Spring Baking Championship - General Discussion

[mlp]

1 hour ago, libgirl2 said:

I just watched the Great American Baking Show and while I like Spring Baking, the level of bakers on it were amazing.

I wanted to watch that but I don't have Roku so I couldn't.  I figured the bakers would have to be pretty good and the show would be less frivolous.  I wish FN would give the contestants on all the baking shows more leeway to decide what to make - like "make a clock cake."  Let them decide what kind of clock and what flavors.

[Grizzly]

I'm happy with the result since he has always bugged me. Mary Francis actually got her flavors right. And Paul had a delicious and well decorated dessert. The competition is tightening up.

[MerBearHou]

Aww, I liked big old Julian so I was sorry to see him go.  I’d rather say bye to Mary Francis but she had a 2nd bake that kept her in (I edited from previously saying she had a good night — her 1st bake did not please the judges).

I don’t like these head-to-head bake-offs and I also didn’t like that Keri got to assign the teams — that is a huge advantage — though in the end, her cake didn’t win.  

Edited April 15 by MerBearHou

[rlc]

 So, Mary Frances made a layer cake instead of an opera cake but she won her round, but Priya made the better dessert and lost because it wasn’t tiramisu-enough? I call bull.

[Ancaster]

On 4/9/2025 at 4:57 AM, storyskip said:

This is pure speculation, just based on my personal observations, and understanding of how linear time looks.

I’m beginning to believe that part of the application process (or maybe something done after contestants have been signed on, but before filming starts) involves the contestants submitting the beautiful concept drawings the audience gets shown.

We know there isn’t enough time for the bakers to sketch those detailed drawings, then execute them in the 1-5 hour timeframe of the challenge. So I feel like the bakers are told, (give us a portfolio of concepts art for the 26 theme bakes, and be sure to include X,Y,Z elements). Then the expectation is the bakers bake their concepts.

 

 

On 4/9/2025 at 8:55 AM, carrps said:

 

Except that all those drawings look the same. I think they just talk through their ideas, and the show's artist draws them up. Or the artist draws them after the bake is over and bases them on what the baker intended to do as opposed to what actually turned out. It's all edited together to confuse the timeline.

 

Yeah - there's no way the bakers do the illustrations.  The quality is obviously that of a professional illustrator/artist, and they are all done by the same artist.  It's not as though the show is broadcast live, so time is automatically there to execute the drawings.

Edited April 15 by Ancaster

[Ancaster]

In the first round, Mary Frances fell into the trap of making 3 desserts when only one was asked for.  It happens frequently on cooking shows.  As the judges invariably say, better to do one thing really well than 2 or 3 poorly.

I never understand what Nancy means by "springy" (and why does she have to be so affected rather than just saying "springlike"?).  Half the time those that are praised don't look anything like spring to me, and then, like tonight, there'll be those criticized for being springy, when they seemed to fit the brief to me. 

Springy to me is a kangaroo or a rubber band or, you know, a spring.

Edited April 15 by Ancaster

[libgirl2]

12 hours ago, mlp said:

I wanted to watch that but I don't have Roku so I couldn't.  I figured the bakers would have to be pretty good and the show would be less frivolous.  I wish FN would give the contestants on all the baking shows more leeway to decide what to make - like "make a clock cake."  Let them decide what kind of clock and what flavors.

Too bad it isn't more widely available as I thoroughly enjoyed it. 

[Deskisamess]

13 hours ago, mlp said:

I wanted to watch that but I don't have Roku so I couldn't.  I figured the bakers would have to be pretty good and the show would be less frivolous.  I wish FN would give the contestants on all the baking shows more leeway to decide what to make - like "make a clock cake."  Let them decide what kind of clock and what flavors.

You can watch online in a browser at the Roku website.

[ruffy666]

16 hours ago, libgirl2 said:

I just watched the Great American Baking Show and while I like Spring Baking, the level of bakers on it were amazing. And none of the bakes involved magic or weird twists  just good solid baking. And they had to make a lot of unfamiliar items. So much innate talent. 

i imagine the casting process for these shows must be pretty different.  Food Network casts 'personalities' first, sob stories second, and baking skills third.  Baking Show might have the same checklist but at least it's in reverse order :)

[tennisgurl]

I hated seeing Priya getting dinged so hard because her dessert wasn't "tiramisu-y" enough, you see plenty of people making bakes that are great but not exactly what they were asked to do and they don't end up in the bottom two. 

