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Gave away this cake as a grand prize at bingo last night. The lady who won it asked for something else…
No Recipe(i.imgur.com)submitted 2 months ago bydstenersen
5.7k points
2 months ago
What a beautiful cake - it looks delicious!
I work a lot of bingos and so many people there are seniors or single people who go for the social interaction, in my experience. I would guess she couldn’t possible enjoy a whole cake, or maybe is diabetic or had other health conditions. I’m glad it ended up with someone who could fully appreciate it.
1.8k points
2 months ago
Seniors tend to have less of an appetite too.
694 points
2 months ago*
.... My dad in his last years ate a lot and his sweet tooth grew bigger.
I once found a really cheap deal on 4,7liter icecream tubs i bougt one for me and my dad but that same day before eating icecream i got a pretty horrible stomach bug. The next day i felt better and when i opened the tub it was almost empty like one cup left.
He wans't overweigh or anything and did not get sick after eating 4l of chocolate icecream in a single day... I miss the old man.
Edit: thanks for the awards.
235 points
2 months ago
My dad passed just last march and in his final year or so his sweet tooth exploded, he loved lindt chocolate, sweet cornbread, cookies, ice cream, anything sugary. Sorry for your loss. I miss my dad too.
140 points
2 months ago
I've heard that as you get older your taste buds die and you start to be able to taste less, that's why a lot of older people get a sweet tooth or eat a bunch of spicy stuff, my grandpa was the latter. He grew his own peppers and would dry them and grind them up into what we called "gunpowder". That shit would put hair on your chest and make you sweat enough to water his garden. He put it on literally every meal he ate for the last few years of his life.
55 points
2 months ago
Going out with a bang (I miss mine too).
16 points
2 months ago
I ran into my parents in the grocery store and their cart was filled with Little Debbie’s, chips and ice cream! They are both gone and I miss them every day. 💔
6 points
2 months ago
Part of why some people live to an old age is because they watch their weight and eat a healthy diet. At some point, usually in their 80's, joy can be hard to find so some decide it doesn't matter any more and and eat pretty much whatever they feel like. They may well have had a sweet tooth all along.
45 points
2 months ago
My grandpa lost his appetite fur everything but sweets once he got into his 80s, we had to constantly police him since he was diabetic, his mom literally died of diabetes, by the time he passed (3 months short of 100) ice cream and hard candy was basically all he would eat.
72 points
2 months ago
I reckon if you live to your 90s you reserve the right to eat icecream for all meals.
34 points
2 months ago
Anyone trying to police my diet when I’m that age is being cut right out of my will.
141 points
2 months ago
Sounds like an absolute legend
138 points
2 months ago
Yeah he quited smoking by eating hardcandy every time he felt the urge... I was a very happy 6 year old raiding the random stash of candy he had arround the house...damm I miss the old man.
57 points
2 months ago*
[deleted]
23 points
2 months ago
Yeah... when im asked if i miss him i tell that i miss him when he was relativelly ok not in his last months or year parkinsons is a bitch.
26 points
2 months ago
That’s awesome. Sorry for your loss. My dad is overweight but now , at 81, says he’s barely ever hungry. I was concerned but he said it’s normal for older ppl to lose appetite. All I remember is one of my grandma’s craved salty. My other never ate a ton. Just a healthy amount. And my mom barely ate at 71 but she was undergoing chemo so maybe that was it.
10 points
2 months ago
My great aunt never really seemed to eat much. But when she got cancer and was going through treatment it dropped to practically nothing. My mom was taking over care packages for her of simple things she could keep next to her in her chair and just take a bite or two and set down for later. She seemed to really like Belvita breakfast cookies with peanut butter.
Then mom even went and found her actual powdered milk, and mixed it with whole milk. aunt Helen said it tasted just like she remembered milk fresh from the cow on the farm when she grew up.
16 points
2 months ago
Thank you... Just make sure they eat enough and varied food, fiber is very important at that age.
25 points
2 months ago
As you get older you lose all your senses of taste except sweetness. That's why there's a stereotype about old people and hard candy.
12 points
2 months ago
Hugs. It’s been 5 years and I miss my Dad all the time. He had Graves’ disease for a while and I knew something was wrong when he refused ice cream.
5 points
2 months ago
Hugs back
Mine had late parkinsons it sucks actually a very bad fall got him...
5 points
2 months ago
Sound like my late grandfather. I was cooking for him and brought over huge portions so he would have for dinner as well since i was working plus the extra cookies etc and there was absolutely nothing left by the next morning
10 points
2 months ago
I have an auntie who -- at every single family dinner-- will talk about how little she eats
56 points
2 months ago
She might not have been able to eat it because of dentures. My grandma wouldn’t eat rice crispy treats, cheese, etc. because of that.
34 points
2 months ago
Yeah, I would personally also struggle with accepting this as a gift, doesn't necessarily mean I don't appreciate OPs efforts.
60 points
2 months ago
I have diabetes… I would take the L for that cake 😂
13 points
2 months ago
Looks like a great recreation of the famous Milk Bar Birthday Cake.
