Hi Ladies,

I need to make a example of the cake I'm making for a friend. My question is, what do you all use to practice designs/make test cakes without actually having to bake a cake? Thanks in advance ladies!

Styrofoam cake dummies work best. You can find them in decorating stores.

If not those, I have used a stack of regular styrofoam circles, carefully taped together with wide bands of tape. It helps if the tape is very smooth.

I know this is a little late to reply but I just found this awesome site.

To cover a cake dummy with fondant: take a fine-grite sandpaper (#220) and sand the sharp edges off where the top and sides meet. Then roll out your fondant and cover like a normal cake. After trimming the fondant to the edge, apply water around the bottom of the dummy (under the fondant) with a paint brush. The water will adhere the fondant to the dummy. Smooth the fondant as usual.

To cover a dummy with buttercream: cover the dummy with plastic wrap, pulling tight, so the wrap is smooth and tape on the bottom of the dummy. Ice and decorate with buttercream according to your design.

When you no longer need the dummies, peel off the fondant or the plastic wrap and you can use your dummies over and over again.

I hope you find this useful.
Liz

I need to practice, BIG TIME...but I just hate to think about wasting the ingredients for buttercream, has anyone ever used anything else such as drywall mud (spackle compound) thinned to a BC consistancy? Thats the only thing that has popped into my mind that could possibly be a subsitute for BC.
Helen

You don't have to waste the buttercream unless you have colors piped on white. If the dummy is white on white, you can scrape it off, and use it on the dummy again.

I read on another post someone suggested using straight crisco. I've never tired it but might be worth a shot.

Educate me, please. I see on here all the time about wrapping dummies in saran wrap before putting buttercream on it. Why? I put BC on my dummies all the time and when I'm ready to take it off, it scrapes right off with no problem. By the time I've decided to remove it, the BC has crusted really (really!) well and it pops off easily. I barely have to use a damp cloth to wipe the dummy down.

Please educate me on what the saran wrap does? What am I missing?

I must admit that this is all pretty confusing, but I'm going to give it a shot!!!

I think the best way to practice is with the real thing, so you can test texture, and how long it lasts, things like that, apart from the practice on how to decorate.
Don't see it as a waist is an investment. To get really good at this, you'll need to throw way a lot of ingredients, it's trial and error no matter if you have taken a class or not.

I'm with paolacaracas on this one. I think it is important to use the real thing to practice with.

I've never heard of putting straight shortening onto a dummy but I don't think I'll try it. I'm afraid the shortening would get into all the pores of the foam and be very hard to remove.

I am going to try putting buttercream directly onto the dummy and see how that works for me. I'm just not sure about removing it, but I'll give it a shot.