New Chocolate Cake Is a Hit at 2026 Winter Olympics

A warm chocolate cake with a gooey center is becoming very popular with athletes at the 2026 Winter Olympics. Many say it's even better than the famous chocolate muffins from the last Summer Games.
By Newsroom | Sports, Food |

A specific chocolate dessert served in the Olympic Village for the 2026 Winter Games has rapidly gained attention, drawing comparisons to a popular item from the previous Summer Olympics. Athletes are sharing their experiences with this molten-centered cake, sparking widespread discussion about the culinary offerings for competitors.

The Rise of the Molten Center

As athletes gather for the 2026 Winter Olympics in Milan and Cortina, the focus has extended beyond athletic performance to include the food available in the Olympic Village. A chocolate lava cake, described as a warm, gooey dessert with a liquid chocolate center, has become a notable talking point. This treat is being hailed by many as an upgrade to the viral chocolate muffins that captured public imagination during the 2024 Summer Olympics in Paris.

Winter Olympics 2026: Meet the Olympic Village’s 'Chocolate Monster': Spooner’s sweet tooth goes viral - 1

Key takeaway: A chocolate lava cake at the 2026 Winter Olympics is being widely discussed and is seen as a spiritual successor to a viral dessert from the 2024 Summer Olympics.

Timeline of Attention

The discourse surrounding the chocolate lava cake appears to have gained traction in early February 2026. Social media posts and news articles began appearing around February 3rd, highlighting athletes' reactions to the dessert.

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Winter Olympics 2026: Meet the Olympic Village’s 'Chocolate Monster': Spooner’s sweet tooth goes viral - 2

  • February 3rd, 2026: Initial social media activity emerges, with athletes like Natalie Spooner of Canada's National Hockey Team sharing their experiences. Videos of Spooner sampling various sweets, including the chocolate lava cake, begin circulating.

  • February 5th, 2026: Reports from outlets like Today.com and Delish.com emerge, detailing athletes' positive reviews and direct comparisons to the 2024 viral chocolate muffin.

  • Subsequent Days: Numerous other publications, including Cosmopolitan and Sporting News, contribute to the narrative, further solidifying the lava cake's status as a viral sensation within the Olympic Village.

Key Figures and Their Experiences

Several athletes have been central to the viral spread of information about the chocolate lava cake.

  • Natalie Spooner (Canada, Ice Hockey): Spooner has been a prominent figure in sharing her food reviews from the Olympic Village. Her posts and videos, particularly those on TikTok, showcase her tasting the chocolate lava cake and expressing positive feedback. She has been cited for rating other desserts in her initial reviews, but the lava cake has emerged as a standout.

  • Courtney Saurault (Canada, Speed Skating): Saurault is another Canadian athlete who has shared her positive impressions of the chocolate lava cake on social media platforms like Instagram. Her comments echo the sentiment that the dessert is a significant improvement or notable treat.

  • Matt Smith (South Africa, Cross-Country Skiing): Smith is noted for his plans to review various food items in the Olympic Village, including Italian staples like pizza and lasagna. His perspective adds a broader view of the dining options available beyond just the viral dessert.

  • Other Athletes: Athletes such as South African skier Matt Smith and USA snowboarder Jess Perlmutter have also been mentioned as praising the food, with Smith specifically reviewing pizza and lasagna.

Comparing Culinary Successors

The current excitement around the chocolate lava cake is intrinsically linked to the memory of the viral chocolate muffins from the Paris 2024 Games.

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Winter Olympics 2026: Meet the Olympic Village’s 'Chocolate Monster': Spooner’s sweet tooth goes viral - 3
Feature2024 Viral Chocolate Muffin2026 Chocolate Lava Cake
DescriptionWidely shared, popular muffin; details on specific recipe less emphasized.Described as a warm, gooey cake with a liquid chocolate center, often dusted with powdered sugar.
Athlete ReceptionWas a popular item, sparking widespread social media buzz.Hailed as "better than" the muffin by some athletes; highly praised for its molten center.
Viral ElementBecame a symbol of the Paris 2024 culinary experience.Positioned as the "next viral dessert" and a spiritual successor.
Social Media ImpactDrove significant online discussion and meme creation.Generating similar engagement, with athletes posting reviews and comparisons.

The consensus from initial athlete reviews suggests the lava cake offers a more complex or satisfying dessert experience compared to the previous year's muffin.

The "Chocolate Monster" Phenomenon

The term "Chocolate Monster" has surfaced in social media commentary, often used humorously by athletes or observers to denote an extreme fondness for chocolate. In some instances, this moniker is linked to specific social media accounts that focus on reviewing food. The "Chocolate Monster" persona has been seen expressing hope that the lava cake lives up to expectations, or has been a recipient of mentions in relation to these sweet treats.

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Winter Olympics 2026: Meet the Olympic Village’s 'Chocolate Monster': Spooner’s sweet tooth goes viral - 4

  • One social media user, identified by the handle @henrikchristians1, has been associated with the "Chocolate Monster" concept, expressing sentiments about the lava cake.

  • This user appears to be leveraging trending sounds and hashtags on platforms like TikTok to create content related to Olympic Village food.

Broader Olympic Village Dining

While the chocolate lava cake has captured the spotlight, reports indicate a wider range of dining options are available to athletes.

  • Italian Staples: Dishes such as lasagna and pizza are being served and reviewed by athletes, with some finding them "good" or "really good."

  • General Food Quality: There's an emerging theme that the dining options for athletes at the Milan and Cortina Games are an improvement compared to past Olympic villages, where food quality often faces criticism.

  • Variety: The presence of other items like chocolate pudding suggests a diverse menu is intended to cater to different preferences.

Expert Perspectives

Chefs and food critics have also weighed in, though with a degree of professional detachment.

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  • Chef Mark Best has acknowledged the trend, commenting on the ubiquity of lava cakes. His remarks suggest that while the dessert can be appealing, its widespread presence can lead to a loss of novelty if not executed with care. His comment, "Served too often, and with too little care, the lava cake melted into a lukewarm puddle of familiarity," implies a potential for the dessert to become mundane if not prepared exceptionally.

Conclusion and Future Outlook

The 2026 Winter Olympics has, at least in its early stages, found a viral culinary star in the chocolate lava cake. This dessert's success is largely defined by its enthusiastic reception from athletes, who are actively sharing their positive experiences across social media. The lava cake has demonstrably filled the void left by the highly popular chocolate muffins of the 2024 Games, establishing itself as a new point of interest within the Olympic Village’s dining halls.

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The narrative suggests a positive trajectory for athlete food experiences at these Games, with the lava cake serving as a prominent example. Future viral food trends from Milan and Cortina remain a possibility as the competition progresses.

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Frequently Asked Questions

Q: What is the new popular food at the 2026 Winter Olympics?
A chocolate lava cake is getting a lot of attention from athletes. It is a warm cake with a soft, melted chocolate inside.
Q: Is this cake better than the food from the last Olympics?
Some athletes say this chocolate cake is better than the chocolate muffins that were popular at the 2024 Summer Olympics. They like its gooey center.
Q: Who is talking about this cake?
Athletes like Natalie Spooner from Canada's hockey team have shared videos of themselves eating the cake. Many news sites are also writing about it.
Q: What other food is at the Olympic Village?
Athletes can also eat Italian foods like pizza and lasagna. People are saying the food options this year are good.