How to make cakes/scones that won't go off, for display purposes
This is a bit of a strange question, but I thought someone here might be able to help.
I am trying to make some cupcakes, scones or similar to display on a home-made cake stand in a shop window. I think the cake stand really needs to have something on it as part of the display, but obviously I don't want to just put normal food on it as it will gradually go off (and mouldy cakes won't look nice!).
Does anyone have any ideas for recipes for cupcakes, scones or something similar that are unlikely to go off for a couple of months, or at least, if they go off, won't smell or look bad? I don't care about whether they will taste nice or not, as they won't be eaten!
Part of me is wondering whether I can modify a recipe to add extra dry ingredients (flour?) and remove some of the perishable ingredients (butter, eggs?) to help this?
Does anyone have any ideas?
Best Answer
We used to make "display bread" using salt dough. Basically you add as much salt as flour (eg. 3 cups) to make it uninteresting for bacteria. To make the end result hard enough to last, you can add either hot water and a little oil or cold water and a spoon of wallpaper glue. Add as much water as necessary to form a bread like dough. Add anything (eg curry, blueberry sirup, ink instead of water - anything goes since you are not going to eat the result!) to color (parts of) your dough. Wholemeal instead of white flour will give you a stone or concrete like color. Do not use yeast or anything else that will change the shape of your dough. Yeast probably will not work in all that salt anyway.
Then shape your cakes and let the result dry for a day before baking it. Not in direct sunlight (it might dry too fast and crack).
To see some results, search for "Salzteig" on German Google Image search. :-)
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What is the secret to a good scone?
The secret to the flakiest scones is to start with cold ingredients \u2014 cold butter, cold eggs, and cold cream. Similar to making pie crust, using cold ingredients prevents the butter from melting before the scones are baked, leaving it instead to melt in the oven and create a super-flaky end result.How do you keep scones from spreading?
Arrange scones side by side on the baking tray, so that they are just touching each other. This will help keep the sides straight and even as the scones cook.How do you make scones less dry?
Start by adding half the called-for buttermilk to the dry ingredients. Lightly turn the mixture and add more liquid as needed. Add just enough buttermilk or milk (preferably low-fat) to make the dough stick together. The dough should still be crumbly with some flour dregs when it has enough buttermilk.Should you rest scones before baking?
The explanation is simple: As with other doughs, including pizza dough, resting lets scone dough's gluten relax completely, so that it doesn't snap back during shaping or baking.Easy Scones Recipe
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Answer 2
Bakeries often create fake cakes for display purposes that are non-edible structures decorated with royal icing and such that will last for long periods of time without going bad.
I found this website with step-by-step instructions on making a fake cake:
http://m.voices.yahoo.com/how-fake-cakes-display-564492.html
Answer 3
eHow has a few pages with instructions on fake or display food. A strong creative side may be necessary for some of them.
Using shellac, felt, upholstery foam, and joint compound: http://www.ehow.com/how_4877356_make-fake-food-displays.html
Using glue: http://www.ehow.com/how_6397785_make-fake-food-elmers-glue.html
using clay: http://www.ehow.com/how_6768696_make-fake-food-out-clay.html
using Amazing Mold Putty: http://www.ehow.com/how_4868327_make-fake-food-art.html
Answer 4
Cake supply stores will typically sell 'cake forms'. They're made of styrofoam in typical cake-tier shapes (round, square, etc.)
You can then put icing or fondant over the form and decorate it as if it were a real cake.
They're also useful if you need to hide something inside a cake.
Sources: Stack Exchange - This article follows the attribution requirements of Stack Exchange and is licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0.
Images: Ivan Samkov, Anna Tarazevich, Artem Beliaikin, Craig Dennis