Fake cake for pictures?

[jamieirene]

So when reading fellow brides reviews and seeing some cake pictures I am getting a feeling a lot of these resorts in Mexico and else where have never heard of fondant? I am considering making a fake cake to bring for pictures plus there's no reason to pay 15 dollars per person for cake when there's a desert bar....what is anyone else think about this issue?

[simba1234]

I had a "fake" cake at my wedding and I loved it!  My resort did it for me but they used real fondant for it - only the inside was fake.  The top layer was also a real cake for the pics.  Nobody noticed and the cake was more beautiful than a real one would have turned out.  Here are some pics. 

 

 

 

[torilynnsmith]

Your cake looks great!!!! My girlfriend had a 4 or 5 tier cake at her wedding this past weekend (at home) and they did everything accept the bottom layer "fake" with real fondant! It looked great, was more cost effective and she didn't have a TON of leftover cake!!!!!!!

 

How do you think fondant would travel?!

Originally Posted by simba1234 

I had a "fake" cake at my wedding and I loved it!  My resort did it for me but they used real fondant for it - only the inside was fake.  The top layer was also a real cake for the pics.  Nobody noticed and the cake was more beautiful than a real one would have turned out.  Here are some pics. 

 

 

 

 

[simba1234]

I don't know how you would travel with fondant - are you thinking of bringing the whole "fake cake" with you to your desination?  I think you should ask your resort if they can do it.  Like I said, my resort did this for me and it was acutally their idea so they're familiar with the concept in Mexico.  I think it would be easier to start with your resort....

[TropicLover]

Hiya ladies! Just a quick question about the fondant - is it that a whole fondant cake won't last in the heat and that's why you do half real half fake? Or is it more of a money and extra cake factor? Any help would be great!  The pictures my hotel sent me of their cakes are horrible so I'm not sure what I'll do. I just really want to avoid paying another outside vendor fee. I'm wondering if they'd be better with making a fake cake instead. So confused

[simba1234]

 

 

Originally Posted by TropicLover 

 

Hiya ladies! Just a quick question about the fondant - is it that a whole fondant cake won't last in the heat and that's why you do half real half fake? Or is it more of a money and extra cake factor? Any help would be great!  The pictures my hotel sent me of their cakes are horrible so I'm not sure what I'll do. I just really want to avoid paying another outside vendor fee. I'm wondering if they'd be better with making a fake cake instead. So confused

 

 I did it for three reasons....

 

1. It was a lot more cost effective to have a fake cake with real fondant and real flowers on the outside than it would have been to buy an entire real cake.  The fondant will hold up in the heat - that wasn't really an issue.  My cake had real fondant on the outside and it held up nicely and looked great.  A fake cake is cheaper because the baker/caterer won't have to spend money and time on all the ingredients and the cake mix.  They used a real sheet cake for the top layer which is what we used for the cake cutting ceremony and pictures.  No one guessed that it was a fake cake and to this day people still ask me what happened to all that leftover delicious cake lol   Which brings me to the next reason I wanted a fake cake...

 

2.  I wanted a big 4 tier cake for the pictures and dramatic effect   But I didn't want to spend a ton of money on a bunch of cake that would go to waste because I only had 55 guests. 

 

3.  The flavor I wanted was tres leche which is a very, very light liquidy cake and doesn't hold fondant well.  I wanted fondant because it looks more beautiful and sleek but I wanted tres leche cake.  No pun intended but I basically wanted to have my cake and eat it too (I wanted tres leche but I wanted fondant).  So the fake cake with fondant was used for the cake cutting ceremony and pictures but the tres leche was served to the guests. 

 

If it makes you feel any better, the pictures my resort sent me were also horrendous.  I didnt' see one single cake design I liked so I sent them a picture of what I wanted the design to look like. I told them I wanted fondant (not butter cream or regular icing) and REAL FLOWERS.  I also brought my own topper.  I think they did a pretty good job in the end but I had to give them very clear direction with pictures and everything:)

[simba1234]

Here's a more close up picture of the cake and of us cutting the top layer so you can see that it was a totally real cake on the top...so nobody could tell the difference.  In a typical wedding with a real cake, you would cut a piece for the pictures and then the waiters woudl take the rest of it away and cut it in the kitchen before bringing plates out to everyone.  And that's what they did at my wedding - they took the "cake" to the back to cut it and came back with plates of tres leche cake for everyone and nobody knew the difference. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[jamieirene]

I had a "fake" cake at my wedding and I loved it!  My resort did it for me but they used real fondant for it - only the inside was fake.  The top layer was also a real cake for the pics.  Nobody noticed and the cake was more beautiful than a real one would have turned out.  Here are some pics. 

 

 

 

Holy cow now that's exactly what I want! Im.containing my resort to see if they can do this for me!

[jamieirene]

 

 

 

 I did it for three reasons....

 

1. It was a lot more cost effective to have a fake cake with real fondant and real flowers on the outside than it would have been to buy an entire real cake.  The fondant will hold up in the heat - that wasn't really an issue.  My cake had real fondant on the outside and it held up nicely and looked great.  A fake cake is cheaper because the baker/caterer won't have to spend money and time on all the ingredients and the cake mix.  They used a real sheet cake for the top layer which is what we used for the cake cutting ceremony and pictures.  No one guessed that it was a fake cake and to this day people still ask me what happened to all that leftover delicious cake lol :)  Which brings me to the next reason I wanted a fake cake...

 

2.  I wanted a big 4 tier cake for the pictures and dramatic effect :)  But I didn't want to spend a ton of money on a bunch of cake that would go to waste because I only had 55 guests. 

 

3.  The flavor I wanted was tres leche which is a very, very light liquidy cake and doesn't hold fondant well.  I wanted fondant because it looks more beautiful and sleek but I wanted tres leche cake.  No pun intended but I basically wanted to have my cake and eat it too (I wanted tres leche but I wanted fondant).  So the fake cake with fondant was used for the cake cutting ceremony and pictures but the tres leche was served to the guests. 

 

If it makes you feel any better, the pictures my resort sent me were also horrendous.  I didnt' see one single cake design I liked so I sent them a picture of what I wanted the design to look like. I told them I wanted fondant (not butter cream or regular icing) and REAL FLOWERS.  I also brought my own topper.  I think they did a pretty good job in the end but I had to give them very clear direction with pictures and everything:)

This is what I want too! Do you have pictures of how it turned out?

[torilynnsmith]

There are a couple reasons people would do a "fake cake"

 

1) Think of it like real touch flowers, you can't ALWAYS get what you want down south and depending on your resort and personality you may like things just so this ensures you "get what you want"

 

2) cost effectiveness.  A "fake" cake is re-used, they just remove the fondant and keep the form so it is MUCH cheaper than a real cake

 

3) less waste!!!! Most DW are significantly under 100 people and therefore the cake required is only ever about a tier or two.  Most brides like a more dramatic or impactful cake then one they can just bake at home so the "fake" option allows for that look without the waste!

 

 

Originally Posted by TropicLover 

Hiya ladies! Just a quick question about the fondant - is it that a whole fondant cake won't last in the heat and that's why you do half real half fake? Or is it more of a money and extra cake factor? Any help would be great!  The pictures my hotel sent me of their cakes are horrible so I'm not sure what I'll do. I just really want to avoid paying another outside vendor fee. I'm wondering if they'd be better with making a fake cake instead. So confused