CAKE

by ARTISAN X, Magpie C. Cleaver (Editor)

"How can someone write something so disturbing, but delicious at the same time" - Anne Snow author of Little Red Riding The Dark Web

Harry is the largest baking influencer on the planet. He's amassed a large and incredibly loyal audience over the years. This has led to a profound sense of boredom. Thankfully for Harry, it's his birthday; Furthermore, his friends and fellow culinary content creators have come over to his apartment to join him. There's only one thing Harry wants for his birthday, to bake the most memorable cake of his career.

33 pages, Kindle Edition

Expected publication August 28, 2026

About the author

Hello my name is Artisan! My books are intricate, horrific, and made with love :). I'm an obsessed horror author with a deep love of esoteric knowledge and Ghūlz. I release often and spend hundreds of hours researching, planning, writing and staring directly into the void. I take nothing for granted because death can come any day.

Reviews

[christy · Rating 5 out of 5]

dark, disturbing, delicious, and delectable!! this short story really packs a PUNCH. such a gross and fun read! turns out you really can’t have your cake and eat it too

[Ames · Rating 4 out of 5]

REVIEW OF ADVANCED READER COPY

If you’re dipping your toe into extreme horror, or just need a good, fun story to start you off, then this is an excellent place to start! Cake is short, punchy, and fits so much nastiness into a one short story. I liked how the gore and horror starts pretty much immediately, and definitely doesn’t relent until the ending! I also appreciated the visual at the end of the book (which I won’t reveal because of *spoilers*).

I do feel that the book ended too abruptly and I wanted to see the MC’s vision for the cake - frosting, topping, colours, taste, but that’s just my personal take! I also would’ve liked to have seen more about their socials (described as them not being very good at creating delicious cakes, but instead doing it for the algo) and more around trauma they experienced as a kid, leading up to the atrocities they commit as an adult.

Overall a solid read and one I would recommend as an introduction into extreme horror, I would’ve just preferred it to be a little more fleshed out (pun fully intended) 💜

[Zaq Cass · Rating 5 out of 5]

The author sent me a file of this book and told me I didn't have to review it, but I'm damn well going to anyway.

Artisan's writing voice has been something that has been sucking me in every since I started reading his main series (Dark Places: Origins Arc. Go read it) and CAKE did not disappoint in that regard. Artisan has a way of bringing the reader along, causing every word to draw you in more and more as he dissects the scenes much like Harry dissected his friends.

On the story front, CAKE is an extreme horror story that cements its place along the genre, starting off strong and not looking back. The characters, as expected, were well fleshed out, something that is always a good surprise in shorter fiction like this. The fans of this genre will not be disappointed.

[Cassie · Rating 3 out of 5]

I thought this was a fun short story. Unfortunately, I feel like in this case, the shortness might have been working against it a little bit. In some ways, the story seems more in-depth in the summary than in the work itself. I feel like a bit more attention to the plot and characters would lend itself well to this book. While the EH parts of it are entertaining enough, the characters' motives, personalities, and circumstances seem a bit rushed and lacking.

I think it could work well for someone trying to see if they enjoy the genre or someone just looking for a quick read (as short stories tend to be), but I think it doesn't quite realise its potential.

[Mafer Jiménez · Rating 4 out of 5]

A short, straight to the point story that is really fun to read. The descriptions of the depravity being done are disgusting and horrible, and that Is what really takes the cake in this short but enjoyable read. Perfect as a starter to those who want to get into bloody violent literature, but want to know exactly where they're getting into.

[Marisa White · Rating 5 out of 5]

What a nasty little morsel of death and depravity.
Disturbed baking influencer, Harry, decides to make an unforgettable birthday cake.... out of his friends.
This story is short, not so sweet and gets straight to the gore and destruction. Not for the faint of heart.