I want to make a Mario cake similar to this but dont want to use Styrofoam or RKTs to make the man eating flower part. Could this be made out of a cake ball? Has anyone made a large cake ball (like 3 size)? I've never made them and have no experience with them. Thanks!

http://cakecentral.com/gallery/1824537

No problem making the 3" cake ball... but I wouldn't attempt doing so with a wedge cut out of it, as it is in the cake that you showed. If I were going to attempt it, I'd use a very firm cake and put multiple coats of ganache on it to create a hard shell on the shaped/cut cake. Honestly, I'd use RKT, unless you really want to experiment. Good luck and - as always - have fun!

Yea, ycknits, it's an experiment only. I hate the thought of having to use Styrofoam and some decorators are acting like RKTs are a dirty word. So Im looking into cake ball/ spackle to see if thats an option for some things.

I agree that it's more impressive to construct the entire assembly from cake, but sometimes that's just not do-able or practical. I figure as long as it's all edible, no one can scoff

1. Do you know the cake in the photo that part was made of styrofoam? I don't see that indicated anywhere.

2. Styrofoam is lighter than RKT, so that maybe another reason why a design like that is made of styrofoam.

3. I just finished taking a cake class where structure was discussed. I agree with the previous poster who said that structurally it may not hold up with that big of a cutout part.

A cake ball as big as that is going to be really heavy. I can't see it staying on the stick and I don't see a way to put a board there. However, you may be able to put a board at the point where it separates and make just the bottom out of RKT.