What's the Story Behind the Famous Cake Video of the Three Babas?

When Vered Sara Seaton made a decorated cake for her son's graduation party, she never imagined it would spread across the internet. Even here at Hidabroot, we published the renowned cake video, and viewers couldn't stop watching and complimenting. But what many don't know is that this cake represents a true closing of a circle.

Vered Seaton (36), a mother of four, has been designing cakes for many years. "I design cakes and sweet bars for events from a small home business; it's my livelihood but also my love," Vered says. "Six years ago, I lost my mother and was essentially left without parents. About two years ago, we moved into their house in Jerusalem for financial reasons, so the business moved with me to the home where I grew up and knew the residents, or at least so I thought."

We cannot detail the sequence of events to protect the privacy of all parties involved in the story, but we can say that a year ago, one of Vered's neighbors caused her to close her business for an unknown reason to this day.

How did you feel?

"It felt as if the sky fell on me. I've faced some tough challenges in life. My mom passed away just 10 days after her illness was discovered. This business is in my soul, the only place that gives me peace. The ability to partake in someone else's joy is something words cannot describe. It lifted me from my darkest places, and suddenly, I felt helpless again. I simply didn't know what to do."

"I was afraid to operate a mixer, even at home"

Mostly, Vered feared the future. "It was a corona period; everything was terrifying and unclear. There was a decline in orders, and I clung to whatever came, as it was essentially the food for my children."

After trying to digest the fact that she would have to close her business immediately,, Vered sat down to write a post on social media, where she had published most of her work until that day, stating she apologizes but will have to cancel all orders. "People didn't understand what happened. I didn't even understand, but I had pre-scheduled orders, and suddenly, I had to cancel all of them."

In the period following that, Vered contemplated how she could revive her business but quickly changed her mind. "I preferred not to start unnecessary battles, even if it burned me inside. I wanted to shout that it was my livelihood and how someone dared to harm me for no reason." But instead, she chose a different, much braver path.

On Shabbat, she read "A Psalm of Thanksgiving" and began speaking with Hashem. "I told Him I must thank Him. People are dying from corona, so forgive everything. If this was what had to come to me instead of something else – then I must say thank you and accept it with love. I decided that from now on, all my posts would be about gratitude and faith. I knew I had to thank for the bad as I thank for the good. I no longer wanted to be angry with the neighbor or try to understand why it happened to me. I just moved on."

Indeed, she continued, though not easily. Vered started working part-time. She felt life beginning to stabilize once more. She didn't return to making cakes, not even for her household. "I was afraid to operate a mixer for fear that she (the neighbor - S.P) would hear me," she says.

One day, a well-known rabbi in the community called her, touched by her story. "He said he wanted to help me resolve the mess in the right ways," she says. "He asked me not to give up, to continue taking orders, not to advertise online, and to ask clients not to come to my home." But Vered feared the neighbor might see her and continue her hostility. "It was just after the holidays. The rabbi insisted I return to work but without online advertising. I laughed. I didn't believe I could succeed. Who would come to me if I don't advertise myself? I preferred to give up, but slowly, orders started coming in again, and it was all done quietly and with caution."

"I had to release the fear"

Vered shares that she would meet her clients down the street so that the neighbor wouldn't see her. "I was really scared, but I told myself I had to release the fear, someone above is looking out for me, and everything will be alright."

Indeed, Vered didn't advertise online, but only shared some pictures on WhatsApp or on a story that disappears after 24 hours. "From the little I've posted, I got work with Hashem's help. It gave me breathing room, but I was disappointed that I couldn't showcase my work, as if my hands were tied. Additionally, I felt the whole network thing was really fake. Everyone uploads pictures as if everything is great and rosy, but that's not reality. I decided to let go of the networks and devote the time to my family instead of working extra hours online. I already learned that nothing depends on me."

A few weeks ago, Vered's son finished his studies at the Talmud Torah. "The cake was designed in honor of the completion of the Three Babas in the Mishnah – Baba Kama, Baba Metzia, and Baba Batra. I sent a video of the cake to the class's group, even without a logo, and didn't make a big deal of it. The next day, I started receiving messages from friends who received the cake video and saw it online. "I didn't understand what was happening. I didn't even post it, and suddenly it was spreading online, and the peak was when it was published on Hidabroot."

Were you excited?

"I felt that for weeks I was debating whether to continue advertising online, and just when I let it go, when I truly released it – it happened. I felt that everything was from Him, blessed be His name. And thank God, since the video's publication, I haven't stopped receiving calls for orders."

A year after a not-so-simple experience, Vered closes the circle and feels wonderful about it. "I could have screamed and gotten angry and made a fuss, but instead I chose to let go and trust Hashem. He didn't forget me; He looked after me. When the video was published, I just sat and laughed all day with joy. How great is Hashem. It was worth the wait for me. It just proved to me that there's no need to seek publicity frantically; there's someone ensuring everything arrives at the right time and in the right flow. Here, look at me. I didn't advertise, and I got insane publicity. This isn't the first time I've seen Divine Providence in the business. I may be an orphan today, but there's someone walking with me hand in hand. Always."

Watch the cake that went viral: