The morning after the New Year’s Eve party that Miami Heat star LeBron James threw for his birthday and engagement felt worse than a hangover for Boca Raton baker Alethea Hickman.

The mom-and-pop cake maker was asked by officials at the Shelborne South Beach, where the party was held, to make a five-tier cake for The King’s 27th two days before the shindig.

In frantic all-caps emails, hotel marketing coordinator Samantha Rosen promised publicity for Hickman’s Passion for Pastry. In exchange, the Shelborne would receive the $3,000 cake as a freebie. Managing principal Jared Galbut called it “sponsorship.”

So Hickman designed a Heat-red cake with edible gold dust and an edible crown on top.

But when she went online early on New Year’s Day, the photos tweeted worldwide were those of an ivory-colored rum cake with gold lion’s heads from Miami’s Divine Delicacies.

“I don’t even know where my cake went,” Hickman said. “I was mortified. They had me do it in the middle of the holiday crush and I hired additional people. Someone needs to pay.”

Galbut said James’ people decided Hickman’s work wasn’t fit for the king: “It just wasn’t what was expected. When LeBron’s people saw it, they just didn’t want to use it and decided to bring their own cake. I can’t tell LeBron James what birthday cake to eat. It’s LeBron James, for Christ’s sake.”

As for how much Galbut would pay Hickman if he were asked, he just said: “That cake couldn’t be worth more than $600. It’s flour, eggs and water.”

Jose Lambiet