#NJ family’s cake-flipping tradition goes viral on TikTok

“My parents got me a medium-size sheet cake,” he said. “And as we were taking it out of the box to eat it, someone said, ‘Wouldn’t it be absolutely crazy if you flipped the cake and caught it?’”

And after a few beers, some friendly prodding from more cousins and an objection from grandma Mimi, 86, Matuszewski “just went for it.”

“When flipping a cake, it’s all about confidence,” the tech analyst advised, noting that rectangular sheet cakes are much easier to toss than circular, layered or ice cream-based treats. 

“You can’t be tentative because being hesitant can cause you to either get a weak rotation or too much rotation on the flip,” he continued, adding that the cake should remain on the piece of cardboard that most store-bought cakes are sold on. “You gotta hold it with both hands on either side of the cake…and then tap into your best hand-eye coordination skills to catch it.”

And since the family got such a major kick out of Matuszewski’s inaugural flip, the guest of honor at every monthly birthday, graduation, engagement party or other special occasion gets to chuck the treat in celebration of their big day.  

Carney and Matuszewski credit their younger cousin Chris, 17, with the best tossing talents in the family. 

“He’s caught a circular chocolate layer cake blindfolded,” Carney bragged of the high school senior.  

But for some members of family, the art of cake flipping isn’t a piece of cake.  

“I’ve only successfully flipped one,” said cousin Grace Cody, 21, admitting she’s not the greatest at juggling baked goods. 

A viral TikTok bloopers reel shows her and others catching the cakes upside down — leaving globs of frosting all over their hands, forearms and clothes — or dropping the delicacies altogether. 

“But as long as the cake doesn’t hit the floor, we’ll still eat it,” she said.

“Plus, we always have a bunch of backup desserts like fruit or cookies if the cake gets destroyed.”

But Matuszewski says having only one dessert at the party makes the cake flipping more fun.  

“When there’s only one cake, it adds pressure to the flipper,” he laughed. “You’re holding the entire family’s dessert in your hands, so you better not drop it.”

Cody says the excitement of cake throwing has brought their clan even closer together, especially after COVID-19. 

“We weren’t able to get together at all last year,” she said of the pandemic’s damping effects on their frequent family gatherings. But they finally reunited this spring, outdoors and with face masks, for Easter.

“So being with one another now and having our cake-flipping tradition go viral is really such a sweet deal.”