Im not sure which is better, the joke or the people arguing about the reality of the root of the joke in the comments.

@thps48  

 
Even rich, disconnected people aren’t stupid enough to think cake would be available if bread was not.
 
A rich, uncaring person would be more likely to simply not give a shit.

@JetstreamGW  
Rich people weren’t hilariously ignorant of the poor man’s blight two hundred years ago plus or…? XD

@Background Pony #0E97  

 
 
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Let_them_eat_cake
 
It is incredibly likely that no one EVER said that. It would have been incredibly stupid.

@Nightweaver20xx  
Nah, they had CNN anonymous sources.

@Background Pony #0E97  
Maybe someone recorded her on their iPhone. :U

@JetstreamGW
 
Maybe she did, maybe she didn’t. How can you be so sure about someone that lived hundreds of years ago?

@Paradox_Brony  

 
The part where the quote “let them eat brioche” is attributed to Marie Antoinette. She never said anything even remotely similar to it and was not, in fact, completely stupid.

@JetstreamGW
 
Wait which part, the part where France went broke helping in the American Revolution, the part about some “great princess” not understanding the suffering of peasants, or the part about the “Reign of Terror” in 1793 where 17,000 people were executed?

@Paradox_Brony  

 
Especially bullshit history that never actually happened :P

@mycarhasaMoustache
 
Twilight is a rich girl who has no clue. (See also the story of the noble fleeing the French Revolution who disguised himself as a commoner and stopped at a roadhouse for a meal. He ordered an omelette. “How many eggs, citizen?” “Err… about twenty…?” Things went poorly for him after that.)

History gives us the best jokes.

@mycarhasaMoustache  
I think they know what a bouquet is.

@Background Pony #0E97  
Still makes no sense for AJ and Fluttershy to be angry about it.

@mycarhasaMoustache
 
It’s not saying that it’s the same as cake but more expensive then hay the way that cake is more expensive then bread.

@mathprofbrony  
The flaw with the joke is In Equestria Flowers do not Equal cake there is an episode where Twilight orders a daffodil and daisy sandwich, You wouldn’t put cake in a sandwich would you. Also It still makes no sense for AJ and Flutters to be Angry since they would have literally no way of knowing what it meant at all.

That Twi face in the first panel is absolutely heart-melting.

@Damaged  
And Bermuda

Off with her head!

“Hot sause”

@Background Pony #345E
 
……. Or we’ve been had and this is an edit. MOTHERFU-

……… You do realize she has a point, though, right?
 
 
@EotD
 
I think it’s mostly shock.

Oh Twilight, you’ve kicked off the revolution.

@mathprofbrony  
No I get the joke, what I don’t get is why Applejack and Fluttershy are upset it’s a completely nonsensical statement from their POV

@EotD
 
Okay, but I warn you, this kills the joke.
 
The sentiment in Twilight’s phrase is the same as the sentiment expressed in the phrase “let them eat cake,” which a rich princess was supposed to have uttered when told that the peasants could not afford bread. (Most likely never really uttered by anyone in that form.) It’s ignorant of the realities of being poor (cake is more expensive than bread, and is not a good nutritive substitute) or heartless (the speaker knows the difference but she has her own cake so she doesn’t care).
 
Applejack and Fluttershy think she’s serious and are shocked that Twilight would recommend feeding animals cake instead of bread.
 
I can’t quite tell whether Sunset is just covering for Twilight making a lame joke, or if Twilight really meant it – which, since we know she’s not heartless, would be ignorant of local food prices. Either she’s also ignorant of Equestrian food prices, which seems unlikely, or perhaps in Equestria a bouquet really does cost about the same as a meal of hay! I figure the most likely explanation is that Twilight is making a joke.