A few of years ago, we all got a taste of cabin fever (due to some sort of pandemic). My cabin fever spawned more baking exploration. So I branched into the realm of cheesecakes and flourless chocolate cakes (among other things). They sit atop the pantheon of great desserts. Making these deserts is an act of dedication and love. It's worth getting sentimental about - they hold a special place in the desert kingdom where what you are eating almost forces you to slow down and savor the flavor and texture of the masterpiece you are ingesting. In many cases, it can turn a bad day into a good day. Like magic.

So when it came time for me to serve these desserts I was meticulous about rinsing my knife blades in hot water and keeping the blade clean for every slice. If I was very careful I felt like a samurai extracting the first piece with it's clean edges and gently plating it for my lucky first recipient. I experimented with a lot of different knives, but the frustration was always the fact that people are waiting for their cake while you slice. Staring at you. Tapping their feet. Groaning with impatience.

So I would get a little sloppy in my slicing and eventually just give in and cut it all with gummed up edges.

The first two slices are the only ones worthy of a photo shoot. The rest end up with second class treatment. Not everyone cares about this obviously. Most people are totally satisfied with the taste no matter the presentation. Not this guy.

As I stewed on the problem I was able to develop the cake laser. I remember and idea came to me; the concept of a cutting board with a slot that would allow a knife to pass through and that was the starting point of where I ended up with the Cake Laser. It took me some time to abandon the knife approach. Knives have too much surface area to get stuck to the cake.

Then I arrived at "string theory". The string passes right through with basically zero surface area. Now all the pieces are "making the cut". No slice left behind. All cake slice lives matter.

You might think piano wire or monofilament fishing line would be best, but I found that the braided fiber in the actual string performed just the right amount of cutting action. Some texture on the string is good and helps in the slicing.

Obviously you can experiment with whatever cutting medium you wish. I'm just passing on what I've learned to use.

From my heart to yours - enjoy taking care of your cakes. :)