"Zero effort", "horribly high price"... Why Cédric Grolet's yule log is attracting the wrath of Internet users

Ophélie Artaud / Photo credit: Cédric Grolet 15:56 p.m., November 30, 2023, modified at 16:01 p.m., November 30, 2023

As Christmas approaches and pastry chefs present their sweet creations for the 2023 holiday season, one of them, signed by Cédric Grolet, has particularly attracted attention... Dubbed the "Snowman", the log has been widely mocked on social media, not only because of its appearance but also because of its price.

"Such a level of scam"

This coconut and mango cake, which (as the name suggests) represents a snowman, has been judged to be quite untidy by netizens. On X (formerly Twitter), the mockery has multiplied: "Zero effort", "up", "the Balenciaga of pastry", we can read. Many comments also point to the "frighteningly high price" of the log, which is sold at 95 euros, or more than 15 euros per slice. It's such a level of scam that we'd have to invent a new word," journalist Nora Bouazzouni wrote in a post that has been viewed more than 760,000 times.

I died laughing. It's such a level of scam that you'd have to invent a new word.

(and I don't even know how to describe this thing in ALT)pic.twitter.com/yyyopbepnT

— nora bouazzouni (@norabz) November 27, 2023

This is not the first time that Cédric Grolet has been in the news for the design and price of his sweet creations. Last June, an influencer had pinned the pastry chef of Le Meurice on TikTok for his strawberry tart, which she said she had recovered broken: with its appearance inspired by a fruit basket and composed of whole strawberries on shortcrust pastry, the cake, sold for 80 euros, did not convince Internet users.

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However, the creations of Cédric Grolet, voted best pastry chef in the world in 2018 and known in particular for his trompe-l'oeil fruits, are very popular. Last year, his yule log "La Rivoli" was praised by critics.