Ok everyone, I need some help from my CC family
My son is having a fall festival at school on the 29th of October and they are having a "Promote Your Hobby" event. I am going to enter
I am going to make a test cake for them to sample...but I want to make a few dummy cakes to go with it. I don't want to be left with a whole bunch of cake. Any suggestions??? TIA

Beth

Also, I want to be able to make a "dummy" wedding cake so any suggestions for that would be great too

I have never made dummies before but just finally bought some styrofoam yesterday to try it myself.

I have seen some dummies people have made for classes where each side of the dummie (I think it was square) had a different look or technique. This might be interesting to do because it would be promoting your hobby and showing all the different ways to decorate a cake.

This event sounds like fun! : )

Yep I think that it will be fun. I really need to learn how to make a dummy cake.... ty for you input....

Hugs,
Beth

Doesn't someone make a special kind of imitation icing that hardens so the dummy cakes can be kept forever? It has a special name, but it is just not coming to me at the moment.

I think that would be fun! Definitely do it!! You might spark up business that way!!!

Leslie

i've always just used regular buttercream icing, when your shows over you can scrape it off of the styrafoam and start all over again. in the summer when the bugs were bad i would spray it with hairspray to help it harden alittle and seal it up too. you can buy the styrafoam in alot of different sizes, i usually get mine from countrykitchensa.com. hope i could help alittle bit. good luck and have fun with it all!!!

I thought that you used the styrofoam the smae as cake crumb coat then fonant or butter cream or royal if you want it super hard. if you want to reuse then saran wrap is good so its a easier clean up...
I have never done this ....just going off what I think i read here some where ......

maybe someone will set me straight if Im wrong.
or even just let you know that we are in the right direction if Im right......

good luck ...this is your chance to get lots and lots of business........

I think what everyone else has said is true. It's actually easier to decorate a cake dummy because the sides are straight....the top is level....there are no bulges....

You just get a "perfect cake". Put on a crumb coat and then frost as you would normally...with buttercream or fondant. I would definately stick to real coverings rather that perma-ice (the fake stuff). It will look better and real!

Permaice is the name I was looking for.
If you want to be able to re-use the dummy, you can have it shrink wrapped if you are going to use real icing (royal or fondant) and the icing can come right off. Or you could cover it in contact paper (that is what Earlene Moore does).

Just some info I found....

Sounds like a great way to get some attention for your cakes.
Every side being a different type of decorations, colors, anything really creative, some people dont even realize what can be done is good. You can show off trademark designs & *typical* designs.
Good Luck & send us pics!

Hey..Let me jump in to this thread. I've always used royal icing to decorate my cakes because then it can take a bit of wear and tear.

And when I want to dismantle the cake..I just sit it in a sinkful of warm water for a couple of hours and wash it off so I can reuse the dummy.

Hope this helps.

Also if you're going to use FONDANT. brush your cake with piping gel instead of warm preserves for your dummy...

Thanks all for your ideas!! So I guess the best thing for me to do is use styrofoam?? I will be sure to post the pics when I get them all done

TY

Beth

Dummy cakes are VERY much easier to decorate than real cakes. Just cover in saran wrap and...tada! no crumbs! (crumbs are usually the problem I have when decorating a real cake)

Clean up is easy too. Scrape off the buttercream, wash with saran wrap still on. peel off saran wrap. styrofoam shoud be clean. if not, spot clean with a wet paper towel. I don't like getting the dummy cake very wet... not sure how it would dry.....never tried washing it