Here’s why “achievement cakes” are popping up as the latest self-validation trend
Videos of people introducing themselves as they decorate cakes with handwritten notes about their 2025 wins are all over TikTok. Here's why.
The achievement cake trend is a way for people to celebrate accomplishments and personal growth. The trend got big toward the end of 2025 as social media users made content featuring the cakes to reflect on the past year.
Individuals, groups, and couples gather around the cakes to celebrate personal milestones like graduating from college, getting a car or a job, or taking a relationship to the next level. Other achievement cake videos are more emotional. Creators have shared healing journeys, health issues, and other challenges they survived or overcame. The vulnerable clips are often set to an introspective track from the Barbie movie soundtrack.
People reacting to the clips are celebrating others' achievements, offering support, and sharing their own achievement cakes. Some of the most inspiring achievement cake videos come from people near the ends of their lives who describe what they’re proud of and grateful for. The trend has inspired other types of cakes, too. Videos featuring “trauma cakes” and “failure cakes” give creators a chance to share the burden of events from a difficult year. Whatever the purpose of the cake, the videos are powerful reminders to have gratitude and connect with others.
Grandma “slayed” 2025
Lillian, @grandma_droniak, celebrated her life in an achievement cake video from Dec. 26, 2025, with 5.5 million views. In 2025, she said, “I didn’t expire.” She blocked her ex, unblocked her ex, and survived a year in a nursing home. “I'm excited for next year,” she said.
@grandma_droniak i think i slayed 2025 what about you
♬ original sound - grandma_droniak
The TikTok creator wrote, “I think I slayed 2025, what about you?”
Looking at the big picture
In a vulnerable clip from Dec. 30, 2025, Lanie, @complaine, admitted she was feeling emotional about allowing herself to celebrate her wins from 2025. “I rarely acknowledge my own accomplishments, probably because I think that other people might think that they're really small, but they're very big to me.” She listed her accomplishments in her new career as a content creator and explained how fulfilling it was to face her fear of being perceived online.
@complanie felt like a failure more times than i wanted to but man we did some big things this year #accomplishmentcake #aspiringcontentcreator #2025accomplishments ♬ What Was I Made For? (Epilogue) [Instrumental Version] - Mark Ronson & Andrew Wyatt
“I'm reflecting that I have done a lot of things this year,” Lanie said. “Even though sometimes I might feel like a failure, when you look at the big picture like this, you can see that there are a lot of things that you did accomplish this year,” she said. “And if you don't, next year is a New Year.”
Granddad Frank’s 2025 achievement cake
2025 was a big year for Frank, and the internet was stoked to hear about it. In a clip from Dec. 31, 2025, with over 1 million views, Granddad Frank, @grandadfrank, marked his cake with notes listing the achievements he’s most proud of. “This year I got to walk my daughter down the aisle… I got to celebrate my 80th birthday,” he said, “And I had to learn how to walk again without a stick after I broke my hip.”
@grandadfrankk So many things to be grateful for, let’s have an amazing 2026???????? #fyp #grandad #achievementcake #hello2026 #proud ♬ What Was I Made For? (Epilogue) [Instrumental Version] - Mark Ronson & Andrew Wyatt
Granddad Frank thanked his viewers for helping him reach 7.8 million followers. “This year I got to experience so many cool opportunities, all thanks to you guys.”
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