When Lisa Younes visited her local Whole Foods Market in Berkeley, Calif., last month she expected to walk out with a slice of her beloved Berry Chantilly cake: With its lofty layers of almond-scented cake and fluffy mascarpone frosting dotted with fresh mixed berries, it had become her go-to sweet treat for the past year.

But there were none available. “I just received the worst news in my entire life,” Ms. Younes declared in a TikTok posted on Sept. 21 from the store’s parking lot. “Whole Foods is discontinuing the Berry Chantilly cake that we all know and love.” She uploaded her reaction — and it quickly drew more than 1.5 million views.

For more than a week, speculation, misinformation and outrage swirled online: Had Whole Foods, owned by Amazon since 2017, eliminated the fresh berries entirely? Would individual slices exist no more? How could the company touch — let alone discontinue, as many surmised — its wildly popular cake, a staple at weddings, birthdays and family celebrations, a cake so renowned it had been trademarked? Chaos reigned on social media, in the news and in the minds of Chantilly cake fanatics.

Recipe: Chantilly Cake With BerriesImageThe three-layer cake features fresh berries and whipped-cream frosting.Credit...Kerri Brewer for The New York Times. Food Stylist: Barrett Washburne.

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