The Gluten-Free Red Flag At Nothing Bundt Cakes That Might Change Your Mind About Ordering

Nothing says celebration quite like Nothing Bundt Cakes. There may be a hole in the middle of each one, but they're still filled completely with delicious flavor. Each cake is unmatched in its moistness and finished with that signature cream cheese frosting, applied in thick strips cascading out from the center. They're also the only cakes I can think of that come pre-decked out with party hats, paper flowers, and other adorable decorations for everything from birthdays and holidays to graduations and sports events.

The bakery clearly holds true to the idea that there's a cake for every occasion, and it also makes an effort to be inclusive of taste and every person — even those who are celiac. In 2018, Nothing Bundt Cakes released its very first gluten-free cake, and today it offers two flavors, including chocolate chip cookie and lemon raspberry. At first glance, this seems like a great move by the bakery to offer products that even more people can enjoy. But there is one important caveat. In the fine print, Nothing Bundt Cakes mentions that while its gluten-free bundt cakes and mini Bundtlets are made entirely with gluten-free ingredients, they are baked using the same equipment that is used to make its other gluten-filled confections.

This means that small traces of gluten could still end up in its "gluten-free" products. So, anyone out there with extreme gluten sensitivity should likely skip the chain's gluten-free options entirely, just to be safe.

You can imagine the frustration of finally finding a seemingly gluten-free product and then realizing it still may pose a risk to those with celiac disease. To make matters worse, real Nothing Bundt Cake customers have reported issues with the cakes. On Reddit, multiple users recounted getting sick after eating one of the gluten-free cakes due to cross-contamination. One user noted, "I got SO sick after eating one a few months back. It was delicious but absolutely not safe to consume."

However, not all experiences were negative. Others commented, saying they've never had an issue with the cakes. Some said that the chocolate chip cookie flavor was a safer bet than the lemon raspberry. And then there was a larger group of people who said they've experienced both sides of the spectrum, where sometimes the cakes made them sick, and then other times they were fine. "It's honestly a game of Russian roulette with these things," one user said.

Trying to get a clearer answer, one TikTok user took matters into her own hands by testing both gluten-free flavors using a NIMA sensor. Both came back negative for gluten. It seems that the results are heavily based on the procedures used at each location. For example, if the cakes are baked in a clean kitchen early in the morning, they are less likely to be contaminated. But ultimately, given the inconsistency, it's likely not a risk worth taking.