Author Topic: PROPS: Cake  (Read 5769 times)

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sgoldsbo

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PROPS: Cake
« on: Aug 03, 2010, 01:22 pm »
Hey all!

I'm currently working on a dance show where a whole, unfrosted cake gets brought onstage and frosted; then a slice is cut and plated but not eaten. I need enough cakes for 3 nights of rehearsal and 2 performances, plus an extra in case anything goes wrong.

I was toying with the idea of building something in foam and shellacing it, and then using either real or fake frosting, but I really only have tonight to dedicate to getting this done and I’m just not really that confident in my prop making skills.

I am, however, confident in my baking skills. I was just going to go ahead and bake the 6, double layer, 8” round cakes myself tonight.

Which brings me to my question: any thoughts on ingredients to add or ways to bake the cake to make them a little hardier? They only need to last for 6 days, and they don’t need to be eaten, but they do need to be cut onstage.

NomieRae

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Re: PROPS: Cake
« Reply #1 on: Aug 03, 2010, 01:33 pm »
I would vote for floral foam and real icing because it would cut cleanly with even a fake knife, and they come in rounds like cakes at most large craft stores :)

But if real cake seems the easiest, I'd say something dense like a pound cake would be best as far as being sturdy
--Naomi
"First, I honor life, and with it my life in theatre." -- Jacques Burdick

sgoldsbo

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Re: PROPS: Cake
« Reply #2 on: Aug 03, 2010, 01:44 pm »
NomieRae - Do you think the florists foam would look okay before it's frosted? I'm all for reusable props, I'm just concerned because the cake needs to come out clean and gets frosted onstage each night.

NomieRae

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Re: PROPS: Cake
« Reply #3 on: Aug 03, 2010, 02:33 pm »
Floral foam usually comes in an unappetizing green color, but I bet with some cheap craft paint you could easily paint/dye it a cake type color, but then you'd need to pre-cut the slice and paint the facings on that as well...

maybe baking would be easier after all ;)
--Naomi
"First, I honor life, and with it my life in theatre." -- Jacques Burdick

maximillionx

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Re: PROPS: Cake
« Reply #4 on: Aug 03, 2010, 03:12 pm »
If you could find foam in a white/off-white color that resembles actual cake, you could frost with foamy shaving cream - we used Gillette.  We've used it for pies and bowls of whipped cream in plays before in the round, so it does stand up to audience scrutiny.  Although baking does seem like a tastier way of doing things...

On_Headset

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Re: PROPS: Cake
« Reply #5 on: Aug 03, 2010, 09:16 pm »
I myself would avoid working with foam, even floral foam: I've had bad experiences with foam squeaking as it's cut on-stage, which sort of ruins the moment. (Although a dance piece with fairly loud music would cover it...)

What I would be inclined to do is bake a round loaf of bread (I'd use soda bread, but any fairly dense bread will do) in a springform or cake pan, then carefully pre-cut out a suitable piece and shellac the whole thing.

Provided you keep the pre-cut piece facing away from the audience, they probably won't notice, and you can mark the serving tray so that they can see where they need to "cut" the iced cake. Because it's been shellacked, you can probably just rinse the frosting off at the end of the night.

My only worry is that it might prove difficult to frost a shellacked cake (especially under lights, the frosting might just melt and slide right off!), in which case I might apply a light coating of flour or icing sugar to the cake before the performance to help with grip.

missliz

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Re: PROPS: Cake
« Reply #6 on: Aug 03, 2010, 11:55 pm »
Floral foam usually comes in an unappetizing green color, but I bet with some cheap craft paint you could easily paint/dye it a cake type color, but then you'd need to pre-cut the slice and paint the facings on that as well...

maybe baking would be easier after all ;)


Be careful of this...there may have been great improvements in foam technology since I last did this, but I have tried to spraypaint garden phone to have it shrink/warp on me.

What about that dense foam for bedding, etc? It's thicker and has that great yellow-cake color. I'd also second the shaving cream for frosting.
I personally would like to bring a tortoise onto the stage, turn it into a racehorse, then into a hat, a song, a dragon and a fountain of water. One can dare anything in the theatre and it is the place where one dares the least. -Ionesco

nmno

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Re: PROPS: Cake
« Reply #7 on: Aug 04, 2010, 12:36 am »
For 5-6 cakes, I wonder if floral foam and shellacking are all a lot more work and cost than just getting cheap cake mix, making 6 cakes and freezing them...  (frosting a frozen cake is easier too, eliminates crumbs.) 

sgoldsbo

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Re: PROPS: Cake
« Reply #8 on: Aug 04, 2010, 11:21 am »
Hi all! Thanks for the great ideas!

If I'd had more time to dedicate to finding materials/building the prop I definitely would have gone the shellaced foam/shaving cream route. Or I would have even used that foamy kids bath soap for icing.

Unfortunately, I just got pulled onto this project last week and I think that with the time constraints, baking was just the way to go! I bought some mixes and frosting from the 99c store (ugh, it was NOT tastey), baked the cakes, and let them sit in front of a fan overnight. This morning I put them uncovered in the fridge. I’m most concerned about them molding before Sunday’s performance.

The foam cake would have been such a great option though! I wish that I could have dedicated more time and energy into the project.

 

riotous