A Pennsylvania bakery known for their abundance of sweet treats has recently cooked up some controversy after debuting their “Make America Great Again” mini hat cakes. Traub’s Bakery created the cakes to celebrate President-elect Donald Trump’s inauguration ceremony on Friday, but ultimately served up a side of controversy after the photo went viral.
The image, which was posted to the Traub’s Bakery Facebook page, featured the mini red and white hat cakes, writing “in honor of the 45th President of the United States Inauguration,” with Trump’s campaign slogan covering the tops. Not everyone wanted to celebrate the occasion with political pastries, however. The photo garnered more than 800 responses in the comments section, which was more divided than the nation itself. Some wrote that it was a terrible business decision, while others lauded the Trump-themed cakes.
One user wrote, “Tacky cakes for a classless man,” while another said, “Hopefully you’ll be out of business as quickly as he is out of office.” Those who supported the decision wrote things like, “Make cake great again” and shared photos of their own mini cakes. Many others encouraged various commenters to “get over it,” saying that no one was forcing them to buy it. A number of commenters agreed with the latter, explaining they would take their business elsewhere.
According to Billy Penn, Deneen Ciancaglini, a Traub’s decorator and Trump supporter, said it was just another timely special based on what was trending. They previously made cakes for the Pope’s visit to Philadelphia and the Deflategate scandal. During the election, they sold Trump, Hillary Clinton and even undecided cookies. They claimed, “If Hillary had won, we’d have done a cake for Hillary.”
The cake controversy, which some are comparing to the gay couple cake controversy, also impacted their online reviews. One person wrote on their Yelp page, “With the business collapsing, they resorted to giving political opinions with the food. I advise you to stay away, unless you like yesterday’s trash.” Another, who gave a one-star rating, commented, “No imagination in their creations. I would give it no stars if I could. I think some stuff is frozen too. Definitely not on my list when I visit Philly again.” Still, they have a four-star overall rating.
Traub’s is by no means the first bakery to concoct a politically-charged cake. Bakers around the country worked to “make America cake again” and, in September, Donald Trump Jr. shared an image of a MAGA hat cake that he called ” a real surprise.”
The political debates that have been whipped up from recent Trump treats may just prove that you can’t have your cake and eat it, too.
What are your thoughts on the “Make America Great Again” mini hat cakes? Would you buy one? Sound off in the comments section below!