Welcome to the Cake Decorators Q&A

Hi there,

Please can anyone advise as to which fondant brand is best for covering cake dummies and can last up to 6 months so they can be used in displays and exhibitions without creating a stain in the fondant after a few weeks.

Any other tips will help, although I have kept the cake dummies covered in fondant in open air in the room away from radiator and direct sunlight.

Cake couture brand is excellent for covering however after 4 weeks or so leaves a stain on the covered dummy.

Any experience and advice on this will definitely help,

Hi Naheed

Which fondant is best is down to personal experience. It may take trying out several brands before settling on one which best suits your requirements. I’ve personally never experienced staining problems on dummy cakes even after a year of keeping. I have used Renshaws, Satin Ice, supermarket brands especially Asda and Lidle and my own home made. I never use Massa on dummies, that’s reserved for cake only. Paul mainly uses the Renshaw brand and his dummy cakes always look pretty good considering the time he hangs on to them.

I’ve read in several forums where some decorators spare no expense and use the same brands that they would on real cake. I feel that’s a little extravagant but everyone has their own ways of doing things. Some decorators spray the covered dummy with hair lacquer or with PME clear edible glaze. I’ve used the edible glaze and it does help keep the fondant looking fresh. Haven’t ever used the lacquer. Another good tip is to dust the dummies on a regular basis. A constant room temperature may also help as it reduces the risk of condensation which might be a contributory factor causing the staining. These are just some of my own thoughts.