Styrofoam Cake. You heard it here first.

Alright, we're in business. One of my little cake fairies figured out the title thingie.

On to the issue at hand: Styrofoam cakes.

What is this weirdness?

I was looking at some of the weirdie cake chat boards and found the following conversation, that I felt compelled to look at because of the subject STYROFOAM CAKES. Kind of like watching a car wreck from your kitchen window while licking your batter spatula.

Nadgabjoe: What is the best way to decorate a styrofoam?
CCChefDol: I would usually ice a styrofoam cake dummy with royal icing. Is it for display?
Nadgabjoe: It's for the ices convention in July
Nadgabjoe: This is my first time using a dummy

NOTE from King: Mine too. Do you think I should start by taking its shoes off? Or taping its mouth shut??? Oh gosh wait, you're talking about making a cake dummy. Mmm... cake dummy. Good double entendre. I'll have to work on that for a project.

CCChefPwd: Nadgabjoe you can also use spackling paste like you buy at the lumber yard.
Cake Wmn: Nad, you can also use ultralight patch and paint and will look like royal

NOTE from King: Some people make demonstration or model cakes using styrofoam. This is great if you are at a handyman's convention and want to demonstrate additional uses for spackle.

CCChefDol: Nad...use royal icing or fondant
Nadgabjoe: I'm not familiar with it
CCChefPwd: You can use almost anything on styrofoam.
Nadgabjoe: Can it be washed off after

NOTE from King: Gods, I hope so. I make an awful mess sometimes.

Nadgabjoe: Will buttercream last
CCChefPwd: I have two dummy cakes with buttercream icing - they just won't last as long
CCChefPwd: Royal will last longer - but it can also get damaged if someone gets rough with it.

NOTE from King: Now why would you think I would get rough? Who exactly have you been talking to???

Nadgabjoe: I'm carrying it on the plane from New York and switching to another plane.

NOTE from King: Imagine the fights you get into at an airport by carrying a fake cake around. In this case I would also carry a slingbag filled with cream pies, and use the pies to fend off wackos.

Cake Wmn: If you cover your dummy with stretch wrap before using the royal or whatever can just peel it off afterwards
CCChefDol: I shrink-wrap my dummy always

NOTE from King: I wonder how Slappy feels about this? Did you know all your brethren were being shrinkwrapped by Chef Dolores? I personally would find this very disturbing.

Ssbosco: I couldn't get the plastic wrap flat enough.

NOTE from King: Try using suction.

CCChefPwd: Fondant will last until you take a hammer to it and knock it off - after you get tired of looking at it.

NOTE from King: Please note that it is illegal to knock off a person after you get tired of looking at them. Dummies and/or cake are much easier to deal with, from a legal standpoint.

GOOO8: I was planning to cover my styrofoam in white contact paper. Still advisable?
CCChefDol: GOOO...no - cover with plastic wrap

NOTE from King: "GOOO..."?!! What the heck is going on over there? This is the problem with online chats. You never know what the person's up to in real life on the other end. On the other hand, sometimes this comes in handy.

Ssbosco: I'll try to pull it tighter.
CCChefPwd: You can cover the dummy with white contact paper and that makes it much easier to clean up

NOTE from the King: Thanks for that handy tip.

Nadgabjoe: So, Will it be easy to ice?

NOTE from the King: That is really brutal talk, coming from a cake decorator or baker. Perhaps instead we should call you a BUTCHER???

CCChefPwd: Dol - I really like the contact paper better than the plastic wrap. You can get it flatter
Nadgabjoe: Will the royal icing get too hard to decorate?

NOTE from King: I reserve the right to comment on this when it is not in a publically aired forum. "Too hard to decorate" indeed!

GOOO8: good thing we are chatting about this subject, I was about to do that this weekend.

NOTE from King: Well, I wasn't planning to, but there's no time like the present.