clock menu more-arrow no yes mobile

Filed under:

The Queen's Birthday Cake; Starbucks Opens New Express Store

Five things to know today

If you buy something from an Eater link, Vox Media may earn a commission. See our ethics policy.

Someone, please help the Queen out. Cutting through fondant isn't easy.
Someone, please help the Queen out. Cutting through fondant isn't easy.
WPA Pool/Getty Images

Happy birthday to the Queen of England: Her Majesty turns 90 today and the British Islands are celebrating in all kinds of crazy British-y ways. In a fun twist, this year's Great British Bake Off winner Nadiya Hussain presented Queen Elizabeth — Great Britain's longest ruling monarch/figurehead — with a three-tiered cake. Modeled after her winning lemon drizzle sponge, Hussain made an orange drizzle sponge which she wrapped in purple and gold fondant. As the Queen cut her cake in front of crowds this morning, everyone sang "Happy Birthday."

— Speaking of crazy things in the UK: That nudist pop-up restaurant has a waitlist of over 8,000 people right now.

— And back to the subject of cake: New York magazine reports on a new study that examines how children's books depict food and proves that television and books influence eating habits. TL;DR: We're being programmed to love cake before we can even talk.

— Starbucks, stealthy as ever, opened its fifth Express store concept in Chicago's Union Station this morning. The kiosk-like shop has no seating and a limited menu, making it ideal for commuters during the morning rush hour.

— LA-based chef Roy Choi, of Kogi taco truck and Locol fame, made it onto Time magazine's list of the 100 most influential people in the world. Anthony Bourdain wrote the blurb, which reads in part, "Chef, activist, film producer, restaurateur and author of a superb memoir, L.A. Son: My Life, My City, My Food, Roy Choi has put it all on the line to improve the quality of life for people few others seem to care about. It's not a pose, it's not a cause: it's who he is."

— Finally, here's the best way to frost a cake: