YAY! My cake dummies just came in!

Now, I need to find the forum for the instructions on how to best cover and decorate the cakes. I have my ideas and designs all together. Just wondering...cover w/saran wrap? buttercream? I want to use fondant as my finished product. Please direct me to the forum already in use or answer my questions if possible.

I truly appreciate any help as I am a newbie who LOVES DECORATING!

Thanks for your time!
Christi

If you are going to use fondant just use the fondant. Moisten the dummy with a little water and cover as usual. That's all I do.

What ever you do DO NOT use piping gel. I learned that the hard way and had dummies I couldn't re-use.

Have fun making your displays!

thanks Lenette!

i read somewhere where you have to use saran wrap or you can't reuse the stryofoam dummies. is this true? i don't want to do something that i can't take off. have you been able to reuse your dummies by just using water?

thanks again for all your help!

My instructor uses crisco on the base...then applies fondant. She says when you're done water to rinse it off.

thanks onlymadaresane. i truly appreciate your advice!

Sure, I re-use my dummies all the time! Well, after the piping gel incident.

Hot water takes the fondant right off. I think some people use saran if they use bc but I am not sure on that one so don't quote me. All I have ever used is fondant. A little water on there, roll and cover. Ready for the fun part, decorating!

How do you attach the dummy tiers to each other for a tiered cake? Also, it you want space between the tiers, do supports just slide into the styrofoam tiers?

thanks again lenette! i'm totally going to use your method...seems super easy to do!! i can't wait to get started!! thanks so much!!

thanks Mencked for your questions...i didn't even think about that. i am just trying to practice and thought i would just sit them on top of each other for pics. i'm thinking buttercream. but lets see what the pros say!

Again, I just use water to stick the tiers together. Don't use too much though. Smear water on the top and sit your dummy on top of that. Let it set for a bit and you are good to go.

As far as separators I have only done one and I just sat the dummy on top. I don't know if that is the correct method or not but it worked for me that time.

I have tried it with water and with Crisco and I prefer the Crisco.

It feels like it was easier to remove the fondant from the tiers with Crisco, plus it fills in little tiny crevices (use royal icing to fill in larger dents).

I just break off the fondant when done!

I am using 1 dummy in my 3 tier cake next week and I was wondering these same questions. Mine is going to be the middle tier as the dummy. I think I should be putting support in my bottom cake. What does everyone think? Does anyone use a dowel going down through the middle when there is a dummy?
I hope I'm not hijacking!

I just took apart my 5 tier dummy, with no problems.

I had "iced" it in leftover buttercream, and fondant on top. The fondant came off in huge chunks, once I got it started coming off from the bottom.

Scraped off the icing, and rinsed them in hot water.

To stack, I used wooden skewers though each dummy into the one below. Hemmered them down as far as I could, and trimmed off the excess. Cardboard on the very bottom.

VERY easy to transport!! LOL!

Once the wedding was over, just for funzies, I turned the whole thing upside down.

It didn't budge!

HTH!!

Can you tell me whast happened when you used the piping gel?? The one I did with Jen Dontz, we used piping gel to put the fondant on. I plan to keep that one for as long as I can thpugh. But I hadn't heard to not use it before. So if you could tell me what is up with that, I'd greatly appreciate it!

I just started using dummies a couple months ago and I covered them in contact paper. A friend suggested I use shrink wrap - but couldn't find it. I love it! I just wipe it with water lightly & apply my fondant. I was told this can protect it from any possible mold developing. Although I don't know if the little amount of water you use to adhere the fondant is enough to create mold. I'm hoping the contact paper will make them last longer.