Can Reddit Slice A Solution For One Woman's Cake Debate?
The popular subreddit r/AmItheA–hole, has become a cornerstone of Reddit since its inception in 2013. According to Daily Dot, Reddit user Flignir, whose real name is Marc Beaulac (Via Inverse), created his own subreddit to seek answers to an office conflict after no other subreddit would let him post. After birthing the now popular thread, he posted his questions in hopes of receiving help from strangers with a fresh take.
The subreddit, often called AITA for short, currently has 4.3 million users. The premise is that someone posts a story, and a crowd of readers decides if the OP is an a–hole or not for the "crime" committed. "We're a small claims court," Beaulac explains to Inverse.
In June of 2022, one woman decided to bake a cake with her niece to celebrate her father's (OP's brother-in-law's) birthday. When the plan didn't go as expected, her niece's mother was less than thrilled. Following the incident, OP was concerned that she was in the wrong, so she did what millions of others do – posted the question to AITA for feedback.
A star baker is born
User EvilCakeWitch1 posted to Reddit explaining that her 6-year-old niece was so excited to make a cake for her father that she asked to do it all by herself. "She picked [a recipe] and then started gathering ingredients in my kitchen with my little stepstool. When I went to help her crack eggs she said, 'No. I'm making daddy's cake all by myself.' So I stepped back and just supervised for safety." After the cake cooled, OP put it in the fridge so it could be decorated the next day.
As you probably expected, the cake made entirely by a 6-year-old didn't turn out amazing. "I baked a new cake with the same recipe and pan. When she came over the next day, I presented the new cake as the one she had made, and she decorated it, again, she wanted to by herself," OP said. After decorating the cake, OP called her niece a "star baker," which the little girl extremely thrilled. She then sent her niece and the cake home with her sister to prepare for the birthday party the next day.
The truth is revealed
According to the Reddit post, when OP's sister called to rave about her daughter's cake making abilities, she revealed the truth. OP knew the sister would hide the secret and thought she'd laugh it off when she realized; unfortunately, she was only right about half of that. "My sister was livid and asked what I did with the actual cake," she posted. "I said I fed it to my dog because it wasn't really edible. She cussed me out and hung up on me." The OP felt confused following the interaction. She thought she was boosting her niece's confidence and independence, but her sister obviously didn't feel the same way. That's when she asked Reddit, "Am I The A–hole?"
One commenter said, "NTA for swapping out the cakes. It's a totally harmless thing that will make for a funny story in the future. [Although I] don't know how good it is for the dog to eat a whole cake." Another applauded the poster, calling her an "amazing Aunt" for going through the trouble to make two cakes from scratch. Others commented on how odd it was that the sister truly thought a 6-year-old could make an entire cake by themselves.
After more than 400 comments, Redditors came to their conclusion that the OP was NOT an a–hole for swapping the cakes. In the future though, they might suggest she bakes something that's best for making with kids to avoid any conflict.