Does anyone drool as much as I do while watching Best Baker in America? I would place my money on no, nobody does. Sorry, that’s probably TMI. Before we go over the sweet recap of this week, here is a reminder of who is left and the order I had them finishing in:
Adam Young
Max Santiago
Jean-Francois Suteau
Becca Craig
Leigh Omilinsky
Lasheeda Perry
This week’s skills challenge is to make six Boston Cream Pies. Here is what each of the Best Baker in America contestants are making:
Adam: Pistachio crusted Boston Cream Pie with cognac ganache, vanilla pastry cream and tempered chocolate sticks.
Jean-Francois: Vanilla genoise Boston Cream Pie with diplomat cream and yuzu ganache.
Lasheeda: Coconut Espresso Boston Cream Pie with vanilla bean coconut pastry cream, coconut sponge, and a chocolate mirror glaze.
Max: Boston cream whoopie pie with a passion fruit pastry cream, dark chocolate ganache and a chocolate feather.
Becca: Raspberry earl grey Boston Cream Pie with raspberry earl grey pastry cream, french butter sponge, chocolate glaze and creme chantilly.
Leigh: Vanilla coffee Boston Cream Pie with coffee pastry cream, chocolate glaze, almond sugar spike.
It’s judging time:
Jean-Francois: Marcela thinks it’s gorgeous. Jason says the chocolate work is precise and the cream is silky, but he could’ve used more yuzu.
Leigh: Jason loves the almond spike, but he feels like he’s going to get a huge mouthful of cake. Not enough chocolate. Jason said the cream is spot on. Marcela said the proportions aren’t right and the cake is dry.
Adam: Jason says it’s very upscale looking. Marcela loves the decorative element and it’s a well-balanced plate. Marcela says it’s Boston Cream Pie perfection in her mouth.
Lasheeda: Marcela says the decor is a little heavy for her. Jason likes the chocolate work. Marcela says it tastes soooo good and the coffee and coconut are wonderful together.
Becca: Jason thinks they are ‘just darling.’ Marcela wants to see perfection at this point and some of Becca’s pies are a little broken in spots. Jason likes the flavor of the sponge, but Marcela says the cream is a miss for her.
Max: Marcela says it looks inviting but Jason says it’s messy and looks like it made a ‘whoopie mess on a plate.’ Marcela says the cream is beautiful, but the cake is dry.
The winner of the skills challenge is Adam.
For their next challenge, they have to make a New York-style cheesecake (no, seriously, I’m not drooling all over my computer screen. LOL) with apple as the main feature. Here are what the Best Baker in America contestants are making:
Jean-Francois: Caramelized apple New York cheesecake with a graham cracker hazelnut crust and caramelized apples. He is playing off the green color of the granny smith apples with his decorations.
Leigh: Vanilla New York cheesecake with caraway and graham cracker crust, caramel cider agrodolce, and cider poached apples.
Adam: Adam has won two challenges in a row, so he wants to push his limits. He’s making caramel apple white chocolate New York cheesecake with a green apple pate du fruit, as well as a no-bake cheesecake cylinder. I think it’s a little over the top for a man who’s almost guaranteed safety, but Adam is always trying to continue to stand out.
Lasheeda: Blueberry and apple cheesecake, house-made graham cracker and a white chocolate garnish.
Max: Caramelized apple pie New York cheesecake with a pecan streusel crust and a blown sugar apple.
Becca: Apple bourbon New York cheesecake pie with brisee crust, apple bourbon compote, and apple skin chips.
Oh no, Adam’s beautifully done cylinder for his no-bake cheesecake has broken! Oh man, why didn’t he just go simpler? Becca’s crust has broken a little bit. After being critiqued in the first round about her breaks, she can’t have any mistakes.
It’s Best Baker in America judging time!
Guest judge is cake artist and YouTube star Joshua John Russell.
Lasheeda: She really has been redeeming herself. Her cake is beautiful and Joshua loves the luster dust berries. Jason said the flavors work well together, but the texture should have been a little denser. Marsela says it’s delicious.
Becca: She’s going to be a dark horse in this competition if she stays consistent. Marcela is concerned about the thicker crust. Joshua loves the apple on top. Marcela loves the crust after all. It’s a flaky crust and Jason said she hit it on the head.
Jean-Francois: He went a bit abstract. Marcela said that she’s always trying to get him out of the box, but wishes he had kept one foot in the box. Joshua doesn’t think it’s busy. Joshua says it tastes like an apple pie and a New York cheesecake had a baby and it’s really good. Jason said the cheesecake texture is gritty. Marcela agrees.
Leigh: Unfortunately, Leigh’s cheesecake looks pretty, but it’s not cooked all the way inside. It’s a bit soft. Jason said the caraway isn’t too overpowering, but the problem is the apples are a bit hard. Joshua calls out the loose cheesecake.
Max: Joshua’s eye goes straight to the blown sugar apple and he loves it. Marcela loves the almond crust, but she said it didn’t pair well with the cinnamon and the texture of the cheesecake lacks some sort of silkiness.
Adam: Marcela calls him out for going so big after being so delicate. Adam explains how he thought big because of New York. I don’t see why it’s a big deal that he went big this week. He can’t do the same thing every week. Jason says it’s an odd texture (the cylinder cheesecake) and he should’ve stopped at the bottom cheesecake.
The winner of the Best Baker in America master challenge is Becca and Lasheeda (another redemption for her!). Becca is the winner of the challenge and she really is going to be a dark horse.
The bottom two are Leigh and, OH NO, Adam!
Leaving the Best Baker in America competition this week is Leigh. I know Adam had an up-and-down week, but I’m going to stick with Adam.
Adam Young
Max Santiago
Jean-Francois Suteau
Becca Craig
Lasheeda Perry
