The holiday season is upon us, which means a number of Hollywood stars will be receiving a truly sweet gift from Tom Cruise, if they haven’t already. Cruise is known for sending out his famous Christmas cake, which has arguably become another piece of the beloved actor’s lore. At this point, it seems that quite a few people receive the pastry from Cruise, and former co-star Jake Johnson is on that list as well. Unfortunately, due to a dietary reason, Johnson can’t actually eat the cake, but Cruise has him covered with something else.
Jake Johnson notably worked with Tom Cruise on 2017’s The Mummy and, based on a recent Instagram post Johnson shared, he holds positive feelings towards his on-screen partner. In the social media update, Johnson revealed that shortly after working with his “film hero,” he began to receive his famous cake, which is a white chocolate coconut bundt confection. However, the Jurassic World alum can’t have dairy products, so he let Cruise know about that – and he offered a truly tasty alternative:
I did a movie with [Tom Cruise] in 2017. Soon after I started getting his legendary holiday cake. A few years back I admitted to him that I had a dairy issue. It wasn’t a great moment admitting to my film hero that I couldn’t stomach dairy so the cake was being wasted on me. The following year he sent a gingerbread house with my kids’ names on it. [He’s done] it every year since. We love it. It’s become part of our xmas tradition and holiday decoration. So this is my public thank you and a shout out to the best #1 on a callsheet in the game. Thank you, [Tom Cruise] .
That’s an incredibly lovely and thoughtful gesture from the Mission: Impossible icon. I honestly don’t know what I love more: the fact that Cruise not only provided another treat for Johnson or that he also managed to make it special for his kids in the process. And the gingerbread house itself is really well done, too (and part of me wishes I had one myself). Check out some photos of the cookie-made structure in the photos Johnson shared:
Jake Johnson actually isn’t the only Tom Cruise collaborator who’s received a gingerbread house from him over the holidays. Joseph Kosinski – who’s worked with Cruise Top Gun: Maverick and Oblivion – also revealed in 2024 that he received the house, which he referred to as “another level of Cruise cake.” On top of that, Kosinski’s apparently been privy to other cool pastries from the Collateral star, who even got him an F-18 cake for his birthday one year.
While a gingerbread house or a fighter plane-styled cake sound cool, the people who simply receive the coconut cake seem to be quite pleased. In late 2024, Glen Powell posted about receiving the cake, as he shared a snapshot of the pristine box in which it arrived. Even Tom Hanks gushed about receiving a cake from Cruise and talked about how delicious it was. This sounds like a delectable dish, and one that should be savored for as long as possible.
Of course, those who’d like to try the cake for themselves can order it from Doan’s Bakery, which is located in Woodland Hills, California. Still, I’d imagine that the cake would hit a bit differently if you just happen to be one of the select people Tom Cruise wanted to send it to. I hope Jake Johnson and his kids continue to enjoy their gingerbread house for years to come. And, given that Kirsten Dunst has been on the mailing list for 30 years, there’s a good chance Johnson and his family will be enjoying their holiday tradition for a while.
