Burn Away Cake: The TikTok Treat That Goes Up In Flames
TikTok trends come and go so rapidly that it can be difficult to keep up with what's popular. In early 2023, elaborate, cake-shaped candles were all the rage, but by the middle of the year, fiery cakes replaced candles on TikTok. We're not referring to bananas foster or any other kind of flaming dessert, but rather parchment or wafer paper, which still seems to be going strong into 2024.
With flaming or flambéed foods, the secret is the alcohol or sugar in the dish, such as the brandy in Christmas pudding or the caramelized sugar in crème brûlée. With burn-away cakes, it's not the cake that's on fire but the paper that's on or around it. Fans of the fad have found ways to create burn-away cakes for practically everything. One Taylor Swift burn-away cake created by TikTok user @cakesbynams even acted as a tribute to the singer's upcoming release of her album "Reputation (Taylor's Version)."
Birthday cakes have become particularly popular within the trend, especially burning calendar cakes. The top of each cake displays a calendar page with the poster's birthday marked, and at the bottom is a note bidding adieu to whatever age they're leaving. The calendar is printed on wafer paper, so when it's lit, it dissolves, revealing frosting that says, "Hello [year]," indicating the age they're about to turn.
Burn-away cakes can make any celebration more dramatic
In another example of a burn-away birthday cake by @cakesbynams, the wafer paper shows a sleek, black cake with white and black decorations, featuring the words "RIP 20's" written on a gravestone. "I need this for my 30th this year!!" wrote one commenter. "Love the concept I can see that as a divorce cake lol," commented another creative fan. The cake's creator replied enthusiastically to the idea, and another person chimed in to say that using the cake to signify a breakup or quitting a job would also make a great burn-away cake.
When a fan of Instagram user @denises_delights_'s burn-away cakes asked them why the frosting underneath wasn't melting, they confirmed that the key is to use a frosting sheet or edible paper. The comments contained even more uses for burn-away cakes. "Gender reveal cakes will never be the same," wrote one person. The burn-away cake may have begun as a TikTok trend for birthdays, but it's taken on new life as more people realize the various spectacular reveals that are now possible.