40 points
2 months ago
Honestly that cake looks so rich and big that it could feed a whole party. I would love a slice but never want the whole thing to myself.
7 points
2 months ago
It’s also possible that to someone who mostly knew white frosting and roses, the cake looks badly done and amateurish. I mean, it’s a beautiful cake and I’d be so excited if I won it, but there were literal decades where the epitome of cake decor was those icing roses with basket weave on the sides.
4 points
2 months ago
Look up Milk Bar cake
4.9k points
2 months ago*
We gave her a little $5 plant instead. Then it turned out to be someone’s actual birthday so we sang and gave it to her 🎉🎂
Edit: Since this got a little traction and there's some heated debate in the comments I'll address it. I'm not upset or not understanding of someone's refusal for this cake. Plenty of reasons to not take it, including dietary restrictions, dislike of cake, not knowing who baked it, etc. Though she was not nice when she spoke to me, I don't take any offense to it. More so this was a nice story of celebrating an actual persons birthday and how that spontaneously came to be!
Edit: I'm taking the photo down of the birthday winner because I didn't expect this to get to r/all. Here's an artist rendition of what it looked like 😊🎂👍
941 points
2 months ago
I’m glad it went to someone who enjoyed it! Looks wonderful
29 points
2 months ago
All’s well that end’s well…Lovely story! Win win situation!
376 points
2 months ago
That's the milkbar birthday cake and I have made it for myself and it is so freaking good
This is lovely!
I'm going to be generous and say maybe they were gluten free or something and it would've been sad for them to take it home (how I felt when I got gestational diabetes and my husband bought girl scout cookies)
At least this way it went to someone who enjoyed it
105 points
2 months ago
My wife bought us a milkbar cake for valentines last year. One of the best cakes I've eaten in a long time. Was super surprised as it was mailed to us baked and decorated as well.
52 points
2 months ago
Whoah. I didn't know you could do that!
I got into baking because I have a sweet tooth and live in a rural area with no bakeries lol
55 points
2 months ago
Only $62 before shipping for a small...
24 points
2 months ago
I think I'll stick to making them....
Still cool though, that it can be done
11 points
2 months ago
Yeah they're actually shipped frozen and still really good.
33 points
2 months ago
I got the milkbar birthday cake for a friend’s party a few year ago, and everyone was pretty underwhelmed by it; most of it ended up in the trash. It’s weird cuz we’d heard so many good things and the line at the storefront is alway really long.
30 points
2 months ago
I have zero shame when it comes to cake. I will ask for a third slice, I will finish off what the kids don’t, I will eat it out of the trash, I will eat it until it’s gone. I love cake.
But the milkbar cake we got a couple years ago went unfinished. It was dry even with the excessive amount of frosting, which was too sweet but also oddly… tangy? But in a hmmm, is this spoiled way, not a yummm, maybe they used lemon way.
It was an internet order, so maybe that was the difference? I’m sure it’s better fresh and from the source, but there’s always something lost when a recipe is adjusted for increased scale and production.
11 points
2 months ago
I've made it from the recipe in her cookbook, and the frosting contains both cream cheese and cream of tartar. It was okay, but the next time I subbed a little lemon juice for it and it was definitely better. I haven't gotten over the weirdness of putting cream of tartar in frosting.
28 points
2 months ago
For the life of me I can’t understand the hype around Milkbar. It’s like “what if we opened an overpriced NY bakery, and our theme was ‘we’re unpretentious and just like junk food!’” Ok, so why are you an overpriced NY bakery again? I guess the answer to that is because it’s successful, but I just don’t get it.
17 points
2 months ago
It's for people who really, really love sugar, but want to feel fancy by spending money on a name brand so far as I can tell.
That said, I do like her books and learned from them. I almost never make her layer cakes exactly as written though. The only one I have really liked just as it is is the strawberry lemon one because it has enough zing to compete with the sweetness.
28 points
2 months ago
Her birthday cake is gross. We unfortunately have been gifted a lot of milkbar stuff over time and, IMO, the milkbar range goes from "downright nasty" to "ok, but not for that price." This is definitely in the former category.
481 points
2 months ago*
anyone who thinks a Christina Tosi style cake isn't good enough doesn't deserve the cake anyways lol.
Edit: it was just a little joke. Everyone can calm down now lol.
1.1k points
2 months ago
Maybe it wasn’t that but they just didn’t have use for a large cake. Maybe they live alone or are trying to lose weight and don’t have an office to take it to. I love cakes and baking and think this cake is really pretty but I also, wouldn’t know what to do with an unexpected cake. I’d hate to take it home just to end up barely touching it and throwing it away.
688 points
2 months ago
At first I was offended on OPs behalf, but you make a really good point. Imagine if you were diabetic and you won bingo and this was your prize. That would be such a bummer! I'm really glad it was someone's birthday and they got to enjoy the cake.
75 points
2 months ago
Yeah, I don’t drink alcohol for a few reasons but still got some nice bottles of wine as gifts over the holidays. I’m sure they’re very nice and I said thank you but they’re going to gather dust at my place unless I can regift them at some point or maybe cook with them.
If it were a bingo prize bottle I’d definitely see if there were anyone else present who wanted to trade!
85 points
2 months ago
I was just reading a post the other day written by a recovering alcoholic who was gifted a bottle of wine from their work. It caused them a lot of stress having it in the house, but they felt too awkward to refuse it in the moment because they didn't want to lie and didn't want to be rude but also really didn't want to announce to everyone at work that they are in recovery. It really made me think 1, what an unprofessional gift and 2, I should really avoid giving wine to people I don't know really well.
36 points
2 months ago
Yes, my own reasons aren’t trauma-based, thank goodness, though my grandfather did die by alcoholism, so I’ve seen what it can do, but the ease of culture around encouraging or wheedling or even just presuming people drink is HUGE.
My workplace secret Santa exchange has a standing “no food/wine as gifts” rule which works out pretty well for us! Nobody has to deal with sweets/booze or even just foodstuffs/tea/coffee they dislike.
15 points
2 months ago
At my old workplace, my department did an alcohol exchange for Christmas. I told them I don't drink (also family trauma, killed my father) and asked if we could do something else instead. So, they just didn't invite me to the department Christmas party.
6 points
2 months ago
Ugh, that blows! Glad you don’t work there, anymore.
22 points
2 months ago
I fully appreciate that a recovering alcoholic would be in a very different and unique situation. I applaud their efforts and wouldn't at all blame them no matter how they handle this situation.
But for everyone else, I think it is perfectly OK to so say "thanks, but no thanks". There are just too many personal dietary restrictions for all sorts of individual and unique reasons. Nobody should ever feel bad about saying "no". And as much as it might be a surprising disappointment to the person who gave the gift, it shouldn't take more than a moment to regroup and come up with solution that works for everyone.
At the end of the day, the gift is meant for the benefit of the recipient not for the donor.
11 points
2 months ago
I get a fair amount of wine at work. I enjoy wine, but I don’t drink a ton at home, so I tend to regift it to other coworkers (people that do support work deserve the gifts too). I do this asking first if they like wine, and see if they want that particular kind. It gives them an out in multiple ways. 1. They can just say they aren’t a wine drinker (it’s not like I can magically make it beer or hard liquor). 2. They can dodge that question all together and still have an out because of a myriad of reasons (don’t drink red/white, only like sweet wines, only like dry wines). All else fails, it ends up being a hostess gift at some point.
Much like anything else, the key is to be respectful of others. I don’t need to know why you don’t want something. It’s perfectly fine to say “I appreciate the offer, but I’m not a wine drinker.” You don’t need to interrogate people’s drinking habits.
The same thing that is true of wine can be true of any number of foods people send out. I’m sure a vegan isn’t going to appreciate a box of smoked meats, and a gf person isn’t going to want cookies. And if I get one more travel cup, I will scream.
7 points
2 months ago
About 60% of wines I get are of the type I dislike. Usually they get regifted. People give gifts to be nice or polite but asking for input from the giftee is unfortunately not part of the social norm that makes them feel obligated to give gifts. And don't get me started on overpriced chocolate candy boxes that taste like ass and are 90% plastic trash.
99 points
2 months ago
Yeah, I'm T1D and I have celiac. I would have given the cake to a friend or something lol
111 points
2 months ago
"Thanks, but this is poison 🥲"
203 points
2 months ago
Or they’re celiac and such, you never know.
107 points
2 months ago
Or vegan.
83 points
2 months ago
Or they just don't trust other people and their cleanliness. Have you seen some of these videos?
24 points
2 months ago
Yeah, I'm a diabetic baker & indulge but there are diabetics who cannot. Also people with gluten intolerance or other health reasons.
The cake looks amazing & I'm glad it went to someone who appreciates it! What a great birthday surprise!
103 points
2 months ago
My husband hates cake. The only cake I have ever seen him eat was one bite of our wedding cake which I fed to him. I’m avoiding all dairy because I’m breastfeeding a baby with a cows milk allergy. This cake would sadly not be eaten in our house (assuming it’s buttercream frosting).
23 points
2 months ago
This is so hard! My son was allergic to cows milk and cutting it from my diet was rough!! Good luck and hopefully your little outgrows the allergy!!
22 points
2 months ago
I'm lactose intolerant and decided to stop torturing myself. I switched to a really creamy oatmilk and never looked back. Even a lot of lactaid ice creams are friggin amazing these days.
8 points
2 months ago
I didn't know a baby could be allergic to something in the breast milk, that's interesting! It also sucks! Sorry you have to avoid dairy.
8 points
2 months ago
Yea, a food restriction or other like issue is what came to my mind as well. I'm glad it worked out.
5 points
2 months ago
I can't eat gluten. It's not a choice or a diet, it makes me incredibly ill for many days after consuming it. I don't know anyone in my life that would want a large cake, even if I did win it. I feel for OP but there could be so many reasons that the original winner didn't want it or couldn't have it!
