Cake

This article is within the scope of the Portal Project, a collaborative effort to improve articles related to Portal and Portal 2. See the project page for more details about the article status.

This article has yet to be cleaned up to a higher standard of quality.

You can help by correcting spelling and grammar, removing factual errors, rewriting sections to ensure they are clear and concise, and moving some elements when appropriate. Visit our Cleanup Project for more details and, please, notify the administrators before removing this template.

This article contains spoilers. Read at your own risk!

The cake is a Black Forest cake^[1] promised to Chell by GLaDOS during Portal.

Overview

The Black Forest cake, alternatively referred to as the "Black Forest gateau," Or called "Fish shaped cracker cake" or simply "cake," typically consists of layers of chocolate, with whipped cream between layers, cherries on top, and sprinkled with white icing. However, some Black Forest cakes alternate with a covering of chocolate shavings, such as the type produced by Aperture Science.

For a time in the Aperture Science computer-aided Enrichment Center, Black Forest cake was used as a motivational object for Test Subjects utilizing the Aperture Science Handheld Portal Device. After GLaDOS' takeover in May 200- however, she incinerates Test Subjects after the completion of tests, negating the need for the cake as a reward, but still uses it to motivate Test Subjects.

Upon Chell's awakening, an unknown period of time after the facility was taken over, GLaDOS makes her navigate Test Chambers utilizing the Portal Device, with the promise of cake and grief counseling at the conclusion of the test. Upon arrival at Test Chamber 16 however, Chell discovers desperate messages scribbled on the wall by former Aperture employee Doug Rattmann, who went mad during his captivity, and was convinced that the "cake is a lie." Upon the completion of the test, Chell is met with an incinerator, apparently confirming that the cake is indeed "a lie." While making her way through the abandoned facility, GLaDOS tries to convince her to turn back by telling her that "somebody cut the cake" without waiting for Chell. However, GLaDOS later states that she is going to kill Chell, and that "all the cake is gone." But after Chell partially destroys GLaDOS and is taken by the Party Escort Bot, GLaDOS activates a series of Personality Cores, while at the same time extinguishing the candle on the cake, which was not a lie after all. Rattmann is not entirely wrong: while the cake itself exists, the lie resides in receiving the cake after the tests. It seems the cake is actually intended for GLaDOS herself; how she is presumably going to consume it is unknown.

The cake is briefly mentioned in Portal 2 when GLaDOS creates a trap for Chell with a door labeled, "GLaDOS Emergency Shutdown and Cake Dispensary, Keep Unlocked" (revealed to be a trap by GLaDOS, who comments, "I honestly, truly didn't think you'd fall for that."). The cake recipe is also seen on lab monitors, and a reference is briefly seen in the Ratman Den containing the ASHPD, in which a mural of GLaDOS attempting to offer Chell a slice of cake can be seen.

Recipe

GLaDOS displays the cake's recipe on many computer screens in the office areas, but it is heavily corrupted. The recipe includes the standard ingredients to a German chocolate cake, not a Black Forest cake, along with inedible garnishes such as drilling equipment and parts to a tool used to embalm bodies. In the final battle, GLaDOS drops an Intelligence Core which lists an abridged version of these ingredients:

• 1 (18.25-ounce) package chocolate cake mix
• 1 can prepared coconut–pecan frosting
• 3/4 cup vegetable oil
• 4 large eggs
• 1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
• 3/4 cup butter or margarine
• 1 2/3 cup granulated sugar
• 2 cups all-purpose flour

Don't forget garnishes such as:

• Fish-shaped crackers
• Fish-shaped candies
• Fish-shaped solid waste
• Fish-shaped dirt
• Fish-shaped ethylbenzene
• Pull-and-peel licorice
• Fish-shaped volatile organic compounds and sediment-shaped sediment
• Candy-coated peanut butter pieces (shaped like fish)
• 1 cup lemon juice
• Alpha resins
• Unsaturated polyester resin
• Fiberglass surface resins and volatile malted milk impoundments
• 9 large egg yolks
• 12 medium geosynthetic membranes
• 1 cup granulated sugar
• An entry called: "How to Kill Someone with Your Bare Hands"
• 2 cups rhubarb, sliced
• 2/3 cups granulated rhubarb
• 1 tbsp. all-purpose rhubarb
• 1 tsp. grated orange rhubarb
• 3 tbsp. rhubarb, on fire
• 1 large rhubarb
• 1 cross borehole electromagnetic imaging rhubarb
• 2 tbsp. rhubarb juice
• Adjustable aluminum head positioner
• Slaughter electric needle injector
• Cordless electric needle injector
• Injector needle driver
• Injector needle gun
• Cranial caps

And it contains proven preservatives, deep-penetration agents, and gas- and odor-control chemicals that will deodorize and preserve putrid tissue.

Ingredients omitted by the cake core (that are part of the recipe, according to Valve) include:

• 1 tsp. vanilla extract
• 2/3 cup cocoa powder
• 1 1/4 tsp. baking soda
• 1 tsp. salt
• 1/4 tsp. baking powder
• 1 to 2 (16 ounces each) cans vanilla frosting
• A 20-foot thick impermeable clay layer

Behind the scenes

This section is empty or incomplete. You can help by expanding it.

• The cake was inspired by a Black Forest cake made by The Regent Bakery & Café, located in Redmond, WA, not far from Valve's headquarters - one of their most popular cakes. Valve included it in Portal without telling them. When the game was released, the customers asked them "Did you guys know your cake is in a game?" and they were surprised, as they did not know.^[1]
• The last few items in the recipe ("Slaughter electric needle injector, cordless electric needle injector," etc.) are tools used by embalmers to prepare a corpse for a funeral.

