Dot cakes are a sprinkle coated confection that have been filling social media feeds and soaring to viral acclaim.
Alex and Sondra Posner, the mother-daughter founders of The Dot Cakes in Roslyn, New York, have sparked a new single serving sensation with a simple cake in a cup concept made with layers of cake, frosting and topped with a colorful, spherical coating of nonpareils sprinkles for a crunchy finish.
The Posners have been selling their specialty desserts in limited-time drops at the popular Butterfield Market in New York City where patrons have stood in lines stretching around blocks of the Upper East Side just to get a taste.
“We’re pushing our team to the very limits at this point, if I’m being honest. But we’re really lucky to have one behind us,” Alex Posner, the daughter, said as they work late nights and early mornings to fulfill orders efficiently.
Last week, Google Trends data showed that search interest in the term “dot cake” spiked more than 850% in one week, reaching an all-time high.
Like any viral food, dot cakes have proven to be a somewhat polarizing trend among those who have tasted the frosting-filled, sprinkle-topped treat, creating a divide in the comment sections over its influx of popularity.
Some creators, influencers and food writers have chimed in that it’s not worth the wait in line, others that it has too much icing to cake ratio, or more still who believe they’re better off grabbing a standard sprinkle topped cupcake and skipping the nonpareils altogether.