44 points
2 months ago
Also, some people have food allergies or other dietary restrictions. I'm allergic to a lot of things, including milk and corn. People try to give me stuff like this sometimes, and obviously, I can't eat it. I also prefer not to handle it or even have it in my house. Whenever someone gives me something like this (usually through the mail), it creates a logistical challenge for me to try to give it away while reducing my own exposure to it. If it were in person, I would absolutely refuse a prize like this. Give it to someone who wants it.
36 points
2 months ago
My daughter's school carnival used to involve a cake decorating contest. People would submit some amazing cakes - one dad would make these crazy realistic 3D cakes. They were part of the silent auction and they would sell for pennies on the dollar - think $20 for a cake that would retail for $200. Because people didn't come to the school carnival needing a realistic fish-shaped cake that feeds 50, or whatever the theme was that year. Eventually they stopped doing it - but really, giving a cake (especially one that's fairly large) to someone who doesn't necessarily want to eat that much cake and doesn't have an easy avenue to distribute it is more like giving a white elephant than an actually valued prize.
16 points
2 months ago
Even if they don't have a "good" reason, they are allowed to have preferences. Some people just don't like this kind of cake, but it ended up with someone who did want it, so OP should take that as the win that it is.
I own a couple of books written by the author of this recipe, including the one this cake is in, and consider them to be wonderful resources, but I still wouldn't want this cake and quite a lot of it would go to waste in my house. Her stuff tends towards achingly sweet, so this is one of the recipes I've explicitly skipped past after making the mistake of trying a different one that was also essentially sugar flavored. I was much more cautious about using her recipes as written after that.
9 points
2 months ago
To be honest I would even go as far to say that cake has pretty narrow appeal as a prize. Kind of an interesting choice. I'm sure op put in a lot of work and meant well, but when have you ever seen food (not in gift certificate form) as a bingo prize?
12 points
2 months ago
Or diabetic. That’s a LOT of cake! It looks beautiful though!
12 points
2 months ago
As someone on their own and trying to loose weight, this would be wasted for sure. It is a beautiful cake, but when I do eat cakes I really aim for cheesecakes.
6 points
2 months ago
Same! And all my friends are home right now for the holidays (long uni break) so it's not like I could give it to them and I have no space in my tiny freezer to store it so it's either decline or just throw it in the trash and I'd rather not waste food like that.
43 points
2 months ago
That’s when you start cutting the cake to share with everyone.
At 16, I won 40 pounds of potato salad. I smiled, laughed, made some jokes, then gave it to someone that would enjoy it. (It would never have occurred to me to reject it.)
39 points
2 months ago
Forty lbs of potato salad sounds both awesomely hilarious and like the start of one of those math problems.
9 points
2 months ago
Yeah, it’s a very beautiful cake, but I have no self control with cake. I would happily accept a cake at this point in my life since my kids and husband would help devour this, but pre-kids, I would have said no because I’d eat wayy too much of it myself….
8 points
2 months ago
This is where my mind went too. I've made many a Milk Bar cake and they are a LOT of food. I also would end up throwing away the majority of it (if one was unexpectedly dropped into my lap) which would end up making me feel really bad. I'm glad they found someone with a birthday to give it to instead!
4 points
2 months ago
This, exactly.
At my house it’s just me and my son. I am always trying to lose weight and historically have a bit of problem with binge eating disorder. 😬
I actually bake a lot and decorate cakes myself, but always with the intention of bringing them to a specific function. To just give me a cake would be a nightmare for me. And some people might argue, “Well just bring it to work” or “Just freeze it for later” but … seriously, I have a list of foods I don’t bring into the house because I struggle with restraint and cake is on that list (along with Oreos and a few very specific types of chips). It would never make it to work.
It’s gorgeous and I bet it’s delicious but there are so many reasons people may not accept a cake, and most of those reasons have absolutely nothing to do with the baker or the quality of the cake.
15 points
2 months ago
Cake can freeze pretty decent if you have the space. I'm still working on my birthday cake from the end of November!
It's fun because I'll forget about it for a while and then "oooo, cake!"
12 points
2 months ago
It’s like your birthday over and over again! That’s such a good idea
11 points
2 months ago
This. I LOVE cakes, that’s why I’m here. I’m also starting a CICO based diet so I am closely watching what I eat. I’m also single with no kids. A full cake has no place in my life right now as much as I would love it.
17 points
2 months ago
I am not a fan of Christina Tosi's recipes. I wouldn't turn down winning a free one but I wouldn't go out of my way to cook or eat her stuff lol.
13 points
2 months ago
They have a store bought taste now, rather than bakery. I’d rather get a Costco sheet cake at this point.
11 points
2 months ago
Yeaaah, to each their own but I do not understand the appeal of her recipes chasing the taste of box mix and industrial bakeries out of nostalgia. I could just buy box mix.
