Hi, I need to help my son make a cake for cubscouts the theme is patriotism. The cake has to be 100% edible that means when we stack it there cannot be a plate between it and there can be no pillars. He wants the cake tall with a statue of liberty on top, we will use chocolate for that. I am worried about the weight of the fondant and chocolate and don't know what to use to support the weight.... Help thx
For "dowels": How about candy sticks? You know, the ones that are like candy canes without the arched top? I'm not sure how you'd get them to the length you need, though. Or you can make the candy, but that's obviously more work. I was going to suggest checking out your supermarket's cookie isle, too. Maybe you'll see something you can work with. But I fear that depending on the type of icing and/or filling you use, the cookies would go "soft" and lose their support. So I really don't think THAT's a good idea! 
For "plate": Hmmmm.... I gotta think on this one... 
I look forward to seeing other's suggestions. Certainly there are CC'ers who've had to do a project like this before. I'm going to check my kid cake books now and see if there are child-friendly alternatives. If I see something, I'll post it for you.
Good luck!!! 
I don't know that the candy cane type sticks would work... I remember seeing a post where someone showed some cupcakes they made w/ buttercream frosting on top that they'd put little candy canes on, and the candy canes essentially melted from the contact with the buttercream.
The Food Network challenges have shown some amazing chocolate structures that were pretty heavy. Maybe you could mold some chocolate pillars.
What about using those long pretzel rods as dowels? I've used them for years as tree trunks and they don't disintegrate from contact with cake/butteream icing.
I have added too much gum tex to my gumpaste and found out the hard way that it will dry to rock form! I couldnt break it when i tried. Maybe make some really hard gum paste, work quickly to make dowel and use it? in 24 hrs I couldnt cut it break it or smash it.
I have had to do something similar in the past and for dowels I used mexican paste through a large circular extruder disk and let it set hard also made plates/boards with the same paste. It sets very hard and is all edible 
My compliments to the creative minds on here! I popped into this thread because when I read the subject line, I had no idea what would work, so came in to see what folks were suggesting.
These are great ideas and makes me SO glad to be a part of this community, with great minds like this working together! 
I was thinking maybe the pretzel rods dipped in chocolate. One because they can be cut to size, and 2 that if it's dipped in chocolate you won't be adding any of a salty flavor to the cake.
If all that is going on top is the chocolate statue of liberty, I'd also think that chocolate dowels would be great, and should be strong enough.
I'm anxious to hear what you end up using and how well it worked.
Pastillage also dries very hard.
wow you cant even use bubble tea straws? I would understand if they dont want to stick wooden dowels in, but thats kinda stressing trying to find something edible yet strong enough to hold up! Hope you find an idea soon!
Many great ideas here! but I have a thought...would everything stay hard IN the cake? sometime things dry hard but when moisture is present they looses their structure.
For "separator plate": I've been thinking about this since my last post... I was going to suggest the same as Eisskween, which is poured sugar. Funny that I had mentioned making your own sugar candy sticks for the dowels in my earlier post. Initially I thought a poured plate might be too heavy. But now I'm thinking it just might work for you if carefully done.
cownsj also has a really good idea with chocolate covered pretzel sticks for dowels.
Actually, there are lots of good ideas here, especially considering our attention to what will hold up being in contact with cake, filling and icing! Fun-fun!!!!!! 
I was thinking maybe the pretzel rods dipped in chocolate. One because they can be cut to size, and 2 that if it's dipped in chocolate you won't be adding any of a salty flavor to the cake.
This might also work for the candy sticks, which are already strong and hard... if you cover them well in chocolate, then there should be no contact w/ the buttercream to cause them to melt.
What about a big chocolate disc? And if you are making the Statue of Liberty our of chocolate, you could 'glue' her to the disc with chocolate...and use other ideas people have already said for supports (candy sticks? Choc. dipped pretzels?)
This sounds fascinating! Be sure to post a pic and let us know what worked!!
Do you have time to do a small practice cake and try a couple of the suggested methods?
not sure if it would be the sa,me with cake.. but when i make gingerbread houses i use candy canes, pretzel sticks and spagetti for supports. with candy canes, if you cant find any without the hooked top, you can just *carefully* take the hooked part off. but yes, candy canes do melt easily.. you might want to stick a few together using RI and fully coat them? that may work? otherwise stick a clump of psagetti or pretzel sticks together with ri to make them extra strong? im not sure.. youd have to have a play im thinking! good luck! let us know how you go. =)
One of my cake disasters was melted caramels for a cake filling. It cooled rock hard and I couldn't cut through it.
