Why is that?..... I get so frustrated because the customers see my dummies and then the real ones look like crap to me......I haven't had any complaints but they just don' look as good.

i know how you feel. it is easier to cover a firm surface rather than a soft one.

I think that is true for everyone. A dummy is perfectly level, the surface is solid and doesn't move, no crumbs. So yes, it will probably be more pristine basically. But I can't imagine your actual decorating would look that much different on the two. Sometimes you can make yourself crazy looking for perfection, you just have to do what you know is your best and then accept it.

try freezing your cakes for an hour or 2 before you decorate. It will firm up your cake just enough to help you along...

I wish I had this problem....my cake dummies stink!! I find the edges to be so hard, the fondant always pulls away and tears, and they end up looking like c....p! I have to force myself to do them.
What do you use as icing on your cake dummies?

ellepal- If your dummies have sharp edges, sand them off before covering the dummies- make sure they are somewhat rounded. Also, spray the dummies with water first. Those 2 things should keep the fondant from tearing.

sheila06- I totally agree, and it's annoying. But, I realized that I'm putting too much pressure on myself when a cake is for someone else. A dummy you can strip down and redo and there is not as much "consequence." So, I have to actually use some relaxation techniques while I'm decorating:
- walk away and do something else, even if it's only for 2 minutes
- just breathe & stretch for a few minutes
- stop and sing along to the song that's playing
- use "positive self-talk" (out loud) to tell myself how wonderful this cake will be and how happy the person will be who receives it.

Sounds really silly- I'm sure I look really silly too - but it helps to relax me when I'm nervous or uptight about decorating and lets my creative energy flow a bit more.

OK, so maybe I've just lived in LA for too long...

I agree about the freezing just long enough to get the icing to firm up. Of course, if you're using "New Crisco" this won't help much, but every bit helps. The freezing trick is only meant that the cake is in there long enough to firm it up so you have a harder surface to work with. With fondant, this makes life SUPER easy.

The thing is, if someone notices a difference between your real photos and your dummy photos you just tell them about the fact that the dummies are hard styrofoam and not soft cake/icing. If you have a problem making a dummy it's more forgiving of a medium for pulling the fondant off and starting over than a cake is.

But, most of all, we're all our own worst critics. People can tell the difference between a fake cake and a real one. Real cakes, have flaws! Just watch Ace of Cakes and remind yourself that even Duff has to fix problems. Don't be so hard on yourself.

I agree about the freezing just long enough to get the icing to firm up. Of course, if you're using "New Crisco" this won't help much, but every bit helps. The freezing trick is only meant that the cake is in there long enough to firm it up so you have a harder surface to work with. With fondant, this makes life SUPER easy.

The thing is, if someone notices a difference between your real photos and your dummy photos you just tell them about the fact that the dummies are hard styrofoam and not soft cake/icing. If you have a problem making a dummy it's more forgiving of a medium for pulling the fondant off and starting over than a cake is.

But, most of all, we're all our own worst critics. People can tell the difference between a fake cake and a real one. Real cakes, have flaws! Just watch Ace of Cakes and remind yourself that even Duff has to fix problems. Don't be so hard on yourself.

Could it be that with a dummy cake you dont have to spend as much time baking, torting, leveling, etc. and you can spend that added time on just decorating, or that you arent already tired by the point you start decorating?

I just made my first cake with partial dummy and it bubbled horribly. Does anyone else have this problem? I used the blender ganache icing and Satin Ice, got it reasonably smooth and then it started bubbling.

I spend much much much more time on my dummies than I do on real cakes and it's easier to correct mistakes on them, too. If I don't like something on a dummy cake, I can just take it off and do it again -- that's harder to do on a real cake. So, yeah, my dummies do look better than my real cakes.

Of course, we're also our own worst critics, too.

Thank you all so much for your comments....I feel better knowing that it's not just me thinking my dummies are much better. I guess I am sort of a perfectionist