Spring Baking Championship - General Discussion

[CrazyInAlabama]

For last week Rochelle was the right person to go.  But I really can't believe they picked Kate as the winner, that purple wreath wasn't a winner in my opinion. 

This week, Mint Julep flavored eclairs?  Ick.   I went to the 100th Derby, and everyone who tried the Juleps hated them.     I don't like any of the flavor profiles for the preheat.  I love the judges in the hats.    Kate's eclairs don't look good at all, and only Nancy gets the booze flavor. .   Nicky's look cute. Alex's are adorable, and taste great.   Steven's look adorable.   Robert's are cute.  Nicky wins this round. 

Main round carrot desserts, but no carrot cakes.   Alex's dessert Charlotte is spectacular!   Robert's looks sort of abstract, Nancy says it's too salty and broken. Kate's Nanaimo Bar looks OK, but it only has one minor baked part.   Steven's looks amazing, and the judges love the taste. Nicky's looks good.   

Winner is:  Steven.    Kate and Robert are the bottom two.   Kate goes home. 

Next week four go to the semi-finals.

Edited April 16 by CrazyInAlabama

[kathyk2]

Kate picked the wrong time to have a bad week. I think Alex will win because the judges have praised him all season.

[mlp]

So far this season, the judges have sent home the person I thought should go every week.  That's never happened before.  Kate seemed like a nice gal but baking under pressure just wasn't her thing.

Jesse looked great in his "costume."  I liked the judges' hats too.  Duff looked a lot better in his than he does in that awful knit cap he often wears on other shows.

 

[Rammchick]

Um, Jesse, the Derby is the first Saturday in May, not Sunday.

[libgirl2]

I really want to try a Nanaimo Bar, but there was no baking really involved and they were right to send her home. I do seem to remember a baker on here who got away with not baking. Am I right or am I thinking of another show?

[Rammchick]

4 hours ago, libgirl2 said:

I really want to try a Nanaimo Bar, 

No offense to any of our Canadian friends, but I found it too sweet.

[libgirl2]

3 minutes ago, Rammchick said:

No offense to any of our Canadian friends, but I found it too sweet.

Oh, that could be a problem. I don't like things that are super sweet. 

[Frost]

That's the best I think I have ever seen Nancy look.  She should wear cute hats more often!

Kate was absolutely the right person to send home.  All she did was take pre-packaged lady fingers, crumble them up, dye them green and toast them?  I'm shocked she didn't think she needed a baked item for a main challenge!  I'm wondering if she was just over it.

Did I miss it or did Alex use pre-packaged lady fingers in his Charlotte?  If so, I protest!  I don't like when they use cookies or other items that are already made  even if they make the rest from scratch.

Alex has learned to play the game and cater to Nancy.  He specifically made that gel for her.

[libgirl2]

1 minute ago, Frost said:

That's the best I think I have ever seen Nancy look.  She should wear cute hats more often!

Kate was absolutely the right person to send home.  All she did was take pre-packaged lady fingers, crumble them up, dye them green and toast them?  I'm shocked she didn't think she needed a baked item for a main challenge!  I'm wondering if she was just over it.

Did I miss it or did Alex use pre-packaged lady fingers in his Charlotte?  If so, I protest!  I don't like when they use cookies or other items that are already made  even if they make the rest from scratch.

Alex has learned to play the game and cater to Nancy.  He specifically made that gel for her.

I thought he baked them.... mmm. 

As much as I liked Kate, I agree with you. While the dessert was really neat looking, it really wasn't baked. It was the right decision. 

[DEL901]

 

1 hour ago, Rammchick said:

No offense to any of our Canadian friends, but I found it too sweet.

 

1 hour ago, libgirl2 said:

Oh, that could be a problem. I don't like things that are super sweet. 

I’m Canadian and I agree it is too sweet.  Also, it traditionally tastes like peanut butter.  I’ve never seen another flavour.  

[RoxiP]

I agree that it was Kate's night to go but would have preferred to see Robert exit the kitchen. He just doesn't resonate with me.

Odd isn't it - last week they were both on top, this week they were both on the bottom.

[libgirl2]

10 minutes ago, RoxiP said:

I agree that it was Kate's night to go but would have preferred to see Robert exit the kitchen. He just doesn't resonate with me.

Odd isn't it - last week they were both on top, this week they were both on the bottom.

I think that speaks for how good everyone is. One small mistake or a bad night and  you are bottom two. 

Edited April 16 by libgirl2

[meep.meep]

Kate did have a horrible day.  All that curdling and breaking.  I don't understand why her layers were so thick.  A regular Nanaimo bar has a thin layer of chocolate on top - she had that thick green layer, I guess made out of white chocolate.

