Taylor Swift's Milk Bar Birthday Cake Went Viral, But You Can Still Buy One
These days, few things are quite as powerful as the Taylor Swift effect, so it's no surprise that her birthday cake is starting a celebratory trend. Earlier this week, Swift celebrated her 34th birthday in style with a star-studded affair in New York City. Surprisingly, one of the biggest stars at the party was the singer-songwriter's birthday cake. Swift was served a Milk Bar Birthday Cake that has since taken the internet by storm. While plenty of the internet's opinions regarding the cake have been positive, others believe that the choice may be showing the star's age. Still, whether you're a Swiftie or you just want to get your hands on what the music icon eats when she's in the mood to celebrate, you're not alone.
Over the past week, there's been a whopping 3,950% increase in Google searches for "milkbarstore," a 700% increase in "what is a Milk Bar cake?" and a 130% increase in "Milk Bar cake." Luckily, those of us who are curious can get our own. You can order the Birthday Cake from Milk Bar's website in a 6-inch version for $62 or the 10-inch version that Taylor Swift enjoyed for $140.
What makes Taylor Swift's Milk Bar birthday cake so controversial?
As fans are hopeful for an upcoming release of "Reputation (Taylor's Version)," Swift has selected a birthday cake with a reputation of its own: Total millennial-core. One tweet that has garnered 3.5 million views and almost 30,000 likes reads, "When Taylor Swift tells you she loves being a millennial ... BELIEVE HER ... she had a milk bar cake at her birthday party ... in the year 2023." While it's no surprise that Swift's birthday cake soared in popularity, it was a surprise that a generational battle broke out on the internet over the dessert.
So, what is it that makes this viral cake so special? The website calls it "nostalgically sweet" thanks to its confetti effect. Milk Bar's VP of Culinary, Anna McGorman, told Tasting Table a bit about how it's made, and as it turns out, they took their inspiration from a funfetti cake mix. "It was crucial to understand where we (and the world at large) were starting from in order to then refine and reinterpret from there," she explained. The result? "The Birthday Cake (soaked liberally with clear vanilla extract-spiked whole milk) is sprinkle-studded, fluffy and buttery," McGorman said. She added, "The frosting is meant to drive a bit of tang (thanks to some cream cheese and sneaky amounts of buttermilk powder/citric acid) for balance, while the crumbs are there for texture and richness." Sounds like the cake of our wildest dreams, millennial or not.
Static Media owns and operates both Mashed and Tasting Table.