Koreans often mark special occasions with cake, and Christmas is no exception. This year, however, heavily promoted limited-edition seasonal cakes from major bakery chains have left many customers disappointed.
Complaints began circulating across online communities and YouTube channels on Wednesday, focusing on Christmas cakes sold by Twosome Place and Paris Baguette.
Twosome Place’s Hennessy V.S.O.P Cake, created in collaboration with the global cognac brand Hennessy, initially drew attention for its bottle-shaped design. While the cake appears to be fully coated in chocolate, some customers were surprised to find that parts of the exterior were actually wrapped in plastic made to resemble chocolate.
“Once you peel off the edge, the cake looks so bare,” one customer wrote online, while another said they were “disappointed given the price.” The backlash intensified as consumers questioned the cake’s 42,000-won($29.08) price tag.
Paris Baguette’s seasonal release, the Berry Bomb Cake, has also received mixed reviews. Customers said that while the outside looks piled high with strawberries, the inside is unexpectedly plain.
Photos shared online show a cake topped with fresh strawberries but filled mostly with white sponge cake and custard whipped cream.
Comments were blunt, with some saying, “Fancy name, poor quality.”
Paris Baguette reportedly responded that the design was intentional, explaining that the cake was sold under the concept of “strawberries on the outside, cake on the inside,” which was also clearly stated on the product’s introduction page.
In contrast, Seongsimdang, a popular bakery chain based in Daejeon, has been earning praise for generous portions and reasonable prices.
Its winter limited-edition Strawberry Siru cake went viral again this year for being packed with strawberries.
Demand was so high that lines reportedly stretched more than 200 meters, with wait times reaching five to six hours on Christmas Eve.
As the frenzy grew, resale listings quickly appeared on secondhand platforms as well, with some sellers offering the cake or proxy purchases at two to three times the original price. In extreme cases, prices reportedly climbed as high as 140,000 won.
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