Okay so I'm working on my display cakes for the ICES convention. And while I know it seems I'm working last minute this is actually early for me. My Styrofoam is cut, and since I had my dad cut some rounds out of 2in and 1in pieces they aren't perfectly matched when stacked (doing 3 in tall fake cake). I planned on covering them with fondant, but needed something to smooth it out before that. Royal was my first thought, but on another message board there was recent talk about using spackling on fake cakes. I'd heard it before so thought hey, I could use that and wouldn't have to make royal.

And if I used spackle I could actually just use it as the icing, sand it pretty and smooth and could skip the fondant and save myself $12. (I bought the $20 5 lb box of Wilton with a coupon.) I also read you color it with craft paint, so you can have any color you want, plus you can pipe with it. Sounds great right, especially since I wanted a pale blue color on my fake cake?

And it probably is... but... this is where the drama comes in...

I go out and buy some spackle at Walmart. Of course I have no idea how much I will really need so I buy two things of it to be safe. Get home and get ready to use it. Start opening up the tub of stuff and it has a pink tint to it, but I'm thinking well the lid is red and I was against the light, so maybe it is just a shadow. Open it complete and nope no shadow the spackle is a weird pink color. So I read the label, might have helped if I did that at the store but didn't, and find out that it is supposed to be pink. It starts off pink and turns white when dried. Some build in indicator to let you know when it is dry and you can sand it.

Great! So now what? I take a little bit out and color it with the craft paint and get a funky purple, spread it on a piece of left over Styrofoam and set it out to dry. It isn't the funky purple any more but not really the blue I wanted either. I probably should have added more blue but I really wanted to go light and just didn't know what would be light but still show the color.

While it all sounded great it just isn't working out as planned. I really don't want to go spend more money on spackling to go buy white to color. I've already spent more than I really wanted to on this stuff. I have options I just don't know which one to take.

Option #1: Color the pink a funky purple, let it dry and hope for the best.
Option #2: Skip coloring it, just use it as I first planned and cover it with the fondant.
Option #3. Do option number one, and if it doesn't turn out the color I want cover it with fondant.
Option #4: Skip coloring it, use it, and let it remain white.

I feel like #4 would be the easiest which sometimes works out for the best. And even though it isn't what I originally had in mind it would still work with the design, not to mention save me the money on the fondant which I could return and use the money to buy something else next week. But then there is that part of me that just really liked the idea of a pale blue, feel like it would set the decorations off a little more.

So if you were me, which option would you do??

Can't help you with your decision (I would go with #1 though), but I have never heard of spackling a dummy..... maybe that's what permaice actually is?

I haven't used permaice, but I'd think it would be the same concept. Using something that would dry hard and last longer.

option #5: spray paint/colors (food coloring) over options #4

Permaice is very expensive, which is why folks tend to go with spackle. I would go back to the hardware department, or try a real hardware store instead, and do some label reading to see if any of the brands there do not have this color-changing feature.There is also an option of plaster of paris, which is a powder that you must mix with water. I would sift this first.

Another drawback to using spackle or plaster is that they both contain toxic substances. If you intend to continue making your display cakes this way, I suggest you buy a small set of tips and a cleaning brush just to use for this purpose.

Theresa

I tried the spackeling once and it didn't work for me. Have you tried pipping with it, it wont hold its shape (whatever kind I used didn't anyway). I ended up using royal icing, and sanded it to make it very smooth. The one I did was about three years ago, and it is still on display at a store and in great shape. I hope this helps, Marilyn

Doug: I have some spackle on them now, waiting for it to dry. I'm not sure if it is going to dry a white white. Sigh. I thought about painting but even though I am using spackle and a dummy cake I want to do what I would normally do. I also thought about airbrushing it, but I don't know if the color would work right on the spackle. Plus I'm not too great at airbrushing over all color and get it darker in places.

tmriga: I had already opened one of the containers so if I went and bought more I would have waste $5. Which if I am going to spend more money on more spackle I might as well just use the fondant on it.

I did buy separate things to put the spackle on the cake and it will go in a box with regular house hold products and not my cake stuff. I wouldn't use cake stuff with spackle and then use it with cake stuff again.

marilyn: The cake I am working on now has no piping on it so that isn't an issue for me this time. But the consitancy of this stuff looks like it would work for thin and medium decorations. Don't think it would hold up to do a rose.

I have used royal before, the only problem I have had with it is that the colors fade and the white will yellow.

Where I stand right now:
Last night when I went to bed I had decided I was going to just go with the white. I even spackled a thin coat on the dummies. Today I was looking at it and I'm not sure if it is white white. It has a bit of a gray tinge to it. I have a floresent light in that room, so I don't know if it is that or what. So I'm at a point where I have to decide what to do next, again.

Sometimes there are just too many choices!!

spackling is an off-white..
in normal use, it gets covered w/ primer first to seal it (sucks up paint) before it gets painted.

are these 3 INCH cakes??? if so--dip them in primer to seal and them paint.

oops...double post (now how'd that happen?!)

and so this space isn't totally wasted:

Off white I could handle, grey white isn't going to look good with my shells. I did buy a clear spray paint for it for when I finished.

Right now I'm just ready to say forget it and just use the fondant. With fondant I could do blue, which is really what I want. And I wouldn't have any more hassles with the spackle. And at this point it would be faster and help me get things done sooner.

I put another thin layer of spackle on at 11 today. When I went buy my house after class at 5 it was still not completely dry. It would need another coat, since I am doing thin ones, so I couldn't decorate until sometime tomorrow. With fondant I could get it done tonight after this coat of spackle dries.

You might get some looks but if they are knowledgeable enough, they should be able to help you. You could start a new trend!

Hang out in the spackle aisle for that hunky dude when you have time. I can imagine there are some good ones in tight Levi's--oops, y'all wear Wranglers down there--and a cowboy hat.....hmmmm....


Sticking the fondant to the spackle...I will ask my husband when he comes in but maybe royal?? Don't know. Make sure the spackle is finely sanded, too.

I've never been too in to the the cowboy look, especially when their jeans are too tight.

My usual fondant 'glue' is piping gel or corn syrup. I have a 'test' think of spackle drying so I can try them on it and see what happens. I also have a clear coat of paint I can spray it with and then just stuck what ever to it. If those don't work I'm tempted to just use tacky glue!

Does that sound like a yummy 'cake'? Styrofoam, spackle and glue?

I think you had told me that before.....send him up North then!


Yeah, I don't think corn syrup or piping gel will work with the spackle but I am no expert.The paint might be better. Let us know how it works and pictures, please!!

I'll be sure to post pictures before I leave IF I get the cakes done. I had really wanted to get this one done today, but I don't see that happening now. And I still have another one I want to do as well, which I haven't even started on it!

You can do it

Go Texas!!

Don't know if this is even helpful at this juncture, but Zamode and I took a class with Colette in June. We used styrofoam dummies covered with fondant directly over the styrofoam. After we carved the styrofoam shapes, we used a different kind of styrofoam (more of a plastic type of styrofoam) to smooth down or sand the dummies and it worked beautifully. After we covered the dummies with fondant, the fondant was very smooth.
Anyway, I wish you the best of luck with your cakes and I'll be anxious to see what you come up with!

Cindy