While there are a number of ways to distinguish if a celebrity is an A-lister, such as their net worth or number of awards, one of the most coveted ways is by seeing who makes Tom Cruise's exclusive Christmas cake list.
The 62-year-old Top Gun actor has been treating his VIP friends to the delicious coconut Bundt cake for decades - but it doesn't go to just anyone, and future deliveries are not guaranteed.
Only some of the biggest name in showbiz have made the cut, including Tom Hanks, Glen Powell, and Angela Bassett.
The delicious bake, made for $126 a pop by Goldbelly, consists of a ring of moist, luxurious coconut cake with chunks of sweet white chocolate, and a layer of cream cheese frosting, as well as toasted coconut flakes on top.
News of Cruise's now-famous Christmas cake was initially revealed by Kristen Dunst in a 2015 interview.
'[Tom] sends me a cake every Christmas,' she told Stylist magazine at the time.
'It's so good - a coconut cake with white chocolate chips. It gets eaten within a day in my house.'
Kirsten, who starred in Interview with A Vampire with Tom, also appeared on The Graham Norton Show in 2016 to dish on what she dubbed 'the Cruise cake.'
Tom Cruise's famous Christmas cake has become a Hollywood status symbol
As per Goldbelly, the cake consists of a ring of moist, luxurious coconut Bundt cake, chunks of sweet white chocolate, a layer of cream cheese frosting, and coconut flakes on top
'He gives me this cake every Christmas,' she explained.
'We call it the Cruise cake. It's just this coconut cake. It's the best coconut cake I've ever had in my life.'
Some celebs have been on Cruise's cake list for decades, while others come and go.
The latest recipient is Mindy Kaling, who proudly shared a photo of the indulgent sweet treat to her Instagram this week.
'IYKYK,' she simply wrote alongside the image, which means, 'If You Know, You Know.'
Last year Brooke Shields revealed that she had been removed from the recipient list for the first time in 10 years.
'I was on the list for a while - I had a good 10-year run, and I got the coconut cake every year,' the actress told People at the time.
'It was from them and Suri, so it was the three of them, and then soon it was no Suri and no Katie and just Tom.
The Top Gun actor has been treating his VIP friends to the delicious coconut Bundt cake for decades
Rosie O'Donnell has been among the A-list talent to have received the cake in the past
'Then it went from just Tom for a while, but not every holiday. And then the cake stopped.'
The latest recipient is Mindy Kaling, who proudly shared a photo of the indulgent sweet treat to her Instagram this week
She begged: 'I want to get back on that cake list. It's the best cake. Tom, I need to be back on the cake list.'
Cruise's Top Gun: Maverick co-star star Glen revealed to Jennifer Hudson in 2022 that he hosts a party for his nearest and dearest and serves it.
'It is the most delicious cake you've ever had,' he shared.
'My friends who have tried it, they love it so much that they hit me up right around December 1 [and say], "Hey, has it arrived yet?"
'So now I have a party at my house where I'll have the Cruise cake. It's my Cruise Cake Party.
'And I'll invite people over to try a bite or two ... [they] can't get greedy. I really have to limit people. I can't let them come back for seconds.'
Cobie Smulders, who starred alongside Cruise in Jack Reacher: Never Look Back in 2012, has also been lucky enough to have been gifted the bake.
Glen Powell has parties whenever he gets sent the cake from his Top Gun costar
Brooke Shields said in 2023 that she is no longer on the list - despite having been so for years
Speaking to Jimmy Fallon on his late night show in 2019, she said of the dessert: 'I leave it in my freezer and it lasts until, like, March.
Hollywood A-listers who have received Tom Cruise's famous coconut cake
Kristen Dunst Graham Norton Jon Hamm Glen Powell Angela Bassett Hayley Atwell Cary Elwes Jimmy Fallon James Corden Tom Hanks Elle and Dakota Fanning Miles Teller Rosie O'Donnell Cobie Smulder Brooke Shields Jay Ellis Advertisement
'Like, I just slowly chip away at this thing. It's so good. I don't know why. I'm not even a big sweets person, but it's so good.'
Other stars who have gotten the cake over the years include Graham Norton, Jon Hamm, Hayley Atwell, Cary Elwes, Jimmy Fallon, James Corden, Elle and Dakota Fanning, Miles Teller, Rosie O'Donnell, Cobie Smulder, and Jay Ellis.
Not all of Cruise's cake recipients are Hollywood stars, as he also sends cakes to producers, journalists, and executives.
This year, Empire Magazine announced on social media that they had received the Bundt.
Taking to X on November 27, they wrote: 'Happy holiday season folks - it's officially Tom Cruise Cake Day in the Empire office.'
Karen and Eric Doan - the mother-and-son duo who own the bakery that makes the cake - have spoken about how grateful they are for Tom's generous annual contributions.
'This year has been a really rough ride,' Eric told Yahoo back in December 2020. 'In March and April, we wondered if we were even going to be able to stay open. [But] now, I'm spun like a top.'
He added that Tom's order was 'one of the things that kept them alive' during the pandemic.
'There were years they kept us in business,' he said.
According to Karen, Diane Keaton was the one who introduced Tom to the cake, while he was married to Katie Holmes.
She told ET that Diane and Katie had a contest on who knew of the best cake and made Tom the judge. He fell in love with the coconut Bundt cake, and the rest is history.
