Dougherty County Sheriff bakes cakes for charity

ALBANY — When Dougherty County Sheriff Kevin Sproul started baking cakes two years ago, he did so, in part, as a charitable gimmick to raise money for the various children’s programs sponsored by the sheriff’s office. And there was his love for the desserts. But the career lawman discovered along the way that he is remarkably adept at the art of baking, an activity that he says now provides him with a sense of pride and inner peace.

The sheriff took time out of his busy holiday schedule this week, during which he baked nine cakes, to discuss his philosophy on the confectionery creations.

“My mother-in-law, who is a wonderful baker, has always had, and still does have, people rave about her carrot cake,” Sproul said. “We could not wait for her to bake a carrot cake at home, and she baked so many cakes at home that just went out the door — we smelled them, but they were hardly ever for us — it was like torture. So about two years ago, I watched her bake some cakes in the kitchen and thought, ‘I think I can do this.’”

Sproul said he is aware that most men are not considered good bakers, particularly not men who happen to be sheriffs.

“Most men are not thought of as bakers or as someone who gets in the kitchen and cooks, especially the sheriff,” Sproul said. “But after my mother-in-law shared some recipes with me, I started. “

The lawman said his goal was to both accomplish the feat of cooking a delicious cake and to make those recipes uniquely his own, even if that meant sometimes using his staff members as guinea pigs.

“You know, I told myself that I wanted to make these recipes my own unique creation,” Sproul said. “I practiced and I tweaked how much cinnamon I would put in or how much sugar to use. I would bring the cakes I made up here sometimes and get people around the office to try them and tell me what they thought. One of the recipes given to me was for a Hummingbird cake that uses pineapples, pecans and bananas. I kind of tweaked the recipe a little bit and that’s how I started.”

The sheriff said that once he got in the kitchen and submerged himself in the process of preparing and baking homemade-from-scratch recipes, a feeling of peace and security came over him. It was a time that he could disconnect from the negativity that is a byproduct of crime and is an unfortunate part of the law enforcement profession.

“What I realized when I got in that kitchen, whether my mother-in-law helped or my wife helped, was that I had found a place that was safe and quiet, a place where I could relax,” Sproul said. “My mind wasn’t focused on the next crime or what had taken place at work, it was just focused on what I was doing and on this place of solitude. I am an avid golfer. I love to play golf. Whether I lose my ball in the woods, knock it in the water or get it in the hole, golf is relaxing to me. Surprisingly, what I found out about baking cakes was that there was another level of peace there that I enjoyed.

“So I took these recipes and baked some cakes for our charity cookout last year at Tallula-Massey and we raffled them off. We took the proceeds and put them in our youth programs. This year, we had our cookout at the old Sherwood ball field and raffled off more cakes. All the proceeds went back to the youth.”

With Thanksgiving approaching, Sproul agreed to bake nine more cakes to help raise funds.

“I have baked two already, and I have seven more to bake by Thanksgiving Day,” Sproul said Monday. “Three of them are being donated, and the others individuals have contacted me about purchasing them. What my wife and I do is put that money aside to use for things like Stop the Violence or Shop with the Sheriff (programs for youngsters in the community).

“The most requested cake that I do is the Hummingbird cake. You can’t go wrong with confectionery sugar and cream cheese. I also make a carrot cake, a cherry cake, a pineapple cake and I am still working on the chocolate cake. My mother-in-law makes an awesome German chocolate cake that I am hoping to be able to duplicate one day, and the coconut cake is another one that I am still working on. I enjoy it. My wife gets in the kitchen with me; it is a great time for us to bond and it is all for a good cause. I joke with people all the time that when Dougherty County doesn’t need me as sheriff anymore, I am going to open a kitchen and bake cakes.”