I am covering a cake in fondant and need to have wires sticking out of it. Can I put the wires directly in the cake or do I need to put straws in for the wires to sit in?

Unless you are sure they are not loaded with lead and other nasty things, use the straws. Always err on the safe side.

Use straws.... always be as safe as possible.

I would use straws, you don't have to worry about the metal and they also help hold the wires in place.

I appreciate your answers and I will use the straws to be on the safe side. Thank you.
Sarah

You can also use coffee stirrers.

Another option is to dip the wires into chocolate and let them dry before inserting into the cake. ( learned this from Sugarshack )

KimAZ