All Your Favorite Cakes Aren’t Meant To Be Edible — Oops

Back in the day, cake was a lot simpler — flour, butter, sugar, and a few other ingredients were all you needed to celebrate someone’s big event. Then, things got a little more intense. And no, I’m not just talking about ice cream. Suddenly, photos could be incorporated on a sheet cake, making it simultaneously creepy yet endearing. And after that, new decor took cakes from blah to wow, making them more visually attractive for social media.

However, it seems like one item that everyone’s using right now might not be that great for our stomachs. And it’s a shame, since it’s been featured in a ton of videos and Instagram feeds. It’s cake glitter, and you might want to stop yourself from pouring it on your next baked masterpiece.

You may have thought it was totally safe because it’s non-toxic. But think of it this way — so are most crayons. That means if your kid nibbles on them, a trip to the E.R. isn’t necessary. But that doesn’t mean you’d classify it as being food. Cake glitter shares a few similarities.

The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) issued a warning about the stuff just recently. If your cakes just can’t sparkle without it, have no fear — some of it is just fine, but you need to make sure you check the ingredients.

One way to tell whether or not the glitter used is edible is to see if it openly states that it is. If “edible” doesn’t appear, it may be for decoration only. Another way to tell is by asking your baker, if you happen to pick up the cake at a bakery.

Here’s the sad news — if it’s not edible, you have to remove all of it before you eat it. Unless you want to repurpose that cake as a centerpiece, and enjoy something else for dessert.

The FDA realized how problematic the glitter may be, and went ahead and created an informative video. And it’s good they did, because we might not have known otherwise.

So, here’s the good news. It’s not like you can’t use glitter on your cakes. You just need to go ahead and make sure that you’re using the right stuff, especially if you’re bringing those cakes to a party.

And in order to inspire you to keep those cakes shining brightly, here are some of the best glitter cakes, cupcakes, and cake pops on Instagram. Note, it’s unclear as to whether or not these are for decoration only. No matter what, they’re works of art.

You might actually feel inspired to bake this upcoming weekend based on seeing these glitter creations. Sure, Christmas is all about the cookies — but it wouldn’t hurt to throw some cupcakes in there for Santa as well.  Or perhaps this reindeer cake, if you’re throwing a big party.

Or these, which the baker says were made with a cake glitter spray:

It’s hard to resist adding glitter to cakes and other bakery projects. So go ahead, but make sure you read the label and are certain that it’s meant to be ingested.