Top Gun: Maverick Star Jay Ellis Says He Flew Tom Cruise's Christmas Cake to His Mexico Vacation

Jay Ellis is proud to have made Tom Cruise's coveted cake list — a select group of friends who get sent his annual coconut Christmas dessert. And apparently, so is his family!

The Top Gun: Maverick star, 41, is now opening up about his experience with the popular dish, and a certain quest to get his costar's cake over to Mexico in time for a Christmas vacation.

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On Friday's episode of The Jennifer Hudson Show, Hudson asked her guest if Cruise, 60, included him in the yearly tradition.

"The cake is coveted in this town," Ellis explained. "It's literally like getting a trophy. We get the cake every year. It's always a surprise when you get it because you're so excited to get it — and you wanna make sure you're still on the gift list."

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As for this year's cake, Ellis explained that Cruise sent him the dessert just in time for a family vacation in Mexico — and of course, his family wanted a taste.

"This year, my family, we all met in Mexico to spend Christmas together," Ellis recalled. "And I was away filming a movie, and I was like, 'Mom, can you freeze the cake and take it to Mexico?' My whole family was like, 'Yes, freeze the cake.' "

"Whatever it is — dry ice, ice cubes, whatever it is — we froze the cake," he said. "We took it Mexico, thawed it out and we had it on Christmas Day."

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Plenty of stars have engaged in cake conversations over the years and divulged information about the delicious dessert — including Tom Hanks, who told Mythical Kitchen's Last Meals last month that the cake is "so great you can really only have it once a year."

The $110 bundt cake featured in the show was made by Doan's Bakery in Woodland Hills, Calif, and Hanks explained that whenever Cruise's dish arrives at the Playtone office, it's a hit.

"They start eyeing what mail has come in? Is the big box coming in? Are we getting, what has essentially been called, the Tom Cruise cake?" Hanks said.

"Everybody starts slicing thinner and thinner slices," Hanks added, sharing that the cake itself eventually runs out. "It's a mathematical proof that if you just keep cutting everything in half, you will never run out of Tom Cruise cake."

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But Hanks is not the only star to rave about the festive cake. In December, Rosie O'Donnell shared a photo of Tom's tasty annual treat.

"My Tommy sent me a coconut cake!! I love that guy," O'Donnell wrote on Instagram, sharing a photo of the mouthwatering dessert. Cruise also sent a note: "Warmest wishes to you this holiday season."

O'Donnell showed off the same present in 2020. "Christmas is here when Tommy's gift shows up," she wrote at the time.

The Jennifer Hudson Show airs weekdays in syndication (check local listings).