Cake

"Dear Mario, please come to the castle. I've baked a cake for you. Yours truly, Princess Toadstool, Peach."

- Princess Peach

Cake is a form of sweet, baked dessert and a recurring object in the Mario franchise. Even though the appearance varies from game to game, it is often featured with more than one layer and is almost always decorated with cream and strawberries. Cakes are often associated with Princess Peach, as she usually bakes one for Mario upon her rescue. Throughout the Paper Mario series, there are many variations of cakes that can be prepared by the cooks including Chocolate Cake, Couple's Cake, Fruity Cake, Mousse Cake, Nutty Cake, Shroom Cake and Strange Cake.

Super Mario RPG: Legend of the Seven Stars
The player at one point has to fight a boss called Bundt, a wedding cake that mysteriously came to life. Beating the top half will result in Raspberry being fought. Upon being defeated, the player is treated to a cinematic depicting Booster eating the cake whole before cutting to the victory screen.

Super Mario 64 / Super Mario 64 DS
The game Super Mario 64 begins with an invitation letter from Princess Peach to Mario, which implies that she has baked a cake from Mario before she gets kidnapped. After rescuing her, she decides to thank Mario by baking a cake for him. The game's final scene shows a cake with two layers, with the words "Thank you" and statuettes of Mario and Princess Peach. The game stays on this screen until the player resets the system.

In Super Mario 64 DS, the game begins with the same letter, but Luigi and Wario follow Mario to the castle. The game is almost the same as Super Mario 64, but additional statuettes will appear on the cake at the end of the game of the characters unlocked. Unlike in the original, pressing any button on the end scene will return the player back to the title screen.

New Super Mario Bros. Wii
In New Super Mario Bros. Wii, Bowser Jr. and the Koopalings hide in a cake for Princess Peach's birthday party to kidnap her. Then they use the cake to send her to an airship waiting outside the castle.

Super Mario Galaxy 2
An altered version of the cake from New Super Mario Bros. Wii cameos during the ending credits, and can be interacted with. It features several Yoshi Fruit. Aside from this, Bowser repeatedly mentions he wants Peach to make him a giant cake due to his large size. Peach also mentions making a cake for Mario as they watch the Star Bits fall from the sky in her letter to Mario at the beginning.

Super Mario Odyssey
The Snow Kingdom had the Frost-Frosted Cake that was to act as the first prize for the Bound Bowl Grand Prix, although it ended up stolen by Bowser to have it act as his wedding cake for his and Princess Peach's marriage. It was ultimately returned to its rightful owners, the Shiverians, after Bowser was defeated. Aside from this, cake was also mentioned in Mayor Pauline's quiz, where she mentions she liked cake, though she specified that it had to be "the good cake, not the packaged stuff."

Super Mario Run
In Super Mario Run, Princess Peach's Cake is a special item that can be purchased in the shop for Kingdom Builder mode. It costs 10,000 coins and is only available after the following requirements are completed:
 * World 6-4 has been completed
 * Peach has been rescued
 * 2000 Red Toads, 1000 each for Green and Blue Toads, and 500 each for Yellow and Purple Toads have been collected

Mario Party
One of the boards for the game, Peach's Birthday Cake, is, as implied by the title, a large and elaborate birthday cake and Princess Peach's home board. Aside from that, Bowser's "gift" was a Bowser Cake, which was largely a dud item that costs the player several coins.

Mario Kart Arcade GP series
A slice of cake, simply known as the Cake, appears as one of Peach's special items in Mario Kart Arcade GP and Mario Kart Arcade GP 2.

The Cake is a recovery item. Upon being used, it removes all bad conditions from the user's kart, such as square tires, burst tires, or Thunder Cloud. In addition, the Cake provides a shield for approximately half a second upon being used. With good timing, this can be used to block incoming items or be immune to the explosion of a Time Bomb.

In Mario Kart Arcade GP, a variant of the Cake known as the Cake+ can be unlocked. This variant greatly increases the duration of the shield the item provides.

Paper Mario
Cakes are made by mixing Cake Mix in Paper Mario. A Cake has to be made for Gourmet Guy in Shy Guy's Toy Box to progress. Cake Mix can be found in the Shy Guys' playground beyond Anti Guy's spot. Cake restores fifteen FP and sells for the most at Star Haven, where they will pay fifteen Coins. Cooking a Cake is highly recommended, as it is a vast improvement over the single FP that the Cake Mix will heal.

If Mario reclaims Tayce T.'s Frying Pan from the Shy Guy who stole it, the cook will prepare him a Cake. After Mario gets this Cake, Tayce T. mentions that she used a Cake to win over her nameless, now late husband, rendering the making of Cakes troublesome for her. Of note is that this back story is extremely similar to the one given for Wonky and his story about Zess T.'s Couple's Cake in Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door. Regardless, she will continue to make him Cakes whenever he brings her more Cake Mix.

The Cake seems to be flavored and garnished with strawberries, despite the Cake Mix likely not having any. It also seems that Tayce T. creates the icing herself.

Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door
In Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door, a cake was delivered to Mario in the Glitz Pit by a fan of his. If Mario and his partner eat it, it will refill all of the party's stats. If Mario decides not to consume it, Shellshock will eat it instead, boasting about how good the cake was. Later, another "fan" gives Mario a second cake.

Mario & Luigi: Bowser's Inside Story / Mario & Luigi: Bowser's Inside Story + Bowser Jr.'s Journey
Cakes make a brief appearance in Mario & Luigi: Bowser's Inside Story and Mario & Luigi: Bowser's Inside Story + Bowser Jr.'s Journey during Bowser's battle against Midbus in Fawful Theater. They are occasionally thrown at Midbus from the audience, healing his HP by 20 if he manages to consume one. Bowser can punch them or inhale them before they are eaten by Midbus; in the latter case Bowser will recover 20 of HP instead. Cakes of various types are also seen in the "Victory Feast" sequence.

A cake also appears in the game's ending, being delivered to Bowser by Birdley on behalf of Princess Peach.

Names in other languages
Kuchen Torta