“When I got the video, which literally featured some of the soldiers in aprons trying to make their own cake, I knew that I had to make their wish come true,” says Vicos. “They do so much for our country, so making a special cake for their Christmas ball was the least I could do. I’m truly grateful for the chance to give thanks to these American heroes.”
Let Them Eat Cake!
To create the special, over-the-top cake for the Battalion Ball, Vicos hand-selected a three person team consisting of Karen Murdock Hughes, Debbie Barronton, Sabrina Ricks Campbell as well as Fort Stewart’s pastry chef, SPC Christopher Pope. She also enlisted Dawn Food Products to help cover the expenses for supplies and ingredients such as cake mix, fondant and butter cream icing.
The team prepped and planned for more than two weeks before the ball and dedicated over 100 hours of decorating time to the final cake creation, which used 100 pounds of fondant, 80 pounds of buttercream icing, 20 pounds of white chocolate and 100 edible images of soldiers and their families.
The final vanilla cake with chocolate fudge masterpiece stood more than 4 feet tall and weighed over 600 pounds. It featured a sculpted tank along with a Christmas tree including LED lights and a sugar snowman dressed in army blues, which actually sang, danced and had waving arms and a wiggling head.
“We were thrilled to be a part of this very special cake creation for the Fort Stewart Battalion,” says Becky Loveland, Director of Bakery Distribution Marketing. “We have great respect and admiration for all those that serve our country and are proud to help honor their dedication and service.”
