Recalled Layer Cakes Hit With Top FDA Risk Alert

The flavor of recalled cakes include Italian Layer, Carrot Layer, Tres Leches Cheesecake, Hummingbird Layer, Chocolate Tres Leches Cheesecake, and Assorted Layer.

Juliette Fairley

Published: 8/12/2025, 1:19:54 PM EDT

Recalled Layer Cakes Hit With Top FDA Risk Alert — Photo of layer cake. (Lydia Bauman/Pixabay)

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) assigned its highest risk alert to a variety of layer cakes sold in six states.

The King Cheesecake Company of Houston, Texas, voluntarily recalled the cakes due to concerns that their accompanying pecans may have the potential to be contaminated with Salmonella, according to an Aug. 8 FDA enforcement advisory.

The cakes were distributed in Texas, Louisiana, Oklahoma, Arkansas, Florida, and Illinois.

Flavors include Italian Layer, Carrot Layer, Tres Leches Cheesecake, Hummingbird Layer Cake, Chocolate Tres Leches Cheesecake, and Assorted Layer.

“Pecans have the potential to be contaminated with Salmonella,” the FDA said.

Company leaders did not respond to requests for comment.

The FDA designated the recall a Class 1 event, which is the federal government’s highest risk alert and is described on the FDA website as having a reasonable probability that the use of or exposure will cause serious adverse health consequences or death.

"Level 1 recalls are done out of an abundance of caution because the consumption of the product could cause serious health issues, or even death,” Mendocino Food Consulting founder Bryan Quoc Le told NTD. “Other recall classifications are more associated with temporary illness or minor effects on health.”

The FDA further stated that the cakes were manufactured between June 20 and July 14 and recalled on July 18.

Most people infected with Salmonella will develop symptoms of an illness called salmonellosis within 12 to 72 hours, according to the FDA, and salmonellosis typically runs its course in four to seven days, with most people recovering without treatment.

Symptoms of salmonellosis include diarrhea, fever, and abdominal cramps.

"Salmonella is especially dangerous because it doesn’t just make people sick," Northeastern University professor, food safety expert, and Alliance for Recall Ready Communities adviser Darin Detwiler told NTD. "This pathogen sends thousands to the hospital every year and can be deadly, especially for the most vulnerable: young children, the elderly, and those with weakened immune systems."

Last week, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) assigned its highest risk alert to 32,670 pounds of pecans sold in Texas, Minnesota, Oklahoma, Arkansas, New Jersey, as well as internationally in the United Arab Emirates (UAE), the Netherlands, and Italy.

Potential Salmonella contamination led Navarro Pecan Holdings of Corsicana, Texas, to voluntarily recall the nuts, according to an Aug. 1 FDA enforcement advisory.

The recall and FDA classification apply to various packages of Fancy Medium Pecan Pieces, Fancy Midget Pecan Pieces, Fancy Small Pecan Pieces, Fancy Jr. Mammoth Pecan Halves, Fancy Topper Pecan Halves, Fancy Topper HLVS/Med Pcs Blend, Fancy Jumbo Pecan Halves, Fancy Ex-Lrg/Jumbo Pecan Halves, and Fancy Large Pecan Pieces.