The Ultimate Baking Championship Season 1, Episode 1: Improvisation & Personal Inspiration

Modern Masterpieces

In the skills challenge, host Jesse Palmer asks the 10 remaining chefs to reinvent a classic, recognizable dessert, such as strawberry shortcake or s'mores by giving it a modern, science-driven twist.

63 min

Pastry Cream Classics

In this single-challenge episode, host Jesse Palmer asks the nine chefs to face off in a decadent dessert showdown that tests their mastery of pastry cream.

The Pastry Shop

Host Jesse Palmer divides the eight remaining chefs into teams to craft exquisite laminated dough pastries worthy of display in a world-class patisserie case.

Innovation

The seven remaining chefs must choose from a carousel of grab-and-go snacks, like cream-filled mini cakes, cheese crackers, honey buns, and peanut butter pretzels, to inspire their next creation.

Mastery of Chocolate

The chefs have only one challenge to demonstrate their mastery of one of the most essential and temperamental mediums in pastry: chocolate.

Mastery of Sugar

Host Jesse Palmer assigns each chef one of five elements -- earth, air, fire, water, or space. The competitors have three hours to design an extraordinary large-format dessert with a decorative sugar element and execute their creations, blending imagination with technical mastery.

The Deep Freeze

In this semi-final episode, the remaining four chefs face the chilling master challenge first to create a "frozen world" cake.