Netflix has struck gold with its slate of original realty TV shows, and its brand new baking competition series Is It Cake? has become one of the most discussed new shows on the venerable streaming service. The show is based on the popular internet meme of people cutting into things that look like various objects, but then turn out to actually be elaborately designed cakes. The show follows the same format, with judges trying to guess whether common objects are real or are cakes in disguise.
While the fun of the show is in trying to guess what's cake and what's not, some of the cakes presented are very impressive on their own merits, and the artistry involved isn't to be overlooked. Some cakes have stood out among others for being the most awe-inspiring. Fans of the show have taken to Reddit to shout out their favorite cakes.
Sam's Burger (Season 1 Episode 1)
Reddit user melodramasupercut brought up Sam's burger cake, commenting that they "really liked" her design. Appearing on the series pilot, it was important for the show to get off on the right foot, and Sam's masterpiece did just that.
She was unfortunately unable to trick all three judges, as two of three correctly guessed that the burger was actually a cake instead. It was still quite convincing though, enough to trick one panelist. While she may have let herself down by not fooling all three, the burger cake certainly would not let down Bob from Bob's Burgers.
April's Shoe (Season 1 Episode 2)
While Sam's burger wasn't able to fool the majority of judges, April's shoe cake did. All three fell for it, all locking it a different shoe as their guess for which one is cake. Fans of the show were equally as impressed, as Redditor Psych0666L0st wrote about how they were "all jaw on the floor" when they saw it.
The cake truly did look like a shoe, making it such an impressive one to so many. Mikey Day, host of Is It Cake?, summed it up in a way only he could, using his trademark corny humor to say that it was April Fool's day in the studio thanks to April's deception.
Steve's Vegetable Dish (Season 1 Episode 4)
The third episode of the initial season of Is It Cake? focused on grocery store items. While cake would actually be included in that category, this show makes it far more interesting, as bakers were tasked with making their cakes look like a variety of other items, including a vegetable dish. Steve understood the assignment, dazzling viewers with his.
Multiple people brought his cake up on Reddit, with Aggressive-Devi writing "Steve’s vegetable cake was insane, I couldn’t even tell that his was the cake" The judges seemed to agree, as not a single one correctly guessed that his creation was actually cake. He is an outstanding baker, and can be found sharing his creations on Instagram, much like other bakers from the show.
Justin's Steak (Season 1 Episode 4)
Another grocery store product inspired cake, Justin's steak-imitating cake was quite impressive. Reddit user afar28 pointed it out, specifically being impressed by the plastic wrap, saying "I really thought that the steak cake was crazy good with the plastic wrap and all."
Rather than just being a slab of steak, Justin went above and beyond and even had the cake look like it was wrapped in plastic, like how frozen steak appears at the store. He successfully fooled all three judges with this, as not a single one suspected that his steak was actually a delicious cake. It was an extremely impressive accomplishment.
The Gallery Cash Register (Season 1 Episode 4)
The final cake from episode four continued the trend of amazingly done cakes from the episode, as the cash register cake became the third to be held in extremely high regard by Reddit. One Reddit user commented that "What I couldn't get out of my mind a few days later was the register... It was amazing, and was only able to spot it after spending a LOT of time paused."
This one was a gallery cake done by world renowned bakers Monika Stout and Inae Cakes. Cakes done by them on the show never disappointed, and this one was definitely one of the most indistinguishable from its real counterpart. Andrew somehow did get it right though, raising his winnings up to fifteen thousand dollars.
Nina's Bowl of Chips (Season 1, Episode 5)
Nina aced one of the most difficult challenges that contestants faced in the show's inaugural seasons, having to make a cake looking like chips in a bowl. She went undetected by all three judges to make it to the finals, but ultimately did lose during this episode. Reddit commenter ungodlyera said that "Nina’s chip cake was phenomenal. I feel she was robbed."
They were not alone in their view, as user onesneakymofo created one of the most popular threads in the subreddit for the show, titled "Nina was robbed." Clearly, plenty of fans of the show were enamored by this cake, thinking Nina was robbed from her rightful victory.
Desiree's Rubber Ducky Cake (Season 1 Episode 7)
The rubber duck is probably the most recognizable cake from the show, as it has been used extensively on adverts for the show. It was referenced in user afar28's initial post about the best cakes from the series, as they added in "and the rubber ducky in all the ads" in their list of favorites.
The judges were able to spot this one as a cake among the imposters, but it still is a great cake. The two ducks are quite cute, and the shine applied on the frosting is done perfectly to emulate how actual rubber would look on a real one. Producers and advertisers clearly chose to push this one so heavily for a reason.
The Gallery Piggy Bank (Season 1 Episode 7)
Another example of a beautifully done gallery cake, this one was also surprisingly guessed correctly by episode champion Hemu, doubling her winnings up to ten thousand dollars. With there only being two to guess from though, the real cake is bound to be guessed sometimes. User SheepherderSilly3370 wrote in the initial thread, posting "Okay but WHO MADE THE GALLERY CAKES!? Those were some of the best ones! You literally couldn’t even tell on some of them that one of them was cake. The piggy bank!?"
The piggy truly did look like a real bank, with the frosting being layered on perfectly to look like paint on pottery. With how far back Hemu was as she was making her guess, it was a spectacular job by her to do it correctly and earn herself more prize money.
The Gallery Podium (Season 1 Episode 8)
The eighth episode of the show started off seemingly normal, until the podiums displaying cakes came out empty. Mikey Day then made the announcement that for once, the podiums themselves were the disguised cakes. Another masterpiece made by the gallery bakers, Redditor Tachy0n4 wrote that "the podium was mind blowing to me."
Somehow though, the three panelists got it correct. It blended in quite well with the rest of the imposters, so it was quite the impressive feat. This game wasn't just for fun either though, as contestant baker April guessed it correctly first, gaining an advantage she would use later in the episode. The winner does get money, and while it isn't enough to make them one of the richest reality stars, an advantage to the fifty thousand dollar grand prize is huge.
Hemu's Statuette (Season 1 Episode 8)
In the final episode of season one, the best bakers were all brought back to win big cash prizes. With the absolute best of the best competing, it's no surprise that more than just one of these cakes is so adored by fans of the show.
Reddit commenter Rainbow_Sunrise_69 typed that "Hemu’s statue cake was phenomenal, and the judges literally only picked it because it was a random guess." Their claim may be correct, as her cake seriously did look more like a real statuette. The judges may have gotten a lucky guess here by locking in their final answer as this one. It was unfortunate timing for Hemu, who lost her shot at a fifty thousand dollar grand prize.