Holiday Baking Championship - General Discussion

[GaT]

2 hours ago, Maverick said:

 They've done a Hanukah challenge in the past and I think it was a preheat Duff judged.  

Hmm, I'm thinking this is kind of tone deaf on FN's part. Duff has been judging Christmas bakes all this time, so why when there's a Hanukkah challenge is he the only judge? Why can't the non Jewish (and I have no idea what the other judge's religions are, or even if they have one) judge the bakes? Just seems wrong to me.

[theatremouse]

I'm pretty sure all the judges judged for past seasons' Hanukkah challenges. They just usually have Duff explain sufganiyot every time by himself. The judging sitch this time screamed "something pandemic related".

[mojoween]

You guys, I has a sad.  I knew it was inevitable but I’m still sad to see Jon go.

Eva’s cake was ... a LOT ... but she’s been bad less than Jon has been so fine it was the right decision even if it was the wrong one.

I wasn’t paying attention to Julianna’s cake-making or judging so color me surprised she was in the top two.  

[tennisgurl]

I thought that maybe only Duff judging was something COVID related, like trying to keep the number of people in the kitchen down or some other scheduling thing, him being the only person to judge the Hanukah challenge because he is the only Jewish judge just makes no sense. If that is what happened, its not a great look. 

Its especially too bad because I thought that was the challenge where everyone did the best. The upside-down cakes were more of a mixed bag of good, alright, and bad. 

[CheshireCat]

Who is determining what cakes the bakers are going to make? The network?

When Carla told Jon that it's a love-hate relationship with upside down cakes, she sounded like he had a choice. He didn't and he wasn't the only one who had problems. If you don't want cakes that stick to the pan, don't make them bake cakes that are prone to sticking to the pan.

I loved Jon's poinsettas (finally some color somewhere!) but it seemed like the cake itself wasn't great and I'm also under the impression that his elimination was a long time coming.

It was a pity that LaShonda didn't put strings of lights over the lower tier as well. Her Christmas trees were cute but they got sort of lost because she simply placed them on the plate. Otherwise I thought her cake looked pretty and the shape of the figs fit the holiday lights theme.

Why didn't Megan use some color on those ornament cookies? Her cake was one color and that was brown. Isn't Nancy usually bothered by a lack of color? I get that a lot is scripted but I think shifts like this make them come across as not credible and not convincing. There should be some consistency in the standards they have.

It looks like next week we'll have some other colors than browns and reddish-browns and yellow-browns at last!

[GaT]

1 hour ago, tennisgurl said:

I thought that maybe only Duff judging was something COVID related, like trying to keep the number of people in the kitchen down or some other scheduling thing, him being the only person to judge the Hanukah challenge because he is the only Jewish judge just makes no sense. If that is what happened, its not a great look. 

Well, the next challenge had all 3 judges there, so I don't see how it's covid related.

 

[zengirl1215]

It was obviously Jon's time to go, but how come Lorenzo didn't get clocked for having a "too thin" cake? His cake was thinner than Jon's. And Duff said his cake was really doughy, too.  I know Lorenzo's flavor combo got high praise but to diss one cake for thinness but not another, showed bias. If the judges have a specific criteria, they need to stay consistent. 

 

 

[bilgistic]

Eva's cake looked like a murder scene.

[Maverick]

 They also didn't taste ant rosemary in Lashonda's cake and yet she didn't end up in the bottom.  That was another point she seemed put out the judges criticized her on, responding rosemary doesn't really go with cake.  Well duh, that's why it's called a challenge. 

[MerBearHou]

32 minutes ago, bilgistic said:

Eva's cake looked like a murder scene.

Totally did — and she’s used those exact decorated packages with bows before, IIRC.  I like Eva but she barely escaped elimination.  I liked Jon too and was sorry to see him go.

[NYGirl]

I think it was just his time to go and that's why the voted him off rather than the others.  It's probably a little predetermined who goes.  I'm assuming they have a winner in mind already.

Meagan's cake looked so delicious.

I'm sad that Jon left. He was my favorite.

[Girl in a Cardigan]

4 hours ago, GaT said:

Well, the next challenge had all 3 judges there, so I don't see how it's covid related.

True, but just because it seems like it was the same day doesn't mean it was. All we know is that they were wearing the same outfits.

