
When Is It Cake? premiered on Netflix in March 2022, then 18-year-old Justin Ellen stood out as the youngest contestant slicing his way through the optical illusion baking craze. Now, just a few years later, he’s the cofounder of Everything Just Baked, a premium custom cake brand that’s just as bold as his creativity. From TikTok tutorials to Instagram-worthy cake drops, he’s built a baking empire that’s equal parts skill and scroll-stopping visuals. I was lucky enough to chat with him and hear firsthand how he turned a viral moment into a full-blown business, and trust me, his story is just as impressive as his cakes.
Spoon University: You and Netflix’s Is It Cake? — spill the tea! How did you get onto the show?
Justin Ellen: So I started posting on social media. I wasn’t big at the time. I just turned 18 so I just made the cut but I guess they saw my posts and commented and dmed me on Instagram, “Hey you wanna be on the show?” At first, I thought it was a little sketchy but then you go through an interview process, you meet with the producers, and I was lucky. I got chosen.
SU: Do you think the show opened new doors for you?
IS: The show definitely opened a lot of new doors. It gave me exposure and it’s hard to really grasp how much exposure. Like I’ve been recognized in Mexico on vacation, Florida, all over. And it just gave me a whole lot of followers. People still recognize me from the show, so [it] definitely opened so many doors.
SU: What originally got you into baking?
IS: I used to bake with my mom and my grandma when I was little. My grandma was crazy for the holidays. She would make everything from scratch. The breads, the pies, the cookies, the cakes, the iced tea, the drinks. Everything from scratch. I enjoyed being in the kitchen with her. I decided to practice on my own time and it really started my love for baking.
SU: What are your favorite cakes to make?
IS: My favorite cakes to make are definitely sculpted cakes or ‘out of this world’ cakes because I feel like when people think ‘cake,’ they think of sheet cake or something from Walmart. But I really enjoy making something over the top whether it’s like, I don’t know, Stitch holding a cake or a five-tier birthday cake, wedding cake, things of that nature. Something that makes you think ‘wow that’s awesome.’
SU: What is your favorite part of making hyper realistic cakes?
IS: My favorite part of making hyper realistic cakes is definitely the after, so fooling people, shocking people, like “Oh my god! That’s cake! How’s that possible?” I feel like it’s just always a fun experience. Or sometimes they get mad, you know? Maybe I wanted the fried chicken but instead I got cake.
SU: What is it about cake that you feel brings people together?
IS: I feel like, cake, if you think about it, at every party, at every celebration, there’s always a cake at the end of the event so I feel like it’s a time where people come together to celebrate a special person or event or occasion. I feel like it’s something that everyone has in common with.
SU: Out of all of the brands you’ve collaborated with, which one is your favorite?
IS: That’s hard. I’ve collaborated with a lot of brands but maybe like Disney. I made a cake for the Disney Lion King on broadway. I got to surprise the cast. I got to see the show, bring my family, so that was a cool experience.”
Are: What brand would you love to work with next?
“Anything like Playstation or video games. I like to play video games obviously so I think that could be a super cool experience. Maybe like Call of Duty, I don’t know.”
Are: Who would you consider your idol?
“I would consider my idol to be my grandma because like I said, she’s what introduced me to the kitchen.”
SU: Would you consider making your own line of products to sell to customers in the future?
IS: I definitely would. I would definitely love to do things like cake mixes where it’s all natural. Things that don’t have all the chemicals and unnecessary ingredients, but I don’t have any products in line for the future but I did release my blog in January and that’s where I share all my free recipes, like my chocolate chip cookie that’s gone viral a few times, my brownies. There’s a lot of good stuff out there.