This shopper bought a sweet treat, but all they were left with was a sour taste.
A baker and customer’s heated exchange has resulted in viral vitriol on TikTok, in a contretemps dubbed #CakeGate by enthralled viewers.
Ashleigh Freeman purchased a custom cake from Kylie Allen, the owner of West Virginia bakery Kylie Kakes Dessert Bar & Cafe, who promised to create her “signature” rainbow layered cake for the birthday occasion.
But Freeman complained to the shop owner about the $75 confection that lacked the quality promised in photos.
“I was expecting it to look like a professional grade cake with even layers, clean edges and legible handwriting,” Freeman told The Post.
Instead, she received an off-kilter cake with some heavy-handed buttercream, uneven sprinkles and “Happy Birthday Trilby” scrawled haphazardly on top.
The ensuing culinary drama — all taking place in the public forum — has since captivated tens of millions online.
On April 7, Allen posted a video slamming “one of the worst client experiences” she’s ever had, racking up 5.5 million views.
In the cake-making clip, Allen says the customer, Freeman, reached out to order one of the shop’s six-layer rainbow cakes that are covered in multicolor sprinkles — a bakery staple. The patron chose the 8-inch cake that serves 18 and goes for $75.99, plus tax.
“Upon arrival, she seemed to be really surprised that the cake was covered in sprinkles,” Allen continues. “We explained to her that all of her signature rainbow cakes are decorated this way and covered in sprinkles.”
She notes — somewhat sarcastically — that the sweet treats might vary in appearance because she doesn’t “individually place each sprinkle.”
“She then got super defensive and very rude about the price of the cake, although this is exactly how we decorate all of our rainbow cakes,” Allen says in the video, on which the comments are turned off. “She even bashed us and put us on her Facebook page.”
“I complained because $84 is a lot of money to me, and I felt ripped off,” Freeman previously told Today.com.
In response, Freeman posted a photo of the colorful confection alongside the Facebook correspondence between herself and Allen. The final product at the center of the controversy was covered in sprinkles with “happy birthday” scrawled messily – the literal and metaphorical icing on top.
Amid the heated exchange, Allen claimed she wasn’t sure “where the confusion was” and explained to the unsatisfied customer how the rainbow cakes are typically made.
“Look at it. That’s the problem,” said Freeman, who told The Post that Allen’s response was “unprofessional,” and attached a photo as evidence.
Allen, who also teaches cake-decorating classes, argued that her time and efforts constitute the price, no matter if the cake came out as expected or not, calling the disgruntled customer “disrespectful.”
“It’s not disrespectful to expect quality,” Freeman hit back in the text message — and other TikTokers agreed, championing the customer for her demand that the situation be rectified and bashing Allen’s artistry.
“I’ve bought $40 cakes that look 1000x better,” commented one user.
“I’d be so embarassed [sic] to claim that work,” another chimed in.
One speculated that she’d “dropped” the cake and “tried to salvage it because she didn’t want to bake another one.”
The Post has also reached out to Allen for comment.
Under the “#CakeGate” hashtag, which has 29 million views, there are numerous clips reviewing the debacle and criticizing Allen. Some have even alleged she misrepresents her products and services by using stock images or other people’s work to promote her confectionary classes.
“This is not how you want your brand to look,” states TikToker Casey Elizabeth in a clip, who wasn’t just talking about the cake’s appearance. “It came off very rude in her video. Why would I ever buy from her?”
Allen ultimately addressed her critics in a TikTok video this week, defending her buttercream confections and maintaining that she does not use other people’s work; they simply serve as “inspiration.”
“I have worked extremely hard to get where I am,” Allen continues in the viral clip. “You guys [who] have nothing going on with your life and yourself have so much to say about a situation that you don’t know the full backstory on.”
“I would just keep your mouth shut because it’s not doing anything.”
Speaking with Today.com, Allen said her intention wasn’t “to bash anyone,” but merely to share her experience.
“I wish that people wouldn’t just jump on bandwagons on TikTok when they actually really don’t know all that went on, you know?” she added. “It can be really hurtful, especially to a small business, I’m not a corporation, I’m a small business and this is how I feed my family.”
But Freeman doesn’t have much sympathy for the business owner.
“I feel as if she brought a lot of this on herself,” Freeman told The Post. “I offered to delete my personal Facebook post and response TikTok but she said she was trying to monetize the situation. She wants us all to keep talking about it.”