The Story Behind the Sheet Cake: All About the Bakery That Made Tina Fey's Movement Possible
Eduardo Castillo had no idea the sheet cake he made on Thursday morning would make its way onto national television.
The baker at Le Delice Pastry Shop, where a Saturday Night Live producer picked up the dessert for Tina Fey’s return to Weekend Update, says he received a rush order for a cake with an American flag on top but didn’t question why.
“We didn’t know,” he tells PEOPLE. “Someone just came in to place an order and we tried to help them, but we didn’t know who it was or who’s going to be there.”
Of course, the three-layer vanilla cake with vanilla buttercream was made famous on Fey’s skit that night when she tackled the violent weekend events in Charlottesville, Virginia and President Donald Trump’s response. “I would urge people this Saturday, instead of participating in screaming matches and potential violence, find a local business you support, maybe a Jewish-run bakery or an African-American bakery. Order a cake with an American flag on it and just eat it,” she said before eating the dessert while delivering the rest of her rant.
WATCH: How to Make a Strawberries and Cream Sheet Cake
“Sheet-caking is a grass-roots movement,” she continued. “Most of the women I know have been doing it once a week since the election.”
Castillo hasn’t seen the show yet, but plans on tuning in since receiving a rave review from the network. “I think someone called us this morning saying that the cake was amazing,” he says.
The long-standing bakery in N.Y.C.’s Kips Bay neighborhood has been around since 1935 and specializes in traditional pastries like black and white cookies, cannolis and gingerbread houses during the holidays. Their Instagram account is also filled with dozens of intricate layer cakes, and yes, some sheet cakes as well.
#LaDelice #ladelicepastryshop #sheetcake #saturdaynight #saturdaynightlive #NBC #SNL #sheetcaking
A post shared by La Delice (@ladelicepastryshop) on Aug 18, 2017 at 10:38am PDT
Happy saturday everyone!! #newyorkbakery #established1935 #oldschoolbakery #NYCbakery
A post shared by La Delice (@ladelicepastryshop) on Jun 3, 2017 at 5:16am PDT
#LaDelice #ladelicepastry #spongebobcake
A post shared by La Delice (@ladelicepastryshop) on Jun 22, 2017 at 11:07am PDT
A post shared by La Delice (@ladelicepastryshop) on Jun 22, 2017 at 11:04am PDT
Want the ultimate dish on the latest celebrity food news, plus exclusive recipes, videos and more? Click here to subscribe to the People Food newsletter.
If you’re looking to take Fey’s advice and eat your feelings, a 9-x-13-inch sheet cake cost $63.75 plus $20 for a decoration on top at Le Delice. If vanilla’s not your favorite, Castillo says he makes 16 different flavors of cakes including strawberry shortcake, chocolate mousse, cannoli cake and red velvet. But in case you’re not in the area, these American flag-themed desserts should also do the trick.
