When I first saw these viral dot cakes, I was perplexed. Vanilla/chocolate/red velvet cake cups topped with a layer of rainbow nonpareils, they have bewitched millions of viewers on social media in a way that made me think: Rainbow sprinkles? For spring? Groundbreaking. Sure, I’d gladly inhale one, but are these really…. new?
Dot cake frenzy originated at The Dotcakes, a bakery in Roslyn Heights on Long Island, but the TikTok-viral lines have been stretching down the block at Butterfield Market in Manhattan. Now, folks are recreating the Funfetti-esque cakes in their own kitchens and tracking down dupes at Crumbls across the country.
So, again… why? There’s clearly an element of nostalgia at work here: One TikTok video from The Dotcakes shows the cakes’ colorful batter mixing to the sounds of Y2K Disney pop, with the caption “Lizzie McGuire would love Dotcakes.” They’re like the Comic Sans of cakes; as one Instagram user wrote, “They’re the fancy version of your golden retriever husband’s favorite food.”
Still, I think there’s more to the appeal than just familiarity. Visually, they present a layer of sprinkles that are impressively — almost impossibly — flush with the top of the cup. My guess is that there’s a lot of ASMR brainrot at work here. Fans of the dessert on social media say they enjoy the “crunch” of the layer of nonpareils. Creators almost always stroke the top of the dessert with a spoon, in peak ASMR fashion, before scooping out a uniform bite. It’s a satisfying moment that has become such an integral part of the cake-eating ritual that even Buddy Valastro from Cake Boss has gently trolled influencers about it. The dot cake isn’t just a taste of LOLfood, but a manifestation of how much once-niche internet videos dedicated to sensory tickling, satisfying slime-cup cracks, and surreal AI food-slicing have influenced consumers.
The dirty soda-fication of coffee
There was a time when a dirty soda resided firmly in the cup holder of a Mormon influencer’s Kia Telluride. Then, somewhere around 2022, the booze-abstaining Utahn’s go-to sweet treat hit mainstream TikTok. As Eater reported last year, the virality of once-DIY’d dirty sodas (a combination of soda, syrups, and coffee creamer), sparked widespread copycat drinks from big chains and corporations. The dirty soda chain Swig, for example, has expanded to 168 locations, and both Coca-Cola and PepsiCo have introduced concoctions such as dirty Mountain Dew and Coca-Cola cherry float. As this more-is-more reflex becomes commonplace, it appears dirty soda’s influence is extending into coffee beverages. Philippe von Borries, co-founder of Refinery29, recently released Esspo, a line of canned coffee sodas with flavors such as cherry vanilla and sweet lemon; Dunkin’ just introduced the Dunkin’ dirty soda, which combines the brand’s coffee milk with Pepsi and a “sweet cold foam”; and the San Francisco-based coffee chain Andytown brought its trademark “Snowy Plover” drink (sparkling water over ice, espresso, brown sugar syrup, and whipped cream) to North America’s largest coffee expo.
The Swedish candy obsession goes brick and mortar
Over the past two years, Swedish candy has become inescapable. In New York City, for example, I can guarantee you that at least one person in any given screening at Williamsburg Cinemas will be eating BonBon gummies from its charming brick-and-mortar store nearby. But it appears this is just the beginning of adult-friendly candy stores: Swedish-style candy bars (think: self-service, chic interiors, and candies with high-quality ingredients) have been popping up throughout the country, from the Swedish-inspired Candor Candy in Brooklyn to Sockerbit Swedish candy at Neighborly Marketplace in Los Angeles. There’s the Swedish-inspired Slik candy bar, which opened in Manhattan’s East Village over the holidays, and Vännest, a Swedish candy store that opened in the West Village in the spring. The Swedish candy store The Pirate Candy Shop in Tampa, Florida is set to open another location in the St. Pete’s Grand Central District this summer, as is Millie’s Swedish Candy in Orlando, Florida.
Setting the table for Pride month
As Pride month approaches, LBGTQ+ groups are organizing not just mixers and club nights, but kicking things off with relaxed, chic supper-club-style dinners. Tonight, the ages 28+ sapphic mixer Ex’s is hosting a ticketed, multi-course dinner in Manhattan’s LES neighborhood by Gio Luciano that includes standouts such as bluefin tuna with strawberry, Fresno chiles, basil, and Marcona almonds; and a buttermilk panna cotta with bourbon-macerated cherries. The monthly mixer Queer Aperitivo announced its plans to celebrate Pride with a “pop-up queer farmers market” (save the date for Rodeo bar in Brooklyn on June 3) that benefits Rise & Root Farm; and this week, the San Francisco group Deluxe Queer announced on Instagram that it will be hosting two three-course meal supper club nights complete with wine pairings by Decant SF.
Do we all want Mommy?
Last year, a new cocktail bar called Mommy’s opened in Williamsburg, Brooklyn. The menu consists of drinks like Mommy’s Perfect Daiquiri and happy hour deals such as the Big Belly Combo (fried chicken sandwich, shoestring fries, beer, and a well shot). Adding to the Freudian intrigue, there is a long-standing bar called Mother’s (established in 2008) just a block away (as this tweet recently pointed out) with a robust drink menu and dishes such as Mother’s Meatloaf. A coincidence? Who knows. But two mom-themed bars per one block-radius is eyebrow-raising enough for me. Other maternal drinking establishments worth noting: San Francisco queer bar Mother, opened in 2023, and a brand new bar in Boston called Mother's East Tavern (which, by the looks of it, is more Mother Ann Lee). My hunch is that the psychology of it all exists somewhere in a Venn diagram of queer culture, Big Milk Discourse, and the returning appeal of comforting taverns.
