Spring is high season down on the farm, so for the pre-heat, the five remaining bakers turn farm-fresh vegetables into delicious veggie desserts. In the main heat, the bakers pay homage to a traditional farmhouse breakfast with bacon and egg desserts.
The ten competing bakers celebrate the spring equinox by first making colorful and delicious doughnuts themed to either sunrise or sunset. Then the theme is stargazing at night, and each baker is assigned a celestial event to bring to life in dessert form. There are shooting stars, the Milky Way, the Northern Lights, meteor showers and more.
Spring showers bring May flowers... and rainbows! In the pre-heat, the six remaining bakers must make yummy dippers and create a sweet fondue to fill the pot of gold at the end of the rainbow. Then, for the main heat, bakers must produce glorious rainbow desserts to stay in the game.
Which fruit comes into season in the spring but is often overlooked in baking? The avocado! In the pre-heat, the four bakers must pair avocado with chocolate, lime, orange or ginger in a dessert. In the main heat, the bakers "springify" a winter dessert like pumpkin pie, pecan pie, bread pudding or peppermint bark.
Pink is the color of spring, and rose is the perfect party wine, so the four remaining bakers are charged with making mini desserts featuring rose and cheese. Then it's off to the races in the spirit of the Kentucky Derby as the bakers make all-pink party desserts using pink ingredients.
What makes desserts sweet? Usually it's sugar, but in the desert, it's agave. For this pre-heat, the five bakers must use only agave as the sweetener in an assigned dessert -- a tart, a flourless cake, an ice cream sandwich, a doughnut or a cupcake. For the main heat, the bakers make succulent cakes that rival the real thing.
Easter is a time for colorful desserts and marshmallow treats, so the six remaining bakers have to create an ooey-gooey marshmallow dessert in a bright Easter color. For the main heat, it's off to the Easter parade for some fun with fashion as the competitors must bake and decorate a tropical fruit-flavored dessert that looks just like an Easter bonnet.
It's team challenge week, and the eight bakers grab a buddy to spring into the outdoors. First, they bake tasty hand-held treats for a hike. Then it's time for a bike ride as each baker must make a Paris-Brest wheel and work with their teammate to create a complete two-wheeled dessert, decorated for a ride through a vineyard, canyon, city park or country lane.
For Earth Day, the five bakers are celebrating the bounty of Mother Nature, starting with wondrous walnut desserts featuring an assortment of flower honeys. Then the competitors find themselves in a forest grove filled with wild berries, which they must use to flavor an enchanted forest cake with edible moss.