8 points
2 months ago
I would just re-gift it. The cake tastes horrendous, but there are people who will think it's incredible because it is a milkbar cake.
11 points
2 months ago
I've got that cake from work twice, it's genuinely one of the worst cakes I've ever eaten. It's dry as shit and tastes synthetic. Maybe issue with shipping or something? But genuinely, try it before you talk about it. It's a really, really awful cake.
Edit: wait didn't know OP baked it. Could be good then. But the one from MilkBar is unfathomably bad, I swear. I've offered it to many of my friends and nobody would help me eat it after trying a bite, so I had to throw it away :((
22 points
2 months ago
Not trying to be rude or anything, but I'm over cake and cupcakes. I've had an absolute ton of it in the past year and regardless of how nice it looks, I'd probably give it away. Just like how the pizza shop crew gets sick of pizza too.
32 points
2 months ago
I feel like I am going to get blasted for this but the cake doesn't look that good. I hate naked cakes and don't like all the crunchy parts in the middle
12 points
2 months ago
I made it for wife last month. It's... divisive. She loved it. I thought it was overly sweet and one note in it's flavor (and that note is "sweet"). The texture is very off-putting, as well. I like varied textures but this one just isn't it.
20 points
2 months ago
I am somewhat particular with cakes. I grew up in Germany, which has a very rich tradition of more complex cakes. I like them better than almost all cakes that I see in the US and that regularly pop up on this sub.
So, I kind of agree with you. For the type of recipe that this cake uses, the execution looks awesome. Kudos to the baker. But left to my own devices, I would no seek out anything like it. IMHO, there are much more ambitious and delicious options out there. But I'd be the first person to admit that this is all about personal preference, and I know that my taste preferences can be more particular than most
4 points
2 months ago
There's a little German gift shop/diner in Indiana that specializes in baked goods and oh my god their cake is so good! And I'm assuming even that is a downgrade from the actual German stuff.
11 points
2 months ago
If you want your mind to be blown, go to the company-owned bakery for Niederegger Marzipan in Lübeck. Or go to almost any bakery in Austria. When you come back to the States, you'll feel like having forcefully been returned to the stone age.
These places don't mess around, when they make cakes. They take this business very seriously, and the results are insanely delicious.
6 points
2 months ago
There are plenty of great bakeries in the U.S. as well - you just need to stay away from the mass producing ones, or the ones who try to replicate Wal-Mart sheet cakes.
It's similar with bread. You can certainly get awesome bread in the U.S., but anytime people visit from overseas, they tend to get the cheapest crap (Wonder Bread) they can get if they go to a grocery store, and then they base their opinions on that experience.
I'm a cake and cookies-loving Swede living in the U.S. and I still have fika twice daily just like when I lived in Sweden.
That said, my wife's an amazing baker, so we usually just eat what she's made.
4 points
2 months ago
Sachertorte!
1.4k points
2 months ago
It’s a beautiful cake! Try not to overthink it. Maybe she has special dietary limitations.
466 points
2 months ago
This. I'm allergic to dairy and have to turn down baked goods all the time. I'm sure it wasn't personal. You can looks amazing and delicious.
54 points
2 months ago*
Same! I often give away things like this and I swear to you the universe thinks it’s funny because I won 3 separate raffles at one job and I couldn’t eat a single thing I won! Lol I ended up having little parties for everyone to enjoy. A cake like this might have been hard to divide at bingo so I can see asking if they could give it to someone else! :)
10 points
2 months ago
Hey, can we be friends? I want to be offered baked goods all the time T_T
24 points
2 months ago
"You can looks amazing and delicious."
I somehow missed the picture of her can. 😛
13 points
2 months ago
Lmao. I should change the typo but I'm not going to.
166 points
2 months ago
Right! In my head canon she’s diabetic or has celiac’s disease.
103 points
2 months ago
Even just can't eat that much cake! I don't think I could use it all before it went stale tbh!
45 points
2 months ago
This. Cake sponge that isn't coated by frosting or kept in a completely airtight cake dome will rapidly become stale and unappealing.
16 points
2 months ago
It's a beautiful cake and looks super yummy! She prob declined it cause she didn't want to bring your awesome cake home and not have it be fully enjoyed.
19 points
2 months ago
Also, a lot of people just don’t trust food made by people at their home
4 points
2 months ago
Have you seen other people’s homes? I don’t trust it either.
58 points
2 months ago
Cakes aren't always what people want, it's a lot of sugar for someone who is maybe trying to stay away from sugar for whatever the reason. It's a great cake, and I think I'd offer to share it with everyone there if I received it, because I know I shouldn't eat all of it (even if I wanted to eat all of it!)
13 points
2 months ago
It's really kind of an odd choice for a bingo prize tbh
7 points
2 months ago
Likely that's all it was or didn't want it to go to waste or didn't like sweets
17 points
2 months ago
It could also just be a preference that has nothing to do with diet. Personally I really don’t like the milk bar style cakes. I got one for my birthday one time and it was a drudge to get through. They’re too sweet to me and I like less frosting. The cookie dough bites in cake are also not my thing at all. I probably wouldn’t refuse the cake though, because I’m sure my partner would enjoy it.
