Adi Nevgi, the Indian-origin contestant in MasterChef Australia: Secrets & Surprises, charmed the show’s judges Andy Allen, Melissa Leong and the late Jock Zonfrillo on last night’s episode with her Fruit Loops Cake. It was the first dessert that Adi, a 31-year-old doctor from Melbourne, made in the MasterChef kitchen.

“I think it was genius. The genius part for me was the idea behind the tres leches and soaking the sponge in cereal-infused milk. That’s what makes this. But most importantly, the flavour is fantastic. The nostalgic element is there,” said Jock after tasting the cake.

“It looks fantastic. It’s tiny. It’s on a pink plate. It’s nostalgic, childlike and fun,” said Melissa. Andy congratulated Adi for hitting the right notes with the flavour.

MasterChef Australia Season 15 is celebrating nostalgia week and it was time for a cereal Mystery Box challenge in yesterday’s episode. The home cooks had to prepare a dish in 75 minutes using at least one of the cereals in the Mystery Box — Corn flakes, Fruit Loops, Coco Pops, Weet-Bix and Rice Bubbles.

“I really like the theme of nostalgia. This challenge feels like it is meant to be that sort of childlike wonderment and fun. And the most fun cereal is Fruit Loops,” said Adi, explaining why she picked this ingredient. Although the cook was a smooth ride for her, Adi almost forgot to add the layer of cereal-infused milk during plating but managed to pull it off at the last moment.

Despite the high praises, Adi’s creation lost out to Antonio Cruz Vaamonde’s Coco Pops Eclairs and Ralph Kahango Corn Flake Pork Chop, which were declared the top two dishes of the day.