The most prestigious honour in cinema: making the Tom Cruise cake list
For many people within the industry, winning an Academy Award is by far the most prestigious honour that can ever be bestowed upon them. However, being the annual recipient of a cake sent directly from Tom Cruise himself is perhaps an even greater accolade and definitely a much rarer one.
The origins of the Mission: Impossible star’s obsession with sending those he believes worthy of such distinction haven’t been verified, but the version enshrined in mythology sounds so bizarre that there’s a high possibility it’s completely true.
As the story goes, Cruise was so mesmerised after trying a white chocolate and coconut Bundt cake hand-selected by Diane Keaton that he eventually made a key part of his personality, with his nearest and dearest knowing they’re in the good books if they get one.
Among the names to have maintained their place on the list over a number of years is Kirsten Dunst, a member of the exclusive club since they worked on 1994’s Interview with the Vampire. Angela Bassett abbreviates the ‘Tom Cruise Coconut Cake’ to ‘TCCC’ in conversation because she’s so familiar with the ritual, while Cary Elwes, Tom Hanks, Dakota Fanning, Graham Norton, Rosie O’Donnell, and James Corden are additional fixtures.
Sadly, getting on Cruise’s bad side can lead to excommunication from the cake list, as Brooke Shields discovered in the midst of their highly-publicised feud. “I was on the list for a while. I had a good ten-year run, and I got the coconut cake every year, which I was very happy about,” she admitted. “And then the cake stopped.”
Recent addition Glen Powell called it “the most delicious cake you’ve ever had,” and it’s become such a hit that he hosts an annual ‘Cruise Cake Party’ so his friends can have a piece, with fellow Top Gun: Maverick alumni Jay Ellis and Miles Teller making the cut. Jon Hamm was also a part of the box office-busting legacy sequel, but he wore it as a badge of honour that he was already part of the inner circle.
“I’m on the list. I’m very proud to be on the list,” he proclaimed to The Hollywood Reporter. “I was on the list pre-Maverick, so I’m very happy. I predate the movie, so somehow I got on that list.” That first bite was a transformative moment for the Mad Men favourite, who was left thinking that “this might be the best cake I’ve ever had in my life”.
Each year, Cruise orders over 100 of his signature delicacies from Doan’s Bakery in California. To add another layer of mystery and intrigue to the entire operation, the proprietors of the establishment admitted that they’d never even met Cruise.
They’re responsible for one of Hollywood’s ultimate status symbols, a list that generates envious eyes from everyone who isn’t part of it, and provides a regular source of income they can rely on to fill their coffers annually, but not once have they looked directly into the man’s eyes.