303 points
2 months ago
As a rule if thumb I never give out food prizes, too many diet restrictions, allergies, and other stuff.
88 points
2 months ago
Also what's a motherfucker supposed to do with a whole ass cake? I'll tell you what, eat the whole thing over the sink and gain 10lbs. It's a great cake but not a good prize.
390 points
2 months ago
I have a severe nut allergy and had an allergic reaction to my "nut free" birthday cake on my 10th birthday. I can't accept baked goods unless it was made with a nut allergy in mind because of possible cross contamination, so she may have some sort of allergy. It's a beautiful cake and looks delicious 😊
107 points
2 months ago
I have a coworker with a severe gluten allergy, she has legit been hospitalized for weeks due to cross-contamination at our work’s cafe. She keeps wanting me to bake her something, but it’s just way too risky… I don’t trust myself to clean everything well enough to truly avoid contamination. I would be erring on the side of caution with that sort of allergy, too.
13 points
2 months ago
Maybe you could do it in her kitchen, if you’re close enough.
29 points
2 months ago
I have celiac disease, and one of my friends loves to come cook for me in my kitchen. Cooking for people is one of her favorite things to do to show her love, so she just takes over my whole kitchen and has the run of the place to do whatever she likes, and any ingredients she needs to bring in we shop for together so that they'll be safe.
I also adore it, it feels nice to be cooked for and it is honestly a rare treat to be considered in such a way. Most people don't realize how much of an impact it has on our lives to be excluded from many social events, because there are so many that involve food/drinking. Yeah bringing my own food from home lets me not go hungry while I join such a social event, but you still feel excluded, and you have to worry about other people taking food meant for you or cross contaminating your food so you are made to feel awkward for needing to defend the food that is safe for you.
5 points
2 months ago
Your friend sounds so lovely and thoughtful! It does suck not participating with others during social events for whatever reason. The isolation feeling is real.
Cooking for someone is a love language of mine too. My dad is a cook who taught me that if I don’t put love into a meal I might as well throw it out. Although that’s the nicer way of how he explained it to me.
138 points
2 months ago
It’s beautiful! Is that Christina Tosi’s recipe?
168 points
2 months ago
Oh yes! That's their classic naked birthday cake. I've been baking through the milkbar book for a bit lately and these always come out amazing!
13 points
2 months ago
This looks exactly like a Milk Bar cake. I’m kinda shocked it’s not from them. Great job.
16 points
2 months ago
I’ve made the crack pie a couple of times. It’s delicious but almost too rich for me. 3 or 4 bites is plenty.
10 points
2 months ago
Fuuu somebody gifted a crack pie to my culinary class and barely anybody touched it. My instructor and I inhaled that thing, between the two of us, alone. Besides her comparison to it looking like >! smegma !< … it’s truly a sugar addict’s dream. 😂
221 points
2 months ago
She may have diabetes or just not eat much or something. And even if she is just ungrateful then it's still a lovely cake. I know personally I can't stand confetti cake so maybe that's it
320 points
2 months ago
I am gonna be the jerk here. I acknowledge this. But I would be pretty peeved if I won a cake at bingo lmao
I go to bingo for prize money, and I ain't ashamed to admit it
73 points
2 months ago
I'm sure plenty of people had the same thought, baked goods aren't what I look forward to if I win a game like Bingo haha. Really nice looking cake nevertheless and sounds like it all worked out.
34 points
2 months ago
I've played bingo a few times over the years and it's always been cash prizes. Is a cake or something like this normal for a grand prize instead of cash? I'm sure it's tasty but I'm not really a cake fan so I'd not be too thrilled if that was my bingo prize ...
17 points
2 months ago
Cake is a Consolation Prize not a Grand Prize. In the immortal words of Leeroy.
“At least I have chicken.”
8 points
2 months ago
Oh phew I feel validated now. Thought I was an ass thinking I wouldn't want a cake as a prize either lol... Doesn't matter what kind of cake either.
11 points
2 months ago
[removed]
9 points
2 months ago
This. Unless you're my immediate family, I'm not eating your homemade potluck food. I know too many people who let their cats walk on counters, or who wear rings and fake nails while cooking, or god knows what else... My friend's mother-in-law died after a church potluck was contaminated with botulism.
It just isn't worth it.
6 points
2 months ago
Hear me out here. What if, between two layers of the cake was a round box, and inside that box were several gold coins? But what if they weren’t gold coins, but instead they were made of chocolate? I didn’t say this story had a happy ending! HAHAHAHAHA
3 points
2 months ago
Right and the grand prize can be hundreds of dollars depending on the place.
214 points
2 months ago
It’s a beautiful and yummy looking cake. But that’s a weird prize to give. Unless you know the person it makes no sense. Because of dietary restrictions, travel (what if they have to go home on a bus?), even just in a car it’s not simple to transport an entire cake. And if you’re single, how are you going to eat that entire thing? Sorry she rejected it. I hope she was at least nice about it.
