Here's the deal ... Whoopi had Charlotte Russe -- the dessert, not the store -- on "The View" this week as a sweet treat for her 69th birthday, and during the segment, she said she wouldn't name the bakery that made the cakes, because she felt they initially refused to make them for her ... because they didn't like her politics.

Whoopi told the audience the bakery blamed their ovens when she tried and failed to pre-order some Charlotte Russe cakes ... but she said someone from the show was able to go over to the bakery and pick up the grub on the morning of her birthday, leading her to suspect her support for Kamala Harris was the real culprit.

Holtermann's Bakery on Staten Island came out and said they're the bakery Whoopi is referencing ... with owner Jill Holtermann telling Entertainment Weekly they were having an issue with their boilers and that's why she didn't want to commit to fulfilling Whoopi's pre-order.

On Friday, the bakery had a press conference to push back against Whoopi ... with Staten Island Borough President Vito Fossella accusing Whoopi of defaming the Holtermann family and demanding an apology.

Jill also took the mic, saying her bakery has seen an outpouring of support in the wake of Whoopi's attack ... noting folks from as far away as Alabama were sending donations.