This Jewish Baker Had to Fake It and Make It on a Wild Netflix Show

On Netflix’s popular competition/reality show, “Is It Cake, Too?,” contestants try to trick the judges into believing their cake is an actual object. Jarid Altmark 22, was proud to finally make something from his Jewish heritage: He made a matzah ball soup pot cake.

Altmark has been on several competitive shows on The Food Network, including “Halloween Wars.” But when he heard that on “Is It Cake, Too?”  he could make anything that had an important meaning in his life, he decided to create a cake that looked like a soup pot and the ingredients you’d need to make matzah ball soup: Matzah, and onion, celery, and carrots.

When he heard that he could make anything that had an important meaning in his life, he decided to create a cake that looked like a soup pot.

“This was the first time I got to do something authentically Jewish,” Altmark told the Journal. “Ironically, I’ve been on two Christmas shows where I decorated realistic Christmas tree cakes even though I haven’t decorated a real Christmas tree before. My first thought was the Dutch Oven that had matzah ball soup. It’s a staple in my kitchen, is visually interesting, and I thought I could share my Nana’s story while creating something visually interesting.”

He said the cake was inspired by his grandmother Gloria, the family’s main cook, who made matzah ball soup for Passover and Poppy, his grandfather, at one point worked as a bread baker.

“He was a New Yorker, and you know, New Yorkers wear so many different hats,” he said.

Altmark used vanilla orange cake, mango curd and dark chocolate ganache, with orange modeling chocolate to mimic the look of a pot and the vegetables. The goal is for the contestant to trick the judges into thinking their cake is the real item.

The Orlando resident graduated from the University of Central Florida in 2021 with a bachelor’s degree in advertising and public relations, while also studying screenwriting — but his bar mitzvah held hint to his future vocation. 

“I made 300 cupcakes,” he said. “150 vanilla and 150 chocolate.”

Altmark, who recently finished a Taglit/Birthright Israel trip that he greatly enjoyed, told the Journal he’s been making cakes since he was 10, which he taught himself by watching  YouTube videos. He said he later took classes, including one from the person who made Princess Diana’s wedding cake. 

He was once a judge on “Buddy vs. Duff,” which features Jewish cake artist
Duff Goldman. 

“I met him virtually but not in real life,” Altmark said. “I know he’s a fellow
tribe member.”

There was one time a cake he made didn’t come out perfect: One Passover, he made his Poppy a cake “because it was his birthday. I used pareve marshmallows as fondant and Pesach cake mix,” he said. “It didn’t taste the best, but it was technically appropriate for the holiday.”

On the show, contestants have 10 hours to make the cake and judges Chrishell Stause (of Netflix’s “Selling Sunset”), actor and comedian Blake Anderson, and actor / comedian Maz Jobrani have a tough job of figuring out which one is cake and which one is real.

For the first part of the show, hosted by Mikey Day, Altmark was able to look at a living room mixed with real furniture and items as well as cake disguised as them. He was able to call out that a candle looked lopsided, and he was correct in thinking it was cake and not a candle. 

He said he was proud of what he created.

“This matzah ball soup cake is the most personal piece of art I’ve ever created,” he said. “It not only tells my story, but it resonates with the whole Jewish community, and I’ve gotten great outreach which is really special.”

He also does ceramics, which he sells under his lifestyle brand of merchandise called Bored and Baked. 

While some put marijuana in baked goods, he says he hasn’t done so, but he assumes it would go well with cake. 

 “If you can bake it, you can get baked from it,” Altmark said.