Could someone define to me what "spring" looks like or does not look like to the judges? 

Duff speaking truth when he said that he has to comment on a tiny thing that could have been better because he's a judge on a cooking show. Its very true, most of these nitpicks are things that no one else would notice but can get you in big trouble here.

I guess Julien should have held onto that immunity card.

Edited April 15 by tennisgurl

[carrps]

Both my sister and I both call b.s. on that judging last night. What? Now you're judging on whether it fits the challenge??? And what was more tiramisu-y about Corey's dessert? Taste should always be the number one criteria. Especially if one dessert makes you screw your face up due to its unpalatable bitterness, how can it be the winner? Duff is the only judge with any speck of integrity in him.

Also, can Priya can it with her Mindy impressions during her talking heads? If she's talking when she's hurried and stressed, she speaks in what appears to be her normal voice. But in the interviews when she's relaxed, she turns on the Mindy full force. It's not cute. I had just been saying these things in my head, but last night even my sister commented on it.

I really like Kari's enthusiasm. That seems completely natural.

[Splashy]

It bugged me that Julian put a sunflower on his bake. Sunflowers are summer-into-fall flowers. Not spring. Can't believe no one caught that. One of them (probably Nancy) even said, 'I love the sunflower! How springy!"

Grr.

[dleighg]

11 minutes ago, carrps said:

Also, can Priya can it with her Mindy impressions during her talking heads? If she's talking when she's hurried and stressed, she speaks in what appears to be her normal voice. But in the interviews when she's relaxed, she turns on the Mindy full force. It's not cute.

I totally agree. Someone, or a couple people, once told her she looked like Mindy, and now she's made it her "signature." Priya, there is more to aspire to in life than being a poor-lookalike to a somewhat famous person.

[mlp]

8 hours ago, Deskisamess said:

You can watch online in a browser at the Roku website.

I didn't realize that.  Thank you!

2 hours ago, dleighg said:

Also, can Priya can it with her Mindy impressions during her talking heads?

I haven't noticed Priya's delivery changing but I have no idea what Mindy sounds like.  I'll have to watch for it.  I've thought she would be a finalist but then I thought the same of Julian.  

[Ohmo]

All of the carrot cake desserts made me think of Fall and Thanksgiving.  It felt like a carrot cake challenge belonged on HBC, not SBC.

[Rammchick]

3 hours ago, Ohmo said:

All of the carrot cake desserts made me think of Fall and Thanksgiving.  It felt like a carrot cake challenge belonged on HBC, not SBC.

I was surprised Nancy in particular didn't mention that.

[dleighg]

5 hours ago, Ohmo said:

All of the carrot cake desserts made me think of Fall and Thanksgiving.

exactly- especially when the bakers mentioned the warming spices, which ARE used in carrot cake, but are definitely fall flavors.

[cowgirlwen]

16 hours ago, Splashy said:

It bugged me that Julian put a sunflower on his bake. Sunflowers are summer-into-fall flowers. Not spring. Can't believe no one caught that. One of them (probably Nancy) even said, 'I love the sunflower! How springy!"

That's the first thing I said as well.  Sunflowers are not spring-y.  At least not in my neck of the woods.  

[Splashy]

8 hours ago, Ohmo said:

All of the carrot cake desserts made me think of Fall and Thanksgiving. 

Same here. It's just a heavier type of dessert, more suitable to the cool/cold seasons - the warming spices, plus the "heartiness" of it. Lemon meringue is definitely lighter both in flavor and texture. There should have been another light, fruity type of dessert to go up against it. 

[tv echo]

This issue comes up a lot in other cooking shows, where the judges have to compare a well-executed dish that doesn't meet the challenge and a poorly-executed dish that meets the challenge. You have to meet the challenge because that's the added difficulty (and so everyone's on a level playing field) but you also have to execute the dish well. I guess the judges balance the degree of badness on each side.

However, I agree that the judges also need to judge consistently.

Here, I suspect some producer shenanigans as well. There was never any danger of Priya going home, but it did create some suspense by putting her in the bottom two when she's been in the top so much. But she did have to slip up for them to do that.

Edited April 16 by tv echo

[Ancaster]

14 hours ago, Rammchick said:

I was surprised Nancy in particular didn't mention that.

Not me - there is neither rhyme nor reason to the way she uses "springy".  I suspect it is related to her least and most favorite bakers, because there's really no other explanation.  Unless she's stupid.  Or drunk.

