Common Sense Media Review
By Ashley Moulton
,
based on child development research. How do we rate?
Absurdly entertaining bake-off with language and promotion.
Parents Need to Know
Why Age 8+?
Any Positive Content?
Where to Watch
Videos and Photos
Is It Cake?
Parent and Kid Reviews
Based on 7 parent reviews
Based on 14 kid reviews
Kids say this show is a mix of fun and oddity, with younger audiences particularly enjoying the baking challenges and guessing along with the judges. However, some viewers found issues with the judging process, felt the humor was cringe-worthy, and pointed out concerns about occasional inappropriate language and alcohol references, making it more suitable for kids over the age of 8.
- fun concept
- suitable for older kids
- judging concerns
- humor inconsistencies
- some inappropriate content
Summarized with AI
Summarized with AI
What's the Story?
IS IT CAKE? is a baking game show with a simple premise: Can expert cake artists make cakes so lifelike that they're confused for the real objects they represent? Zany host Mikey Day (SNL) leads 12 contestants through the cake sculpture competition. Each episode begins with the bakers playing a Find that Cake game where they guess which one of the items on pedestals in the distance is made out of cake. The mini-game determines the three bakers that compete in that episode, and they're tasked with making cakes that look like other kinds of food, purses, bowling balls, and more. At the end of eight hours, three celebrity judges arrive and try to identify which item is cake from a group of decoys. If the baker fools the judges, the baker wins $5,000. Then the baker plays a Cake or Cash guessing game for the chance to win an additional $5,000. The top three bakers from the whole season compete in a finale that determines the champion and the winner of the $50,000 prize.
Is It Any Good?
This show combines elements of other popular game shows: a silly competition set-up like Floor Is Lava, the fun of guessing along with the judges a la The Masked Singer, and, of course, amazing cakes. On its face, the concept of Is it Cake? is truly absurd: Can judges (and the viewer at home) guess which object is made of cake and which is a real object? It seems impossible to build an entire show around this conceit, but somehow the result is a delightful change of pace. Host Mikey Day has an over-the-top weird persona, staring directly into the camera with enormous eyes, yelling at the judges, and using giant swords to cut cakes. The contestants are similarly colorful and will appeal to kids with their vibrant personalities. In the end, the success of the show revolves around the fact that the bakers are wildly good at making cakes that look like real objects. Kids and grown-ups will love putting their fakery detection to the test to see if they can figure out...is it cake?
Talk to Your Kids About ...
Families can talk about the bakers' creations. Do you think you could make cakes that look that realistic? How do you think the bakers learned to make cakes that look so real?
Why do you think many of the judges come from other Netflix shows? How does the judges talking about their shows help Netflix?
TV Details
- Premiere date : March 18, 2022
- Cast : Mikey Day
- Network : Netflix
- Genre : Game Shows
- Topics : Cooking
- TV rating :
- Last updated : January 16, 2026
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