A 22-year-old home baker has found herself the center of Pinoys’ attention when she created a dessert that looks similar to President Rodrigo Duterte’s birthday rice cake.
“A simple cake for a simple party,” wrote Nice Carlene Junsay in a post that appeared yesterday. “Steal Father [Digong’s] look during his 76th birthday with this literal rice cake.”
The owner of the store Nicelybaked attached photos of the cake that she created, which looked similar to the rice cake that Duterte had during his recent birthday. Her post has gone viral, after having been shared almost 10,000 times by amused netizens.
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In case you haven’t heard, Duterte (nicknamed Father or Tatay Digong by his fans) celebrated his birthday in his home in Davao City by blowing a candle stuck into a cup of rice. Duterte has always tried to project an everyman aura, and this episode is a perfect example of his continuous effort at myth-making. In the past, photos of him walking around with a battered shoe or sleeping inside a mosquito net have gone viral because his fans believe that he leads a modest lifestyle. A lot of critics have pointed out, however, that the chairs in his home are expensive (see image below), and later on, it was discovered that he had lechon (roasted pig) for his birthday.
Coconuts Manila spoke with Junsay, a former medical student who opted to open her shop in October to pursue her passion for baking. She said she was inspired to create the cake after seeing the photo of Duterte blowing his rice cake. She made the cake, priced at PHP450 (US$9.27), despite the possible blowback from Duterte’s fans, called the Diehard Duterte Supporters (DDS).
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“I just saw the viral photo of Father [Digong] once again on my feed and posed it as a challenge for myself. I thought how amazing it would be if I can actually make a cake that looks like a cup of rice,” she said.
“I don’t fear the DDS. I know how shallow these persons can be that even a cake would make them angry. It’s just that I wanted to recreate a cake since it’s timely and relevant,” she added.
She said she has been swamped with inquiries since her cake, which was created with chocolate ganache filling and Swiss meringue buttercream, has gone viral.
“I am honestly speechless at the moment. I don’t know what I am feeling I’m still in a state of shock at how fast it went viral,” the home baker said.
FIND IT:
Nicelybaked is at A.B. Cruz St. Kalawaan, Pasig City
FB: @nicelybaked.mnl
IG:@nicelybaked_
Phone: +639152114408
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