I'm not saying it was COVID related, but it was just weird. I've been watching this show a long time, and I never remember a time when only one judge walked out and tasted the food to decide the advantage.

[MerBearHou]

When I saw that Duff was judging alone, my instant thought was because it was a Hanukkah challenge and he’s Jewish.  Which seems so unnecessary — Carla and Nancy can certainly judge the bakes, even if they aren’t Jewish.  They know good bakes, decorations, what Stars of David and menorahs should look like.  It was odd to single Duff out like that.  

Though I am not a Juliana fan, her cake design turned out so beautifully (till she added those huge stars).  But the pears fanned out on top of the perfect upside down cake — nicely done.

[CheshireCat]

2 minutes ago, MerBearHou said:

When I saw that Duff was judging alone, my instant thought was because it was a Hanukkah challenge and he’s Jewish.  Which seems so unnecessary — Carla and Nancy can certainly judge the bakes, even if they aren’t Jewish.  They know good bakes, decorations, what Stars of David and menorahs should look like.  It was odd to single Duff out like that. 

Agreed. I had the same thought but why would only Duff be able to judge a jelly-filled donut? I don't know where they originated from but in Germany, they're a tradition at New Year's and carnival/Mardi Gras (and you get them at the bakery year-round).

That decision was weird.

[TVbitch]

Man candy gone. *sigh* 

Since both their bakes had issues, I would have to examine how Jon and Eva stacked up on the leader board to know if the offing was just. --but they are both a half step below the others. 

[ruffy666]

19 hours ago, Grizzly said:

I didn't realize there was a height requirement for upside down cake. Jon should've done something different with his oranges but they tasted the rosemary in his cake. They didn't taste it in Eva's and her decorations were no better. Want to know how judging works.

The height thing really didn't make any sense to me either but I think at the end of the day, slapping some whole orange slices, rind and all, on top (bottom?) of your cake is probably gonna spell your doom since it's basically inedible. Eva's was ug-LY but at least you could eat it.

In retrospect I think blood orange is a pretty difficult ingredient for this particular challenge... I've never tried to candy blood orange rinds so I have no idea if that would even work.  Otherwise you're just stuck with artfully-arranged orange segments I guess.

[dleighg]

1 minute ago, ruffy666 said:

Otherwise you're just stuck with artfully-arranged orange segments I guess.

When I do an orange and fennel salad I slice almost all of the rind off with a paring knife then slice the orange. Makes it quite edible.

[Rammchick]

On 12/8/2020 at 8:44 PM, CheshireCat said:

Agreed. I had the same thought but why would only Duff be able to judge a jelly-filled donut? I don't know where they originated from but in Germany, they're a tradition at New Year's and carnival/Mardi Gras (and you get them at the bakery year-round).

That decision was weird.

Sufganiyot are nothing really different from other jelly donuts -- it's a tradition for Chanukah because they're fried.  I found this description online, which is really interesting:  

The word sufganiyot can be traced back to the Greek word sufan, meaning “spongy” or “fried,” as can the Arabic word for a smaller, deep-fried doughnut named sfenj. This could perhaps be where these treats got their name; similar fried balls of dough have been eaten to commemorate Hanukkah for centuries by Jews in North Africa.

I would've thought the basis was the Berliner, but clearly it goes back further than European Jewry.

And yes, I also noticed that the Chanukah churros decorated Napoleons were the incorrect number of candles, and I was surprised when Duff didn't comment on it.

Edited December 10, 2020 by Rammchick
Wrong baked item mentioned

[theatremouse]

I actually thought the churros were the correct number (9: 8 plus shamash). It was the team that painted on the menorahs and won the mini challenge that had it wrong. They had three arms of 2 candles per arm, with the shamash in the middle, so 7 candles total.

[CheshireCat]

4 hours ago, ruffy666 said:

In retrospect I think blood orange is a pretty difficult ingredient for this particular challenge... I've never tried to candy blood orange rinds so I have no idea if that would even work.  Otherwise you're just stuck with artfully-arranged orange segments I guess.

I think all he would have had to do was cut off (part of) the rind. My mom always puts thin slices of the limes she grated for the cake on a key lime pie and you can eat them just fine. But I wonder if the choice of fruit had somehing to do with his cake sticking to the pan so badly.

