History Series / AceOfCakes

** They've gotten commissions from Macy's, Ocean Spray, Creator/WarnerBros (for two Film/HarryPotter movie premieres), Creator/DreamworksAnimation (for ''WesternAnimation/KungFuPanda''), ''Series/{{Lost}}'', and Creator/CirqueDuSoleil, among many.

* CloseEnoughTimeline: Parodied in the final episode, which had a ''Film/BackToTheFuture''-theme, where [[spoiler:screwing around with the bakery's flux capacitor caused the bakers to become office workers, bugs, and random hazmat suit (really painter's suits) wearers. ''Really'' screwing up the flux capacitor caused Geof and Duff to become workers at a cake box factory]].

** Duff was a challenger on ''Series/IronChefAmerica'', and also competed on ''Series/{{Chopped}}: Tournament'', where he [[spoiler:was eliminated after the first round]].

** Both ''Ace'' and ''Cake Boss'' are forbidden from saying Rice Crispy Treats (they use "cereal treats" instead[[note]]''Cake Boss'' was recently granted permission by the product placement gods[[/note]]), even though it's a well-used "construction material."

** The [=R2D2=] cake, in addition to being life-size with a turning head, also had to look specifically like the ''WesternAnimation/StarWarsCloneWars'' version of R2D2. This meant that not only did it have to look a little busted-up but also match the "painterly" style of the show, which went against the shop's no-visible-brushstrokes ideal. They were able to do everything aside from getting R2's head to turn--it was beyond Duff's engineering skills but fortunately a handyman at Skywalker Ranch was able to rig up a little something and save the day.

* TakeThat: To their TLC counterparts: "You need to be the ''boss'' of the cake". "You (the puppet bakers) aren't working out, I'm bumping you to the minor leagues"--[[PutOnABus stuffed in a box]] with a "Jersey Or Bust" sign (if they really went there, they'd be returned covered in flour and dipped in icing).

* AwesomeMcCoolname: Geof Manthorne and Duff Goldman.

* UpToEleven:
-->'''Mary Alice:''' The customer asks for ten, Duff will give them eleven.
** Duff cut down a Christmas tree and used a smaller (fake) tree as the topper for it. When the staff had a contest to see who could make the best ornament for the tree, Geof's submission was ''an entire second tree with decorations.''

%% * GettingCrapPastThe Radar: Due to overwhelming and persistent misuse, GCPTR is on-page examples only until 01 June 2021. If you are reading this in the future, please check the trope page to make sure your example fits the current definition.
%%* GirlScoutsAreEvil

* IncendiaryExponent: Unless client specifically states that they don't want fireworks, Duff '''never''' misses a chance to shoot off fireworks, and given even ''half'' a chance, he '''will''' find a way to put fireworks into (or at least onto) a cake.

* TheLancer: Geof is this to [[TheHero Duff]]. Duff, as the owner/head of the bakery, oversees the production and usually doesn't do a lot of the hands-on stuff--Geof, on the other hand, is a tad standoffish and does a lot of the ''really'' difficult stuff.

* MysteriousBenefactor: The unnamed VIP client who asked for the dressage cake. When they explained they don't ship cakes outside of driving distance and jokingly added that the client would need a private jet, said client ''provided one just for the cake'' (albeit a small private jet).
** Even by the end of the episode, no one but Mary Alice knew who the customer was--pretty much the only stuff that Duff and the rest of the staff (and, by extension, the viewers) could gather about the client was that, aside from the person receiving the cake being into horseback riding[[note]]Considered "the highest expression of horseback riding," dressage is (to put it as simply as possible) where "horse and rider are expected to perform from memory a series of predetermined movements"[[/note]], the client must be fairly wealthy (especially since, aside from equestrianism generally being very expensive, the client ''owned a private jet'')
the only things that Duff and the rest of his employees (and the audience) were able to gather about the customers was that the client was fairly wealthy (especially since they had a private jet, albeit a small one) and they're into horseback-riding (the cake that was ordered was made to have an equestrian-theme), which in itself is still an indicator that the client must be fairly wealthy.

* PermaStubble: Duff's typical appearance, aside from his goatee.

* SassySecretary: Mary Alice, who's the general manager at Charm City Cakes--alongside Geoff, Mary Alice is basically like Duff's second-in-command when it comes to all the non-cooking related aspects of Charm City Cakes (like handling all the actual businessy aspects of it, such as booking and organizing appointments with clients) and claims to be one of the few people to have the ability "to get Duff to do what he's supposed to do."

** When Duff was asked to do a cake based on a tank, he got to go to an Army base and drive a tank. At this point, Duff and Geof admitted that their "research" is really [[LampshadeHanging just an excuse to go off and do cool stuff]].

* SquareCubeLaw: Invoked in the giant cupcake episode. Duff originally just wanted to make a really big cupcake, but after crunching the numbers, he and the rest of the staff realized that there was no way the cake would be able to support its own weight.
* {{Squick}}: {{Invoked|Trope}}--Chef Adam's a vegan and was a little grossed out when forced to handle hot dogs while helping Duff make [[Series/ThirtyRock cheesy blasters]].

* TrueCompanions: The staff of Charm City Cakes--as mentioned above, Duff was friends with quite a few of his staff prior to starting his business, and even though Duff's technically, he seems to see his staff more as friends than his employees.

* WackyMarriageProposal: A few times--the CCC-staff has helped with a few of them, and there have been situations where the staff got worried that the person being proposed to might say "no," but they always end up saying yes. For one client that Duff made a proposal cake for, Duff promised the man who ordered the proposal cake a 10%-discount on his wedding cake for if his girlfriend said "yes" to his proposal.