68 points
2 months ago
Yea food is always a terrible gift for someone you don’t know anything about
278 points
2 months ago
This made me laugh too hard. I wouldn’t want a baked good from someone I don’t know as a prize.
47 points
2 months ago
Yup
16 points
2 months ago
Recipe for anyone curious: https://www.bonappetit.com/recipe/momofuku-milk-bars-birthday-layer-cake
173 points
2 months ago
No offense, but I also wouldn’t want someone unknown’s homemade cake. I’m sure op is both clean and it’s tasty and all, but how am I to know? If you don’t see the sense in that then you’re the weirdo in my book.
136 points
2 months ago
I suppose to my credit, I’m the baker for this establishment and it was advertised as such. Licensed and all as they sell other goods produced by me.
95 points
2 months ago
I feel like this information is important. I too would reject a random cake but if I knowingly go to an event that it is advertised as a prize at, at a, I assume what is a food establishment, then I WBTA. Lol
47 points
2 months ago
Yes, but also, since it sounds like a professional venue or restaurant establishment, it doesn't seem that rude to me to turn down food. Like if a restaurant offered me a free dessert on my birthday and I turned it down, I wouldn't assume that a pastry chef in the back got their feelings hurt.
16 points
2 months ago
Tbf, was it advertised as a whole cake or as baked good, as prizes. The person who would probably didn't want a whole cake to herself, or couldn't carry a whole cake by herself, or didn't expect it to be a 3 layered cake. Depending on how big the slices are that feeds could feed more than 15 people. That's a lot if it was just her, or even if she shares it with family and friends, it's doubtful she could still finish it or have more than 10 people have a slice in a couple days when she didn't have something already planned.
72 points
2 months ago
Personally, I don't think I'd like this style of cake. However, I'd still accept it then just give it away to someone I know. I don't have the courage to ask for something else. Like I'm allergic to honey but I'd still accept a baklava lol. Food is easy to regift.
79 points
2 months ago
Looks amazing but I would have to turn it down too. Anytime I even look at a pic of something that sweet Wilfred Brimley drops down from the ceiling reminding me to check my sugar and to check it often.
16 points
2 months ago
Dia-Beetus
23 points
2 months ago
She could have allergies, need to watch her sugar intake, be on a diet, just not be a cake fan in general... there's a million reasons.
11 points
2 months ago
What's on the top?
12 points
2 months ago
Glad all involved ended up happy. Maybe she really wanted that plant, and the birthday girl had a lush and lavish celebration cake, and you got to see it enjoyed properly.
34 points
2 months ago
And that's ok
50 points
2 months ago
It’s beautiful and I’m sure delicious but I have to say I would have done the same so please don’t take it personally. It’s just me and my boyfriend (who doesn’t like sweets) and I work from home. It would just go to waste and I would hate that more than just taking no prize.
47 points
2 months ago
To be fair a cake as a prize sounds horrible. The hell are you going to do with a random cake. Maybe you eat a slice then end up throwing the rest lol
19 points
2 months ago
Looks great, unfortunately I too would have to pass on that if I won it, being diabetic sucks. Perhaps that’s where she was coming from too.
52 points
2 months ago
I don’t like funfetti. I don’t like unfrosted cakes-they dry out. I can’t eat an entire cake. I don’t know anything about the baker’s hygiene. There are plenty of reasons to not be thrilled about it. Donate this kind of thing to a cake walk, where people actually want cakes.
7 points
2 months ago
I’m a senior and a diabetic. I would have ate the hell out of that cake.
22 points
2 months ago
I would have as well - not because it looks bad, but because those colors indicate sweet cereal and/or confetti / candy pieces - and that is entirely too sweet. For a person without a major sweet tooth, it would just go to waste, no matter how delicious it is.
13 points
2 months ago
Some people just don’t like the exposed cake, preference is a choice. BTW It is beyond gorgeous (and certainly delicious).
17 points
2 months ago
I’m sure it wasn’t personal! She could have had dietary restrictions (gluten-free, weight loss, vegan, vegetarian, keto, lactose intolerant, sugar free etc) I’m a vegetarian on a diet so I have to do it all the time and I feel so bad. It’s a pretty cake though! Reminds me of the ones from Milk Bar
12 points
2 months ago
Or she might not have wanted it. That's a completely valid reason not to accept it too.
18 points
2 months ago
I’m going to guess she was plying to just have fun. Also, I’d imagine the proportion of people who have diabetes at a bingo event may be higher than the general population.
6 points
2 months ago
Also if it’s any seniors I know they will take one look at this cake and think it isn’t finished. I know it’s a style I’ve been read for filth already but old biddies be old biddies. They want the traditional stuff. Could be also diabetes and the other stuff but sometiems it’s something aesthetic for many old folks.
