"I'm in love" — Spring Baking Championship judge Nancy Fuller praises Corey's rainbow cheesecake

Season 11 of Spring Baking Championship aired a new episode, titled The Magic of Spring Colors, on March 25. It saw the judges challenge the contestants to make a rainbow cheesecake that represented spring color and fruit flavor. While many impressed the judges, Corey's orange-colored, mango-flavored cheesecake made him the winner of the round.

While reviewing Corey's dish, judge Nancy Fuller said:

"This crust, Corey, I'm in love."

The other Spring Baking Championship panelists, Duff Goldman and Kardea Brown, were equally complimentary of Corey's dish. They appreciated not only the cheesecake's presentation and overall appearance but also the ombre effect that the layers had inside, besides the mango flavor each spoonful had.

On the show, Corey was introduced as one of the fourteen pastry professionals competing for the Spring Baking Champion title and the grand prize of $25,000. He earned scholarships and grants to attend culinary school and eventually, made his way into some of the most renowned restaurants and bakeries. The Washington DC resident claimed he had skills "hefty" enough to compete against the other contenders.

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"I'm absolutely loving this" — Spring Baking Championship expert Duff Goldman comments on Corey's cheesecake

For the main heat challenge, the Spring Baking Championship bakers were tasked to create a rainbow-inspired cheesecake, which would have an ombre effect when cut into pieces. They were given two and a half hours to complete the bake, based on which one participant would be sent packing.

While Julian had the opportunity to use his immunity pass as the winner of the pre-heat round, the rest did not. Consequently, they tried to put their best foot forward and prevent themselves from landing in the bottom two. As soon as their time started, the bakers rushed to pick a mini card that decided the color of their cheesecakes and also their flavor.

Corey received the color orange and the flavor mango, a combination he was pleased with.

"I love mango on a cheesecake. It's really creamy. It's delicious," he said.

While describing the components of his no-bake cheesecake, the Spring Baking Championship baker said:

"My cheesecake is going to be ombre by setting my layers in variant gradient colors."

Corey hoped the ombre effect would show when he cut a slice out for the panelists. He then stated that he would top his cheesecake with a mango gelée, to which he would pipe on an orange-ombre rainbow, add orange daisies, and some fresh mango pieces. Moreover, he planned to make the crust out of candied macadamia nuts and coconut.

He was the first participant to take his dish to the judges for a taste test. Nancy appreciated how Corey's cheesecake looked.

"I think it looks like spring and sunshine and actually, it could be the pot of gold at the end of the rainbow," she said.

Host Jesse Palmer then asked the Spring Baking Championship contestant to cut into it so they could see the "rainbow inside." As soon as Corey cut out a slice, the judges exclaimed in appreciation as they could see the orange ombre effect in the layers of the cheesecake.

Duff said that although the colors were "subtle," they were "really beautiful." The experts were equally impressed by the taste of the cheesecake.

"You know when a mango's like really ripe and it's like creamy and yummy and perfect, that's what this tastes like. I'm absolutely loving this. It's great," Duff added.

He then advised Corey to inform the other contenders that they were "all in trouble" since they had to keep up with the bar Corey had set. After tasting the remaining cheesecakes, the panelists declared Corey the winner, making him the victor of two consecutive main heat challenges.

"To win two main heat, it just makes me feel like a star," Corey said in a confessional.

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Spring Baking Championship season 11 is streaming on Max and Discovery+.