The Cupcake Tank is the Draw at the Pentagon
Talk about a show stealer. The Army's top brass were on hand in the Pentagon's courtyard today to celebrate the Army's 237 th birthday with the traditional cake-cutting ceremony, but all eyes were trained on the cupcake tank.
A special 2,500 pound mock-up of an Abrams M1-A1 tank made from 5,000 camouflage colored cupcakes and equipped with a working air cannon capable of firing what else? A cupcake, of course.
The tank was made by the staff of Georgetown Cupcake, the popular Washington DC cupcake store featured on the TLC show D.C. Cupcakes. The store's owners, sisters Sophie Lamontagne and Katherine Kallinis came up with the idea and donated the $9,800 cost of the cupcakes.
For the past two holiday seasons the sisters have donated 10,000 cupcakes to American troops deployed in Iraq and Afghanistan.
Lamontagne told ABC News,"with the Army's birthday coming up we definitely were honored to be a part of it and we thought what better emblem for the Army than a tank made of cupcakes." She added, "it was so much fun, it added something a little extra special to the ceremony."
The cupcake tank looked like the real deal, the 5,000 cupcakes were covered in 200 pounds of camouflage fondant. As the ceremony continued some of it began to melt and drip in the morning sun.
When it came time to fire the cannon a PA announcer asked, "Ladies the tank looks great, but tell us can it shoot?"
"Absolutely!" shouted the sisters in unison.
A few seconds later a loud pop was heard and a cupcake ensconced in a red Solo drinking cup was launched 20 feet in the air before plopping on the Pentagon Courtyard.
And a tank capable of fitting a four star general in its turret, that would be Gen. Martin Dempsey, the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff.
A loud cheer went up from the crowd of Pentagon employees and service members gathered for the festivities.
After the ceremony, Gen. Dempsey, climbed into the cupcake tank and popped his head out of the turret. The one-time Armored officer waved to the crowd and drew a big cheer.
He later joked during a broadcast interview, "Tanks and cupcakes don't belong in the same sentence even in the Army."
Though the cupcakes on the tank were edible, the Pentagon workers and service members on hand for today's ceremony were able to eat from 1,500 "Army Seal" cupcakes . Flavors included salted caramel, red velvet, peanut butter fudge, lava fudge, and vanilla buttercream.
Within 15 minutes the cupcakes and the cake were gone, but the cupcake tank was still the main draw.