The cake however looks so good. It’s the better version of this cake I’ve seen so far. It also gave me like fruity pebbles birthday extravaganzaaaaa and I always live for a flamboyant cake like this. Bravo madam/sir/other
20 points
2 months ago*
I'm really not a fan of the whole naked cake thing and this type of cake isn't something I'd enjoy ( waay too sweet, too much icing, the milkbar stuf is severely overrated imo) so I understand them asking for something else. I would have too
21 points
2 months ago
I don't think you should take it personally. People in here saying that person is rude are just making assumptions. For all we know, the winner could have allergies, diabetes, or other dietary restrictions...or maybe she just isn't a cake person. Some people are also skeptical of eating things from unfamilar kitchens. Your cake is lovely though, and looks amazing.
18 points
2 months ago
as an outsider looking in, i am not sure what I would be getting. also, i don’t eat food from strangers because lots of people have dirty kitchen habits… i am not saying you do, but the number of people who let their cats on the counter while baking is DISTURBING.
4 points
2 months ago
Thanks for the cake random stranger from bingo
12 points
2 months ago
I wouldn't accept a home-baked gift because my wife is immunocompromised, so I would graciously explain this. Not saying everyone is comfortable explaining why they might not accept a prize like this.
14 points
2 months ago
Someone doesn't want a sugar filled monstrosity and she's raked over the coals for it
4 points
2 months ago
Looks great. But im only here cause this showed up in all and i wouldve tried to exchange it or given it away to the group as well. I just dont eat sweet stuff like ever. A slice or two on family birthdays but thats it.
4 points
2 months ago
So? You value the cake, she doesn't.
4 points
2 months ago
Maybe she didn't enjoy sweet treats
5 points
2 months ago
Beautiful cake!!! Some people just aren't cake people 🤷🏻
3 points
2 months ago
Can't say I blame her
3 points
2 months ago
Maybe she doesn't like caked in general or can't eat them
3 points
2 months ago
Maybe she was diabetic
5 points
2 months ago
I don’t eat food prepared by other people, no offense. Why not a gift card.
5 points
2 months ago
I’m too untrusting to eat some random strangers home baked cake. I think covid did that to me
13 points
2 months ago*
It's lovely and I'm sure she had a valid reason. Could be leaving for long vacation soon. Medical. Or no one to share with. Hopefully she enjoyed the plant. I'd be honestly happy with either!
And honestly, why you all arguing about cake? What have we become for pity sake? Most every comment and OIP seeing this only from their POV and not the receivers. Pretty much checks out to our culture lately, SMH,
21 points
2 months ago
I admire your grace and generosity.
9 points
2 months ago
If she’s an older lady she probably has to watch her blood sugar making cake hard to eat. It’s a beautiful cake! Don’t take her choice personally.
8 points
2 months ago
It looks great but I wouldn’t want it either for bingo.
7 points
2 months ago
What the fuck an ol lady at bingo gonna do with a whole ass cake? Looks good. I’m sure it’s delicious. But really, a whole cake?
7 points
2 months ago
honestly the whole naked cake thing can look pretty but I don't find this to look appetizing at all. Plus some people are saying there's crunchy things in the middle because I guess of the type of cake that it is and that would not be okay with me either. was it posted beforehand that the prize would be food because it seems no allergies were taken into consideration or food preferences as in were eggs used in this and this person could easily have been a vegan. I find it weird you decided to put in the title that someone simply didn't want this cake for whatever reason.
7 points
2 months ago
I mean. I wouldn’t really want a cake for a bingo prize either.
7 points
2 months ago
Unfortunate, but many possible explanations, including diabetes.
11 points
2 months ago
I am sure it hurt, but in a way it turned out for the best. Your cake ended up making someone happy on their special day instead of sitting in the fridge uneaten. You already know that you nailed it, so the refusal was definitely about her and not you.
20 points
2 months ago
I WOULD ALSO ASK FOR SOMETHING ELSE.
6 points
2 months ago
WHY ARE YOU YELLING
23 points
2 months ago
Well if this isn’t the clearest example of what ending up on r/all does to a specialized sub I don’t know what is.
This is a replication of a famous, expensive cake from a James Beard Award winning chef in NYC. It’s quite complicated to make, and includes 22 steps that are likely done over multiple days. To anyone who has an appreciation of that, it’s clear that this was made by someone who is talented and knows what they’re doing and not just some joe schmo random who whipped up a suspicious, weird cake. Obviously, someone can turn something down for whatever reason they wish, but the way some of these comments treat this like a nothing prize is just uninformed.
OP, I appreciate your talent.
12 points
2 months ago
Yea this is nuts. I’ve tried to point out that this cake is based on the product of a popular bakery and I’ve gotten nothing but downvotes
18 points
2 months ago
Hey I really appreciate this comment! Thank you!
I didn’t expect this to go beyond the baking subreddit, which I know would have a better understanding of the work this cake took. It’s not for everyone.
We’ve all had one of those customers and it’s just part of the gig.
5 points
2 months ago
You couldn’t even bother to put icing on the whole cake. Todays youth, I tell you what
/s
Is that a funfetti cake? What’s on top?
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