How Viral Vintage Heart Cakes Transformed The Walmart Bakery
It's popular! It's affordable! It's a win-win for everyone! At least, they thought so.
Recently, TikTok videos of vintage heart cakes from the Walmart Bakery are popping up everywhere. Vintage heart cakes have become increasingly popular over the last year. Food influencers embraced the trend wholeheartedly by piping elaborate cakes, often featuring intricate piping. There are two perspectives: home bakery owners who invest an immense amount of time and energy into their cakes versus Walmart customers who want a cute, yet affordable cake. I think much of the current frustration home bakers have stems from fear. Cake artists cultivated exclusivity by making vintage heart cakes. Before, customers could only buy standard cakes from the grocery bakery department. Specializing in these trendy cakes gave cake artists an appeal that differentiated them from the "average" cakes you can buy from your local grocer. Then Walmart came along and decided to join the competition. Naturally, some home bakery business owners are concerned that they can't compete with a big mass-market retailer like Walmart.
Issue #1: Quality Versus Quantity
Some commentators assume that home bakers make cakes from a box mix that, in theory, is of lower quality than a cake made from scratch. Often, cake artists who use cake mix are upfront about using it. In some cases, cake mix serves as a base ingredient. This may reduce the cost by providing the cake decorator with more time to focus on the decorating process.
In reality, there are high-quality cake mix brands in the market, so semi-scratch cakes aren't the issue. Ultimately, customers gravitate towards these cake bakers because they are skilled artists adept at capturing a party theme on a cake's exterior or taking inspiration from a customer's Pinterest board and bringing it to life with edible art.
After the TikTok creator known as @birdysbakery went viral for all the wrong reasons, viewers were disappointed by her statement that "having a birthday cake is a luxury, not a need". Of course, this led to discourse in the comments.
Issue #2: Customer Backlash
Walmart customers are seeking affordable dessert options regardless of where they purchase. Most importantly, most cities have a local Walmart. Geographical location is essential when deciding which bakery to buy a cake from.
Consequently, a few bakers harshly criticized both Walmart customers and employees. Some bakers described customers as cheapskates who support low-quality, overly processed food products. Inevitably, this left a bad taste in Walmart Customer's mouth. From a business standpoint chastising another company's customers for their lack of financial means is distasteful. Unfortunately, entrepreneurs in the food space missed the mark on this issue by actively contributing to their declining customer base. On February 19, 2025, a creator uploaded a video on YouTube entitled, "TikTok Bakers Upset With Walmart Over Heart Cake" It, features several customers' and small business owners' perspectives on the controversy.
On the other hand, devaluing cake decorators' work because they work at Walmart fosters an elitist attitude that's detrimental to the industry. Walmart bakers, however, showcase their skill by decorating cakes with clean piping and impeccable lettering. A lesson we can learn from this ordeal is that bakers are not a monolith, which ultimately illustrates that all bakers can not share the same career path. What is best for one individual may not be ideal for another. Have we gotten to the root of the ire that's led to these viral videos?
What Value Do Home Bakery Businesses Offer?
The vintage heart cake trend proves home bakery businesses offer creativity and inspired desserts with flavors that may be difficult for customers to find at their local grocery store. A discrepancy people have with home bakers is pricing. Major retailers like Walmart offer lower prices ranging from $17 to $25 based on the region by spreading the labor across a team of employees. We saw bakers package, bake, shop, and clean without the help of a team in their "day in the life" videos. Another factor is ingredients and packaging. It is no secret that Walmart is the cheaper option compared to other major retailers or grocers. So, why is it a surprise that the ingredients, packaging, and labor would be obtained at a lower cost to reflect those lower prices to customers?
There are many home bakery businesses with various prices, services, skills, and ingredient quality. Some bake from scratch. Others focus on artistry and use baking mixes to save on ingredients and time which lowers the cost.
Finally, there is value in variety. Walmart's heart cakes contain 4 of the big 9 allergens. These desserts may contain additional allergens including peanuts, shellfish, and sesame. People actively avoiding these ingredients due to lactose intolerance or other health conditions would benefit from a micro bakery like Bake Shell. This bakery sells vegan and gluten-free desserts. Many people have had negative experiences with gluten-free products and these bakers have shown people it's possible to enjoy gluten-free treats. Bakers can benefit from focusing on what they have to offer that differs from what is currently in the market. For example, bakers can pivot to dietary needs or delivery services for the disabled or elderly. Sure, retailers started offering heart cakes in addition to the classic round cakes. But you will never buy a wedding cake, burn away cake, long cake, or even drunk Barbie-inspired cake at the grocery store. Support small bakeries in your area if you can. But if you can't you can always follow and recommend them to someone. As it turns out, there's enough room for everyone when we continue to innovate.