Where Is Surprise Cake From Shark Tank Today?

Liz Charm founded Surprise Cake after coming up with the idea for her daughter's 12^th birthday. She was gifting her daughter a phone and decided to wrap the cell phone in a plastic bag and insert it into the cake. After the candles were blown out, she called the phone so that it rang inside the cake. The surprise was a hit amongst the party guests, and Charm decided to find a way to fit more gifts inside cakes to replicate the experience.

After learning about food safety requirements, Charm enlisted the help of her son, Jordan, to create a cake stand with a gift compartment. The stand they created features a compartment large enough to hold anything up to a cell phone in the center of the cake, giving the illusion of the gift popping out of the dessert. Plus, they were able to add music for some added fun.

In order to expand the business, Charm and her son headed to "Shark Tank" to seek an investment.

Founder Liz Charm and her son Jordan Long made their "Shark Tank" debut by popping out of a giant cardboard cake to greet the Sharks in Episode 4 of Season 12 (via YouTube). They sought a $200,000 investment from the Sharks in exchange for 8% equity in the company. Charm demonstrated how the cake stands worked, showcasing how easily the inside surprises show off the gift inside. Each shark received a party hat to wear, as well as their own cakes on a Surprise Cake stand, which they opened to reveal personalized gifts.

Long explained that although they had found success selling the stands alone — they had made $550,000 in sales at the time of the appearance — they hoped to expand the business to offer cake delivery as well. However, some of the Sharks were skeptical about the prospect of getting into the baking business.

Mark Cuban, Daymond John, Barbara Corcoran, and Kevin O'Leary decided against the investment and went out right away. Lori Greiner, however, saw the potential and opportunity for the cake stand to become a family tradition. But after a brief negotiation, she opted out, and Surprise Cake left without a deal.

Despite the lack of investment, Liz Charm and Jordan Long decided to push forward with the business and expand their offerings anyway. Today, Surprise Cake is still in business, shipping its cakes and products nationwide. Each cake comes wrapped in a decorative box, and customers can even choose to have gift cards pre-inserted into the gift tube of the cake stand.

Customers can order a variety of different flavored cakes coated in sprinkles for delivery. They can also be personalized with different surprise fillings, including confetti, Lindt Truffles, Mini M&Ms, and more. If you'd prefer to DIY the surprise, you can also purchase the cake stand by itself, along with a few accessories including a music box, cake carrier, and a cupcake kit.

According to Shark Tank Blog, the annual revenue of the company was less than $5 million as of August 2022, but the company continues to be active on social media and continues to do business through its website and Amazon.