i was just curious about the use of wires on cakes. i've seen it done a couple times but was just wondering if you would use wire you get from a hard ware store? or if there was something special i should use? is there a recommended gauge?

This is what I need to know too... BUMP.

Great question. I would love to know the answer too!

Please be more specific about 'wires used on cakes' Are you referring to the wires used as decorations, the kind that loop and stand out from the cake? or are you referring to wires that form the stems of flowers....?
In the first instance, floral wire is usually used, and they come either fabric or paper covered....available in craft stores. I know of some persons using floral tape to then cover the end of the wire, usually enough of it that would be inserted into the cake, but don't know how sanitary that is. There is a suggestion of using plastic straws inserted into the cake, then insert the wire into it.....again depends on the thickness of the wire, - usually 18-20 guage. A coffee stirrer is good for the thinner wires.
Floral stems should also be inserted into straws or even floral picks (available at floral shops, craft stores) depending on the design.
One last option, if you have a lot of flowers to insert into a cake, such as a large spray, or cascade, use a 'sausage' of fondant - adhered with a little water - and poke wires into the sausage, making sure that you snip the wires short enough that they don't go through to the cake.
If all else fails, make your flowers, cut the wires off as short as possible and use a little royal icing to 'stick' to cake.
I hope this answers your question

I have used wire but the wire I used was too thin to hold heavier stuff.... I need something not covered in paper or fabric....an example would be to have fondant stars sticking out of the cake...any ideas?

you could use more than one wire, taped together, such as 2 x 18 guage wires taped together, or maybe check with your hardware store to see if they have any galvanized or aluminum wire in the softness that you require.
Don't have a clue about using these though, nor if they would be toxic....guess will let other CC'ers with more experience answer that one...

Here is an example of what I am specifically interested in. What kind of wire is used on a cake like this, and what kind of prep needs to be done? (Like straws or whatever) Is this found at a craft store, or a hardware store? Any info or suggestions is welcome!

KaraCakes, that is probably floral wire that was used on that cake. You can buy it at Michael's. Wire comes in different gauges - the heavier the object, the smaller the gauge you would need (i.e. 26 gauge wire is really thin, while 14 gauge wire is much thicker). To coil it, I'm guessing you could wrap it around a hard cylindrical object like a pipe or something. I highly recommend using the straws for stabilization. I use coffee stirrers myself. HTH!

amia1024-
That's exactly what I needed to know! Thank you.

Hi,
Do you have a shop called Hobbycraft in the US? I get a lot of my wire for cake jewellery from there. I use some floral wire which as the other posters say is usually covered in paper. Culpitt make a very good selection of floral wires in silver and gold and I have also red. I also use some stuff called bullion wire which is thinner but is useful for attaching small jewels onto thicker wire. I use a wooden BBQ skewer to do thin coils - just wind it round travelling up the skewer. Also, if I need it to be bigger coils, I use a rolling pin! Experiment with all different things. You'll need a decent pair of wire cutters and pliers to help you out.
Hope that helps
Jenny