Armed with 4,000 eggs and a truckload of sugar and cream, French pastry chefs on Wednesday unveiled what they claim is the longest strawberry cake ever made—measuring an impressive 121.8 meters (nearly 400 feet).
Led by pastry chef Youssef El Gatou, a team of 20 chefs spent a week crafting the 1.2-tonne dessert masterpiece. The cake was laid out for public viewing on tables at an ice rink in the Paris suburb of Argenteuil, drawing crowds of curious and hungry residents.
The cake surpasses the previous record of a 100.48-meter strawberry cake created in San Mauro Torinese, Italy, in 2019.
To meet the requirements for official recognition by the Guinness World Records, the cake had to be at least eight centimeters in both height and width. El Gatou’s team used 350 kilograms of strawberries, 150 kilograms of sugar, and a staggering 415 kilograms of cream to bring the project to life. The logistical challenges were intense—blowtorches were even used to heat the bowl for the cream mixture, according to Nadia El Gatou, Youssef’s wife.
El Gatou, who dreamed of setting a record since childhood, said he chose strawberry cake to celebrate both French pastry tradition and locally sourced ingredients like milk, cream, and butter.
As a sweet reward, residents who came to witness the giant creation were given slices of the record-breaking cake to take home.