In the same amount of time, Stephen made his tart, tempered the white chocolate, made ultra thin decorations, and also made ice cream.  Alex baked lady fingers and made the Charlotte.   They deserved to be on the top.

[carrps]

3 hours ago, Frost said:

Did I miss it or did Alex use pre-packaged lady fingers in his Charlotte? 

He definitely baked his own ladyfingers and the cake layers in his Charlotte. They showed him putting them on his work surface after he took them out of the oven.

 

1 hour ago, meep.meep said:

In the same amount of time, Stephen made his tart, tempered the white chocolate, made ultra thin decorations, and also made ice cream.  

Sorbet!

[libgirl2]

31 minutes ago, carrps said:

He definitely baked his own ladyfingers and the cake layers in his Charlotte. They showed him putting them on his work surface after he took them out of the oven.

 

 

That is what I thought. He doesn't strike me as someone who would used packaged ones. 

[Pi237]

I hate carrots. So, this episode made me nauseous-all those shots of congealed carrots and chunky carrot sauce 🤢 I’ll eat carrot cake, but like she said-you don’t taste the carrots and it has cream cheese frosting🤤

Seems to be a decent mix of bakers left.  Great season this year. 

[docmatt]

I liked this challenge a lot. I like the idea of giving them more latitude with what to make. "Make a carrot dessert" is more creative, and a better challenge than "make cheesecake and here is your assigned flavor"

that said, I wouldn't be a fan of any carrot desserts. 

[Rammchick]

7 hours ago, DEL901 said:

 

 

I’m Canadian and I agree it is too sweet.  Also, it traditionally tastes like peanut butter.  I’ve never seen another flavour.  

I don't remember peanut butter flavor, but the Canadian friend I was with couldn't wait for me to try it and was quite disappointed by my reaction.

[libgirl2]

55 minutes ago, docmatt said:

I liked this challenge a lot. I like the idea of giving them more latitude with what to make. "Make a carrot dessert" is more creative, and a better challenge than "make cheesecake and here is your assigned flavor"

that said, I wouldn't be a fan of any carrot desserts. 

It really made for a creative variety of desserts. 

I love carrots and the whole time I wanted carrot cake.

[carrps]

17 hours ago, libgirl2 said:

I love carrots and the whole time I wanted carrot cake.

Me, too. I've started what I hope will be a lifetime diet change. I'm eating a lot of roasted vegetables, and my favorite is carrots.

 

[MoonKitty]

On 4/16/2024 at 6:49 PM, docmatt said:

I liked this challenge a lot. I like the idea of giving them more latitude with what to make. "Make a carrot dessert" is more creative, and a better challenge than "make cheesecake and here is your assigned flavor"

 

Totally agree--this was a great challenge and brought out the bakers' creativity in a way they can't do with narrower parameters. Seems like the challenge included all directives at the outset--if there was a twist during the bake, they didn't show it. I really enjoyed seeing all the things the bakers came up with. 

Carrots are my favorite vegetable and I would have happily devoured all of those desserts. 

[tennisgurl]

Poor Kate, she knew she was doomed but kept pressing on anyway to at least finish. 

Count me as a carrot fan, I thought all of those carrot desserts looked delicious!

[CrazyInAlabama]

Steven, Alex, Robert, and Nickey.   Why don't they do a finale with all four?   

I like Nancy's headband.  Nickey's sounds and looks good. Steven's looks wonderful, but Chipotle could be either great or awful, and apparently it was good.  Robert's cupcakes look amazing, not surprised Nancy loves the Tequila, Duff and Kardea say too liquid.   Alex's look spectacular, and he lucked out by getting dates.  Duff doesn't like dates and Mangos together. 

So, Nickey wins this round, and gets a 10 minute head start on the other bakers? I think that's too much time.  Everyone's mirror glaze looks amazing.  I know it's the semifinals, but I think the criticisms of decorating are way too picky. However, I don't get the point of the pink powder pile on Nickey's cake. 

Steven and Robert, go to the finale.  Leaving either Nickey or Alex out, I'll miss either one who goes home.  No one goes home. I was hoping for that outcome. 

[MerBearHou]

1 minute ago, CrazyInAlabama said:

No one goes home. I was hoping for that outcome. 

I missed the last minute!  Did all 4 go to the finale?

[Frost]

That pissed me off.  It comes across as the judges just not wanting to send the last woman home.  From the judges comments, Nikki should have been on the bottom.  I am confused by the "no sugar" comments about Alex.  Strawberries are sweet to begin with.

I am so glad Steven made it and I like Robert so I'm find with him making the final.

[Grizzly]

3 minutes ago, Frost said:

That pissed me off.  It comes across as the judges just not wanting to send the last woman home.  From the judges comments, Nikki should have been on the bottom.  I am confused by the "no sugar" comments about Alex.  Strawberries are sweet to begin with.