[dleighg]

14 hours ago, Rammchick said:

I was surprised Nancy in particular didn't mention that.

well she couldn't really mention it, because it was required by the contest.

[TVbitch]

Those were possibly the two dumbest challenges I've ever seen. Make a dessert candle by sticking a wick in some pudding? And then having to cram lemon meringue pie or carrot cake into another dessert? I mean, really, somebody's out of ideas!

I saw a couple people mention wanting to see higher caliber desserts and I highly recommend Dessert Masters from Australia which features world class competitors and you can stream both seasons free without ads here: 

https://southhemitv.com/2023/11/12/desert-masters-1-1/

https://southhemitv.com/2024/10/14/dessert-masters-2-1/

Season one is good, but season two is phenomenal. Warning, if you start with season 2, they spoil who won season 1. 

 

[Ancaster]

2 hours ago, TVbitch said:

I saw a couple people mention wanting to see higher caliber desserts and I highly recommend Dessert Masters from Australia which features world class competitors and you can stream both seasons free without ads here: 

https://southhemitv.com/2023/11/12/desert-masters-1-1/

https://southhemitv.com/2024/10/14/dessert-masters-2-1/

Season one is good, but season two is phenomenal. Warning, if you start with season 2, they spoil who won season 1. 

 

Thanks so much for this.  I'll happily start with season 2 if that's the best, since there's no way my post Covid-addled brain will retain anything from one episode to another, never mind season.

I'm always on the hunt for good cooking/baking shows, so any suggestions are gratefully received!  (Here's one from me - The Great American Recipe on PBS, which can actually be quite boring, but still watchable!  Get it before the funding is gone.)

 

Edited April 17 by Ancaster

[TVbitch]

You're welcome! I should have mentioned that the same site has Seasons 5 through 8 of the always comforting Great Australian Bake Off, starting here...

https://southhemitv.com/category/australian-bake-off/page/5/

Enjoy! Oh, it also has the New Zealand version, Great Kiwi Bake Off, but that one is really a slog to get through and I eventually gave up on it.

[laredhead]

13 hours ago, Ancaster said:

I'm always on the hunt for good cooking/baking shows, so any suggestions are gratefully received!  (Here's one from me - The Great American Recipe on PBS, which can actually be quite boring, but still watchable!  Get it before the funding is gone.)

ROKU channel has several of the The Great American Baking shows.  I have been watching the latest season there.

Edited April 17 by laredhead

[Ancaster]

5 hours ago, TVbitch said:

You're welcome! I should have mentioned that the same site has Seasons 5 through 8 of the always comforting Great Australian Bake Off, starting here...

https://southhemitv.com/category/australian-bake-off/page/5/

Enjoy! Oh, it also has the New Zealand version, Great Kiwi Bake Off, but that one is really a slog to get through and I eventually gave up on it.

I also tried the great Kiwi Bake Off and had the same reaction.  It's the kind of thing I will sometimes have on as background when I'm doing a jigsaw, but that particular show was too boring even for that.  Sorry New Zealand; if my dream ever comes true and I get to visit, I promise I won't bring it up.

Edited April 17 by Ancaster

[CrazyInAlabama]

S11.E07 “The Magic of Spring Foraging” New, 4/21/2025

Host Jesse Palmer welcomes the seven remaining bakers to a magical spring forest and challenges them to create ethereal roll cakes infused with an assigned citrus fruit. These roll cakes must not only showcase the citrus' flavor but be decorated with enchanting forest accents, brought to life using the imprime design method, where intricate patterns are baked into the cake, transforming it into a piece of edible art. Then, the competitors make tiered macaron cakes featuring an assigned garden vegetable for judges Duff Goldman, Kardea Brown and Nancy Fuller.

7 Bakers:

Priya -Calgary, Alberta  Her chocolate desserts are beautiful. Chocolatier and pastry chef (Says she looks like Mindy Kaling)

Corey -Washington, D.C. Wants Nancy to be so happy she conducts music. (She did on the first episode)

Raveena Oberol-Vancouver, B.C. (Judge on Wall of Bakers) Made her own wedding cake, opened first storefront at 22. 

Kari -San Diego.  Seven years clean and sober.  

Lisa -Boston. Catering company chef. 

Paul Feybesse-Bay Area (wife Monique was on Top Chef, Season 19, Houston) Co-owns two bakeries. Trained as a savory chef. 

