena. Mary Frances is surging toward the end of the season. It is the perfect time to peak.
Unfortunately, Priya and Paul were in the bottom, similar to them being the bottom bakers in the Pre-heat. Priya had issues with the cake’s texture, it was dry. While the pineapple with the lemongrass was nice, it needed some pastry cream or other filling. Overall, the cake felt a little unfinished.
Paul did not really address the challenge. His cake was more of a sheet cake than a table top cake. Additionally, his design was confusing. Without being able to explain his design, it was difficult to understand. While the judges appreciated the crispy lemongrass base, the blond chocolate and lemongrass did not work well together.
The baker eliminated in Spring Baking Championship Season 11 episode 8 was Paul. His luck ran out.
Which baker will rise to the occasion in the semi-finals? Be sure to watch the new episode of Spring Baking Championship Season 11 every Monday night at 8 p.m. ET/PT on Food Network. Episodes can be streamed the next day on MAX.