Let’s talk about cake. We celebrate with it, we snack on it, we love it. Every culture across the world has their own versions of the dessert, but one truth remains: Cake is a Lawful Good.
Until. UNTIL.
Baking wizardry (or more accurately, fondant wizardry) has created the mind-blowing trend that is the hyper realistic illusion cake. These are masterpieces sculpted to look like ordinary items, but are in fact cake. And if you’ve been on social media recently, you’ve no doubt seen one of the many cake cutting compilation videos, like this one:
These Are All Cakes pic.twitter.com/ejArkJHaid
— Tasty (@tasty) July 8, 2020
It’s hypnotic and vaguely ASMR-like to watch these cake cutting videos. There’s the technical skill to marvel at, and the shock that yes, those Crocs, that roll of toilet paper, and that steak dinner are all cakes. The “everything is cake” meme quickly took off, with hilarious results, as people starting cutting into everyday objects in the hope of cake:
Pls advise, it’s not working for me. pic.twitter.com/wd61wCeUGT
— Mike Kelton (@mikekelton) July 9, 2020
unbelievable cake pic.twitter.com/R2IkHmcYmA
— maureen monahan (@momonahan) July 9, 2020
The meme spun off into more existential cake drama:
you try to call for help but the phone is a cake
— Jims Wid (@jamesodinwade) July 9, 2020
127 hours but when he finally cuts his arm it’s a cake
— (@spinubzilla) July 11, 2020
the scene in Ex Machina where Caleb cuts his arm open to see if he's a robot but it's to see if he's made of cake
— g (@tostopworrying) July 10, 2020
The conspirators attempt to stab Julius Caesar only to discover that he too is made of cake
— SparkNotes (@SparkNotes) July 12, 2020
they put u to sleep during surgery bc the government doesn’t want u to know that ur actually a cake
— asiya (@ossiyuh) July 12, 2020
the french beheading marie antoinette was their way of finding out if she was made of cake or not
— ً (@filmcal) July 11, 2020
Laughing with my friends after testing to see it they’re actually a cake pic.twitter.com/BLTXIqFvtt
— Curtis Kimberlin Jr (@ckimberlinjr) July 11, 2020
— dunk and though nuts (@alexqarbuckle) July 11, 2020
Is fake cake discourse my new favorite meme? Obviously. But I think it hints at something deeper. These cakes, while stunning, are not the tastiest. They are finely crated globs of fondant and sculpting chocolate, that focus more on illusion than flavor. Unless you’re REALLY into fondant in which case, you do you.
Is it any surprise then, that cakes that are all about appearance are dominating social media? Are we not all illusion cakes online, flaunting our Insta-ready lives and accomplishments while keeping our dry, over-baked insides under wraps? Should we not cast aside our cloaks of brightly colored fondant and reveal our true selves, and in doing so forge an authentic connection with one another?
If EVERYTHING is cake, then NOTHING IS CAKE. Thus, are we ourselves everything and nothing? Do we contain multitudes, or are those multitudes merely endless layers of cake?
Now if you’ll excuse me, I’m going to cut into my keyboard to see what’s inside.
(image: YouTube/Amazing Cakes)
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