Mary-Frances-Calgary, Alberta.  Culinary instructor. 

Preheat Challenge: create ethereal roll cakes infused with an assigned citrus fruit. The roll cakes must not only showcase the citrus' flavor but be decorated with enchanting forest accents, using the imprime design method, where intricate patterns are baked into the cake, transforming it into a piece of edible art.

Lisa's is adorable. Priya's is grapefruit, roll looks great, taste is OK, but no grapefruit flavor.  Corey's is beautiful, and taste is good, but cake split a little. Raveena's is lovely, but it didn't roll correctly, taste is good.   Mary-Frances's look nice, taste is good.   Paul's is a roll cake on it's side, and not a Swiss Roll, and taste is too tart.   Kari's split badly, taste is not good, and cake is tough.  

Winner: Lisa (Gift Basket is $1,000 cash, and it's the last gift basket of the season)

Elimination Challenge: competitors make tiered macaron cakes featuring an assigned garden vegetable.

This is the last episode that Corey could use his immunity, so he uses it. 

Paul's is adorable, taste is great.  Priya's is good, a little bland looking and leaning, taste is OK but no ginger. Lisa's is gorgeous, but Macarons are rough and not a Macaron, taste is good.  Corey has immunity, looks gorgeous, but messy, and taste is lacking. Macaron shells are overbaked.   Raveena's looks cute, and taste is too hot from the chili, but tasty.   Kari's is lopsided, and uneven, it's a mess. Taste is not great, testur of Macaron is bad. Mary-Frances did a lovely decorating job, taste is great.  

Top Two:  Raveena and Mary-Frances

Winner: Mary-Frances

Bottom Two: Lisa and Kari

Eliminated: Kari

Edited April 22 by CrazyInAlabama

[mojoween]

If I had never seen this show I would have gone to my grave thinking a kumquat was a vegetable.

[Frost]

Phew!  I'm glad Lisa made it over Kari.  Kari's macaron's were major failures.  I am upset the stupid twist is back.  Something like zucchini is bad enough without having to mix in a chili pepper as well!

Paul keeps screwing up in novel ways.  First, he doesn't make a swiss roll and then completely forgets the imprime!   Oops.  He's fortunate he made it up in the main heat.

Way to go Mary Frances!

[kathyk2]

Whoever created that macaron challenge should be fired. Peppers do not belong in desserts. I would have been upset if Lisa had gone home.

[MerBearHou]

So glad Lisa made it through, even though she called them “macaroons” over and over.  Jesse and others said “macaron” right in front of her, but Lisa never made the pronunciation correction.  She’s a talented baker and needs to say it right for cred purposes IMO.

I won’t miss Kari but do cheer on her recovery and she should be proud of how far she went in the show. 

Several bake fails in both heats tonight.  The number of successes were far outweighed by the number of fails.

[CrazyTrain]

On 4/16/2025 at 12:41 AM, Ohmo said:

All of the carrot cake desserts made me think of Fall and Thanksgiving.  It felt like a carrot cake challenge belonged on HBC, not SBC.

I agree but carrot cake has now become an Easter thing, I guess because of the carrots. As someone born in April who doesn't think vegetables belong in desserts, it sucks that the flavor of the month in desserts is always carrot cake. 

[GiandujaPie]

I just wish they would give them a more reasonable amount of time that would also allow for correcting of mistakes. I'm sure those bakers know how to make macarons but in their rush many of them made mistakes in their batter. And please no more "twists"! What was the point of the serrano pepper twist????

[libgirl2]

6 minutes ago, GiandujaPie said:

I just wish they would give them a more reasonable amount of time that would also allow for correcting of mistakes. I'm sure those bakers know how to make macarons but in their rush many of them made mistakes in their batter. And please no more "twists"! What was the point of the serrano pepper twist????

Exactly, I want to see bakes that not just look good but taste good. Sure we can get some that aren't bad or pretty good, but when the baker is so busy trying to think how to make a twist work, decorating can suffer. 

[Splashy]

That was a horrible challenge! And I have not missed the twists AT ALL. And pepper? Really? Raveena's looked really pretty, but sounded awful-tasting! Tomato and hot pepper in a dessert? No thank you. 

I'm glad Kari got as far as she did, and I will always applaud someone in recovery. I wish her well!

But I'm also really glad Lisa didn't get cut. She and Corey are my favorites. 

I'm glad Mary-Frances did well. We'll see if she can keep it up.

