Ok cakers, I need your ideas! I accepted a cake order for this Saturday (whhyyyy?) that looks like this:

I told her that I could do the cake, but that I would not be able to do the cutout characters because since it is very humid here in Virginia, they would not have enough time to dry completely and they would flop over (the one taller than the cake at least). She suggested card stock, but I am thinking it would soak up the oil from the cake.

Any ideas on how I could do the characters without fondant??? TIA!

you could do cookies -- but i could do it in fondant because i add enough cornstarch -- but cookies are cool too

AI am in Virginia, on the coast, and if you use gumpaste and don't roll it too thick and lay it on a paper towel to dry you should be fine for Sarurday. Flip it over as soon as it is firm enough and rotate it twice a day. Should be good by Friday.

I agree with JanDunlevy.  I always put mine on a cooling rack that way it is off the flat surface.   If you want to do card stock you can laminate it or put some type of styrofoam backing like the type used for take out containers.

you could use chocolate melts like the Riviera Bakehouse does. 

tutorial

http://cakejournal.com/tutorials/how-to-make-a-chocolate-transfer/

I could never make that, however to help quick dry fondant use a frying pan spatter screen.  You know the thing that you put on a frying pan that keeps the grease spatters from flying out.

The screen is stiff enough to hold the pieces relatively flat, but lets tons of air onto the bottom to help it dry all over.

Why not gumpaste? Or fondant combined with gumpaste? Or fondant with lots of tylose powder? That should harden within 1 day or 2.

Gumpaste will work for sure!  It will be rolled thin enough that it should dry out in less than a day.  I've managed to dry some thin pieces for picture frames overnight... but it's not humid in my area.

Can you possibly put them in a very low heated oven for a few hours to speed up the drying? 

I vote for gumpaste too!  Roll it pretty thinly.  Put it in an oven with the oven light on.  If you are like me, add a sign to the oven controls so you remember to not turn it on though.  :)

Aa thought to consider-- dried fondant is [S]like[/S] candy especially if you add some flavor to it -- it dries crispy but still has enough forgiveness so it doesn't crack like thin gum paste and pastillage-- dries well with cornstarch added -- it's a lot of fun to eat the decor --

my two cents

AYou can buy self laminating sheets. I print pictures and laminate them all the time...glue a cake pop stick or piece of floral wire to the back and put them on...just be sure that you leave an edge around the picture so that no moisture gets in at it

For a quick fix and if the person ordering doesn't mind it not being edible, print it on photo paper. For the 'things' directly on the cake, I would probably lay it on a piece of fondant cut to fit, stick it with piping gel, (the print to the fondant and the fondant to the cake - but experiment with that - or a thick glue dot with a pick on the back so it can stick it in the side of the cake,but keep it slightly off the icing.

Wow, thanks for the ideas everyone! I wasn't getting notified of all the responses to my email, so I was surprised to come back and find so many! You guys are the best.

The reason I was concerned about the fondant was because the only fondant I had on hand was the new Wilton fondant, which the last time I used it didn't dry for a few days even though I put a ton of tylose in it.

It worked out because the customer decided she wants to take care of the figures herself. I will just be making the cake for her, and then it is in her hands.

Thanks again, everyone!

Well, that worked out well.  Whew