Why Obama’s Cake Appeared at Trump’s Inauguration

As a capper to Inauguration Day 2017, President Donald Trump thrust a large metal sword into a four-foot-tall cake that looked an awful lot like the one that celebrity baker Duff Goldman made for President Obama on Inauguration Day 2013. After spying this copycat cake, Duff tweeted:

Indeed, both cakes had nine layers, with stripes on the bottom, a presidential banner & seal motif as the second level, shiny emblems adorning a middle section, and a top part with stars shooting toward the sky — they were exactly identical. Here’s a video of the cake-sabering from last night:

And here’s another, clearer side-by-side comparison of the 2013 cake versus the 2017 cake:

An eagle-eyed tipster spotted the new cake in an Instagram story from Buttercream Bake Shop in D.C. on Thursday. And indeed, this morning, the team from Buttercream shared a photo of their replica of the old cake, with an explanation:

While we most love creating original designs, when we are asked to replicate someone else's work we are thrilled when it is a masterpiece like this one. @duff_goldman originally created this for Obama's inauguration 4 years ago and this years committee commissioned us to re-create it. Best part is all the profits are being donated to @humanrightscampaign, one of our favorite charities who we have loved working with over the years. Because basic human rights are something every man, woman and child~ straight, gay or the rainbow in between~ deserve!

When reached by phone, baker Tiffany MacIsaac reiterated that the team from the bakery originally offered to “create something original,” but they were “commissioned to make a replica.”

This incident further proves that Trump just can’t catch a break when it comes to celebratory cakes. Remember this thing from election night?:

• Duff Goldman [Twitter]
• Buttercream Bakeshop [Instagram]
• At Inaugural Balls Trump Talks ‘Enemies,’ Eats Plagiarized Cake [DI]
• All Coverage of Donald Trump [E]