The Tomte Cake Gingerbread House Alternative Update | Shark Tank Season 15

Store-bought gingerbread house kits are hard to build and taste terrible. So Miranda Vaughn came up with The Tomte Cake, a bake-at-home gingerbread house kit that’s easy to use, fun to decorate, and actually tastes good. Each kit includes a storybook, house molds, and a hidden gnome to spark a new holiday tradition for families. Did the sharks bite on this festive twist? Find out in The Tomte Cake update and pitch recap.

If you’re short on time, here’s a quick overview of what happened to The Tomte Cake after Shark Tank.

Miranda appeared on Shark Tank Season 15, seeking $200,000 for 10% equity in her gingerbread house alternative. After her pitch, she made a deal with Kevin O’Leary for $200,000 and 15% equity.

In terms of The Tomte Cake update, the company sold over 20,000 kits after its appearance on Shark Tank. Further, they promoted Kevin O’Leary’s involvement despite no confirmed deal, using his name to boost brand credibility.

Shark:	Result:
Kevin O’Leary	Accepted deal for $200,000 for 15% equity
Lori Greiner	$200,000 for 24% equity
Barbara Corcoran	$200,000 for 20% equity
Daymond John	$200,000 for 25% equity
Mark Cuban	No offer

Shark Tank The Tomte Cake Pitch

• Entrepreneur: Miranda Vaughn
• Business: Alternative to gingerbread houses
• Ask: $200,000 for 10% equity
• Result: $200,000 for 15% equity
• Shark: Kevin O’Leary

Miranda had one goal in mind when she came to Shark Tank. She wanted to fix a common holiday problem: gingerbread house kits don’t work.

They’re hard to assemble, taste bad, and kids get frustrated. So she created The Tomte Cake, a simpler, more fun alternative.

The Tomte Cake is a 3D cake mold that lets families bake house-shaped cakes. The set includes a baking pan, a Tomte figurine, and a children’s book she wrote and illustrated.

In the story, a little gnome named Tomte falls into the batter and gets baked into the cake. Whoever finds him in their slice gets Christmas luck.

Miranda designed the product to be interactive, easy to use, and built around a story kids enjoy.

She sells the set online for $60. It costs her $15 to make. The business launched in October 2022.

She spent $40,000 on Facebook ads and sold out of all 5,000 sets in just 35 days, generating $200,000 in sales.

While she explained the idea, the sharks tried the cake. Mark Cuban found the Tomte figurine in his slice, which added to the fun.

Miranda said she came up with the idea after struggling to build gingerbread houses with her kids. She figured a cake would be easier and more enjoyable.

Miranda also shared her background. She spent years as a stay-at-home mom, homeschooling her children. She was raised in a religious cult where holidays weren’t allowed.

After leaving, she became passionate about Christmas and wanted to create meaningful traditions for her kids.

She put $150,000 of her own money into the business, using a mortgage on her home and a loan against her car.

Daymond John asked what she needed besides funding. Miranda said she wanted mentorship. She’s creative but doesn’t have a strong business background.

She hopes to grow The Tomte Cake into a full brand, similar to Elf on the Shelf, with more stories and products.

At this point in the pitch, Kevin O’Leary jumped in with the first offer.  He offered $200,000 for 25% equity, plus 25% of any distribution taken.

Lori Greiner followed with an offer of $200,000 for 33.3% equity, saying the brand could expand to other holidays.

Barbara Corcoran offered $200,000 for 20% equity. Daymond tried to join Barbara and Lori, but both declined.

Therefore, he offered Miranda $200,000 for 25% equity.

Mark cleared the deck and went out, stating that the offers are better than what he can do.

Miranda started negotiating. She asked Lori to come down to 25% equity, then 20%, but Lori wouldn’t budge.

Kevin then adjusted his offer to $200,000 for 15% equity. Lori countered with 24% equity.

Miranda tried desperately to get Lori to go down to 20% equity. However, when Lori still won’t budge, she agreed to take Kevin’s deal for $200,000 and 15% equity.

What do you think happened following Shark Tank? Keep reading The Tomte Cake update to find out

Shark Tank The Tomte Cake Update

The Tomte Cake update research we found revealed that after appearing on Shark Tank in December 2023, the company sold over 20,000 kits during the holiday season.

During her Shark Tank pitch, Miranda ended up shaking the hands of Mr Wonderful after her convincing pitch.

But at the time of this writing, we’re still unsure if that deal later pulled through, as there has been no public confirmation.

Still, the company has continued to promote Kevin’s involvement on their website, stating they are “so happy to have Kevin O’Leary on the team.”

In early 2024, the company launched closeout pricing offers to clear out remaining inventory, likely in preparation for the next holiday cycle.

They continued to sell their core kit, which includes a cake pan, gnome figurine, and illustrated storybook, alongside extra accessories like pans and gnomes.

The brand also emphasized allergy-friendly ingredients and its Made-in-USA message.

In July 2024, they ran a “Christmas in July” campaign and hinted at new improvements coming soon to enhance the product experience.

Since the show, Miranda has built a small team, brought on interns, and fostered a company culture that supports working moms.

She’s also been open about needing mentorship, which is why the partnership with Kevin was so meaningful to her.

If we learn anything new about this company, we will certainly let you know in our next The Tomte Cake update.

In the meantime, you can check out our other company updates from Season 15 Episode 8 by following the links below!

• Black Paper Party Update
• Snow in Seconds Update
• Pick Up Bricks Update

Before you go, be sure to check out our list of all the Shark Tank Season 15 products.