How was he supposed to make a marmelade in the little time they had, like Nancy suggested though?

[ruffy666]

52 minutes ago, CheshireCat said:

How was he supposed to make a marmelade in the little time they had, like Nancy suggested though?

I did remark on that same thing to my husband... I'm not sure the judges would've allowed an upside-down cake that just had marmalade on top anyway.  Does the definition of upside-down cake require some whole fruit on top?  Or is it defined simply by being turned out of the pan and served... upside down?

[Girl in a Cardigan]

17 hours ago, MerBearHou said:

When I saw that Duff was judging alone, my instant thought was because it was a Hanukkah challenge and he’s Jewish.  Which seems so unnecessary — Carla and Nancy can certainly judge the bakes, even if they aren’t Jewish.  They know good bakes, decorations, what Stars of David and menorahs should look like.  It was odd to single Duff out like that.

I immediately thought that too and that it was weird. Last season (or the one before) they had their first "Hanukkah" challenge where it was jelly donuts instead of dessert inspired by them and everyone (Nancy, Duff, Lorraine) judged. So then I was like, COVID? But there was never anything mentioned that there were a COVID scare or whatever, so it was just odd.

All that to say, I'm going to miss Jon, but this just didn't seem to be his kind of show, so I felt like he was the right one to go home.

[Texasmom1970]

I know there is a lot of Lashonda love on the board. I am sorry but her Christmas lights on her upside down cake just looked like rushed drips to me. And I agree with them saying the icing/cream hid the cake. But maybe that was her intention?

[Guest]

On 12/8/2020 at 5:25 PM, CheshireCat said:

Why didn't Megan use some color on those ornament cookies? Her cake was one color and that was brown. Isn't Nancy usually bothered by a lack of color? I get that a lot is scripted but I think shifts like this make them come across as not credible and not convincing. There should be some consistency in the standards they have.

Megan's cake actually had a lot of red in it from the plums. It was a deep, dark red to be sure, but definitely red - not brown. The judges even commented on the color, and how the green of her fondant ornaments complimented it well. And, there was red on the cookies from the jam poking through the hole in the center.

I'm happy because my two favorites were the top two! (And I'm not sure why it would be a surprise that Julianna would be in the top - she's had her struggles, but she's also been at or near the top many times.) Too bad about Jon, but it would really be too bad about any of them at this point.

Normally I roll my eyes at the oohing and ahhing over booze, but I did laugh at the universal reaction to Eva's sauce. "It's Christmas now!" XD 

Edited December 10, 2020 by tracyscott76

[Rammchick]

20 hours ago, theatremouse said:

I actually thought the churros were the correct number (9: 8 plus shamash). It was the team that painted on the menorahs and won the mini challenge that had it wrong. They had three arms of 2 candles per arm, with the shamash in the middle, so 7 candles total.

Ah, thanks, Theatremouse.  You're right, my mistake.  I counted nine churros but didn't think one of them was the shamash.

Edited December 10, 2020 by Rammchick

[BigBingerBro]

I didn't think Duff being the only judge for the Hanukkah challenge was that odd, I mean it was just a pre-heat.  I'm not so sure they do these things all on the same day, so maybe Nancy and Carla were not available for some reason.  shrug

Megan really does booze everything up.  I think her eyelashes grow a bit each episode.

I thought for sure Eva was a goner when they showed her going to the wrong station with her cakes.  It really did look like foreshadowing, but they got me when they sent Jon home.

Still rooting for Lashownda but Lorenzo could easily take it all.  He seems to be the judge's pet.

[Spunkygal]

Lashonda and Lorenzo each have the outgoing personalities that FN likes so they can feature them as judges, etc., on other shows ala Jason.

[BigBingerBro]

38 minutes ago, Spunkygal said:

ala Jason.

Has he shown up on anything this year?  I only watch HBC

Edited December 11, 2020 by BigBingerBro

[Popples]

1 minute ago, BigBingerBro said:

Has he shown up on anything this year?  I only watch HBC

Jason was a judge on an episode of Christmas Cookie Challenge.

[CheshireCat]

1 hour ago, BigBingerBro said:

Still rooting for Lashownda but Lorenzo could easily take it all.  He seems to be the judge's pet.

According to the judges, LaShonda's and Lorenzo's baking skills are A+ but I think Lorenzo has the edge when it comes to decorating and I think that should play a role in judging, too.

[Grizzly]

I was so surprised they sent LaShonda home! Thought for sure it would be Julianna. The list of things wrong with her dessert seemed to go on forever.. Of the 4 left, I'm rooting for Lorenzo and Eva.

[MerBearHou]

2 hours ago, Grizzly said:

I was so surprised they sent LaShonda home! Thought for sure it would be Julianna. The list of things wrong with her dessert seemed to go on forever.. Of the 4 left, I'm rooting for Lorenzo and Eva.

I was shocked too.  I can’t believe Juliana’s horrible final bake kept her.  I’m rooting for Lorenzo to win.  Eva as a runner up is fine for me.  Megan’s nursery school teacher voice is started to bug the **** out of me.  I liked her ok early on but she hasn’t worn well over time with me.  Loved when Jesse was introducing Lorenzo to the judges — Jesse said “Lorenzo, you remember Nancy...” and Lorenzo said “yeah, I remember...hey...”.  Great little quippy moment (but not too much) after Jesse’s kind of awkward intro.  After Jon left the rinds on his blood oranges last week and he got sent home, I couldn’t believe LaShonda left the rinds on her oranges.  Her trifle looked terrible with those huge oranges and again too much piping.  Bless her, I know she tried to “up” her decorating but it’s just really not in her wheelhouse.  LaShonda looked maaadddd when she was in the final 2.  

Edited December 15, 2020 by MerBearHou

[rlc]

There’s no X is espresso, and it’s mascarpone, not maRscapone.

Thank you for coming to my TED talk.

[MerBearHou]

2 hours ago, rlc said:

There’s no X is espresso, and it’s mascarpone, not maRscapone.

Thank you for coming to my TED talk.

Adding to your TED talk...macarons are NOT macaroons, bakers.

Edited December 15, 2020 by MerBearHou

[mlp]

LaShonda said maRscapone and eXpresso twice, once in the same sentence, but I still was shocked when she got sent home instead of Julianna.  Julianna's dessert was a mess and didn't even look good.  

I hope Lorenzo and Eva are top 2.  I like both of them.  Eva has a lot of experience and Lorenzo seems like a natural.  The fluid and efficient way he works seems to contrast with his youthful and bubbly personality.  

[CheshireCat]

The moment they told LaShonda that there comes a moment when others are going to bake things that taste great, too, and that she needed to up her decorating, I suspected she was going to go home.

And as great as Lorenzo is, I'm beginning to wonder if he'll just happen to have a bad day next week and Julianna will win it all. For some reason, even if her bakings are fails, they praise them and make it sound like they're not. I loved that she was thinking quick on her feet and said that Santa decided to mail the presents this year. But that doesn't change the fact that her dessert/cake was an absolute fail.

Lorenzo's trifle (is that how you spell it?) was beautiful! I also liked his other design (forgot what the cake is called). Although, I have to ask, if strawberries aren't Christmas-y enough, why are raspberries? They're both summer fruits and it's got to be either or and not with this baker it's okay and with that baker it's not.

I thought Megan's dessert/cake design was really beautiful as well. That gingerbread man was adorable and I think she incorporated the holly leaves the best.
What annoys me about Megan is that she pointed out that she couldn't taste the dough when they gave her an alcoholic ingredient at the beginning and she's included alcohol in her baking almost every week ever since.

Eva's was simple but beautiful, too, and we finally got some Christmas colors and designs!

[LittleIggy]

It’s pronounced “prah-leen,” people. It’s a French word. It grates my ears to hear “pray-leen.” 😖

[Rammchick]

On 12/14/2020 at 8:38 PM, CheshireCat said:

And as great as Lorenzo is, I'm beginning to wonder if he'll just happen to have a bad day next week and Julianna will win it all. For some reason, even if her bakings are fails, they praise them and make it sound like they're not. I loved that she was thinking quick on her feet and said that Santa decided to mail the presents this year. But that doesn't change the fact that her dessert/cake was an absolute fail.

Lorenzo's trifle (is that how you spell it?) was beautiful! I also liked his other design (forgot what the cake is called). Although, I have to ask, if strawberries aren't Christmas-y enough, why are raspberries? They're both summer fruits and it's got to be either or and not with this baker it's okay and with that baker it's not.

