I tried the PieCaken, a Thanksgiving cake made with 3 Pies

When I first saw a picture of the PieCaken I was shocked.

Kelly Ripa once said that the Thanksgiving dessert — which can still be purchased for $99 on Goldbelly and ships across the US — was the “greatest thing that happened to me, besides the birth of my children.”

On the bottom is a pecan and pumpkin pie layer. The spice cake is on top. You can also add an apple-pie filling to the middle. The whole thing is held together by cinnamon buttercream.

But, before I tell how the PieCaken tastes let me give you a brief history lesson.

PieCaken is the brainchild Zac YoungThis idea was originally created by Young in 2015, while he was an executive pastry chef at David Burke Fabrick. Young was inspired by a Turducken recipe, where a chicken was stuffed into an egg-stuffed duck and then stuffed into another turkey. Young made a sweet version.

Young wanted to make a dessert that could be served by the slice. PieCaken’s Website. The PieCaken took off immediately after he uploaded a photo to Instagram.

Six years later, the PieCaken remains a huge hit. Is it worth all the hype? I set out to find out.

Two days after placing my order, my PieCaken arrived frozen.

PieCakens were shipped with dry ice. Following the instructions, I placed the piecak in the fridge overnight before I wanted to serve it. Then, I let it sit on my counter for two hours and then I ate it.

PieCaken is able to be frozen for up three months, unlike other desserts. However, it must still be in its original packaging. It will also keep for seven days in the fridge.

When I cut into the PieCaken, it looked even prettier.

You can clearly see that the four layers are well separated and easy to identify throughout the cake. The bottom layer of the pecan pie shimmered while the pumpkin filling was bright orange. The spice cake looked delicious on the top.

The PieCaken was a mix of many different pies. I was a little worried that it would become a mess. Each slice was beautiful with its crisp lines and autumn colors.

Finally, it was time to try a slice. I couldn’t believe how each layer reflected the original pie.

Pecan pie was without doubt my favorite flavor layer. It had a traditional pie crust on its bottom, which I loved. The filling was delicious and the pecans added a wonderful crunch to everything.

The pumpkin pie layer was wonderfully creamy with a subtle spice. It was similar to the pecan layer and had a flaky crust. All the flavors were well paired with the cinnamon buttercream frosting.

The spice cake was what surprised me the most. Just by looking at it, I expected the cake to taste quite dense — almost like a pound cake — but it was actually light as air. I was amazed at how light and fluffy it tasted.

Each layer of PieCaken was delicious by itself, but the combination of all the flavors worked well together.

Each layer was tasted before I took a large bite of all the pies together. It was surprising that none of them clashed. It really is a smorgasbord of holiday flavors coming together.

It is sweet! My friends found the combination of the different pies and the cinnamon buttercream a little too sweet for them, but they loved each layer.

If you want to indulge in the ultimate holiday indulgence, then the PieCaken is for you.

Overall, the PieCaken is a really fun and unique dessert that will impress your friends and family — and shake up your Thanksgiving.

The PieCaken can serve 12-16 people. This makes it ideal for a Friendsgiving dinner or large Thanksgiving dinner. I took my leftovers to another party and everyone was excited about all the different pie options in the cake.

As someone who doesn’t adhere to Thanksgiving dessert traditions, the PieCaken was a great way to try a variety of holiday flavors at the table.

I have to be honest, I am skeptical about crazy desserts. Sometimes it seems like they were designed more for Instagram grids then our stomachs. But the PieCaken is the real deal, and I’m not surprised that its brought holiday cheer to so many people — Kelly Ripa included — for so many years.