A New Jersey woman shared a series of TikTok videos after receiving a birthday cake she said cost $42 from a bakery in Morristown. In the first video, she showed the rectangular chocolate cake decorated with colorful frosting flowers and repeatedly pressed on its surface. The video has gained 5.1 million views, 269,200 likes, and 2,400 comments.
Ava, who posts as @ava_salerno, stated in the TikTok video that the cake felt solid. She hit the top several times and said it made a dull sound. “Look at this birthday cake we just got from a bakery in Morristown. $42 I paid. Look at this. Look at the cake. Look at it. It’s a rock. It’s getting returned. It’s a rock,” she said.
She appeared in a white t-shirt and used her hand with light pink nails to press the cake. Some light-colored crumbs showed on the surface as she struck it. Ava looked at the camera with wide eyes and said the cake would be returned.
Follow-up videos show the cake left out overnight and later placed in the sun
In a second TikTok video posted as a follow-up, Ava said the cake had been left out overnight. She pressed her finger on the top surface and stated it remained firm. “All right, day 2 of the cake. It’s been left out overnight. It’s still pretty hard. Doesn’t even come off on your finger. Like, how does it not come on your finger? What the hell?” she said.
The video showed a top-down view of the partially eaten rectangular chocolate cake in a cardboard box. Dark chocolate frosting covered the cake, along with three piped buttercream flowers in yellow and orange with green leaves. A knife rested nearby, and chocolate sprinkles were scattered on the box. Ava rubbed the surface and noted that the frosting did not come off on her finger.
In a third TikTok video, Ava said she placed slices of the cake outside in the sun on day 3. She held a white paper plate with several pieces of the chocolate cake that still had sprinkles and colorful flower decorations. “Hanging out to sit in the sun today. Let’s see what happens. Day 3. Okay, going to the beach. See you in a little bit,” she said before leaving the plate outdoors.
After what she described as about an hour and a half, Ava picked up the plate again. The cake pieces looked softer and more broken apart, with the frosting appearing smeared. An off-screen male voice said the cake was starting to get soft a little bit and that it was taking a really hard fight. Ava responded that they would see.
In the final part of the video, Ava pressed and smeared the cake with her fingers, which had red nail polish. The pieces broke down into a messy pile of crumbs and melted frosting. “Well, say goodbye to Kiki,” she said as she tapped the plate. Cake-related disputes can escalate quickly, as when a family was cutting cake at Joey Tomatoes and the owner called it inappropriate.
Viewers left a range of reactions under the original video. One commenter suggested the cake was probably frozen and wrote, “It’s probably frozen. Let it thaw for 30 minutes and it’ll be fine.” Another advised a different approach, saying, “Maybe try cutting it instead of beating it.”
A third commenter pointed out the handling of the cake and wrote, ““It’s getting returned” she says as she puts her hands ALLL over it.” Someone identifying as a pastry chef noted the possible need for thawing time and asked, “Pastry chef here: did anyone tell you that buttercream frostings and some ganaches requires hour(s) to thaw out?”
Other viewers questioned the method used in the video, with one asking, “Why she spanking the cake,” and another requesting more footage by writing, “Please film the follow up where they explain what you were doing wrong.” Birthday cake complaints are not uncommon, such as when a California woman was shocked by a $110 charge for having her cake cut at a rooftop bar.
Published: Aug 25, 2026 11:15 am