Raspberry was his secret ingredient, however, so he had to use it.  On the other hand, the strawberries were completely their own choice.  But what I found more annoying was the fact that Nancy had a convulsion over Eva using strawberries in a Christmas challenge, but it was totally okay in Meghan's Charlotte Royale.  Wtf?

As for why Lashonda and not Juliana -- Lashonda's was barely baked and she scrambled the eggs in the Bavarian.  

Edited December 16, 2020 by Rammchick

[CheshireCat]

27 minutes ago, Rammchick said:

Raspberry was his secret ingredient, however, so he had to use it. 

I didn't catch that. That said, I don't mind raspberry if it's as jam, for example. There are Christmas cookies that are filled with raspberry jam, so I don't think it's not Christmas-y per se. But fresh raspberries? Purree them, add a dash of cinnamon and some honey and violà.

 

27 minutes ago, Rammchick said:

On the other hand, the strawberries were completely their own choice.  But what I found more annoying was the fact that Nancy had a convulsion over Eva using strawberries in a Christmas challenge, but it was totally okay in Megan's Charlotte Royale.  Wtf?

I noticed that, too. But don't know if it was Nancy or Carla but one of them said that Megan didn't use a lot, so I assumed that was why it was okay.

 

27 minutes ago, Rammchick said:

As for why Lashonda and not Juliana -- Lashonda's was barely baked and she scrambled the eggs in the Bavarian.  

Oh, absolutely, LaShonda didn't bring it in the dessert/cake. But I think it would have been okay if they had cut either since Julianna struggled in the preheat, she had structural problems with her cake, the coffee was overpowering the pumpkin and Duff had a sugar issue with the cream, I think. I'd say they were about even with their fails. 😛

[Maya]

Orange jam on a coffee trifle sounded (and apparently tasted) gross, but I wonder what  kind of fruit would have tasted good with coffee trifle? Any ideas? 

[CrazyInAlabama]

I wonder if the difference was keeping the so-called (the home bakers are pros, they just don't have a bakery, or pastry chef job) home baker, so they still had one?       Lashonda's bake didn't sound good, but at least it didn't look like a Christmas package someone sat on, and the remark from Duff asking if anyone else tasted sugar in Julianna's coffee cream was bad.    I wonder if she did forget the sugar in the coffee portion? 

[Guest]

2 hours ago, CrazyInAlabama said:

I wonder if the difference was keeping the so-called (the home bakers are pros, they just don't have a bakery, or pastry chef job) home baker, so they still had one?       Lashonda's bake didn't sound good, but at least it didn't look like a Christmas package someone sat on, and the remark from Duff asking if anyone else tasted sugar in Julianna's coffee cream was bad.    I wonder if she did forget the sugar in the coffee portion? 

As that discussion was happening, they showed footage of Julianna putting in sugar, so it doesn't seem that she forgot - she just didn't put in enough to suit Duff. And yeah, hers didn't look good, but apparently its flavor and consistency were superior to Lashonda's. If you listen to the critiques, the judges had a LOT of negatives about Lashonda's, so I don't think it's a huge surprise that she went home. It could have gone either way (and I doubt Julianna is going to win), but taste and consistency usually trump appearance on this show. I don't think keeping a home baker had too much to do with the decision.

Pulling for Megan, but I think Lorenzo's got this in the bag.

Edited December 15, 2020 by tracyscott76
Because I know the difference between it's and its, I swear

[Cheyanne11]

12 hours ago, Grizzly said:

I was so surprised they sent LaShonda home! Thought for sure it would be Julianna. The list of things wrong with her dessert seemed to go on forever.. Of the 4 left, I'm rooting for Lorenzo and Eva.

Man, I really liked LaShonda and thought Julianna was going home.  Disappointed.

I really think this is Lorenzo's to lose.  He's been pretty consistently great all season.

 

[Rammchick]

3 hours ago, Maya said:

Orange jam on a coffee trifle sounded (and apparently tasted) gross, but I wonder what  kind of fruit would have tasted good with coffee trifle? Any ideas? 

