Bake Like a Champ with Renee Loranger

creating jumbo Rice Krispies Treats shapes. Generously spray your hands and you won’t have any marshmallow sticking to you!

Do you have any spooky traditions at home?

My dogs really love pumpkin, so I love to carve pumpkins “with” them and then make them pumpkin treats. We also do spooky dog walks with the other dogs in my neighborhood, where Paddington and Treacle dress up and get a goody bag filled with Halloween “candy” (dog treats). I’m Canadian and Canadian Thanksgiving falls around the time when I’m baking Halloween treats for my YouTube channel, so my family unfortunately has to deal with a spooky Thanksgiving dessert spread every year!

PUMPKIN LATTE BREAKFAST SKULLS

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Bake Like a Champ with

RENEE LORANGER

Need more Halloween baking inspiration? Get insights from self-taught baker and cake designer Renee Loranger—the 2021 winner of Food Network’s Halloween Baking Championship.

Q: What inspired you to want to be a contestant on Food Network’s Halloween Baking Championship?

A: I’m a “foodie” in every sense and have been watching Food Network since it began. I have always wanted to be on one of the shows—well, all the shows, really! I applied a few times to Cake Wars and Halloween Wars, and then I applied for the baking championships. When Halloween Baking Championship called me, I was more than excited! I love Halloween (almost as much as Christmas)!

Q: What do you find most exciting about creating Halloween-themed baked goods?

A: The possibilities are endless. You can do cute, cute-scary, scary, gory—really, anything! There are a ton of characters to choose from for inspiration. Plus, this is my favorite time of year weather-wise. And it’s my birthday month. October really is the best month of the year.

Q: Since winning the competition, you’ve opened your own bakery, Sugar Pop Baking Co. What has been your favorite part of running your own business?

A: I’ve been baking now for so long, I always wanted to branch out and do it for myself. My favorite part is that it’s mine! I walk in every morning, look at my pink walls, turn on my ’80s music and bake for me. I bake the things I want to bake. I do something different all the time and I have fun!

Q: Do you have any Halloween traditions?

A: My Halloween traditions are carving pumpkins with my kids and decorating for Halloween on September 1, so the season lasts as long as possible.

Visit TheFreshMarket.com to read our full interview with Renee Loranger.