Cake Central › Cake Forums › Cake Talk › How Do I? › How to frost or decorate cake dummy? How do you stack?
New Posts  All Forums:Forum Nav:

How to frost or decorate cake dummy? How do you stack?

post #1 of 24
2/23/10 at 12:43pm
Thread Starter 
I'm thinking about using a a cake dummy at a bridal fair next month. I've never even seen a "dummy" in person. How do you decorate it or cover it with frosting or fondant? Are they easy to work with? If I stack or tier a cake, how does that work with a dummy?

Any help or ideas are appreciated. thumbs_up.gif
Reply
Reply
post #2 of 24
2/23/10 at 1:02pm
I love working with dummies, especially if you are making a smallish 2 tier. I can never get the top small cake to work so I revert to using dummies.
If you want rounded edges on top sand lightly with a fine sandpaper. Even a piece of styrofoam from packaging works well. Then just wet with water and cover. Works perfectly.
The secret of success is enthusiasm!
Reply
The secret of success is enthusiasm!
Reply
post #3 of 24
2/23/10 at 3:55pm
This is my first time working with dummies, too. There is this stuff called perma-ice that you can get to ice the dummies in if you want the buttercream look. It is expensive. I went to Home Depot and got spackling that you repair holes in the walls with. The kind I got went on pink and dried white. I let my dry for 2 days and then sanded them. Perfect. I also went to Home Depot for my cake stand. I got a piece of plywood and cut it out. Went into the plumbing dept. and got a flange and pvc pipe and attached those to the board, cut holes in my dummies with a drill and just slid them down the pipe and put on a cap on top of the pvc pipe. Looks great.
Reply
Reply
post #4 of 24
2/26/10 at 10:17pm
First step, prepare the board. Roll fondant the right size and lightly moist the board with water proceeding to cover it. Smooth fondant and with an exacto knife shave the edges where the fondant is sticking out. Now with the small rolling pin rub the border of the top part of the foam dummy - this is to smooth the sharp edge which might ruin the fondant. Roll out the fondant for the dummy and again lightly brush it with water. I use my big rolling pin to transfer the fondant on top of the cakes. Lightly powder the rolling pin so that the fondant does not stick to it - start from the front of the "cake" towards you. Then smooth the fondant by softly pressing it against the cake. For decoration, you can look at samples over the internet. Good luck.
Thank you LORD for your daily blessings.....
Reply
Thank you LORD for your daily blessings.....
Reply
post #5 of 24
2/27/10 at 5:29am
Hi

I start by covering my cake dummies with press and seal or saran wrap... why? so if I want to do another design later on I can just brake the fondant and remove the plastic wrap and I have a dummy cake to re-use if needed....
But just so you know.. it's awesome to work with dummy cakes.. better than regular cake lol cause it's sturdy, some people use piping gel but I use and spritzer (with the settings on the lightest mist you can get) I mist the wrap covered dummy cake and put the fondant... it's very easy... to stack them, since mine are wrapped... I use tan tape (i think it's packing tape) and they stay together....
ALSO....
some people make RKT and mold them into a cake pan to get the shape... and use that as dummy cakes...
Here is a tutorial on it by Lorraine..... this might help you....

http://www.youtube.com/watch#playnext=1&playnext_from=TL&videos=JVZAui19VUI&v=mp1pOvCvjmM

Good Luck!
Happy Caking!
Reply
Happy Caking!
Reply
post #6 of 24
2/27/10 at 6:12am
That's an awesome tip on the RKT for cake dummies! I never thought of that.

I use piping gel before putting the fondant on. That's how we were taught at school. And stacking is very easy...no dowels or supports needed. Just put some BC or piping gel on the tier underneath so the one of top will stick...or you can even hot glue it since no one will be eating it.
Reply
Reply
post #7 of 24
2/27/10 at 6:51am
that's true.... hot glue can work also.... icon_smile.gif

here is another tutorial...
http://www.youtube.com/watch#v=nKILPEC3q3Y&feature=related
Happy Caking!
Reply
Happy Caking!
Reply
post #8 of 24
2/27/10 at 7:09am
Thanks for the info!!
Reply
Reply
post #9 of 24
2/27/10 at 7:50am
I iced my dummies with regular 'ole BC (less the vanilla and the dream whip, since no one is going to taste it). I never used any kind of saran or wrap, even with the dummies that I used fondant on. Fondant came off with a 'little' more difficulty than fondant but not that much.

