I have tried to google this question with no answers so I thought I would ask here since everyone here is always so helpful. There is a cake competition coming up that I have entered and I plan on using cake dummies. I have only done one gum paste flower cake topper before and I did not use a half of a styrofoam ball. However, I want the topper to look a bit more full than it did last time.

My question is.. if the top tier of the cake is 6 inches should the styrofoam ball be 6 inches in diameter as well or should it be smaller so the roses can rest on the top of the cake?

Definitely smaller. Otherwise the roses will hang over the side and not have support. If you want the hang over effect, just make it 1" smaller and the tips of the roses will be what hangs over. HTH

I would say smaller, maybe a 3 or 4 inch half ball. That is just my own personal taste so that the flowers will have the tier to rest on as well. I was also taught to cover the styrofoam ball with fondant that is the same color as the cake so it doesn't stand out. HTH

Thanks everyone!