Moroccan pastry chef sets Guinness record for longest strawberry cake

Youssef El Gatou, a Moroccan pastry chef based in France, set a new Guinness World Record on Wednesday by creating the longest strawberry cake in the world. Measuring an impressive 121.88 meters, the cake was assembled inside an ice rink in the town of Argenteuil, in the Paris region.

The previous record, held since 2019 by Italian pastry chefs, stood at 100.48 meters. With the support of renowned French chefs and a team of Moroccan pastry artisans, El Gatou accomplished the feat in just 24 hours.

Judges from the Guinness World Records were on-site to officially validate the attempt.

Speaking to MAP, Youssef El Gatou expressed pride in his achievement, made possible with the help of a team that included several Moroccan professionals and celebrated French artisans such as Nicolas Bernardé, a recipient of the prestigious «Meilleur Ouvrier de France» title.

The enormous dessert, weighing 1.2 tons, required approximately 4,000 eggs, 150 kg of sugar, 560 kg of cream, and 350 kg of strawberries. Once the record was confirmed, the cake was shared with the public—many of them members of the local Moroccan community—during a lively celebration.

Portions of the cake were also distributed to retirement homes, the local hospital, firefighters, and the Red Cross.

This isn’t El Gatou’s first ambitious project. In 2020, he created a 20-meter-long galette des rois (King’s cake), and in 2021, his bakery earned second place in the regional competition for best croissant.