I used BC as glue between the tiers to hold them together. The BC dries like concrete (or at least mine does) so it holds just fine. No glue, nails, or other forms of formal attachment necessary. I'd pick up a 3 or 4 tier cake by the top tier to carry it and never had one fall apart.

You'll find the smaller dummies are a PITA to work with. Because they are lightweight, they tend to move around when working on them. Some good size pieces of no-skid material under the dummy will work great.
Cake Cutting Guide: http://cateritsimple.blogspot.com/search/label/cake%20comb
http://www.flickr.com/photos/55969028@N00/
www.cateritsimple.blogspot.com
http://debiswritingcollection.blogspot.com/
Reply
Cake Cutting Guide: http://cateritsimple.blogspot.com/search/label/cake%20comb
http://www.flickr.com/photos/55969028@N00/
www.cateritsimple.blogspot.com
http://debiswritingcollection.blogspot.com/
Reply
post #10 of 24
2/27/10 at 8:11am
I hate covering the small ones... once I ordered the 3" round.... OH MYYYY ggrrrrrrr lol
Happy Caking!
Reply
Happy Caking!
Reply
post #11 of 24
2/28/10 at 2:46pm
Thanks for posting this. I've had the same questions. I've never worked with a dummy (cake that is - ha ha), so all of this is very helpful. I do have another ? to add though. If you are going to use a dummy along with real cake (I'm doing a 10" dummy, an 8" WASC, and a 6"WASC on top) can I still get away w/out putting dowels into the dummy? What about bigger size cakes, say a 14" or 16" dummy with the rest of the tiers being actual cake.....will the dummy support the weight of the other tiers on top of it ?(obviously the other tiers would have supports in between)
Reply
Reply
post #12 of 24
2/28/10 at 2:56pm
THe dowels are needed in a cake to support and hold up the upper tier. A styrofoam dummy is strong enough to support and hold up the upper tier. You can stand on a cake dummy and not smash it .... so the weight of cake is not going to do anything to that dummy. It's strong enough to hold you ... it's strong enough to support your cakes.
Cake Cutting Guide: http://cateritsimple.blogspot.com/search/label/cake%20comb
http://www.flickr.com/photos/55969028@N00/
www.cateritsimple.blogspot.com
http://debiswritingcollection.blogspot.com/
Reply
Cake Cutting Guide: http://cateritsimple.blogspot.com/search/label/cake%20comb
http://www.flickr.com/photos/55969028@N00/
www.cateritsimple.blogspot.com
http://debiswritingcollection.blogspot.com/
Reply
post #13 of 24
2/28/10 at 3:05pm
Thanks so much! Good to know. I had no idea they were that strong icon_smile.gif
Reply
Reply
post #14 of 24
5/9/10 at 5:04am
The only issue with stacking styro WITHOUT dowling occurs when you are using fondant, as if you do not dowel, the fondant on the lower level(s) can get squished out and upwards from the weight and surface area of the dummy abpve. Hope this makes sense!

I was taught always to dowel my dummy tiers that are between real cake tiers.
Life's too short to make cake pops.
___________________________________
www.sweetperfection.com.au
www.facebook.com/sweetperfectioncakes (come visit sometime!)
Reply
Life's too short to make cake pops.
___________________________________
www.sweetperfection.com.au
www.facebook.com/sweetperfectioncakes (come visit sometime!)
Reply
post #15 of 24
5/9/10 at 5:21am
Quote:
Originally Posted by Evoir

The only issue with stacking styro WITHOUT dowling occurs when you are using fondant, as if you do not dowel, the fondant on the lower level(s) can get squished out and upwards from the weight and surface area of the dummy abpve. Hope this makes sense!


Wow! never had that happen before. I would ask how thick they make their fondant because styro cakes are super lightweight.
Cake Cutting Guide: http://cateritsimple.blogspot.com/search/label/cake%20comb
http://www.flickr.com/photos/55969028@N00/
www.cateritsimple.blogspot.com
http://debiswritingcollection.blogspot.com/
Reply
Cake Cutting Guide: http://cateritsimple.blogspot.com/search/label/cake%20comb
http://www.flickr.com/photos/55969028@N00/
www.cateritsimple.blogspot.com
http://debiswritingcollection.blogspot.com/
Reply
New Posts  All Forums:Forum Nav:
  Return Home
  Back to Forum: How Do I?
Cake Central › Cake Forums › Cake Talk › How Do I? › How to frost or decorate cake dummy? How do you stack?