To me it seems that to make the best impression, what you put your cake on needs to be just as pretty as the cake.

Can some of you share what you do take make your cake plates?

Do you use cardboard cake circles or something else?

Do you cover them in paper? What kind?

I was thinking about covering mine with parchment and then airbrushing mathing color, since most of our cakes are airbrushed. But I'm not sure the parchment will hold up or take the color well.

Any ideas?

for me it depends on the cake, but usually i cover my cardboard plates with plain white paper that i found in the craft area of michaels. Its sturdy and doesn't soak up spots. Sometimes i will cover w/ wrapping paper or silver foil.

I have used plain foil but, my usual course of action is wrapping paper covered with saran or cello. You can often find (@ Michaels) a roll of cello paper that is colored/patterened but still see-through and that looks really great over regular foil. It creates kind of a shimmery effect.

I don't have any airbrush experience but, I would think it would come off. No ideas on that! Good luck - hope this helps.

I've used all kinds of things. Foil is the most common, then there's fondant which does work well, but one fingernail will ruin the whole board! I did like Scott Woolley's suggestion of flooding the board with colorflow and putting a ribbon around the edge -- that's how I'm planning to do the board for a wedding cake I have coming up.

I usually go to the scrapbooking section and look for paper that will match my cake. I then cover my foam board with it and then cover with shrink wrap. Love how smooth it gets once I blow dry

I usually use the logicpic base boards that are white, and I trim the edge with a matching ribbon.

If they want silver, I do the Wilton ready-made silver cake drums (easy)

I've done fondant covering, but that's a pain and I don't want to do it often.

Colette's book recommends royal icing on the boards, then you can carry the decoration style onto the board, but I have yet to try that.

I use the scrapbooking paper also, its economical, you don't have to cover the middle section where the cake sits if your board is bigger, and cover the whole thing with contact paper. I did my humane society and cat cake in my pix with paw print paper and feel they accented thec cakes perfectly w/o overpowering them. They design possibilities are endless also, not always so w/ wrapping paper etc. Want to try stamping though.

when you guys mention putting scrapbooking paper on it, do you put it on a cardboard cake board, or on a thicker cake drum?

I use foam board, covered with foil paper preferrably. For theme party's I try to use paper that matches the them. They usually have a wrapping paper or table cloth I can use. I do like the shrink wrap though! Will have to try it.

I also usually do my bases on foamcore and cover with fondant wetting the foamcore with water to make it stick, wrapping it around the sides with a ribbon. With the fondant covers, I have had problems with finger impressions showing up, etc. but have learned to prep far ahead and let it dry for at least a day or two before placing the cake. I have also noted Woolley's/Peters' suggestions of flooding with royal icing, but hate to make royal icing for just the base. With everyone mentioning paper, is there concerns for food safety? I read someone where from another person's post that they found foodsafe clear contact paper at Michaels or somewhere that could cover over any paper, hence foodsafe and no concerns with bleeding of the paper, etc. I live in NYC and believe it or not, there are no Michaels in the city, so I'm always heading to arts stores to picks things up, probably over-paying. I tried cardboard boards early on but they are tricky and bend too much. My last trip I bought foamcore from Staples (their presentation boards) and it really wasn't good to cut through to make shapes - the foam was not solid through the sheets, so i'm back to the drawingboard on finding good foamcore.

rjtaconnor,

I'm glad you asked this question because I have been curious about this myself.

I love the idea of using a wrapping paper to go with the theme, but am concerned about food safety.

I'm currently using the Wilton foil which states that it is "food safe".

So, some people are using wrapping paper, them covering that with clear saran wrap?

I use foamboard and/or a cake drum..flood with either RI or fondant..make decorations to match the cake..making it "part" of the cake.. like flowers, bows etc...use a coordinating ribbon around the very edge of the cakeboard..
here is a recently decorated cake board for an example...
http://www.cakecentral.com/modules.php?name=coppermine&file=displayimage&meta=allby&uname=JaneK&cat=0&pos=0

edited to say if you do the cakeboard a couple of days in advance, the fondant hardens and is quite robust.

HTH
Jane

Contact Paper, which I buy in 28 foot rolls at Walmart for less than $6.00 is food safe , also called 'polyvinyl' it is a plastic that in thicker forms, is what many of our foods come packaged in.

I wrap a cake board if the cake is light, but usually have wood boards that my DH cuts for me, especially if I know I will be getting them back. Nice and thick and sturdy, I reinforce w/ packaging tape if need to on the back side.

- foam board (from Hobby Lobby or Michael's)

- fondant
- scrapbooking paper covered with matted finish contact paper
- silver cake board paper (Wilton's)
- white Reynold's freezer paper covered with contact paper

love the shrink wrap idea! Thanks!!

I have started using cardboard rounds (usually 2-4 rounds taped together, depending on how much strength I need), covered with a wrapping paper or thick construction paper of desired design and color, covered in clear contact paper, and ribbon around the outside, attached by hot glue. I use the spray adhesive to hold the colored paper to the board (this will overspray everywhere if you're not careful, so go outside or use an old, large bedsheet on the floor underneath the board you are covering). I then cover with the contact paper.

I haven't tried the royal icing run-in yet, but I'm just lazy and haven't given myself enough time for it to dry.

As for the cardboard rounds, I've been fortunate not to have to use those until recently. I had a friend that worked the night shift at a printing company and they would have these huge sheets of thick press board/kinda hard-pressed cardboard between the pallets of paper. He would take his spare time and cut them to the sizes I needed (rectangle or square only though) and load up his truck. He said that all those sheets of pressboard just go in the dumpster at the end of the day anyway. Well, after being spoiled for the past two years not having to buy the flimsy cardboard rounds, he got changed jobs and doesn't have access to the boards anymore. I can't get any from the company that he did work at because they don't have time to cut them...which would be fine if they would just let me have solid sheets because I could figure out how to cut them to size if I had them. Ohhhhhhhhh bother....

ahh....LOve learning so much, I buy the cake drums from a cake store in town...But WOW does it get expensive..And I dont' know where she buys them in bulk..
Good to know what you guys do..Awesome!!

What is foam boards? and Where in Micheals are they?? In the cake isle?

Sounds interesting...Thanks

I get my foam board either from AC Moore or Joanns. It's usually in the painting/framing section. The 20x30 inch ones were on sale at AC Moore for $1.29!

HTH.

WOW!!! That is amazing!! thanks so much...Are they thick enough for a 2 tiered cake?