I usually start baking on Thursdays for a Saturday wedding, wanting the cake to be as fresh as possible. However, due to 2 of my own sons graduating, and a big wedding on the same weekend, I need to make 4 different cakes, one of which is a wedding cake. How far in advance can I bake the cakes and still be "fresh tasting"? Or should I try to freeze cakes ahead of time and if so, what is the process for this as I have never frozen cakes? Thanks in advance for any help! 
I usually start baking on Thursdays for a Saturday wedding, wanting the cake to be as fresh as possible. However, due to 2 of my own sons graduating, and a big wedding on the same weekend, I need to make 4 different cakes, one of which is a wedding cake. How far in advance can I bake the cakes and still be "fresh tasting"? Or should I try to freeze cakes ahead of time and if so, what is the process for this as I have never frozen cakes? Thanks in advance for any help!
OMG- 2 large cakes in one weekend, I give you credit. I would recommend baking and freezing your cakes just to make it easier for you.
Here's what I do...
1) Bake my cakes.
2) After my cakes have completely cooled, if I need to I then level them with my knife leveler, then wrap them in saran wrap (or glad press n' seal)
3) I then wrap my saran wrapped cakes up in freezer paper, mark on them what the cake flavour is and also the date the were frozen.
4) Place on flat surface in the freezer.
5) About an hour before you need to decorate pull the cakes out of the freezer to defrost on the counter. Leave the cakes wrapped as they defrost so that the moisture stays in them, otherwise you will have dried out tasting cake. (Learned that tip frome experience)
Hope this helps!
m0use
mOuse, you let the cakes cool completely, do you then put anything on them before you wrap them, like a thin layer of icing or the sugar and water thing so many talk about here......I usually make my cakes the day of or the evening before but I'm having a super busy week and want to freeze a few cakes ahead of time. If I just let them cool completely and then wrap them up good, will they stay moist? Thanks for the help.
What is simple syrup?
It's one part sugar to one part water, bring to boil in a small saucepan, add 1 tsp of flavoring- like vanilla. Stir mixture while boiling for a couple of minutes to evaporate some of the water and then allow to cool before using on cakes. I just made some the other day with vanilla in it, it smell sooo good, so I tasted a little bit of it and it tasted soooo good.
I try not to bake too far a head of time and have never froze a cake. I may put it in the fridge but that is about it. If I am worried about moisture I will sometimes wrap the cake while it is still warm or hot. The wrap keeps the mositure in the cake. The top of the cake will be a little sticky but I usually level it off anyway. the cake is really moist that way. I have a thing about frosting being made the same day. For me, if you make it ahead of time you have to mix it again anyway before you use it to get rid of parts of the frosting that have settled or developed pockets. So I never make frosting till I am ready for it.
I usually start baking on Thursdays for a Saturday wedding, wanting the cake to be as fresh as possible. However, due to 2 of my own sons graduating, and a big wedding on the same weekend, I need to make 4 different cakes, one of which is a wedding cake. How far in advance can I bake the cakes and still be "fresh tasting"? Or should I try to freeze cakes ahead of time and if so, what is the process for this as I have never frozen cakes? Thanks in advance for any help!
Sounds like you're going to be busy! I never use to freeze cakes but now it's a necessity. Right now I am baking cakes that I don't need until 5/7. Once I bake the cake and it has cooled completely, I wrap it in foil and then put each one in a ziploc bag and in the freezer it goes. It is just as fresh as can be when I need it! I let it thaw on the counter while it is still in the ziploc. Since the cakes are wrapped in foil I can re-use the zipper bags over and over. Also...the extra large Hefty Zipper bags (in the pink box) hold an 11 x 15" cake perfectly!! 
Thank You everyone for the advice....I am trying a sample cake next week using the freezing method. Mouse...What do you do, exactly, with the simple syrup? Sounds easy to make, but I am unsure what you would use it for.
You would use it if your cake is dried out feeling, or like in my case I baked a cake, and since it was pretty level I did not cut it level. But I did have hard edges from the baking, so I put some simple syrup on the top and edges of the cake and the cake softened right up.
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