The design of a custom-made cake from a local Dairy Queen has caused a stir online.
Jeff, who is from Ohio and gave just his first name, shared a picture of his birthday cake on Reddit's r/pics subreddit, where it has gotten a viral reaction.
With thousands of reactions and comments, the custom barbecue-themed cake was commissioned by Jeff's wife, Mollie, at their local Dairy Queen.
"She asked for a grill on it, or a guy grilling, and 'happy birthday Jeff,'" he told Newsweek. "This was because of my recent obsession with a new Blackstone griddle."
In previous years, Jeff has enjoyed other themed birthday cakes, including a golf-themed one that came from the same Dairy Queen.
When she requested it, his wife was expecting something similar and was pleasantly surprised when she got a barbecue-themed sweet treat.
"Our family loved it," said Jeff. "Everyone thought it was so funny and creative, and we ate it all."
Dairy Queen offers a selection of custom cakes that can be picked up 24 to 72 hours after they are placed. Newsweek reached out to Dairy Queen via email for comment.
The unusual barbecue cake divided opinion online, though. Some thought it was perfectly executed, while others saw something else.
"If you aren't looking for turds you see a bbq," said one Redditor, defending the cake. Another replied: "Yeah but now I can't not see turds and stepped-on turds."
"I think we all have a right to be grossed out by this cake," said another replied.
This isn't the first cake to capture attention online. Recently, a wedding cake got a viral reaction when the couple's controversial choice baffled people.
The majority of commenters writing about Jeff's cake were quick to jump to the defense of the Dairy Queen baker.
"Order was for brown lumps of frosting; if they're not happy, it's a failure of imagination not execution," said one commenter.
Another Redditor said: "I'm impressed. I'd be thrilled with that cake."
When he shared the cake picture on Reddit, Jeff wrote alongside it: "Cake from our local Dairy Queen. Was supposed to be barbecue themed," which some people seemed to take as criticism of the baker. But Jeff said that it was far from that.
"I guess my title came across as complaining, which was not my intention, so people really ran with that," he said.
Some hateful comments assumed Jeff was complaining about his birthday cake, but he said he has also received plenty of kind messages and clarified that the post was positive.
"I just thought it was so unique and creative," he said. "And thought people would find it cute and funny, so I shared it on Reddit."
Uncommon Knowledge
Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.
Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.
About the writer
Alice Gibbs is a Newsweek Senior Internet Trends & Culture Reporter based in the U.K. For the last two years ... Read more
