Sweets are perhaps the best part of the Thanksgiving meal, and the ladies at Dean’s Cake House have been working nonstop to make sure everyone has that special treat – and that’s despite a setback that would have left most business owners crying in their…well, cake batter.

Last week, just outside of Hartford, Dean Jacobs’ delivery truck, which was carrying the wares inside a trailer, was making its way to Montgomery to finish up its daily delivery. Suddenly, a car crossed the centerline and nearly struck the delivery truck head on.

“Luckily the driver saw her coming and had about a split second to swerve,” Jacobs said. “She didn’t hit him head on, instead she hit the trailer so hard it tore the wheels off.”

Both drivers survived; however, the cakes inside the trailer did not.

“There were a 118 cases – each with eight to 12 cakes in a case – inside the trailer,” she said. “I had to condemn them and a lot of stores didn’t get their deliveries. We’ve been working non-stop to catch up and meet demand.”

Those cakes that were salvageable were donated to organizations such as Crossover Ministries, to the Mason Serenity House, to area churches, for the ACORN Thanksgiving dinner and for dessert at this weekend’s Habitat build.

“We’ve about caught up, but if folks want something special, they better come on in,” Jacobs said.

Jacobs said employees bake approximately 400 seven-layer cakes a day; 24 to 45 pound cakes and “gobs” of cookies for the upcoming holiday season.