I was talking to a possible customer and she said she went to a bakery and they had several cakes on display and that is why she decided to use them b/c they had a cake there they really loved. How do you make a display cake and how long would it last? Do you use some kind of box instead of cake and royal icing or is there another trick. Just was interested in making my own display cakes and didn't know the procedure. Thanks.
Just use a cake dummie (styrafoam or wood) and cover in plastic wrap and cover in fondant or royal icing as you would a regular cake. 
I have kept decorated dummies for at least a year on display and they still look as pretty as when they were first made.
HTH
Yep, definitely invest in some dummies. Most of my cake photos are dummies right now because I'm just starting to get set up in business- you can reuse them so they're a fairly cheap way to be able to play about with different styles as well as giving you an instant display to show off your cakes.
I have 9 or 10 styrofoam cakes on display and over half of them are a year old. I use BC right on the styrofoam. It's funny ..... the same BC that crusts well but stays soft for eating on cakes, will turn as hard as concrete when applied to styrofoam.
It's helpful, not only to showcase your work, but you can point to a 14/10/6 on display and tell them "That's the sizes we will be using for your cake".
I live in Florida (can't sell from home...not even sure I want to) but I just got a job working in a cafe baking 2 days a week. Was thinking of investing in some dummy cakes to display in the future. Where is the best place to buy them?
I tried covering the dummy in plastic wrap as funbun said, but the fondant would not stick to it. What's the trick?
Indydebi, I did the same with buttercream and was shocked at how hard it gets. I do have one question, could this potentially attract unwanted insects? I was a little concerned to continue that method.
I got my dummies from dallas-foam.com- GREAT prices and really nice people.
ok, what's up with that? I put it in without the hyphen and it said [blocked]... was it because that was the incorrect link or because we don't like them anymore?
I tried covering the dummy in plastic wrap as funbun said, but the fondant would not stick to it. What's the trick?
Indydebi, I did the same with buttercream and was shocked at how hard it gets. I do have one question, could this potentially attract unwanted insects? I was a little concerned to continue that method.
I've had dummy cakes sitting out for over a year and never had any unwanted critters!
Thanks guys for all your advice on this. I ended up purchasing a round set and a hexagon set from taylorfoam.com. Man it shipped fast. I just got them in today and am soooo excited to practice. Hopefully I'll be adding more pics soon now.
I tried covering the dummy in plastic wrap as funbun said, but the fondant would not stick to it. What's the trick?
Sorry it took so long to get back to you! 
This is what I do and it works for me. I wrap the dummy in plastic wrap and then add a thin layer of buttercream icing, then I roll out my fondant and apply over the buttercream. I hope this makes sense and solves your problem with the fondant not sticking. I know some people who just omit the plastic wrap and treat the dummy like a regular cake.
Good Luck
Ok guys, question. I was looking at Dallas Foam's website, and I see that they have like a MILLION size combos. I am a total newbie, and I have no idea what the most common sizes and shapes are.
I just want to get some dummies to practice on. I intend to practice on them and take photos of the results to learn & build a portfolio of sorts. I have only made a few cakes, and they have been met with great enthusiasm from the recipients. I know that if I logged some practice hours I will impove. My husband is on a very strict diet for health reasons, so I don't want all kinds of cake laying around tempting him, so I am trying to limit real cakes to ones that will be going somewhere else to live. lol
What are the most commonly reqested shapes & sizes? I also notice that most of their dummies come in 3", 4" or 5" tall, which of those is more common?
4" tall is the standard. 14/10/6 is the most common size (approx 100 servings+/-). YOu can do display cakes that are smaller, just to show design, but I find brides what to know "what size cake will I have", so I like ot have multiple combinations ... 14/12/8 .... 14/10/8/6, etc. I use a lot of 8"
Also I wanted to add that you can go to Lowes and get a 4 ft x 8 ft sheet of 1 or 2 inch thick styrofoam and cut your own dummies. I havent checked online prices of dummies, but it's pretty cheap the way I described. I did both my State Fair cakes and a recent practice cake this way. I just cut the sizes and shapes I needed with an electric knife and hot glued them together. It's a little more work but gives you total freedom of sizes and shapes and you can get it right away. It's in the insulation section at Lowes. Good Luck! 
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