Are Dummy Wedding Cakes Cheaper Than Real Cakes?
A 3 tier fondant wedding cake made with dummy tiers.
If you're planning your wedding cake and trying to balance the look you want with your budget, you may have come across the idea of using dummy tiers instead of real cake.
It's often suggested as a way to reduce costs while still achieving a taller or more dramatic cake. And it's a fair question. On the surface, it makes sense to assume that less real cake means a lower price.
But is that actually the case?
Dummy tiers, also known as fake or polystyrene tiers, are solid cake-shaped forms that are decorated to look just like real cake. They're often used to add height, create a particular look, or reduce the amount of edible cake needed.
From the outside, you wouldn't know the difference.
However, whether dummy tiers actually make a wedding cake cheaper isn't as straightforward as it first appears. While you aren't paying for the same amount of edible cake, there is still a lot of time, skill and care involved in creating and decorating the finished cake.
That's where many couples are surprised, and where this question deserves a clearer, more honest answer.
What Are Dummy Wedding Cakes?
Dummy tiers are solid cake-shaped forms, usually made from polystyrene, that are covered and decorated in much the same way as real cake.
Once they're iced and finished, they can look just like real tiers and can be used to add height or create a particular design without increasing the number of portions.
They're often used when a couple wants a larger or more dramatic cake visually, but doesn't need - or want - all of those tiers to be edible.
For example, you might love the look of a four-tier wedding cake but only need enough cake to serve 80 guests. Dummy tiers could allow you to create the height and proportions you love without making four full tiers of cake.
But there's an important point to understand:
A dummy tier doesn't mean a "cheap tier".
The decoration still has to be created.
Why do couples consider dummy Wedding Cakes?
Cost is often the first reason couples ask about dummy cakes.
It's natural to think:
If there's no cake inside the tier, surely it costs less?
And sometimes dummy tiers can be a useful way to manage the number of portions you need.
But there are other reasons you might consider them too:
You love the look of a taller wedding cake
You have fewer guests than the size of cake you really want
You want your cake to make more of a statement at your venue
You don't want lots of leftover cake
You want to create a particular shape or proportion
You'd like to combine a smaller amount of real cake with dummy tiers
All of these are completely valid reasons.
The important thing is to understand what you're trying to achieve with your cake before deciding whether dummy tiers are the right option.
Are Dummy Wedding Cakes Cheaper Than Real Cake?
They can be, but not always in the way you might expect.
This is where the assumption that "less cake = less money" can be misleading.
A large part of the cost of a wedding cake comes from everything that happens around the cake itself - designing it, preparing it, decorating it, assembling it and getting it safely to your venue.
If you'd like to understand this in more detail, I've broken down what goes into the cost of a wedding cake in my guide to how much a wedding cake should cost.
When you use a dummy tier, you're removing some of the costs associated with making an edible tier, such as the ingredients, baking and filling.
But the dummy tier still needs to be:
covered in ganache, buttercream or fondant depending on the design
decorated to match the rest of the cake
carefully assembled
transported and set up safely
So replacing a real tier with a dummy tier doesn't simply remove the cost of that tier from the overall price.
And the more detailed your cake design is, the more important this becomes. If a tier is covered in intricate piping, sugar flowers or other hand-finished details, those details still need to be made whether the tier underneath is real or dummy.
Can Dummy Wedding Cakes Actually Save You Money?
Yes, in the right circumstances.
If you want a large, multi-tiered cake for the visual impact but don't actually need all of those portions, using dummy tiers can mean you're not paying for large quantities of edible cake that you don't need.
For example, you might have a four-tier cake with two real tiers and two dummy tiers, with additional portions supplied separately as kitchen cake.
But there are still costs involved in decorating those dummy tiers, so the saving won't necessarily be as much as simply removing two tiers from the price.
If you're considering dummy tiers purely because you've heard they're cheaper, it's worth talking through the options with your cake designer first.
They may be the right choice for your cake - but they aren't automatically the cheapest choice.
Can Dummy Wedding Cakes Help Create the Wedding Cake Design That I Want?
Absolutely.
This is one of the reasons dummy tiers can be such a useful design tool.
If you've fallen in love with a tall, statement wedding cake but don't need enough cake to fill all those tiers, dummy tiers can help you achieve the height, proportions and overall look you're after.
They can be covered in fondant, or finished with ganache and decorated with the same details as your real tiers.
That could include:
sugar flowers
delicate piping
textured finishes
stencilling
hand-painted details
gold leaf
intricate decorative work
The idea is for the dummy tier not to look like an obvious "fake" tier. It simply becomes part of the overall design.
And if you're investing in a highly detailed cake, the decorative work is still there. The fact that there's no sponge inside doesn't make the decoration itself any quicker to create.
This is why I think it's more helpful to think of dummy tiers as a design choice, rather than simply a way to make a wedding cake cheaper.
Can You Put Fondant or Buttercream On a Dummy Wedding Cake?
Yes.
Dummy tiers can be finished in buttercream, ganache or fondant, depending on the design.
The aim is for the real and dummy tiers to look completely seamless when the cake is finished, so your guests shouldn't be able to tell which tiers are edible and which aren't.
Because of this, dummy tiers still need careful preparation and finishing. They need to look consistent with the rest of the cake from every angle.
How Long Do Dummy Wedding Cakes Last?
Unlike real cake, dummy tiers don't have the same food-related shelf life.
Once decorated, they can last for a long time as long as they're stored and transported carefully.
That doesn't mean they're indestructible, though. They can still become marked, dented or dusty if they're not handled properly.
This is another reason professional delivery and set-up matter. A beautifully decorated dummy tier still needs to arrive at your venue looking its best.
When Do Dummy Wedding Cakes Make Sense?
Dummy tiers can be a great option if:
you love the look of a larger cake but don't need lots of servings
you want a taller or more dramatic cake
your venue calls for a statement cake
you want to create particular proportions or height
you want additional portions supplied separately as kitchen cake
The important thing is to decide what you're trying to achieve first. Think about what you want your cake to look like, how many people you need to serve and how you'd like to spend your cake budget.
So, Are Dummy Wedding Cakes Cheaper?
The short answer is:
They can be, but not necessarily by as much as you might expect.
Dummy tiers can reduce some of the costs involved in making an edible tier, but the time and skill involved in designing, decorating, assembling and delivering the finished cake still needs to be considered.
So rather than asking: "Will dummy tiers make my cake cheaper?"
I'd suggest asking: "Will dummy tiers help me create the cake I want, with the number of portions I actually need?"
That's a much more useful question. And it's one your cake designer can help you answer.
Ready to Start Planning Your Wedding Cake?
You don't need to know whether you want real or dummy tiers before you get in touch.
If you have a particular cake design in mind, your guest numbers or a budget you're working with, we can look at the options together and work out what makes the most sense for your wedding.
You might also find these helpful:
How Much Should a Wedding Cake Cost?
What Is a Bespoke Wedding Cake? And Is It Right For You?
What To Expect At A Wedding Cake Consultation
Want more wedding cake advice?
From choosing the right design to understanding cake costs, flavours and the decisions you'll need to make along the way, The Couple's Edit is where I share the things I think every couple should know before choosing their wedding cake.