Have you ever wanted to know how to make a faux cake?

This project is perfect for someone who is planning a photoshoot and maybe doesn’t want to spring for the expensive three-tiered cake.

Faux cakes are a great way to add a touch of elegance to your home decor. They can also be used as props for photography or events.

Making a faux cake is relatively easy, and you can use a variety of materials to create the look you want. Maybe you are planning a wedding, outdoor tablescape photo, or birthday photo shoot.

A fun project that is not only affordable, it is pretty easy for the most inexperienced DIY-er to do. 

*Disclaimer: This post was sponsored by Worx Tools. All opinions are my own. 

I learned this technique last year when I was scrambling to find a baker for a fall outdoor tablescape photo shoot I was doing. So I decided to create my own faux beautiful cake instead!

I am so excited to show you how this one turned out.

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Materials

• Styrofoam Rounds
• Hot Glue Gun and Glue Sticks
• Styrofoam Glue
• Foam Brushes
• Lightweight Spackling (Sometimes can be found at Dollar Store) or Joint Compound
• Plastic Putty Knife
• Cake Decorations
• Cake Stand (Optional for Staging)
• Acrylic Paint: White, Yellow, Orange

You can choose to substitute brands or craft supplies when necessary.

Your Cake Rounds

I purchase a set of 4 Styrofoam rounds off of Amazon, but you can pick this set

up at Walmart.

You can also choose any size or shape for your cake rounds, there are so many options. Cut the styrofoam rounds or blocks to the desired size and shape of your cake.

Applying the Joint Compound

Use the All Purpose Joint compound or spackling and apply to the styrofoam forms with a spackling knife.

Let Them Dry

Allow your cakes to completely dry. I only needed three cakes for this project, so I will just save one for a rainy day! 

*Side Note: If you find holes or areas that need repairing, apply another layer of joint compound and let it dry before painting.

You will see a slight color change between wet and dry areas. I allow to dry overnight.

Gather Paint Sprayer Materials

I am so excited that I have the new Maker X Dremel style tool from Worx Tools to use to airbrush this faux cake. 

Paint Your Cakes

We wanted to decorate this faux cake for Halloween to look like a piece of candy corn. So each tier was a different color. 

*Side Note: Even if you want to leave your cake white, I would recommend applying 1-2 coats of white paint. Just to give it a brighter, cleaner looking finish. The joint compound does dry white, but it is very dull.

Also if you want to do a naked cake then I recommend painting your ake with a tan or brown paint before you spackle.

You will lightly coat the cake with spackling, not full coverage.

Glue Your Cakes Together

Use the Styrofoam Glue to glue your cake forms together. Glue the styrofoam pieces together to create the desired cake shape.

Make sure they are centered when you place each tier.

I prefer to do this after spackling the cake it is easier to do each cake separately in my opinion. 

You could do before you paint totally your preference.

Tips

• For a more realistic look, use different colors of spackle to create the layers of a cake.
• You can also use food coloring to tint the spackle.
• If you want to make a tiered cake, use different sizes of styrofoam rounds.
• For a more dramatic look, you can use black spackle to create a chocolate cake.

Additional Tips

• Use a sharp knife to cut the styrofoam.
• Be careful not to overfill the spackle gun, as this can cause the spackle to ooze out of the seams.
• Let the spackle dry completely before painting.
• Use a variety of decorative elements to add interest to your cake.

Let’s Decorate

Time to Decorate the cake! We used candy corn,  fall florals, and some acorns we found at the park.

Just dab a bit of hot glue on the bottom of the candy. 

Press the candy on to the cake for just a few seconds each.

We decided to just go along the top two tiers of the cake. 

Just continue adding candy or decor around your entire cake tiers.

We used a toothpick to make some small holes at the top of the cake for the florals to be inserted into. 

At this point we wanted to add a few florals and acorns to the top and side of the cake to balance it out. 

Final Thoughts

With a little time and effort, you can create a faux cake that is both beautiful and realistic. So get creative and have fun! No matter how you use them, faux cakes are a great way to add a touch of elegance and creativity to your life. So get started today and create your own masterpiece!

Be sure to check out our fun outdoor fall tablescape post!

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