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If there’s one coveted Christmas gift in Hollywood each year, it’s Tom Cruise’s coconut cake. Fans know that celebrities love posting snapshots of the elegantly decorated bundt cake with cream cheese frosting — it means you are on a very elite list. Still, there’s a lot of lore when it comes to this particular sweet treat, and Cruise’s ex-wife, Katie Holmes, is involved.
Fans have to go back to 2008 when Holmes was filming the movie, Mad Money, with Diane Keaton in Shreveport, Louisiana. According to Entertainment Tonight, the two actresses challenged each other to find the best cake they’ve ever tasted with Cruise being the ultimate judge. Keaton flew in the White Chocolate Coconut Cake from Doan’s Bakery in Woodland Hills, California — and that’s how a star was born. Cruise picked the coconut cake as the winner.
Eric Dean, who co-owns the bakery with his mother, Karen, confirmed that story to Yahoo Entertainment in 2020. “The funny thing is, we’ve been doing that cake for a quarter of a century,” he said. “Diane had been a fan of that cake for quite a while.” Still, it was Cruise who made the cake a legend. His annual order even “kept [the bakery] in business” during the pandemic.
It’s so popular that Glen Powell even throws a “Cruise Cake Party” when the delectable treat arrives each holiday season. “My friends who have tried it, they love it so much that they hit me up right around December 1,” Powell told Jennifer Hudson on her talk show in November 2022. “‘Hey, has it arrived yet?’ So now I have a party at my house where I’ll have the Cruise cake. It’s my ‘Cruise Cake Party.’ And I’ll invite people over to try a bite or two … [they] can’t get greedy. I really have to limit people. I can’t let them come back for seconds.”
There are some downsides, though. Brooke Shields revealed in 2023 that a spot on the list isn’t a guarantee that you will get a cake forever. She explained to People, “I was on the list for a while – I had a good 10-year run, and I got the coconut cake every year. I want to get back on that cake list. It’s the best cake. Tom, I need to be back on the cake list.”
The average person can get their hands on the cake and have it shipped to them via GoldBelly.com. It is expensive at $129.95, but it’s definitely a bucket list item. For LA locals, you can save lots of money just by walking into the bakery and purchasing a large cake for $55. It’s a sweet treat that is worth the trip — and you have Holmes and Keaton to thank for the Cruise cake lore.
Before you go, click here to see all the celebrities who have been accused of rude behavior by restaurant staff.
