As Mother's Day approaches, many Cubans traditionally gift a cake to their mothers or grandmothers. However, the current exorbitant prices for these cakes are becoming increasingly unaffordable for the financially strapped citizens of Cuba.
Last year's severe economic crisis is expected to impact many households again this year, where even a small piece of cake—a treat not forsaken even during the toughest years of the so-called Special Period—is now out of reach for many.
The cost of cakes varies depending on the ingredients added. Prices can range from 2,000 pesos for a chocolate cake to 3,000 pesos for a tres leches cake, as reported by CiberCuba in a Facebook post. As is common in business worldwide, delivery costs for these delectable desserts are additional.
The Cuban authorities, known for their strict rationing of food supplies, have not regulated the sale of cakes, reflecting the ongoing crisis in the availability of flour and other essential baking ingredients. In a country where the minimum wage is merely 2,100 pesos, prices in private businesses are so high that many Cubans cannot afford them, especially when other essential food items are also scarce in their diet.
Despite the desire to celebrate with cake, many mothers will spend the day without this sweet treat. Others will endure the day separated from their children, either because they are imprisoned in Cuban jails for demanding basic human rights, or because they have emigrated in search of a better future for themselves and their families. Some mothers will mourn children lost to escalating violence in the country.
To compound the difficulties faced by Cuban families, the National Electric Union has promised a day filled with long and exhausting blackouts, adding to the challenges of what should be a joyful occasion.