[lavenderblue]

I was glad to see Mary-Frances succeed last night. I've kind of suspected that her problem has been more a cultural clash of palates with the judges than an actual lack of ability -- similarly, there's been more than one French pastry chef on these shows who've been dinged for making desserts that weren't as sweet as the judges liked -- so I'm glad she's figuring out how to adjust to their expectations. Also glad Lisa was safe; she's been one of my favorites. 

The judges really, really love Raveena and I'm usually left underwhelmed, like a couple of her bakes have looked lopsided while the judges praise how pristine and beautiful they are. And to be honest, I thought last night's macaron cake looked like rows of teeth and I absolutely could not unsee that once the thought intruded upon me. And the flavors, though not her fault, sounded dreadful for a dessert.

 

[Deskisamess]

Avocado macarons? Tomato? Just no. And peppers? Who comes up with these challenges and twists?

A little cayenne in dark chocolate is ok, but seriously, yuck to this episode.

[Pi237]

First episode where I wouldn’t want a taste of Anything.  Gross.  And get rid of the stupid twist. It’s Never entertaining, just annoying. 
 

That’s all I got. This is a good group of bakers. I don’t even have a favorite. I’d be happy with any of them winning.  Well, maybe not the French dude, no offense to him but he’s been struggling longer than others. 

Edited April 23 by Pi237

[carrps]

11 hours ago, lavenderblue said:

I was glad to see Mary-Frances succeed last night. I've kind of suspected that her problem has been more a cultural clash of palates with the judges than an actual lack of ability -- similarly, there's been more than one French pastry chef on these shows who've been dinged for making desserts that weren't as sweet as the judges liked -- so I'm glad she's figuring out how to adjust to their expectations. Also glad Lisa was safe; she's been one of my favorites. 

Same for me on both these thoughts.

 

[Flip Flops]

On 4/8/2025 at 3:31 PM, libgirl2 said:

This has been an odd SBC for me. I just don't feel it is terribly springy. Gosh, I sound like Nancy! 

I agree 100%! From the set to the decorated desserts, not springy!

[Pi237]

It seems like they’re just plopping random flowers on everything to make it ‘Spring,’ but it’s not really giving Spring….

[RoxiP]

Prya's unicorn roll last night for instance - it was covered with flowers with a unicorn horn on the side.  There was so much cuteness that could have been added - at least put the horn (which was very well done by the way) on top of the roll and how about adding a perky, cute white horse's tail to the back?  

[dleighg]

Prya's facial expressions annoy me. Whenever they are standing there getting the challenge, she has an over-the-top pasted on smile. She is clearly trying to win the "camera on me" contest. And it's working, damn it.

Nancy was WAY too kind to (french guy) about NOT DOING WHAT THEY WERE SUPPOSED TO DO. That's not thinking outside the box. 

[lavenderblue]

3 hours ago, RoxiP said:

Prya's unicorn roll last night for instance - it was covered with flowers with a unicorn horn on the side.  There was so much cuteness that could have been added - at least put the horn (which was very well done by the way) on top of the roll and how about adding a perky, cute white horse's tail to the back?  

Yeah, without the horn off to the side, I would never have gotten "unicorn" from that design, and I was hoping some judge was going to say that. Though many of the bakers' prints turned out rather, uh, abstract anyway.

[dleighg]

speaking of the prints, what on earth happened to the one that kind of "detached" itself from the cake? I don't think I have ever seen that happen on, for example, the Great British Baking Show. Didn't Duff mention something about "glue"? What on earth does that mean?

[carrps]

2 hours ago, dleighg said:

Didn't Duff mention something about "glue"? What on earth does that mean?

I thought he was joking.

[TVbitch]

Oof, that was rough.

And PS. I STILL don't even know what heck "the little magic shop of spring whatever" even means?! 🤔 🤷🏻‍♀️ It seems to mean "whatever stupid challenge we think up."

[Ms Lark]

On 4/8/2025 at 10:08 PM, Maya said:

Every time I hear Jesse say “Little Shop of” I want to finish it with Horrors not Spring Magic. 

I will be disappointed if we don't get that as a challenge before this is over.

[meep.meep]

I couldn't understand how all these professionals failed miserably at making Swiss Roll cakes when it's almost always the first bake on cake week for Great British Bakeoff and they are all amateurs.  These guys couldn't even get the roll tight and spirally!

And I agree totally about the "twist" - no one will miss it if it goes away forever.