Spoiler alert: Naples teen exits Food Network's Kids Baking Championship with top 5 finish

Southwest Florida baking sensation Alissa Telusca’s nail-biting eight-episode run on season 11 of Food Network’s "Kids Baking Championship" ended Feb. 13.

Her final challenge for this biz-kids competition? Unusual flavor combinations. No cakes allowed.

Her flavor card? Banana and grapefruit, a close second choice to Alissa’s preferred coffee and lemon combo.

Judges Valerie Bertinelli and Duff Goldman’s assessment of Alissa’s risky choice making marble-glazed fried yeast doughnuts filled with banana pudding and grapefruit curd?

Delicious although too bready and not balanced.

ICYMI: Naples teen Alissa Telusca competes on Food Network's Kids Baking Championship Dec. 26

In an exclusive exit interview, the Naples teen shared what went wrong that day and what went right leading up to a coveted top-five spot.

Naples Daily News: If you had a second chance to re-work your doughnut recipe, what would you do differently?

Alissa Telusca: I would have added more yeast. I have this technique where I open the oven and add my dough so it fries faster with instant yeast. I didn't do that trick because there are safety hazards in the kitchen and you don't want to get burnt. I couldn't open the oven and still work at my station. I wish I did it because my doughnut would be much better. I also wish I'd fried my doughnut at a lower temperature because that would have resulted in a nice airy doughnut.

NDN: What was your favorite challenge?

AT: My very favorite episode is the food festival, creating posters and we tasted everyone's food. My second favorite was the doughnut episode and that's kind of it. All the other episodes were cool, but not my favorite.

NDN: Which challenge best showcases what you do for your business?

AT: The food festival showcases what I do well; I do a lot of decorating with cakes and cupcakes. I'm now frequently asked for cupcakes with cake flavors (banana pudding and cinnamon) from that episode.

NDN: Which challenge was your least favorite?

AT: Pâte à choux: I don't like how it tastes. It's not my favorite thing to eat or make. My second least favorite was food imposters. I was really upset; I wanted the steak/fries which Niall got. My “salmon” looked like a whale. He did his fries as apple fritters; instead, I would have made sugar cookies and homemade “ketchup and mustard.”

NDN: Your advice for wannabe KBC contestants?

AT: I definitely recommend trying out for KBC because it’s a shot you should take. I completed the application for the previous season and didn't make it, but that's OK because I made it this season. It was so fun and I wouldn’t change it for anything.

In addition to touring Knoxville’s attractions and eating her way through town with her fellow contestants, this straight-A student spent many post-taping hours researching previous KBC seasons in anticipation of possible upcoming challenges for next-day preparation.

Fun fact: She cited that macarons showed up in 30% of previous seasons.

Alas, it wasn’t a challenge during Alissa’s duration on the show.

NDN’s food and restaurant reporter Diana Biederman believes Food Network’s casting pros saved Alissa’s earlier application for season 11’s entrepreneurial focus. Check out @issas_cake_dreams on Instagram to order.

This article originally appeared on Naples Daily News: Kids Baking Championship: Florida teen Alissa Telusca exits show