Mississippi baker Molly Manning Robertson showed what bakers from the Magnolia State are made of Monday night.

For two weeks in a row, Robertson, from Natchez, has narrowly avoided elimination in the television baking competition on Food Network’s Spring Baking Championship.

“You have been living dangerously, Molly and have been in the bottom two twice,” host Jesse Palmer said on the show.

Unfazed, Robertson responded, “Listen, I am a Rebel. An Ole Miss Rebel.”

During Monday night’s episode, Robertson and her fellow bakers continued to compete for the $25,000 prize and the title of Spring Baking Champion. After six weeks, Molly and six other bakers remained to face more baking challenges Monday.

Monday night, the baking challenges featured springtime retro love from decades ago.

During the preheat challenge, bakers were tasked with baking a half-dozen cupcakes inspired by the 1950s, featuring an iconic soda-pop flavor.

Robertson chose ginger ale as her soda flavor and baked a ginger ale cupcake with a ginger-honey buttercream.

The cupcakes were decorated in 1950s colors, topped with turquoise icing and pink Cadillac decorations.

“Good Golly, Miss Molly! It’s adorable,” judge Nancy Fuller said.

“I remember those frosted windows,” Fuller said with a sly smile and a lick of her fingers.

Judges remarked how wonderful the cupcakes looked.

“Your colors are great. That bright red, soft pink and sea-foamy green are very 50s,” Duff Goldman said.

The only problem judges said was that the treats lacked flavor.

“No ginger ale flavor at all,” judge Kardea Brown said.

In the elimination round, bakers were tasked with making groovy-looking cakes using icing techniques inspired by the 1960s.

“You will bring the past into the present by baking a 1960s shaggy cake,” Palmer said.

Far-out flavors were featured as well.

Robertson ended up with the flavors Macadamia nuts and white chocolate.

“I love it,” Robertson said from her baking station. “It is my mother’s favorite cookie flavor.”

Robertson baked a Macadamia nut cake with a white-chocolate Swiss meringue buttercream. She then covered the cake with shaggy icing using hot pink, light pink, yellow and orange buttercream, topped with a retro-60s hippie wagon decoration.

“I am going to call it the Molly Wagon,” Robertson said.

Robertson told audiences on the show that she is a big fan of the 60s and hopes to open a 60s-themed bakery, maybe with her winnings.

Judges were wowed by the looks of her cake but had some questions about the flavor of her icing.

“It’s awesome!” Goldman said about the cake’s appearance.”It’s picture-perfect. Everything is smooth and clean.”

Goldman gave accolades to the taste of the cake, as well. But judges Fuller and Brown detected an aftertaste in her icing that was slightly off-putting.

“The shag buttercream. There is a food coloring aftertaste to it,” Brown said.

So how did Roberts fare in the 50s and 60s-themed episode?

In the end, Roberts did enough to bake another day.

Florida’s Christian Velez won the elimination round with his 60’s pool party cake.

Minnesota’s Xia Jong was eliminated.

Six bakers — including Robertson — advanced to the next episode to continue competing for the top prize.

Remaining in the competition are:

• Robertson, from Natchez, Mississippi
• April Franqueza , Pastry Chef from Sapphire, North Carolina
• Velez , Culinary Arts Teacher from Hollywood, Florida
• Luke Deardurff , Executive Pastry chef from Bronx, New York
• Josh Cain, Chocolatier from Orlando, Florida
• Clement Le Deore , Home Baker from San Diego, California

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

It is getting tougher and tougher, they are nitpicking every detail, so it’s very important to focus.