I am so glad Steven made it and I like Robert so I'm find with him making the final.

I was confused by the no sugar comment too. That syrup stuff they had to use is quite sweet. Alex probably didn't want to make it too sacchariny. 

[CrazyInAlabama]

4 minutes ago, Frost said:

That pissed me off.  It comes across as the judges just not wanting to send the last woman home.  From the judges comments, Nikki should have been on the bottom.  I am confused by the "no sugar" comments about Alex.  Strawberries are sweet to begin with.

I am so glad Steven made it and I like Robert so I'm find with him making the final.

I thought a lot of European baking wasn't super sweet?   I think they just wanted to cause more suspense, and then send all four to the finale.   

[kathyk2]

33 minutes ago, Frost said:

That pissed me off.  It comes across as the judges just not wanting to send the last woman home.  From the judges comments, Nikki should have been on the bottom.  I am confused by the "no sugar" comments about Alex.  Strawberries are sweet to begin with.

I am so glad Steven made it and I like Robert so I'm find with him making the final.

They did the same thing for the Holiday Baking Championship. Alex and Nicky will face off for a spot in the final three.

[MerBearHou]

1 minute ago, kathyk2 said:

They did the same thing for the Holiday Baking Championship. Alex and Nicky will face off for a spot in the final three.

I’m fine with that, as long as Kardea doesn’t have her thumb on the judging scale.  No “pets”, Kardea — we’ve seen that in the past.  Needs to be fair and square with whomever moves on to the finale.  

[kathyk2]

1 minute ago, MerBearHou said:

I’m fine with that, as long as Kardea doesn’t have her thumb on the judging scale.  No “pets”, Kardea — we’ve seen that in the past.  Needs to be fair and square with whomever moves on to the finale.  

I think Nancy plays favorites more than Kardea.

[Irlandesa]

1 hour ago, CrazyInAlabama said:

I thought a lot of European baking wasn't super sweet?    

There's a difference between not super sweet and no sugar.  European desserts are still sweet, they're just not as sweet (sometimes cloyingly so) as American desserts can get.  Sugar to baking is like salt to savory dishes.  It brings out the flavor in baked/cooked items and not having enough of it can make something taste a bit underwhelming. 

I don't like my desserts overly sweet so I play with cutting back on sugar.  There have been points where I've cut back too much and fail to make a dessert.  I'm left with items that taste like balls of flour, or whipped dairy or mixed plain cream cheese instead of cookies, whipped cream or cream cheese frosting.

Even though this is an American baking show, I think the three judges wouldn't say "no sugar" if it was just because it was less sweet than other items. 

46 minutes ago, kathyk2 said:

They did the same thing for the Holiday Baking Championship. Alex and Nicky will face off for a spot in the final three.

They do it a lot.  In fact, I'm more surprised when the finale is only 3 people. 

The past three seasons of Spring Baking Championship have had finales (episode 10) with 4 contestants either because they chose not to eliminate someone in episode 9 (this year and last year) or because they had an extra contestant somehow (maybe brought someone back in?)

I don't think there's a conspiracy. 

[storyskip]

35 minutes ago, Irlandesa said:

There's a difference between not super sweet and no sugar.  European desserts are still sweet, they're just not as sweet (sometimes cloyingly so) as American desserts can get.  Sugar to baking is like salt to savory dishes.  It brings out the flavor in baked/cooked items and not having enough of it can make something taste a bit underwhelming. 

I don't like my desserts overly sweet so I play with cutting back on sugar.  There have been points where I've cut back too much and fail to make a dessert.  I'm left with items that taste like balls of flour, or whipped dairy or mixed plain cream cheese instead of cookies, whipped cream or cream cheese frosting.

Even though this is an American baking show, I think the three judges wouldn't say "no sugar" if it was just because it was less sweet than other items. 

They do it a lot.  In fact, I'm more surprised when the finale is only 3 people. 

The past three seasons of Spring Baking Championship have had finales (episode 10) with 4 contestants either because they chose not to eliminate someone in episode 9 (this year and last year) or because they had an extra contestant somehow (maybe brought someone back in?)

I don't think there's a conspiracy. 

It isn’t a conspiracy exactly, but it does read as scripted when a baker who hasn’t put a bake wrong and who is obviously talented suddenly makes absolutely amateur mistakes in back to back bakes in a near penultimate episode. 
 

[Irlandesa]

2 hours ago, storyskip said:

It isn’t a conspiracy exactly, but it does read as scripted when a baker who hasn’t put a bake wrong and who is obviously talented suddenly makes absolutely amateur mistakes in back to back bakes in a near penultimate episode.

I guess it depends on who you people think was saved.  Alec?  I guess. However, he has had some off weeks.  But Nicky won the first challenge in the episode. 

