Social media is in a cheesecake-covered panic right now, all thanks to a neighborhood dessert disagreement.
If you’re late to the pastry party, here’s everything you need to know about #Cheesecakegate.
On May 8, a Denver, Colorado-area Threads user named Claire (@theclairest) posted about a cheesecake she ordered from a baker in her neighborhood that didn’t quite meet expectations — particularly in the height department.
“My daughter requested a cheesecake for her birthday,” Claire wrote, adding that her family just moved to the area, so she asked a neighborhood forum for recommendations.
“A ton of people raved about a local mom in my neighborhood who makes cheesecakes people are ‘still dreaming about.’ So I placed an order,” she continued. “Y’all. For FIFTY dollars, this is what I got.”
Claire then posted photos of what she received: The first image shows a side view of the cake, which is less than an inch tall without toppings. (We know this because Claire conveniently placed a measuring tape right next to the cake.)
The other two images showcase the cake’s uneven texture, sloppy crust, haphazard fruit placement and, finally, a gelatinous red topping that more like compost than compote.
Later that day, in a “Cheesecake-gate update,” Claire said she messaged the baker to express her disappointment.
“Her response was that her cheesecakes are lighter and more dense than NY style,” Claire wrote. “She apologized and said she would take my feedback in mind. Did not offer to refund any money.”
#Cheesecakegate goes viral
Claire’s posts went very viral, garnering millions of views on Threads and drawing the rapt attention of many: There are over 40,000 posts about the cheesecake on the platform.
It also made its way to many other social media platforms like Reddit, Instagram and TikTok.
“The measure tape is sending me! 😂,” one Threads user commented.
“I’d be embarrassed to even give that away, let alone sell it,” another wrote.
“How does someone have a cheesecake that is simultaneously ‘lighter’ and ‘more dense’? Those are opposing concepts,” posted one Redditor, to whom another replied, “The cheesecake was lighter. The baker was more dense.”
“I am so incredibly grateful this cheesecake has brought us all together, even sparking conversations with strangers IRL. But let’s not try to dox this woman. Maybe she’s saving up for baking classes,” someone else wrote.
Claire responded that she’s been “vocal and adamant” that she will “never reveal her identity,” as the baker is a “private person.”
“I wanted to post about having the best cheesecake of my whole life for $5 in Paris but that feels insensitive to Claire,” another Threads user posted.
People then started posting their own homemade cheesecakes for comparison’s sake.
“This one was made by my 10 year old daughter,” one user posted, showing off a stunning cheesecake with a transparent gelatin topping filled with strawberries.
The Cheesecake Factory weighs in
Then, The Cheesecake Factory, which last posted on Threads in October 2023, heard that everyone was talking about cheesecake and ended its hiatus on the platform.
“wait why are people talking about us on threads. hi,” the company wrote.
“Where have you been? We have been looking for you all day. Claire needs a cheesecake,” one user responded.
Claire posted on May 11 that the chain sent her a gift card.
“can’t wait to take my daughter to the holy grail of cheesecakes!!!” she wrote. “This whole debacle had absolutely nothing to do with them, and they didn’t hesitate to offer.”
“We thought it was really fun that we’d been brought into the conversation to help save Claire’s daughter’s birthday,” Donald Evans, Cheesecake Factory’s CMO, tells TODAY.com. “Since she wanted a cheesecake, we knew we could help because cheesecake is our middle name.”
Claire speaks out on #Cheesecakegate
“It just was shocking that she doubled down on it and tried to make it sound like I didn’t understand what cheesecakes are supposed to be,” Claire, who asked that we only use her first name to protect her identity, tells TODAY.com.
“Let me tell you, putting regular old candles on that thing? It just towered over it; it was the saddest thing,” she says, adding that her daughter didn’t make a big deal of it, but her Mama Bear instincts refused to let go. “I woke up a couple of times in the middle of the night and just kept thinking about it.”
Claire says the baker denied a refund request on Venmo the following day, but since Cheesecake Factory swooped in with a $100 gift card, she’s letting it go, as it’s more than enough to replace the cheesecake-shaped hole in her heart.
“This was my daughter’s birthday and that’s how this all started, so I want to take her so she can order a bunch of cheesecake slices,” Claire says. “I want her to be in cheesecake heaven because Friday was cheesecake hell.”
This story first appeared on TODAY.com. More from TODAY:
