Top 10 Tarts, Cakes & Desserts
To mark World Baking Day, we present ten delicious cake, dessert and pastry recipes from our...
"Tom Cruise Cake": A dessert fit for a star
A simple coconut bundt cake that has achieved unprecedented fame thanks to the star actor's attention, this dessert is perfect for any season.
A cake bearing Tom Cruise's name suggests that the storied actor is the creator. Not so, unfortunately; Doan's Bakery in Woodland Hills, California is in fact behind the viral sensation. Cruise is merely one of its loyal customers and likes to give the delicious bundt cake featuring coconut and white chocolate to friends and family, with fellow actors like Glen Powell, Cobie Smulders, Henry Cavill and many others all among the recipients. By all accounts, it is indeed a phenomenon – and even though the actor traditionally gives the cake in winter, it's a dessert for all seasons.
Diane Keaton introduced it to Cruise
Even though the cake has been popularized as Tom Cruise's signature gift, he wasn't the first star to discover his love for this dessert . It all started with fellow actor Diane Keaton, who introduced him to the "legendary" cake: Back in 2008, Keaton was filming "Mad Money" alongside Katie Holmes. Once the picture wrapped, she brought a cake to the set to share with her co-star – who was married to Tom Cruise at the time.
The cake apparently left a lasting impression. Shortly afterwards, Holmes and Cruise organized a party that was catered by Doan's Bakery – the famous originator of the cake. This laid the foundation for a personal tradition : Since then, Cruise has ordered large quantities of these cakes every year to send to friends and colleagues. The rest is history, with Cruise continuing to gift the dessert regularly.
But not everyone stays on Cruise's list. Actress Brooke Shields, for instance, once belonged to the select circle of recipients – until the cake suddenly failed to materialize one year. Cruise once explained on the Late Show with James Corden why he loves giving out cakes: He loves sugar, but can't eat it during filming because of his fitness regimen. So he sends the cakes to others instead – so they can indulge on his behalf. A sweet consolation, without any calories.
Celebrity Charm
With so much hype surrounding the cake, the Falstaff editors actually tried the cake for themselves. The result is a moist coconut cake with white chocolate – great in the winter, but delectable all year round.