I wondered if she could have made a coffee gelee and omitted the coffee flavor from the cake.  That is technically a "jelly", even though it's not fruit flavored NANCY.  And I think the appropriate comeback for criticism of using fresh fruit on a holiday dessert is, in Australia, it's Christmas in the summer!

Edited December 15, 2020 by Rammchick

[Frost]

I'm not a coffee drinker, but I think raspberry can actually go with a mocha flavor.  Along with the 'everyone did a sugar cookie' lament, the judges could have just been sick of orange!  There does seem to be a lot of overlapping flavors week after week, even though the primary ingredient is different for each baker.

Eva is my least favorite left so far, so I was sad to see LaShonda go, but Lorenzo and Meghan are my top two so overall I'm still invested in the outcome. 😊  Four bakers seems a lot for the finale though.  Didn't they used to just have three?  

I liked that the twist was to add a holly themed item.  I absolutely hate adding some random flavor like rosemary to a cake that's half prepared already.  Make the bakers make a brand new item for every twist.  That challenges their creativity and their time management skills without screwing up a carefully crafted flavor profile.  It certainly exposes people who just can't be bothered to do anything more than slap a simple sugar cookie together.

[Guest]

Just now, Frost said:

I'm not a coffee drinker, but I think raspberry can actually go with a mocha flavor.  Along with the 'everyone did a sugar cookie' lament, the judges could have just been sick of orange!  There does seem to be a lot of overlapping flavors week after week, even though the primary ingredient is different for each baker.

Eva is my least favorite left so far, so I was sad to see LaShonda go, but Lorenzo and Meghan are my top two so overall I'm still invested in the outcome. 😊  Four bakers seems a lot for the finale though.  Didn't they used to just have three?  

I liked that the twist was to add a holly themed item.  I absolutely hate adding some random flavor like rosemary to a cake that's half prepared already.  Make the bakers make a brand new item for every twist.  That challenges their creativity and their time management skills without screwing up a carefully crafted flavor profile.  It certainly exposes people who just can't be bothered to do anything more than slap a simple sugar cookie together.

Perhaps one baker will go home after the preheat, leaving 3 in the actual final bake. I feel like maaaaybe they've done it that way once before?

Totally agree with your comments on the twist.

As much as I like Julianna, I think Lorenzo and Megan are simply the top two in general. Eva would be a fine winner, though, and even Julianna could pull out something great, which she's done before. I don't expect to be disappointed regardless of the outcome, which is nice.

Edited December 15, 2020 by tracyscott76
To add comments on potential winners

[CheshireCat]

2 hours ago, tracyscott76 said:

Perhaps one baker will go home after the preheat, leaving 3 in the actual final bake. I feel like maaaaybe they've done it that way once before?

They had a preheat in the Holiday baking championship where the bottom two bakers had to bake against each other. The top two ones assisted them but were safe from elimination.

[rlc]

8 hours ago, Maya said:

Orange jam on a coffee trifle sounded (and apparently tasted) gross, but I wonder what  kind of fruit would have tasted good with coffee trifle? Any ideas? 

Figs would have been good.

[CrazyDog]

I'm so bummed Lashonda left - you could definitely tell from her talking heads after the fact. It just wasn't her night.

But Lorenzo gets yet another win! I'm preparing to be disappointed in the finale, since it does seem like anyone can take it with one solid bake, and he could certainly have a bad night, but he's creative, efficient, and so fun to watch. I'm absolutely rooting for him to get the win, and I'd love to see him on more shows as well.

I'm a little surprised Megan is seen as a front-runner - I totally lose track of the standings and wins (except for how many wins Lorenzo keeps getting), but I keep forgetting she's there. I don't know, she just hasn't made an impression on me, and it seems like she's often in the middle.

If not Lorenzo, I'd love Eva to win. Her dessert was beautiful last night. Was her cookie the one Duff went back for after she walked out? That's high praise.

Julianna strikes me as similar to Jon - probably a fine baker in general, but the competition just isn't a great fit. I will be bummed if she takes the win with how many misses she's had. That was just a hot mess last night.

I continue to think the judging is just weird this season though.

[MerBearHou]

I would love to see Lorenzo win -- he can absolutely bake and is so creative in addition to having a very refreshing personality IMO.  The Food Network should sign him up, no matter what, if he's interested.

It was Lorenzo's Peruvian cookie (alfajores) that Duff went back and snuck an extra!