Rob Pryce
Megan portrait, as seen on Holiday Baking Championship, Season 7.
Legacy Cakes owner Megan Rountree was back at it last night on Food Network’s "Holiday Baking Championship." During the pre-heat challenge centered on Sufganiyots (a traditional Hanukkah treat), the Keller baker paired up with fellow contestant LaShonda from Newport News, Virginia, to create a jelly donut-inspired dessert.
“We’re basically a team of three, so we got this,” LaShonda says during the episode, referencing Megan’s pregnancy.
Megan and LaShonda made a Napoleon with fried cake donut layers, blackberry and mint jam, and cream cheese filling. To finish the dessert, Megan painted the top of each Napoleon with a menorah.
“It’s very Hanukkah,” judge Duff Goldman says during the episode while complimenting its neat decorations.
After biting into the Napoleon, he was just as impressed with the flavors.
“It’s awesome because there are three layers, I get three times that little experience,” Duff says during the episode. “I really like this.”
Duff enjoyed their treat so much that Megan and LaShonda were awarded an advantage in the main heat. For that challenge, the six bakers were tasked with creating decorated holiday upside down cakes.
Each competitor had to select an ornament to find out which fruit would top their creations and what decorations should be included. While every baker had to make their own decorations from scratch, Megan and LaShonda were given exclusive access to a basket of decorating tools and goodies.
Megan selected plum as her fruit and tree ornaments as her decoration inspiration, so she baked a plum and port upside down cake complete with Linzer cookie ornaments on top and fondant ornaments alongside the bottom of her cake. She carefully placed her plums alongside the bottom of the cake to create a gooey yet appealing topping.
“It’s really important to lay the fruit exactly how you want it. The bottom of an upside down cake actually becomes the top whenever you flip it, so this is what you see, not the cake,” Megan explains during the episode.
To ensure her caramel and fruit could cleanly come out after flipping her cake, Megan lined her pan with a parchment circle for a quick release.
“I need all the help I can get to get this to come out of my pan successfully,” Megan explains during the episode.
Before putting her cake in the oven, the bakers were given an additional twist: to include rosemary into their recipes. Megan coated her plums with a few dashes of fresh rosemary to introduce the flavor without overpowering the rest of her ingredients.
“I actually really like rosemary. I just don’t like rosemary in my cakes,” Megan says during the episode. “Rosemary can completely overpower almost any flavor. I have to be so careful with this twist.”
But during Megan’s time before the judges, they were quick to compliment not only her flavors but also her presentation with feedback like “absolutely stunning” and “home run.”
“I think what I’m most impressed with is your skill with a piping bag,” judge Duff Goldman says during the episode. “If you need a job and live in Baltimore, I could always use a good piper.”
But the judges were quick to say the cake tasted as good as it looked.
“The port was perfect to pair with the plums,” judge Carla Hall says.
Megan’s upside down cake landed her on the top of the nice list, which means she will continue on into next week’s episode of “Holiday Baking Championship.” Tune in next Monday to see if Megan can seize another win.