Cheetos X Milk Bar Birthday Cake Review: A Dessert Mashup We Didn't Know We Craved

Cheetos is the snack food king of orange residue dust, aka "cheetle," with devoted legions of fans ready to eat anything that includes the cheesy snack, and the brand shows no signs of slowing down. To celebrate its 75th birthday this week, Cheetos threw a party, "Cheetos 75th: The Mark of Mischief" in New York City on September 6.  No birthday party is complete without cake, and that night a collaboration with Milk Bar was revealed for the first time — Cheetos x Milk Bar Birthday Cake. 

Since 2008, Milk Bar has been a destination for inventive desserts with unthinkable flavors thanks to James Beard award-winning pastry chef Christina Tosi, and this Cheetos cake is her latest wondrous creation. In a press release, Tosi said, "Cheetos dunked straight into with vanilla frosting has been a dirty dessert secret of mine for years, so this cake is a match made in snacking heaven to me," adding, "now fans can celebrate with the dessert mashup they never knew they needed. Trust me, it's a 'run don't walk' situation."

Taking the advice of Chef Tosi, we dashed out the door and over to the flagship location of Milk Bar in Manhattan to see what all the orange fuzz was about. Is the Cheetos x Milk Bar Birthday Cake the perfect way to celebrate 75 glorious years, or is it one giant cheat that would make us gasp? We blew out the candles and stuck a fork in it. Here is our chew and review...

Before our eyes lies a healthy slice of cake, with a crumbly top, three layers of spongy cake, and parallel orange and yellow stripes to separate them. Rather than have any cheesy scent, the cake smelled like any other cake and had a strong aroma of vanilla.

There's a lot to look at from any viewing angle when it comes to this slice. It's like a broken open piñata, with its fun interior surprises spilling out in an uneasy mismash that resembles the surface of Jupiter, complete with big reddish-orange spots. Cheetos are certainly present and accounted for, but not in their usual crooked and oblong shape. Here, they are broken into smaller pieces and even finer crumbles. Hiding in plain sight, the Cheetos bide their time, waiting to bring something new to the table for Milk Bar's stellar birthday cake, as well as add a salty kick to counter some of the cake's over-sweetness.

The cake is moist and has Funfetti-looking sprinkles and Cheetos pieces strewn about everywhere, but it's the vanilla-meets-cheesy frosting that's the true standout in the Cheetos x Milk Bar Birthday Cake. The cheese taste is less Cheetos-like, as one would perhaps expect, and instead is luscious cream cheese frosting that would be right at home in an excellent cheese Danish, filling a cannoli, or a less tart cheesecake. It is so good on its own, we wish the cake came with an additional side of frosting for further overindulgence.

Before we go any further, rest assured that there are actual Cheetos in the Cheetos x Milk Bar Birthday Cake, it doesn't just include the flavoring. The snack food takes the form of crumbs and a Cheetos-inspired cheddar frosting, which gives Milk Bar's classic sprinkle-flecked birthday cake a lovely orange makeover.

The Cheetos x Milk Bar Birthday Cake contains wheat, eggs, milk, and soy, and is made at a facility that processes peanuts and tree nuts. The exact ingredient list runs long, but among the highlights are Cheetos oil, Cheetos sugar, Cheetos Puffs, Cheetos Crunchy, cheddar cheese, cheese seasoning, cream cheese, sugar, brown sugar, powdered sugar, enriched flour, baking powder, butter, pasteurized liquid egg mixture, shortening, buttermilk, milk whole, vanilla extract imitation, vegetable oil, salt, butter, whey, and of course, rainbow sprinkles.

The Cheetos x Milk Bar Birthday Cake is available for purchase through Milk Bar for a limited time through September 30, or as long as supplies last. The cake can be purchased in person only at the Milk Bar locations in New York and Los Angeles. Slices are also available for $11.

If you can't make it into one of those stores, Milk Bar will ship a cake directly to you. Online orders can be placed now and will begin shipping on 9/11, with arrival slated by the end of the same week. A 6-inch cake costs $62 and serves groups of 8 to 12, or a super crazy party for one. If the cake is being shipped, it will arrive in cold packs and protective wrap to keep it fresh and as designed for your eating pleasure.

Milk Bar cakes can be stored in a refrigerator for up to five days, or two weeks if your freezer can spare the room. Before serving, remove the cake from the fridge and let it sit out for at least two hours to reach room temperature for best enjoyment.

There is no better way to honor someone's birthday and share the joy than with a birthday cake, all sliced up and handed out to loved ones, friends, and acquaintances. When Cheetos sought to celebrate its 75th year, it found the perfect partner in Milk Bar to bake the Cheetos x Milk Bar Birthday Cake.

Sure, the price tag for the Cheetos x Milk Bar Birthday Cake may be a bit much, but some things are worth it. Whether you're a Cheetos-head, a Milk Bar-fly, an adventurous dessert maven looking for the next zany collaboration that begs to be tried, or even an innocent bystander who happens to stumble upon this Cheetos crumble, throw on a pair of shades like Chester Cheetah and dig right in.