Holiday Baking Championship

The pumpkin spice phenomenon hits the Holiday Baking Championship! For the pre-heat, nine bakers try to wow the judges with creative pumpkin spiciness. In the main heat, they must combine a yule log with a classic holiday treat.

The pumpkin spice phenomenon hits the championship. For the pre-heat, nine bakers attempt to wow the judges with creative pumpkin spiciness and in the main heat, the bakers must combine a yule log with a holiday treat.[Food Network]

For the pre-heat, the eight bakers work in teams to make four different kinds of pies on the same sheet pan. In the main heat, the bakers embrace the stuffed feeling after the Thanksgiving meal by making stuffed cakes.[Food Network]

For the pre-heat, the eight bakers work in teams to make four different kinds of pies ... on the same sheet pan! In the main heat, the bakers make stuffed cakes featuring seasonal ingredients.

In the pre-heat, the seven bakers must make a dessert combining cranberry and another flavor of the season. The main heat challenges the bakers to create a sweet treat that pairs coffee with an unusual flavor of coffee syrup.

Seven bakers must make a dessert combining cranberry with another flavor. To combat the sleepiness that follows turkey, the main heat challenges the bakers to create a sweet treat that pairs coffee with an unusual flavor[Food Network]

In the pre-heat, inflatable holiday decorations inspire the six bakers' cute cream puff displays. In the main heat, the bakers dazzle the judges with hand-painted eggnog cakes.

The holidays are a time for artistry and decorations; inflatable holiday decorations inspire the six bakers' cute cream puff displays. Then the bakers dazzle the judges with delicious hand-painted eggnog cakes.[Food Network]

The Festival of Lights ignites creativity in the pre-heat, when the five bakers have to update traditional rugelach with unexpected new flavors like cardamom, grapefruit, guava paste, peanut butter or chai.

Five bakers have to update traditional rugelach with unexpected new flavors like cardamom, grapefruit, guava paste, peanut butter or chai.[Food Network]

The four bakers have to combine common pantry ingredients in a new version of a classic holiday dessert. For the main heat, they must use two key fruitcake components in a new dessert.

In the pre-heat, bakers have to combine common pantry ingredients like balsamic vinegar, potato chips, oatmeal, red wine and olive oil in a new version of a classic holiday dessert.[Food Network]

Three final bakers must create a beautiful edible holiday ornament display in the pre-heat. For the main heat, the bakers must create a cake that is decorated like a gift on the outside and reveals a surprise inside.[Food Network]

Three bakers remain in the competition, and in the final main heat, they channel holiday gift shopping by creating a cake that is decorated like a gift on the outside and reveals a surprise inside when sliced.

Six previous Holiday Baking Championship winners step back into the kitchen for a new competition judged by Nancy Fuller, Duff Goldman and Lorraine Pascale.

Four talented bakers face challenges focused on melted snowman desserts and Christmas ice cream cakes. Nancy Fuller, Duff Goldman and Lorraine Pascale bring Christmas cheer as they determine which baker deserves the $10,000 prize.