Creating A Faux Wedding Cake

Wedding cakes can be expensive, so it's no surprise that many couples are now opting for fake cakes. These faux cakes are usually made from styrofoam and are used for display and photo purposes, while guests are served a more affordable sheet cake. This way, you can have a stunning cake that rivals a 5-tier beauty without the hefty price tag. In this article, we'll explore the pros and cons of a pretend wedding cake and provide a step-by-step guide on how to make one yourself.

Use styrofoam for the cake layers

Styrofoam is a great option for creating a faux wedding cake. You can buy pre-cut styrofoam cake forms online or from specialty kitchen or craft stores. These come in various shapes and sizes, so you can choose the ones that best fit your desired cake design. If you're looking to save money, you can even make your own cake forms using foam salvage.

For a three-tiered cake, you'll need styrofoam rounds in three different sizes. The standard sizes for a wedding cake are 6", 8", and 10". You can also add a 12" or 14" base layer for a more dramatic effect. The height of each layer is typically 4.

Once you have your styrofoam cake forms, you'll need to cover them with a base layer of icing. You can use store-bought frosting, or make your own using a mixture of plaster, gel medium, and design paste. This will give your cake a smooth finish and help the decorations adhere better.

After icing, you can decorate your styrofoam cake with fresh or silk flowers, ribbons, fabric, rhinestones, or any other embellishments that fit your wedding theme and colour scheme.

If you want to include a real cake for the traditional cake-cutting ceremony, simply replace one of the styrofoam layers with a real cake from a bakery. You can also cut out a small piece of styrofoam from the back of a layer to create a space for a small, edible cake.

Using styrofoam for your wedding cake layers is a cost-effective and lightweight option that will allow you to create a beautiful and elegant display for your special day.

Use plaster, joint compound, or spackle for the icing

To create a realistic-looking pretend wedding cake, you can use plaster, joint compound, or spackle for the icing. These materials can be used to achieve a smooth, professional finish that closely resembles real icing.

Joint compound, also known as drywall mud, is a cost-effective option that can be purchased pre-mixed or in powdered form. It is primarily used for seaming and smoothing new drywall installations and typically comes in larger quantities. When using joint compound, it's important to allow sufficient drying time, which can take up to 24 hours before it can be sanded or painted. You can also tint the joint compound to create a chocolate cake effect or add food colouring to achieve the desired shade for your pretend wedding cake.

Spackle, on the other hand, is thicker than joint compound and has a consistency similar to toothpaste. It is ideal for small repairs and filling in dings, dents, and nail holes. Spackle dries faster than joint compound, usually within 30 minutes, and is less likely to crack or shrink. However, it can be more challenging to spread due to its thickness. When using spackle, it is important to apply it in thin coats and experiment with adding acrylic medium or white glue to reduce cracking.

Plaster of Paris is another alternative suggested by some crafters.

By using these materials and adding your own creative touches, you can create a beautiful and elegant pretend wedding cake.

Decorate with fresh or silk flowers

If you want to decorate your pretend wedding cake with flowers, you have a few options. You can use fresh flowers, silk flowers, or sugar flowers. Each option has its own pros and cons, so it's important to consider your needs and preferences before making a decision.

Fresh flowers can be a beautiful addition to your pretend wedding cake. They can add a touch of elegance and romance to your cake, and they can be customized to match your wedding colors or theme. However, fresh flowers may not be in season year-round and can be expensive. Additionally, many flowers don't last long without water, so they may start to wilt if your cake is sitting out for an extended period. It's also important to ensure that the flowers are organically grown and free of dirt and pesticides, as some flowers can be poisonous.

Silk flowers have come a long way in terms of realism and are a more affordable option. They are usually readily available, and you can often find a wide variety of colors and styles to choose from. However, silk flowers may still look cheap, and it's important to handle them with care as they may not be treated as something that will be put on a cake.

Sugar flowers are a popular choice for wedding cakes, as they are made with edible materials and can be customized to any color scheme. They can also be kept as a keepsake after the wedding. However, sugar flowers can be pricey and time-consuming to create, as they are often crafted petal by petal.

When decorating your pretend wedding cake with flowers, you can get creative and mix and match different types of flowers to achieve the look you desire. You can also add other decorative elements such as berries, branches, or cake toppers to enhance the overall design.

Make a small real cake for the couple to cut and eat

Making a small wedding cake is not as difficult as one might think, but it does require some planning and effort. Here are some detailed instructions to make a small, real wedding cake for the couple to cut and eat:

Ingredients and Tools:

Firstly, gather all the ingredients and tools required. For a small wedding cake, you will need ingredients for baking and icing, such as flour, sugar, butter, eggs, milk, and flavourings. Decide on the flavour of your cake—vanilla, carrot, red velvet, lemon, marble, or even chocolate chip are all popular choices. You will also need tools like cake pans (9-inch and 6-inch pans are common for a two-tier cake), parchment paper, a large serrated knife, cardboard cake boards, non-flexible straws or cake dowels, and a platter to serve the cake.

Baking the Cake:

Baking a wedding cake usually involves making multiple cakes of different sizes, such as 12", 9", and 6" cakes for a three-tier cake. For a small wedding cake, you can opt for a single-tier or a two-tier cake. Follow your chosen recipe's instructions for baking the cakes, making sure to allow them to cool completely before assembling and decorating.

Assembly and Decoration:

Before assembling the cake, it is recommended to level off the cakes by slicing a thin layer off the tops to create a flat surface. Then, prepare the frosting by beating butter, confectioners' sugar, milk or cream, and flavourings like vanilla extract. You can also make a crumb coat, a thin layer of frosting that helps protect the outer layer of frosting from crumbs. After crumb coating, refrigerate the cakes to help set the frosting.

When assembling, use cake dowels or straws to provide support for the top tier. Place the dowels in the bottom tier, cut them to match the height of the cake, and then place the small tier on top. You can pipe frosting around the bottom of the top tier to cover any spaces or smears. Decorate the cake with fresh flowers, cake toppers, or other decorative elements.

Storage and Transport:

Clear a large space in the refrigerator to store the finished cake. You may need to transport the cake to the wedding venue, so speak to the caterer or venue manager about the details. It is best to serve the cake within three days of baking, and it can be refrigerated or frozen to extend its shelf life.

Serve sheet cakes to guests

If you're creating a faux wedding cake, you may be wondering how to serve your guests. One option is to serve sheet cakes. Here are some tips to help you pull it off without your guests knowing:

Firstly, decide on the type of faux cake you want to display. You can choose a fake cake made of Styrofoam, which can be decorated to look like a real cake. Alternatively, you could have a small, real decorated cake for the cake-cutting ceremony. This cake can be used for photos and the traditional cake-cutting ritual, while the sheet cakes are served to the guests.

If you opt for a Styrofoam cake, you can have a small piece of real cake inserted for the cake-cutting ceremony. The venue staff can then wheel the cake away to "cut" it and serve the sheet cake instead. This is a common practice, and your guests will likely not notice.

To save costs, you can have a small decorated cake that serves about 80 guests and then supplement with sheet cakes. The sheet cakes can be cut and served on platters, and roaming servers can offer them to guests. This way, all guests will get the same cake, just in a different shape.

It is recommended that both the display cake and the sheet cakes are provided by the same baker to ensure consistency in taste and quality. The baker can also advise on the number of sheet cakes needed to serve all your guests.

Overall, using sheet cakes to serve guests at a wedding is a great way to save money without sacrificing the traditional cake-cutting ceremony. With some planning and coordination, your guests will be none the wiser and will still enjoy a delicious slice of cake!

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