With a spot in the finale on the line, Spring Baking Championship Season 11 episode 9 required the bakers to master an old school dessert and an innovative visual approach to a classic treat. While a few bakers floated to the top of the class, one baker’s dreams disappeared when the lights went out.
The five remaining bakers have had highs and lows throughout this competition. From immunity to Pre-Heat bonuses, all of the bakers have impressed the judges. At the same time, they have had mis-steps. From imbalanced flavors to execution errors, those lows were not quite the most glaring error in a challenge.
At this point in the competition, there is no room for error. Even if a baker has made these desserts over and over, a simple mistake is the difference between the finale and going home.
For the Pre-Heat Challenge, the bakers have to create an Ile Flottante, a floating island. While these desserts had a moment on social media, they are an old school dessert. A simple meringue “floats” in a bowl of crème anglaise.
While the bakers could choose to bake or poach the meringue, one method proved to be more successful than the other. After all, no one should serve the judges a dessert that smells like rotten eggs. Baking was the way to go for a more successful execution.
The other requirements for the Pre-Heat included that the bakers had to make a sugar cage and use a tropical fruit. In some desserts, the sugar dome failed because it melted into the meringue.
All but one dessert had issues. From Lisa’s overcooked eggs to Priya’s undercooked meringue, the mistakes were many. The top dessert was clearly Corey’s floating island. Not only did he have lovely flavor, but he executed the dish correctly. He baked his meringue.
Although Corey won the Pre-Heat, he did not get an advantage in the Main Heat. Given that a spot in the finale was on the line, it was surprising that he did not receive any type of assistance for winning the Pre-Heat.
In the Main Heat Challenge, the bakers had to create an ice cream bomb cake that featured glow in the dark décor. The flavors of these cakes were inspired by flambe cocktails. Although no fire broke out in the kitchen, these desserts’ colors came alive in the dark.
It was clear that the pressure was getting to the bakers. Everyone was having issues with their cakes. From ice cream melting to décor issues, the bakers were faltering under the pressure.
After struggle during the beginning of the Spring Baking Championship Season 9, Mary Frances has surged to become a front runner. Her cake bomb is was clearly the winner. After getting Nancy Fuller break out the flavor conducting move, it was clear that she would be going to the finale.
Mary Frances proves that bakers can learn and improve during the Spring Baking Championship competition. After all, it is always better to improve than go in the opposite direction.
The other top baker was Lisa. Even though her ice cream was melting, the judges swooned over her chocolate cake. She found a way to recover from the errors.
Priya had a good cake. Although Duff Goldman loved it, Nancy was a little less impressed. Still, her combination of flavors earned her a spot in the finale.
Unfortunately, the two bottom bakers had major issues with the cakes. Raveena quickly had to recover from her décor issues. Unfortunately, her ice cream melted away and there was not enough peach. But, the judges appreciated her cake’s texture.
Corey went from top Pre-Heat baker to being in the bottom. His dessert had major issues. Although his visual was stunning, the cake turned into a biscuit. It was too far overbaked. The pretty visual could not make up for that execution issue.
In an outcome that no one could have predicted, Corey was sent home. The Spring Baking Champions Season 11 finale will be four women bakers.
Will Mary Frances continue to shine or will Priya rediscover her early glory. Watch the Spring Baking Championship Season 11 finale on May 12 at 8 p.m. ET on Food Network. Episodes can be streamed the next day on MAX.