Cake can be both a consolation and a celebratory indulgence. However, the flavor of your cake might turn a celebration into a pity party. Although this opinion seems trivial to me, it’s a surprisingly divisive topic.

I believe the perfect cake is coconut and cream cheese. I first tried the life-changing combination at the beach, on my mom’s birthday. Coconut always goes hand in hand with memories of wispy pink skies and gently swaying palm trees. Two stories of warm, fluffy cake iced with soft cream cheese frosting, then dusted with crispy flakes of coconut, was enough to win the spot as my favorite dessert.

First of all, an enjoyable dessert experience is all about balance. Vanilla or chocolate cake is yummy, as most cakes are, but it’s not enough to remember. In my opinion, to create an amazing combination, a product should have punchy, bold flavors that complement each other. There is merit in relaxing into comforting chocolate or bright yellow cake, but they’re simply too plain.

Coconut offers a sweet, rich taste, which is complemented by tangy cream cheese frosting. It’s also the type of cake to be served in any setting, from your kitchen table to a wedding reception. It’s easy to prepare, and isn’t overly complicated.

Lastly, coconut cake is the perfect texture, crispy, soft and smooth. Compared to the artificial, flat flavor of strawberry frosting, which often tastes far from the real sun-ripened fruit, coconut tastes authentic and flavorful. Other classic cake flavors, like red velvet, carrot or lemon, don’t compare. They each have their own hurdles that make coconut the better flavor.

Carrot cake is delicious, but it doesn’t have the versatility of coconut, being more of a spring cake. Red velvet, to me, doesn’t really have a flavor; all I taste is the frosting. Lemon cake is also more of a spring cake, and often tastes dull and artificial.

By now I hope it’s clear that coconut is the best cake flavor.

Sorry for making you hungry.