Hi Everyone,

Does anyone have a good form cake recipe they'd be willing to share?

(For those who don't know, a form cake is made from usually a doctored box mix but it's not edible -- no flavorings and sugary extenders -- it's made for practice and competition work when a "real" cake is needed.)

Thanks y'all!!

Nope sorry, but I will be watching the thread because I wan't to make a series of 4" "fake" cakes but styrofoam so small would be tricky to use (plus I don't have any that size). Also would be good for cupcakes for display only I imagine. Does it go bad? I've never heard of a form cake...

I know I've gone to Gordon Foods and bought the generic box mixes (just add water) but the form cake batters are on a much smaller (and denser) scale. Great for practicing the carved cakes.

I am sorry but the first thing that came to my mind was to over bake the cake on purpose!!!

I've done that too! The form cake is very specific -- a lot of competitions won't allow overbaked box mixes, it has to be a "form cake" recipe.

what's a form cake?

Theresa

A form cake is an actual cake that you make that is not edible for practice and competition purposes. Sometimes people use cake dummies, which are styrofoam but some competitions insist on "real" cake but "real" cake can mold over time. This stuff is like real cake but it's not edible and lasts through the next ice age.

Interesting I tell ya interesting!!!

Sorry BWB, I googled it and came up empty handed. But I would like to know myself. I sure could use something to practice on that is stiffer than regular cake, and it would be great for competitions as well.

Thanks cabecakes, I searched too, to no avail!

By the way, your signature reminds me of some sound advice I was once given, "If at first you don't succeed, Skydiving isn't for you!"

Okay, now back to our regularly scheduled form cake recipe search!

Do you think that it has another name?

I'm sure it does but I don't know what it would be called.

This is basically the advise I gave myself about cake designing. I told myself, "I just don't know if I could do that, and then I quickly added...how do you know if you never try". I have been "cake designing" on and off for a year now (can't give up the day job, lol), and while I am not so good at it, I still keep pushing on like a good little soldier. I may not be great, but I want to inspire someone else to take that same leap of faith. I love doing this stuff.

Well I've been searching for things like "form cake recipes","competition cake recipes", "fake cake recipes" and so on, but so far nada...

I think we have been searching the same things, haha. I even tried "cake will last longer as it has no added sugar or flavorings", but all I got were sugar-free recipes using something else for flavoring. I hope someone else knows, because I can't find anything.

Well, I know this isn't really what you're looking for but I have a pound cake recipe that comes out like a brick so I use that for competitons and don't bother with the flavorings...why waste them? It will definitely mold after a while but it's really firm, holds up to lots of abuse and I can get nice edges.

Hey hey!! Lookie what I found!!!

This is a form cake recipe that I found (of all places) on a State Fair contest entry website they hadn't taken down!! (Who knew??)

Here's the recipe:
1 Box Cake Mix (any)
3 TBSP Meringue powder
3 TBSP Flour
1 Cup water
Mix well. Batter will be thick. Smooth out in pan and bake at 350 until browned.

Well done! And we think this doesn't go mouldy, right?

Box mixes are full of preservatives. I'll bet they work well.

If anyone has used this technique, I hope they will answer the Mould question soon!

Inquiring minds want to know!

Thanks for this- very handy info!

So glad you found one, I looked again last night and still couldn't find one.

Yay! Thanks! I too have looked for what they use in the competitions...couldn't find anything either! I will be trying this soon to make my first practice completion cake Can this be carved?

I'm guessing it can be because it's soooo dense.

Hey did anyone notice this -- in the Oct/Nov 2010 issue of CC mag (yes, it DOES exist!!) they have an article on form cakes -- but they call it "Edible Dummies" on page 40 and they have several different recipes.

I 've been planning to update this thread in case anyone did a search.

I tried the recipe and it baked beautifully. I did add a little more water than the recipe calls for but I'm at high altitude. I just finished a cake for a competition with it so I'll post pictures of the completed cake next week but there's some pictures of them pre-decoration here:

http://beautifullyembellishedcakes.blogspot.com/2011/01/form-cakes-and-other-fakes-interruption.html

Also, I wouldn't recommend using it for carving. I had to trim a couple and they were extremely hard to do. I came pretty close to cutting myself. Otherwise, they worked out perfectly and I would most definitely use the recipe again if needed.

bobwonderbuns, thanks again for finding and posting that!

Really, no carving huh? Hmmmmm. I wouldn't have thought that. Good to know!!

Would this mix work?

http://www.mysupermarket.co.uk/sainsburys-price-comparison/Home_Baking/Betty_Crocker_Chocolate_Swirl_Cake_Mix_500g.html

I don't have access to a plain yellow cake mix in the UK. It's either that one, the BC Devils Food cake or BC Carrot cake.

Also, on all my cakes I use ganache. What should I use for a competition cake? I need something that hardens up. I can't cover cakes with fondant if I use buttercream (far too soft), so any suggestions would be great! Need to keep this a cheap as possible.

The rules for the competition that I want to enter are that everything must be edible. No artificial decoration of any kind. I actually made a thread, if anyone can help with my other questions?

http://cakecentral.com/modules.php?name=Forums&file=viewtopic&p=7107912#7107912