The fourth episode of season 11 of the Spring Baking Championship premiered on March 31, 2025, embracing the spirit of April Fools’ Day. Contestants were challenged to create delectable desserts that visually mimicked savory dinner dishes, providing an entertaining twist to the competition.
At the end of the episode, it was unfortunate for Jon’nae, who was sent home after failing to impress the judges. In contrast, Priya emerged victorious in the pre-heat challenge, earning her the coveted Gift of Ingredient Trade, which she cleverly utilized to exchange ingredients with Corey during the main event.
Lisa’s Masterful Dessert: The Roasted Chicken Illusion
Among the contestants, Lisa was tasked with crafting a dessert that resembled a roasted chicken with peas and mushrooms. She successfully executed this challenging request and earned high praise from the judges. Notably, judge Duff Goldman was particularly impressed, exclaiming:
“This looks so real… The caramelization on the mushrooms is just like chef’s kiss.”
Both Nancy Fuller and Kardea Brown also commended the appearance of Lisa’s dish, specifically noting the clever faux peas she crafted to accompany it.
Inside Lisa’s Creative Process
When competition host Jesse visited her station, he witnessed Lisa preparing her imitation peas and inquired about her technique. Lisa revealed that she was creating dessert caviar to mimic the peas, which left Jesse astounded. She further remarked in a confessional that her culinary creations in the Spring Baking Championship kitchen were often noted for their stunning aesthetics.
“It’s going to show a lot of other artistic skills that I haven’t done yet,”she added.
Lisa then detailed her plan to construct the ‘Roasted Chicken’ dessert using orange raspberry sponge cake paired with raspberry jam, topped with a creamy orange-flavored frosting. To simulate the crispy skin, she was utilizing wafer paper, while fondant would form the chicken’s bone and drumstick.
As she showcased her beautifully crafted cake around the fondant bone, she explained that the cake had already been baked to a cake pop consistency. Additionally, to replicate the mushrooms, Lisa was poaching apples and sculpting them into mushroom shapes, all in an effort to achieve a remarkably realistic presentation.
Judges’ Reactions to Lisa’s Creations
Upon seeing Lisa’s incredible dessert, Duff Goldman couldn’t contain his delight, exclaiming with a “wow!”He noticed the gravy accompanying the dish and praised the fine caramelization of the mushrooms. Kardea was equally impressed, stating:
“The peas are crazy.”
She noted the juxtaposition of seeing roast chicken while enjoying “this wonderful, soft, pillowy cake.” Nancy also weighed in, declaring the dessert exquisite, asserting that the faux mushrooms accurately mimicked the texture of real ones.
“Well deceived,”she remarked.
As the episode concluded, Jesse announced Lisa’s dessert as one of the standout dishes cleverly disguised as a savory meal, alongside Mary’s creation. Unfortunately for Kareem and Jon’nae, their offerings fell short, leading the judges to eliminate Jon’nae from the competition.
New episodes of the Spring Baking Championship season 11 air every Monday at 8 PM ET on the Food Network, promising more baking challenges and culinary creativity.