SPOILERS AHEAD for season 11 of Spring Baking Championship!

Was anyone else thrown for a loop? I was expecting the whole finale – but we only got the first half! I was not prepared for that cliffhanger after the sudden death bake-off.

Obviously, I knew there’d be some kind of sudden death elimination after the first challenge, since they were going into the finale with four contestants instead of three. But still, I thought it’d be one big episode. Guess we have to wait another week!

One thing I always love about these later episodes leading up to the finale: there are so few contestants that we really get to spend time with each one of them. As exciting as the early episodes are, they feel so rushed! Trying to cram twenty-four bakes into forty-three minutes is just way too fast! Now that there are only four, we really get to experience the baking along with each contestant. Really savor the flavors, if you will.

There were only six bakes this whole episode! And Fraisier cakes was such a good decision, for this last Preheat. Such a classic, nothing too wild and wonky, but at the same time, so intricate and fussy and technical. I wish Paul had been here for it, though. He would have nailed this!

And the contestants were asked to “make a statement” with their Fraisier cake. I thought Mary-Frances met that brief the best. She decided to make a strawberry-forward Fraisier cake, replacing the vanilla crème mousseline with a strawberry one, and then decorated it with green marzipan and buttercream in that very ornate, almost vintage style that she’s so good at. It was very her, and very much a “statement.”

Priya’s idea for a Persian love cake inspired Fraisier was on point, and those sugar-coated strawberries on top were gorgeous! But, apparently Duff couldn’t taste the cardamom or rose, although Kardea tasted them loud and clear. Was it just me, or was Duff being super harsh this episode?! I guess he feels like he needs to be, in the finale!

And the other two Fraisiers: Raveena’s unfortunately fell a bit flat and was overcooked (she had some struggles and had to re-bake her cakes, I felt so bad for her), and Lisa’s, while perfect and gorgeous as usual (well, Duff complained that the pastry cream was slightly overcooked), was not too much of a “statement” because it was basically a normal, classic Fraisier but with a cute dog on top. Loved that story, though! Lisa told us that she owned that dog from the time she was twenty up until she was thirty-six. Which made my jaw drop! Because I was like, wait, you’re telling me this girl is older than thirty-six?! She literally looks about twenty-two! (My husband, seeing the photo of the adorably gnarly-looking sixteen-year-old Yorkie, remarked that “the dog must be her Dorian Gray portrait,” lol.) Seriously, this whole time I’ve thought she was a lot younger than me. I kinda hope she gets famous so she can blow up on social media and drop her skincare routine. But, I digress.

In the end, we saw Mary-Frances and Raveena going into the sudden death bake-off (I guess Mary-Frances’s crème was slightly too thick; bummer). “The One Dessert That Will Magically Fix Everything” was a great challenge. This was so intense, because, first of all, they only had sixty minutes (!), and second, it was such an emotional and personal theme, and three, they each chose to bake such a different dessert! It’s apples and oranges! How are you supposed to compare a warm Indian spice cake with a cool yuzu pavlova?! And they both got excellent feedback with only a couple of minor complaints.

I had no idea whom the judges were going to choose. Mary-Frances’s meringue was slightly too soft, but Raveena’s pistachios should have been more finely chopped. Mary-France’s yuzu curd had a better texture, but Raveena’s orange-ginger curd had a better flavor. But they were both so good! From the feedback, it was impossible to tell whose was better. Going to bed last night after watching the show, I decided that they were probably going to send Raveena home, but this morning, having slept on it, I think it’s actually going to be the opposite. Raveena’s cake was, I think, more of a “baking championship” type dessert, and maybe a little more ambitious. Not that a pavlova isn’t ambitious — I’ve seen enough of these shows to know how hard it is to bake a meringue! But, the fresh fruit wasn’t glazed or anything… and Raveena’s was so extra, so heartfelt, with all the spices and those cardamom cheesecake dollops on top. I don’t know. This is just my guess. What do you guys think?!

My high point: The camaraderie! Even though I wish Corey and Paul were still here, it was actually kind of really cool to have an all-women finale. They all seem genuinely friendly with and supportive of each other. Like, during the bake-off, everyone was talking with each other and just being so positive and kind. My favorite moment was when Lisa and Priya were watching Mary-Frances prepping her fresh fruit: “She’s peeling a kiwi – with a spoon! She didn’t even break the skin. She’s a monster!”

My low point: Duff’s harsh judging! Not one single dessert made it past him without some little complaint! I was like, come on, lol. But, at the same time, I get it, and I’d definitely rather watch strict judging than judging that’s too lax and gentle. He’s still such a likeable judge.

The dessert that I would most have liked to eat: Mary-Frances’s strawberry and marzipan Fraisier. I wouldn’t even mind that that crème was “too thick,” it sounded delicious.

My official prediction for the finale: 4) Mary-Frances; 3) Priya; 2) Raveena; 1) Lisa.

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