What is the ‘Hear Me Out Cake’ trend on TikTok?
‘Hear Me Out Cake’ is a TikTok trend where people stick pictures of their unconventional crushes into a cake. In the TikTok videos that follow the trend, a group of friends take turns sharing their most niche or unusual fictional or celebrity crushes—aka, people that they’re attracted to but feel slightly embarrassed about. To reveal their crush, they take out a popsicle stick with a printed-out image of this person pasted onto it. Then, they place the stick into the cake. Typically, each person places several “hear me out” crushes into the cake. By the end of the video, the cake is full of celebrity and character stick figures that represent the “unhinged” crushes of the group. More rarely, the “hear me out cake” videos feature just one person placing their choices into a cake one at a time with Lana Del Rey’s Young and Beautiful playing in the background. However, most videos feature a group of people taking turns. The people placed on the cake aren’t necessarily “embarrassing” because they’re not conventionally attractive. Instead, they’re often animated, animal, or antagonistic characters—like Nala from The Lion King or Kylo Ren from Star Wars. Some social media users have noted an interesting gender divide between the characters chosen by (heterosexual) men and women. Women, on the whole, tend to pick more unusual or “out-there” picks—like Lumiere (the candelabra from Beauty and the Beast)—while men pick more conventionally attractive characters or people—like Jessica Rabbit.
Where did the ‘Hear Me Out Cake’ meme come from?
The exact origins of “hear me out cake” aren’t clear, but the first videos appeared in late 2024. No one knows who the first person was to post a “hear me out cake video” or where the idea came from. However, one of the earliest known videos was posted on September 23rd, 2024 by TikTok user @desgovname. This video technically showcases a “crush cake,” another trend (and one of the likely inspirations for “hear me out cake”) where people arrange cutouts of their crushes. “Crush cakes,” however, don’t exclusively feature unconventional or embarrassing crushes. The video posted by @desgovname was one of the first to use the phrase “hear me out” in combination with the crush cake. The phrase “hear me out,” however, has been common internet lingo for well over a decade. Users often use the phrase before proposing a jokingly controversial idea or making a silly joke. Eventually, “hear me out” began to be used in the context of physical attraction, which is how it’s used when applied to the “hear me out cake.” According to some theories, the “hear me out cake” stemmed from a playful, wordplay-driven combination of a “smash cake” and the “smash or pass” game. “Smash cakes” are cakes given to toddlers on their birthdays that they can smash up into a mess. The game “smash or pass” presents different individuals and asks people whether they would “smash” or “pass” on that person—aka, would they hook up with them or not?
Hear Me Out Cake Ideas: Male & Female Characters
Common male “Hear Me Out Cake” ideas include Simba and Shrek. If you’re trying to come up with your own characters for a “hear me out cake,” then there are some “safe” options you can stick to if desired. In other words, there are certain fictional characters and celebrities that seem unconventionally attractive, but this trend has proven that many people are attracted to them. Here’s a list of some male hear me out cake ideas that appear repeatedly on TikTok: Danny Phantom (Danny Phantom) Simba (The Lion King) Shrek (Shrek) Kylo Ren (Star Wars) Johnny the gorilla (Sing) Frozone (The Incredibles) Robin Hood (Robin Hood (1973)) Lord Farquaad (Shrek) Tony the Tiger President Joe Biden Lumiere (Beauty and the Beast)
Common female “Hear Me Out Cake” ideas include Nala and Rosalina. Most female “hear me out” characters chosen by heterosexual men are animated characters or anthropomorphic animals that are given a feminine shape. If you need “safe” ideas for your “hear me out cake,” stick with characters that are commonly thought of as attractive despite them being a cartoon or otherwise unconventional (i.e., they’re much older than you). Here’s a list of some female hear me out cake ideas that appear repeatedly on TikTok: Rosalina (Mario franchise) Lola Bunny (Space Jam) Judy Hopps (Zootopia) Na’vi (Avatar) Elastigirl (The Incredibles) Nala (The Lion King) Betty Boop Jessica Rabbit (Who Framed Roger Rabbit) Sailor Moon (Sailor Moon) Wanda (The Fairly Oddparents) Judge Judy
How to Do the ‘Hear Me Out Cake’ Trend
Print photos of 5+ crushes and tape them onto popsicle sticks. Start by making a list of 5-7 “unconventional” people that you’re attracted to. Think of fictional characters, celebrities, or even company mascots that are niche but attractive to you. Print out a photo of each person, then cut out their silhouette and glue or tape it onto a popsicle stick. Avoid using real people as much as possible, particularly if they’re not a public figure. It may come across as mean-spirited to describe someone you go to school with or work with as attractive, for example, but in a weird way or in a way that most people wouldn’t be attracted to.
Buy or bake a cake, and gather your group of friends around it. Along with your popsicle-stick crushes, you’ll also need a cake to complete the “hear me out cake!” Purchase a cake from a nearby store, or bake and frost your own cake. Then, gather all of the friends you want to participate in your video. You can include any number of friends, but be sure to organize the number of popsicle sticks that each person needs to bring. If you have 10+ friends participating in your video, for instance, there may only be room on the cake for each person to add 2-3 crushes. If there are only two of you, however, you could each add up to ten (or more!) popsicle sticks.
Film as you present each crush to the camera and say “hear me out.” Once you have your popsicle sticks and cake ready to go, take turns presenting each popsicle stick with your friends. On your turn, hold up one of your crushes to the camera and say “hear me out.” Your crush should also be a surprise to your friends (who will likely react with laughter!). Then, stick the popsicle stick into the cake and step back for another friend to take their turn.
More Viral TikTok Trends
Once you’ve completed your “hear me out cake” and successfully (or embarrassingly) revealed the most niche objects of your affection, which TikTok trend can you take on next? Here are just a few popular TikTok slang terms and trends that you can hop on to keep the meme-ified fun going: Canon Event: A significant and unavoidable life moment that shapes who you are. Girl Math: Refers to the mental calculations that women do to justify spending (e.g., “If I use this $300 purse every day for a month, then it only costs $10 a day”). Tortilla Challenge: A trend where players fill their mouths with water and slap each other with tortillas while trying not to laugh. Aura Points: A lighthearted way to measure someone’s “coolness” or confidence based on their behavior. Girl Dinner: An aesthetically arranged selection of snack items that, when assembled, creates a full meal. Hopecore: Refers to videos that show motivational reminders and other content created to encourage optimism, joy, and hope.
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