Does anyone know where to get good cake dummies. I need to make a fake cake for a brides wedding and she wants to serve sheet cakes. Is this a good way for her to go money wise? Do you still charge the same for dummy cakes as you would for a real cake?? Some help on this one please. I am stumped! Thanks!!
I purchase mine at www.countrykitchensa.com
Remember that what people are paying for is your talent and the time it takes to decorate. Most decorators charge between 50% of the regular cost to 100% of the regular cost for dummy cakes. IMHO, to pay for a decorated dummy cake and the sheet cakes really is going to come out the same or more expensive than just getting a real wedding cake to begin with.
For example, if you charge $500 for a wedding cake that will feed 100 ($5/serving), and you charge 50% of that for the dummy cake, then the dummy cake will be $250. If you charge $300 for sheet cake to feed 100 ($3/serving), then the total cost for the couple will be $550, which is $50 more than if they'd just gotten the wedding cake.
I find dummies harder to decorate....charge just as much as real cake. I wish writers knew what they were talking about when they write these articles in magazines and tell the brides to do this to save money.
I buy foam for my DISPLAY dummies from Dallas Foam.
I buy mine from Dallas-Foam. They are super cheap, but I'm not sure about the shipping since they are down the street from me.
http://www.dallas-foam.com/store/
I buy mine from Dallas-Foam. They are super cheap, but I'm not sure about the shipping since they are down the street from me.
http://www.dallas-foam.com/store/
How funny, I was just going to ask a question about this and Dallas-Foam. I saw Dallas Foam dummies on e-bay and e-mailed them about the type of styrofoam, as I've been told you want to use compressed, not craft styrofoam for cake dummies. They just e-mailed me back that their dummies are Polystyrene (I.E Icechest material) and I wasn't sure what that meant. But if you use them with no problems, I'm going to give them a try.
So, to the OP, check out e-bay if you want Dallas Foam. Their stuff is on there. 
That was really good advice about Bride's using dummy cakes to save money. They really won't in the long run!
Jamie 85364 thanks for the great advice! Let me ask you this, how would you charge if they wanted to rent a dummy cake you all ready had?
You are going to spend just as much time decorating the dummy as you would a real cake. In fact, because you will need to supplement the fake cake with sheet cakes which you will still need to bake and ice, you should charge MORE.
If brides really wanted to save money they'd just make their own cakes! 
@ HRMeister - I also cover mine with contact paper so bc or fondant never really come in contact with the dummy. I've never had a problem with any of the dummies I've bought from Dallas-Foam.
Jamie 85364 thanks for the great advice! Let me ask you this, how would you charge if they wanted to rent a dummy cake you all ready had?
I cannot honestly answer this question, as I have not yet been requested to do this. So far....so I better learn how to price them! I'll tell you this though, I will politely and un-pushingly try to talk them out of it. And under no circumstances will I ever do the "dummies and sheet cake thing"...no way no how. But that's another story 
The dummies I am working with right now are for a cake competition in a few wekks, btw, not for a paid order.
Jamie 85364 thanks for the great advice! Let me ask you this, how would you charge if they wanted to rent a dummy cake you all ready had?
I cannot honestly answer this question, as I have not yet been requested to do this. So far....so I better learn how to price them! I'll tell you this though, I will politely and un-pushingly try to talk them out of it. And under no circumstances will I ever do the "dummies and sheet cake thing"...no way no how. But that's another story
The dummies I am working with right now are for a cake competition in a few wekks, btw, not for a paid order.
You can rent one , however with my experience items you rent to brides never come back in their orginal state. Not only are you risking damage to your product but yu will be losing money for your cake business.
Okay. I never thought about the damage that could happen to the cake at the reception. I think once the actual cost are pointed out to the bride, the probably wont go that way anyway. Thannks to you both!
taylorfoam.com Very inexpensive and fast shipping! In fact I have used mine a couple times now.
Thanks for the contact paper thought have a blessed day
No need to cover them with contact paper--time consuming, adds expense, and can be difficult to get smooth depending on the shape of the dummy.
Just rub on shortening and cover. The fondant will peel off, even after many months, very easily. Also makes it easy to move/remove fresh fondant if there's a problem with your process.
When you want to re-use the dummy, you can either peel off the fondant or if it's small enough, put it in the dishwasher without soap.
Michaels Craft stores just started selling a limited variety of dummy rounds. and Guildcraftfoam.com is a source that I see at cake shows.
I'm using one for the first time in a wedding cake (just one of 4 tiers). I like your suggestion of covering it with contact paper as I was going to be gluing silk flower petals to it. maybe after I will be able to remove the covering and still have the round for use again.
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I also get mine from Taylor Foam. They are great products, great prices and FAST!!
You may want to share this article I found on another cake decorator's website. I think I found the link from one of our fellow poster's website! It talks about using fake cakes for weddings and how it's not any cheaper! You still have hours of work to put in to make the cake she wants!
7 Myths About Wedding Cake
Got these guys here in the UK, I don't know there web address but this is where they are on fb https://www.facebook.com/dummycakes?ref=hl.
I always buy from Dallas foam.. when shipping is combined, it tends to be cheaper than other places. I've combined dummy tiers with real cake tiers for some weddings and birthdays. I calculate the full price, example - $4/serving * 30 servings, then divide by 50% for the dummy tier.
Ive just ordered some from Birmingham polystyrene Crafts (UK), don't know if any ones ever heard of them but giving it a go. I don't know the web site but the fb link is https://www.facebook.com/dummycakes. Ill let you know how I get on with them. tc all xx
I'm wondering where I could buy a set of good quality cake dummies for a reasonable price.
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