Elle Fanning, Glen Powell, and every star who receives the Tom Cruise Christmas cake.

To a certain group of people on the internet, Tom Cruise's coconut Christmas cake is an elusive mystery that requires in-depth investigation every single year. To others, that sentence sounded very delusional and perhaps a little (a lot) like the rantings of a madman.

But, the Tom Cruise cake season is upon us. And the internet's greatest mystery has once again reared its coconut-covered head.

Let's get into the cake, the drama, and the ultimate question: who made the coveted cake list in 2024?

This is how I imagine Tom Cruise plans the great cake delivery. Image: Getty/Doan's Bakery. 

Tom Cruise sends "hundreds" of White Chocolate Coconut Bundt cakes to all of his favourite people every Christmas.

So specific, so mysterious, such a niche choice.

The cake was first created by Karen Doan, of Doan's Bakery, in 1984. A scrumptious, coconuty creation, it features chunks of white chocolate, cream cheese, frosting and a whole bunch of shredded coconut. It's been described as 'moist' and 'spongey' but… I think the same could be said for many a cake.

Doan's Bakery owner, Eric Doan, told ABC7 that the increasing interest is 'a little overwhelming'.

"This is a difficult time of year for us just to begin with, because it's hard to keep up," he said, adding Cruise ordered "hundreds" this year.

The allegedly delicious cake costs $130 USD (around $204 AUD).

Now, I don't actually know that it's delicious because I am a mere peasant who is neither friends with Tom Cruise nor able to afford a $204 cake (plus, like the flight to LA to make that magical moment happen). 

Although, a journalist from The Guardian did succeed in his rogue campaign to be included on the list. So, Tom's people, if you're listening: I love Top Gun and cake. I've recently watched every single Mission: Impossible film to prepare for next year. Please consider me.

Manifesting this view when Tom Cruise delivers me a coconut cake in 2025. Image: Getty/Doan's Bakery.

It's been reported that it was actually Tom's ex-wife Katie Holmes who first introduced him to the bakery, on the recommendation of her co-star Diane Keaton. Everyone say 'thank you Diane, we love your pantsuits, your intriguing and artistic glasses selection, and most of all, we love you for unleashing cake chaos'.

I'm not the only one who wants to be in on the list. Every year, Tom makes additions (and cuts!) to his cake deliveries.

Actress Brooke Shields told People Magazine she was removed from the list at some stage, after "a good 10-year run".

"It was from them and Suri, so it was the three of them, and then soon it was no Suri and no Katie and just Tom," Shields recalls. "Then it went from just Tom for a while, but not every holiday. And then the cake stopped."

"I want to get back on that cake list. It's the best cake. Tom, I need to be back on the cake list!" she said in 2023.

Brooke Shields is no longer receiving the cake. Justice for Brooke Shields! Image: Getty.

Also in 2023, Top Gun: Maverick star Jay Ellis revealed he'd been lucky enough to receive one. His family froze the cake to take on a Christmas vacay in Mexico.

"It's literally like getting a trophy," Ellis said on The Jennifer Hudson Show. "We get the cake every year. It's always a surprise when you get it because you're so excited to get it — and you wanna make sure you're still on the gift list."

And I'm not trying to be dramatic, but it really is like getting a trophy.

Like him, hate him, couldn't care less; the reality is that Tom Cruise is the movie star's movie star. He's simply THAT guy, and (almost) everyone in Hollywood is keen to be part of the magic.

He loves his industry and the people in it, and he's wildly well-respected by his peers. So his big cake decision is like a declaration of his very own 'in' and 'out' list for the year. 

And we've seen the impact of the Tom Cruise Effect.

I have been a Glen Powell truther from day one. Charming, talented, by all accounts a delight to work with, and a true fan of Hollywood. Much like myself, Cruise saw the certain aura Powell possessed and quickly schooled him in the art of filmmaking. No really, he enrolled him in a super exclusive Tom Cruise School of Film.

In 2024, Powell received the ultimate sign of Cruise's respect: a coconut Christmas cake. The actor posted the dessert on Insta, declaring "the Cruise Cake has arrived".

This display of manly friendship via cake delivery comes after Cruise attended — and promoted — Powell's film Twisters. If you know anything about Tom Cruise, he does not just throw his star power behind anyone or any film.

He loves Glen, and Glen loves the cake.

"It is the most delicious cake you've ever had," Glen said on Jennifer Hudson's talk show. "My friends who have tried it, they love it so much that they hit me up right around December 1. 'Hey, has it arrived yet?'

"So now I have a party at my house where I'll have the Cruise cake. It's my 'Cruise Cake Party.' And I'll invite people over to try a bite or two ... [they] can't get greedy. I really have to limit people. I can't let them come back for seconds." 

You know who appears to be absent from the list at this stage in 2024? Fellow Top Gun: Maverick star Miles Teller.

Thus far this year, his wife Keleigh Teller has not posted about the cake, and she is our eyes and ears on the ground at Camp Teller. In 2022 when Maverick came out, he revealed he'd actually received one on his birthday (yes! Sometimes the cake arrives at non-festive times!). The actor said it was 'so delicious' and he was very gracious… so we have all of our fingers and toes crossed for Miles! 

Jon Hamm was already on the list pre-Maverick, and he appears to still be in favour with Cruise despite playing his on-screen nemesis. Fellow Maverick star Danny Ramirez also posted about the cake, confirming he's still safe. Whew.

Elsewhere, Tom's Interview With A Vampire co-star Kirsten Dunst has been a mainstay on the list for years. 

"He gives me a cake every Christmas," she told Graham Norton during a 2016 appearance on his show. "We call it the Cruise cake at my house. It's the best coconut cake I've ever had in my life."

In 2024, she confirmed to an inquisitive Entertainment Tonight journalist, not only is she still on the list, but her husband, Jesse Plemons, has also been receiving one since co-starring with Tom in American Made.

"Jesse gets the cakes so we double up on our cakes," she revealed.

I know Brooke Shields is seething!!!

Time may pass, but white chocolate coconut bundt cakes are forever. Image: Getty.

Angela Bassett receives one every single year, and loves it so much that she and her husband, Courtney B. Vance, had a special version made for their 25th wedding anniversary. 

"At our 25th anniversary, we had a three-tiered TCCC [Tom Cruise Coconut Cake]," she said on Kelly Clarkson's chat show.

Dakota Fanning starred with Tom Cruise in War Of The Worlds, and to this day he's a big fan of Dakota and her sister, Elle Fanning.

"He sends [Dakota] a birthday gift every single year still. We get the coconut cake that he sends," Elle revealed in 2023.

In December 2024, Tom even showed up to support Elle at the London premiere of her film, A Complete Unknown. Safe to say the Fanning sisters are getting a cake this year!

Elle's A Complete Unknown co-star Monica Barbaro also has a cake connection, having starred in Top Gun: Maverick alongside Tom. Another queen on the cake list!

Greg Tarzan Davis, Timothée Chalamet, Tom Cruise, Monica Barbaro, James Mangold and Elle Fanning at the premiere of A Complete Unknown. Looks like a group of people who could be expecting a cake delivery any day now! 

Other well-known faves on the list include Mission: Impossible co-stars like Hayley Atwell, Cobie Smulders, and Cary Elwes, or famous friends like Rosie O'Donnell, Jimmy Fallon, James Corden, Tom Hanks and Rita Wilson, Graham Norton, Whoopi Goldberg and Renée Zellweger.

One person who is not on the list? Me. And I would so love to rectify that. If we could connect on the Mission: Impossible – The Final Reckoning red carpet, I promise to bring the coffee, if he brings the cake.

Feature Image: Getty.