Crime Scene Kitchen,” a new baking competition series hosted by comedian, actor and author Joel McHale and judged by chef Curtis Stone and cake artist Yolanda Gampp, will premiere May 26 at 9 p.m. on Fox. The flavors could be molded in a variety of ways and each of the finale cakes took the flavors in different directions. Two teams had three very different layers and Thomas and Cathy offered variation on chocolate. The second challenge in Crime Scene Kitchen is called the Main Event – the Showpiece Round. Whoever comes in last place this round will unfortunately be eliminated and go home. Crime Scene Kitchen’ is unlike any cooking show out there,” said Rob Wade, president, alternative entertainment and specials, Fox Entertainment. “It’s a truly original format with amazing baking creations, a brilliant play-along guessing game for the whole family, and Joel at the center of it all bringing hilarity at every turn. Just don’t watch it if you’re feeling hungry!”

This week, The Merge happened, so we, for the very first time, saw both the self-taught bakers and the professional bakers baking all at once at a chance for the grand prize! But many of the cakes in Beranbaum’s book don’t tempt me, and none of those in Healy and Bugat’s do. Namely, the classic French bakery cakes. And, their finale cake impressed with both flavor and décor. From the bananas foster filling in the chocolate cake layer to the slice of birthday cake topper, this cake stood out among the three finalists. Even more impressive was Natalie’s revelation that she had never made that the bananas foster component previously. It was clear that this baking team was going all out. If you enjoy Crime Scene Kitchen, then be sure to tune in each week, starting at 8 pm EST, where we will see some mysterious treats being made by some of America’s best bakers! Once I’d grasped the basics (and tried just about every recipe in “Southern Cakes”), I moved on to Rose Levy Beranbaum’s “The Cake Bible,” and “The Art of the Cake” by her mentors Bruce Healy and Paul Bugat. Both books are crammed with sophisticated techniques, and I now follow Beranbaum’s foolproof method of making butter cream frosting. Her discussion of the chemistry and physics behind her recipes is invaluable.

In many ways, that knowledge helped them not just solve the clues, but also execute the dessert. Given that the various challenges had limited time, the baking team could start on certain tasks while they finalized their plan. Natalie shared how “we could get a few things done while we figured out what we didn’t know. That was a huge advantage for us because we could multitask and save a lot of time.” Recently, FoodSided spoke to the pair about their Crime Scene Kitchen win, how they put their pastry training to work and how their Crime Scene Kitchen showpiece wowed the judges. While the FOX baking competition focused on solving the sweet clues, a few elements helped Natalie and Luis rise to the top. Their classically trained pastry skills gave them an advantage from the start. Ultimately, the dessert from the crime scene kitchen was actually an Atlantic Beach Pie (also known as a Boardwalk Pie). This meant Steph and Cherry earned safety in this round and don’t have to do the elimination challenge.

I bought this thing to wrap around my cake pans so the layers would bake up with a flatter surface, though I’ve hardly ever used it.

Did the Crime Scene Kitchen winner cake it to the limit with their showpiece?

First, I bought some good 9-inch pans, and I started keeping fresh baking powder on hand. Freshness makes a big difference in everything connected with cake.