[SweetSable]

I don't mind them not sending someone home in the final four if it really is too close to call, but that wasn't the case here.  There was definitely a top 2 and a bottom 2 - Nickey or Alec should have been out.  

[tennisgurl]

I'm glad that Nicky and Alex are staying as I like them both, but I have no idea why. Was it really too close to call? They didn't want to get rid of either of them after they had so many good bakes? What is going to happen next?

The judges were really picky about those gorgeous bakes, but we're almost to the finale so I guess that makes sense. Tiramisu that feels dry sounds not very appealing, that was a criticism that I certainly got.

Alex's plumes certainly looked good, I would have tried it. I enjoy a weird mix of flavors, and clearly the show likes them too considering the crazy challenges they are always throwing at them. 

[dleighg]

So were they talking about Coachella without using the name? Why? Is that a trademark infringement or something?

[Salacious Kitty]

Definitely referring to Coachella. It had to be a copyright issue. Or is FN assuming their audience wouldn't know it? That's stupid. 

[MerBearHou]

1 hour ago, Salacious Kitty said:

Definitely referring to Coachella. It had to be a copyright issue. Or is FN assuming their audience wouldn't know it? That's stupid. 

Kinda reminds me of when everyone has to call the Super Bowl "the big game" and we all roll our eyes!  

[carrps]

I thought that was weird, too.

I have a story: years ago, Thanksgiving weekend came around, and a Canadian coworker/friend of my sister had the weekend off, but no family around, so, we invited her to go with us to AZ (where our mom had retired to). On our way there, we were in the Coachella Valley and passed a HUGE billboard that said "Date Capital of the World." The friend was all confuzzled. This deserty empty-looking place is the date capital of the world??? We had to let her know it was the kind of dates you eat (and not in a Jeffrey Dahmer sort of way).

Nowadays, that billboard might actually be true, kinda sorta.

 

Edited April 24 by carrps

[CrazyInAlabama]

I bet Coachella refused to let them use the name free, and TC didn't want to pay.  The festival also probably didn't want to have some of their people guest judge and film either.   

[Shermie]

On 4/16/2024 at 11:44 AM, DEL901 said:

I’m Canadian and I agree it is too sweet.  Also, it traditionally tastes like peanut butter.  I’ve never seen another flavour.  

I’m Canadian and I never see peanut butter Nanaimo bars. They are sweet, but some like that. 

I’m okay with Alex and Nicky being saved and having it be a final four, although they will probably have to do a bake-off to determine who gets to compete in the finale. A little extra drama for no reason, really.

[RoxiP]

Have they ever had guest judges on this show? I think most knew they were referring to Coachella and who cares whether they called it by name or not..LOL!  Some of their "connections" are kind of silly.

[dleighg]

Sure, I assume they knew. It just seemed weird. Like, I get that they have to twist themselves in knots to call Oreos "sandwich cookies" and on other cooking shows call Spam "canned ham," but I had no idea you couldn't call Coachella "Coachella." It's not like they were selling tickets.

[AZChristian]

I was curious and Googled the trademark question:

[Irlandesa]

On 4/24/2024 at 2:46 PM, MerBearHou said:

Kinda reminds me of when everyone has to call the Super Bowl "the big game" and we all roll our eyes!  

 

On 4/25/2024 at 9:29 AM, AZChristian said:

I was curious and Googled the trademark question:

Yep. The same thing applies to the Super Bowl which is why we get "the big game" unless there's an actual partnership. 

[CheshireCat]

On 4/22/2024 at 9:16 PM, CrazyInAlabama said:

I thought a lot of European baking wasn't super sweet?   I think they just wanted to cause more suspense, and then send all four to the finale.   

They aren't. 

I wondered about the comment. It seemed strange because I doubt that Alex baked differently in any of the previous episodes. 

On 4/22/2024 at 10:48 PM, Irlandesa said:

Even though this is an American baking show, I think the three judges wouldn't say "no sugar" if it was just because it was less sweet than other items. 

I wish we had been able to see all of his baking. Maybe he forgot the sugar? 

If he made a conscious decision to leave out sugar somewhere, I doubt the result was different than in previous bakes. However, he could have forgotten the sugar. 

 

With regards to Coachella, I think there's also the "other side". Mentioning Coachella but not other music festivals, it could be seen as an endorsement of one but not the others. (As I've read that Coachella is very particular about sponsorships, they may not like that any more than other music festivals probably would). 

[Frost]

Ugh.  From the beginning Alex has been Nikki's biggest competition?  I don't think so.  I can't believe they kept Nikki over Alex.

[MerBearHou]

I can’t either.  I’m out.

[rlc]

Nope.

[libgirl2]

4 minutes ago, MerBearHou said:

I can’t either.  I’m out.

Me too