As Napoleon once said, an army marches on its stomach, and the US Army has celebrated its 237th birthday with perhaps the ultimate sweet treat: a tank made of cupcakes.

The celebratory feast, which went on display outside the Pentagon in Washington DC, comprised 5,000 cupcakes and was donated by a local bakery.

The cakes were topped with camouflage icing and came in a variety of flavours including salted caramel, peanut butter fudge, vanilla buttercream and red velvet.

The tank, which was built on a wooden base, weighed more than 1130 kilos.

It also featured an air cannon which fired cupcakes into the air.

The cake forms the centrepiece of the army's birthday celebrations, which will continue with a ball in Washington DC on Saturday night.