Fiery Cakes, For Some Reason, Replaced Candles On TikTok
The old-fashioned method of blowing out your candles and making a wish may have found its hip new successor, at least in some corners of the internet. TikTok's new birthday cake trend? Fiery cakes. Not only is this trend replacing the traditional candle on birthday cakes but it also seems to have replaced the viral hit that was cake candles, which were candles designed to look like birthday cakes. Out with the old, in with the new as they say.
So what exactly is a fiery cake? Essentially, the trend revolves around lighting parchment on fire. Designers create spider-web-like lines from the center of the cake to a sign. The flames then shoot around (or over, or beyond) the cake, following the path of the lines, until the burned-off parchment on the sign reveals lettering; either the birthday celebrator's name or a special message. It's a bit like someone combined a Rube Goldberg machine with a magic show.
As with any trend, there are some variations. For instance, pandacakes.kw on TikTok had the flames leading away from an American-themed cake to a sign that read "Welcome Back." Meanwhile, one Cinderella-themed creation by azhaisweetsntreats on TikTok showed fire shooting from the fairy godmother's wand. Fiery cakes appear to have, at least for now, overtaken the trend of birthday cake-shaped candles on TikTok. Many of those videos are dated to 2022, making it officially a fad of the past.
Biggest difference between fiery cakes and cake candles
While we can't say that fiery cakes have outright replaced other candle-based birthday cake adornments, it does seem that blowing out candles is as dated as the reason birthday cakes became popular — at least, for now. On average, a TikTok trend lasts about three to five days once it reaches its peak popularity. The reason for such a short lifespan is due to oversaturation as well as people's wandering attention spans. While it makes sense that cake candles aren't as popular on the platform as they once were, you still see videos pop up every now and then on the subject.
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It's likely that fiery cakes will experience a similar trajectory. While fiery cakes and cake candles are similar in that respect, they're also very different as far as subject matter. As thedessertologist on TikTok explained, fiery cakes are real cakes with what's essentially an extended candle rigged up. The candle is made of paper that's been molded onto florist wire. Cake candles, on the other hand, are actual candles designed to look like birthday cakes. They're two different variations on a similar theme. Perhaps what TikTok has shown us more than anything is that whether it's a fiery cake or a cake candle, it's popular to have a birthday cake with a flashy reveal.