I need help! I volunteered to decorate a cake to look like a book for a friends get-together thats on Saturday. Now that its getting close to the date of and I have a few questions... any help is appreciated:

1) I want to bake the cakes tomorrow and freeze them to make it easier to ice. So do I wrap them in something first? And do I crumb coat before freezing?

2) Whats easier? MMF or doing the paper towel smoothing on buttercream? I want it smooth because its a book...

3) If I decide to make MMF, can I make it say today or tomorrow and it will still be ready to go on Friday night?

4) If I decorate Friday evening, can I leave a MMF covered cake out in the open without it cracking, or do I have to put it in the fridge?? I really have no fridge room for a huge slab cake.

HELP!!! Thanks in advance!

MMF can be made months in advance or the day before. Everyone is different so you are going to get different answers to the buttercream vs MMF debate. I personally prefere fondant because I can't seem to get butter cream that smooth.
Remember when you make MMF to wrap it well! Wrap it at least two times and then stick it in a ziplock bag.
Do not put MMF in the Fridge. It can stay out till you need to take it. If you can thought you should put it in a box so it doesn't dry out on you.
When I bake my cakes I freeze them with saran wrap around them and a layer of foil over the saran wrap. I don't not put the crumb coat on until I'm ready to do the cake.
Jen...

Thanks so much for your reply Jen!!

1) I want to bake the cakes tomorrow and freeze them to make it easier to ice. So do I wrap them in something first? And do I crumb coat before freezing?

I wrap my cakes in Saran Wrap and freeze without frosting.

2) Whats easier? MMF or doing the paper towel smoothing on buttercream? I want it smooth because its a book...

My preference is to smooth is with a spatula. I use IMBC so it doesn't crust and paper towel method would not work. I have a couple of "book" cakes in my photos and on my website.

3) If I decide to make MMF, can I make it say today or tomorrow and it will still be ready to go on Friday night?

Yes

4) If I decorate Friday evening, can I leave a MMF covered cake out in the open without it cracking, or do I have to put it in the fridge?? I really have no fridge room for a huge slab cake.

I use Satinice so I'm not an expert with MMF but I would think it would be fine.

Hi, you can bake the cake and freeze it without the crumbcoat, no problem. I first cover the cakes with saran wrap and then foil and I put it in a freezer bag too.

You can make the MMF well in advance and it's ok to do the decorations on friday and leave it out side. I have done it. No problem!

HTH.

,,,,,,,,freeze them to make it easier to ice......

I agree w/the others. But this one statement bothers me. The cake needs to thaw before icing it. It can be cold but not fzn.