Try melting and pouring Kraft Caramels into a pan the size you want your support to about 1/4" thick and let it cool completely. It may be strong enough to use as a separator plate.
One of my cake disasters was melted caramels for a cake filling. It cooled rock hard and I couldn't cut through it.
Try melting and pouring Kraft Caramels into a pan the size you want your support to about 1/4" thick and let it cool completely. It may be strong enough to use as a separator plate.
Would that be like peanut brittle stuff? Geesh, I can break my teeth on that stuff! 
When is this project due?
Is it a showpiece or will they be eating it? If they won't be eating it, I would definitely suggest baking it longer to remove more of the moisture from the cakes before using any type of edible supports...Otherwise, the moisture will break them down...sugar sticks, pretzels, royal icing, gumpaste, pastillage, molded sugar can all be used IF the moisture is removed from the cake.
Molded sugar, molded inside 2 litre soda bottles with the ends removed...cored in the center, allowed to dry completely, the outside covered in royal to smooth and allowed to dry completely then wrapped in gumpaste placed inside a cake that's been cored out to accomodate the piece. Attach a thick, completely dried gumpaste or pastillage disk onto the molded sugar lower support. Make a smaller diameter support in the same manner as the one made from the soda bottle and insert it into a cake that's been cored out to accomodate it. add another tier the same way or add the topper.
Basically, it would be like icing and covering a doughnut shape in fondant and inserting what appears to be a pillar candle in the center....
Ok so what if I keep it simple for dowels use carrots or whole cucumbers with the top and bottom cut off. Haven't figured out the plate but was thinking the rice krispy treats sounded good. We are being judged on originality eg height etc. He wants stacked w statue of liberty and a drapped flag. Any other patriotic ideas?
The carrot might work, but unless you are doing a carrot cake I don't know how much they'll see it fitting with your "cake" design. I think the cucumber would turn into an absolute mess. The liquid would drain through the bottom turning your cake into mush, and then all collapsing.
Can you do a bottom layer of "cake" in RKT, then you have your dowels and plate just built right into that. Decorate it the same as your first layer of cake, and put the top layer as actual cake. Is that permisible? Statue on top of that.
How about this idea. He still wants the statue of liberty on top so a sheet cake with a small square in the middle, Statue of Liberty on top of the 2 squares. Now if we want to pour sugar around it to look like water how will we do that since it can't sit in anything nonedible.
I would try the pretzel rods for dowels. Coating in Vanilla or Chocolate almond bark should help seal them to keep out moisture. A plate made out of the vanilla Almond bark should work for the statue to sit on if you make it thick enough. You could even tint it green. Ice around the edges of the "plate" to creat the sides of the Island. And for water I use piping gel with blue color.
Hi thanks for answering my post. The cubscout function is the 21st. The theme is patriotism. My son wants the statue of liberty on the cake so I ordered the chocolate mold for that. I don't really have a plan or a complete idea yet. Any thought or ideas are welcome. Was considering doing the statue if liberty in her island, drape a flag and maybe poured sugar on the board, but what would I pour it in(that doesn't need to be edible because it would not be considered the cake) then he could make little boats etc in the "water"
help need ideas, originality, more suggestions.
in all my years of scout caking - the rule regarding 100% edible was in regards to decorations on the cake - in order to avoid plastic toys, etc as decoration.... the internal support system for a cake was not included in that definition... so you might want to check - perhaps they made the rule without thinking of a tiered cake....
other wise I think your best bet would be cast sugar or chocolate for both plates and pillars.... good luck!
What about using those long pretzel rods as dowels? I've used them for years as tree trunks and they don't disintegrate from contact with cake/butteream icing.
you could also use a candy choc plate and the pretzel rods as the supports.
Hi thanks for answering my post. The cubscout function is the 21st. The theme is patriotism. My son wants the statue of liberty on the cake so I ordered the chocolate mold for that. I don't really have a plan or a complete idea yet. Any thought or ideas are welcome. Was considering doing the statue if liberty in her island, drape a flag and maybe poured sugar on the board, but what would I pour it in(that doesn't need to be edible because it would not be considered the cake) then he could make little boats etc in the "water"
help need ideas, originality, more suggestions.
Perhaps you could put removeable sides on the cake board, pour your sugar, then after it sets up, remove the sides.
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