2 Knoxville bakers have a recipe for success — their 'Kids Baking Championship' debut is icing on the cake

When Knoxville's Nadya Alborz was really little, she would watch cooking and baking shows instead of cartoons. Now, the 11-year-old will be on the Food Network's latest season of "Kids Baking Championship."

Believe it or not, she is competing alongside another Knoxville baker. Sarah Patel is also 11 years old and said the whole experience was amazing.

"I think it was really cool to step foot on set. Like, I've watched that on the TV and then to be able to do it was just like crazy and mind-blowing," Sarah said. "So that was super cool and it was just super fun."

The competition will last for 10 weeks as bakers face themed challenges. The winner will be featured in Food Network magazine and win $25,000, according to a press release and promotional video.

"I literally honestly really don't have a favorite thing to bake," said Nadya, who attends Clayton-Bradley Academy. "I love to bake a lot of things, but probably I like to make cupcakes a lot because I can kind of play around with the design on the frosting and then also the flavors. My favorite flavor combination is green tea cupcakes with lychee buttercream. It's really good."

They've learned how to personalize their creations along the way, too.

"In most recipes it says to add milk in your buttercream, but every time it used to break and I used to get super upset and so I think I learned that heavy cream works better for me instead of milk," said Sarah, who attends Nature's Way Montessori School.

Nadya said experienced "a happy accident" when she substituted brown sugar for a recipe that called for both white and brown sugar. Now, all her chocolate chip cookies exclusively use brown sugar so that they have "a deeper flavor."

They have a few tips for bakers using their ovens during the holidays: Nadya said it's helpful to read a recipe several times through so that you don't miss a step or forget an ingredient. She also said the more confident you are, the better you'll do.

Sarah sometimes gets in the mood to make sugar cookies on a whim but recipes often call for softened butter. Sarah recommends not skipping the softening butter step but also making sure to preheat the oven so you can save some time during the process.

Baking isn't their only hobby. Sarah loves doing arts and crafts, hanging out with friends and playing piano. Nadya plays soccer and the cello, is auditioning for the theater and playing with her dog.

The show will feature pull-apart cupcakes, zebra cakes and kitchen sink desserts, according to a press release.

Nadya said being on the show after watching it as a young child is a dream come true. She said she is still refining her skills after learning a lot from judge's feedback.

"These are probably one of the most talented kid bakers you've ever seen on the show, because, really, honestly, Sarah is probably one of the most talented bakers I've ever met and like, it was really amazing being on the show and meeting like other kids that have like the same interest as I do," Nadya said. "And it was really awesome and I just want whenever people are watching this show, to root for everybody because everyone's an amazing baker."

How to watch

The show will premiere at 8 p.m. Dec. 27 on Food Network and discovery+. The final two episodes will air Feb. 21.

Valerie Bertinelli and Duff Goldman host the show.

Isabel Lohman reports on children's education, health, welfare and opportunities in East Tennessee
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This article originally appeared on Knoxville News Sentinel: Food Network 'Kids Baking Championship' has two Knoxville bakers