• The quote "The cake is a lie" heavily contributed to Portal's success, and has become a very popular phrase and Internet meme.^[2][3] An example of which is in "Starcraft II"; when clicking on a unit multiple times, they will usually say things outside of the selection dialogue (if they are capable of speech). When doing so to the Terran unit known as the Raven, clicking it enough times will cause it to say "Who said anything about cake?"
  • In Counter-Strike: Source and Counter-Strike: Global Offensive (another Valve games). If the round ends without MVP (Most Valuable Player), sometimes a special message of 'The cake is a lie' will appear.

• Three Orange Box / Portal: Still Alive Achievements pertaining to the advanced maps are named after cakes: "Cupcake," "Fruitcake," and "Vanilla Crazy Cake." The first requires the player to beat two Portal advanced maps, the second to beat four advanced maps, the third to beat all six advanced maps.

• The cake is not as present in Portal 2 as it was in Portal. Primary Portal series writer Erik Wolpaw stated he is sick of the old Portal memes and has had enough cake jokes, and that trying to resurrect an old meme would have been "sad" and "not a good idea." According to Wolpaw, the team had been careful not to retread too much of the same ground, preferring to explore new gameplay and an interesting new story, as the surprise spawned by the first game is long gone.^[4]

Related achievements

Image	Description	Location
	Cupcake Beat two Portal advanced maps.	Portal
	Fruitcake Beat four Portal advanced maps.	Portal
	Vanilla Crazy Cake Beat all six Portal advanced maps.	Portal
	Cupcake Beat 5 advanced chambers.	Portal: Still Alive
	Fruitcake Beat 10 advanced chambers.	Portal: Still Alive
	Vanilla Crazy Cake Beat all advanced chambers.	Portal: Still Alive

Apperiences & Gallery

Half-Life 2

Portal

Cake logo seen at the end of Test Chamber 19.

Black Forest cake on GLaDOS' screens.

Wedding, birthday or anniversary cake on GLaDOS' screens.

GLaDOS activating the Personality Cores and extinguishing the cake's candle at the end of Portal.

A piece of cake during the Portal end credits, also featured in the icon of the "Vanilla Crazy Cake" Achievement.

Concept art of the cake on the desk in GLaDOS' chamber.

The cake recipe as seen on many Aperture Laboratories screens.

"The cake is a lie" graffiti.

Cake poster found in the Doug Rattmann Den near Test Chamber 16.

The full cake recipe from Allrecipes.com, as given by Game Informer.

Portal 2

The "GLaDOS Emergency Shutdown and Cake Dispensary" trap door.

List of appearances

The Half-Life Wiki has more images related to Cake.

• ApertureScience.com (First appearance)
• Portal
• Portal: First Slice (Mentioned only)
• Portal: Still Alive (Non-canonical appearance)
• Portal 2: Lab Rat (Within "The cake is a lie" in binary code)
• Portal 2 (Mentioned only)
• Half Life 2 (mentioned in a poster seen in Route Kanal)

References

See also

• GLaDOS' screen images

Aperture Science
Personnel	Caroline • Chell • Desk Employee • Henry • Cave Johnson • Doug Rattmann • Greg • Mel (cut) • Test Subject • Test Subject 042 • Test Subject 234 • Minor Aperture Science employees
Technology	1500 Megawatt Heavy Duty Super-Colliding Super Button • Advanced Knee Replacement • Aerial Faith Plate • Announcement System • Borealis • Core Input Receptacle • Crusher • Edgeless Safety Cube • Edgeless Safety Cube Receptacle • Emergency Intelligence Incinerator • Excursion Funnel • Futbol (cut) • Handheld Portal Device • Hard Light Bridge • High Energy Pellet • Laser Field • Long Fall Boot • Material Emancipation Grill • Mobility Gels: Conversion Gel / Propulsion Gel / Repulsion Gel / Sticking Gel (cut) • Multitasking Arm • Pipe Network • Pneumatic Diversity Vent • Panel • Cube Button • Radio • Reassembly Machine • Relaxation Vault • Security Camera • Scaling Cube • Shredder • Speaker System • Stasis Chamber • Switch • Teleportation • Thermal Discouragement Beam • Unstationary Scaffold • Victory Lift • Vital Apparatus Vent • Weighted Pivot Cube • Weighted Storage Cube
Robots	Robot Worker • ATLAS and P-body • GLaDOS • Grady • Jerry • Military Android • Nanobot • Party Escort Bot • Personality Construct • Robot Enrichment • Wheatley
Weapons	Bomb • Hover Turret (cut)
Sentry Turrets	Animal King • Frankenturret • Defective Turret • Oracle Turret • Rocket Sentry • Sentry Turret • Turret Opera
Locations	Borealis • Employee Daycare Center • Enrichment Center • Enrichment Shafts: Co-op Test Shaft / Test Shaft 09 • Extended Relaxation Annex • Extended Relaxation Center • Central AI Chamber • Hub • Incinerator Room • Neurotoxin Generator • Testing Tracks: GLaDOS' Testing Track (Portal) / GLaDOS' Testing Track (Portal 2) / Wheatley's Testing Track / Cooperative Testing Courses • Turret Manufacturing
Other	Aperture Science Collaborative Disposition Test • ApertureScience.com • Cake • Enrichment Center Test Subject Application Process • GLaDOS' screen images • Hoopie • Karla the Complainer • Mantis Man