New gravity-defying Lions cake sculpture draws crowds to bakery window
By Carli Petrus
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ROCHESTER, Michigan (WXYZ) — A life-sized, gravity-defying cake sculpture celebrating Detroit Lions players Amon-Ra St. Brown and Jahmyr Gibbs is drawing crowds to The Home Bakery’s storefront window in downtown Rochester.
Owner Heather Tocco and her team of about 24 spent more than 400 hours creating the fully edible masterpiece, which features St. Brown suspended from the ceiling in a Superman pose while Gibbs crouches below in a Spider-Man position—recreating one of the season’s most memorable touchdown celebrations.
“Gibbs has cake in his thigh, some cake in his abdomen, Rice Krispies on his back,” Tocco said, describing the intricate construction process.
The massive sculpture required four men to secure the St. Brown figure to the ceiling, pushing Tocco’s design limits to ensure structural integrity.
“This one was really pushing my limits as far as making sure I was designing it correctly,” Tocco said.
This marks the second year Tocco has created a Lions-themed display, following last year’s tribute to St. Brown’s iconic headstand celebration. But this year, she wanted to go bigger.
“I think we all know the celly that this comes from, right? That beautiful Gibbs in the Spider-Man, St. Brown in the Superman that I think was on one of the most memorable cellys from this season,” Tocco said.
Despite the Lions’ missing the playoffs this season, Tocco believes there’s still reason to celebrate the team’s memorable moments.
“There’s still some epic moments and we still need to celebrate them and big things are coming this next season, I can feel it,” Tocco said.
The display has become a community attraction, drawing visitors from across the region.
“We came into town to see the window,” Nancy Greve said.
“It’s cool to see the recognition that this bakery has been getting,” JP Valade added.
“She’s super talented and it looks amazing,” Allie Casper said.
People take pictures in front of The Home Bakery window display. Tocco’s favorite aspect of creating these elaborate displays is how they bring the community together and generate excitement.
“I love the idea of it and I feel like what it’s doing for the community, it’s certainly worth our time and celebrating it, it’s just so fun and you felt the energy when you were in here and all the people are looking and taking photos and stuff like that, I love the feeling,” Tocco said.
The bakery plans to keep the cake on display until the end of February, and Tocco is already considering making Lions-themed displays an annual tradition as fans look ahead to next season.
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