Sometimes a baker wants to make a beautiful looking cake that isn't going to be eaten. In this case, a cake dummy is the perfect tool for the job. A cake dummy is an inedible form in the shape of a cake. A baker or cake decorator might choose to use a cake dummy instead of a real cake for a variety of reasons.

A cake dummy is usually made of hard foam, although other materials such as cardboard or plastic may be used. Just like a real cake, a cake dummy can be round, square, rectangular, or just about any shape you can imagine. The more strange the shape of the cake, the easier it is to use a cake dummy.

In cakes used for display or in some decorating competitions, a cake dummy can save the decorator time and money. Not all decorating competitions allow the use of a cake dummy, so make sure you check the rules before using one. If the cake will not be eaten because it is decorating a bakery window, or entered in a decorating contest, the decorator can frost the cake dummy instead of buying all the ingredients and baking an actual cake. If the cake won't be eaten anyway, a cake dummy prevents waste.

When a decorator needs to practice a frosting technique or wants to try out a new material, a cake dummy is perfect for the job. Unlike real cake, a cake dummy is very sturdy and can easily be frosted again and again without doing any significant damage. The cake dummy is ready at a moment's notice. There's no need to wait an hour to mix the ingredients and cook the cake when all you want to do is practice writing with frosting or laying out flowers.

You can buy specially made cake dummies in many craft or baking supply store, but you can also make one yourself. The most simple cake dummy for home use is an upside down cake pan. The cake pan makes an easy to use cake dummy, because it is already very close to the size and shape of the cake you will make. It is also easy to wash, so if you want to practice over and over you can quickly clean up in between.

If the cake dummy will be used in a display or competition, you will want a more professional version. Experts often buy large chunks of foam and cut them into the exact shapes and sizes that they need. Interesting and outrageous cakes can be designed with a cake dummy much more easily than with real cake. Whether you need to practice frosting a cake, need a display that will stand for a long time, or are entering a decorating contest, a cake dummy can make a decorator's job much easier, and can make small mistakes simple to correct.