They bought a cake and found a diamond worth hundreds of dollars inside: “We thought it was a joke”

A bakery in Belgium decided to kick off the new year with a surprise that quickly turned into a local sensation.

Baba Jacquet, a well‑known pastry shop, announced on Instagram that one of the King Cakes it would bake between January 3 and 6 would contain a hidden diamond worth about $550. The promotion was a collaboration with jeweler Christophe Van den Neucker of Christofelli, who joked that “jewelers need to modernize too.”

During those four days, the bakery produced hundreds of King Cakes. In Belgium — unlike in Spain — the tradition centers on the Galette des Rois, a French puff‑pastry cake that usually hides a small bean or figurine. By late December, word of the diamond giveaway had already reached many customers, including the family of a young woman named Eline, who would later discover a surprise of her own.

“We saw the story in the news, and our daughter Wolke really wanted one. You never know, right? We liked the idea, so we ordered another cake that same night and picked it up on Monday, January 5,” said Annick, Eline’s mother. That evening, Eline stumbled upon a small diamond‑shaped box baked inside the cake. “I thought it was a joke,” she admitted. She had completely forgotten about the bakery’s promotion and assumed it was some kind of prank.

The winners finally surface

The family liked the little box so much that they placed it on Eline’s dresser as a keepsake — and then forgot about it. “We thought it was cute, but we didn’t think more about it,” Annick said. Weeks later, after watching an episode of Destino X that mentioned the promotion, the family suddenly remembered the box. They checked the newspapers for details and realized the bakery had indeed hidden a €500 diamond inside a diamond‑shaped container.

“We were also wondering where the new owners were,” Van den Neucker said with a laugh after the family finally came forward. “We figured some people might keep the diamond without realizing it, or accidentally throw the box away. As the ladies saw, it really was shaped like a diamond. We’re thrilled they found it.”

Meryem, one of the bakers at Baba Jacquet, admitted she had imagined all sorts of scenarios. “We baked 400 or 500 cakes — it could have been anyone,” she said. Beyond making one family’s day, the goal of the campaign was to spotlight local craftsmanship and small businesses. For Meryem and the jeweler, the Galette des Rois turned out to be the perfect way to bring that idea to life.

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