Hello. I am searching for a cake recipe that I can use for a wedding cake. I found a recipe of Madeira cake and a brief description of it said that it is a good moist and firm cake. So my questions: First, is this good for a 4-tiered wedding cake covered in fondant? Second, how far ahead in advance can I bake this? And, how long will it stay good and moist?

The reason I'm asking this because I will be making a cake for my sister's wedding and I am also in her wedding party as her maid of honor. So, I'm trying to figure out a time schedule to bake, decorate, and at the same time be there for my sister. Finding a recipe that would allow me to bake ahead would be helpful too.

I would appreciate any input our fellow CC members can give me. Thank you and have a great weekend!

Micay23

Micay... I can not recommend a recipe for the actual cake but I will say you can freeze the cakes if you want to bake in advance. I had read that a lot of the cakers on here freeze their cakes and initially I thought "heck no", but I tried it and wow. I baked a week in advance, wrapped those babies up really well in plastic wrap and foil and popped them into the freezer. Defrosted them during the day and then iced them. I would go out on a limb and say they may have been better than my non-frozen cakes. Moist and delicious. HTH (so many way more knowledgeable and talented people here to help though!)

Hi misserica, Thank you so much for the tip. I would LOVE to do just that, but unfortunately, I do not have a big freezer that will fit my cakes. Can you recommend an alternative to that?

Have you got place in your fridge? This would be ideal. Even when not, you can let madeira cake on your counter for 1 week /less is better/.
What I would do:
Bake the cake, let it completely cool. This is very important - let the cake cool for few hours. Wrap it well in cling film. For storing in fridge, seal it in plastic bag. If you have to leave it on the counter - seal it in plastic bag and store in airtight container.
Depending on your filling, you could even cover it with fondant - brush the cake in simple syrup or apricot glaze, cover it with fondant as usually. The filling helps to keep the cake moist, but it cannot be perishable filling. Apricot glaze seals the cake and helps to hold it moist.

Unfortunately, I don't have a lot of space in my fridge. I just have a very small fridge that came with my apartment. Hehe! But, I will definitely try your suggestion in leaving it on the counter tightly wrapped and sealed. Thank you so much, majka_ze.

putting cake in the fridge usually is not a good idea - it makes it go stale faster (same with bread).
for adding moistness, a simple sugar syrup brished over the top is good, if its a flavoured sponge you can flavour the syrup too.
i would give it a trial run. maderia is a good cake, but some people find it a bit drier than other sponges, like a victoria sponge.
usually, with the cake iced and sealed, it will keep a good few days. the fondant will help to keep the cake protected too. you just need to think about assembly too, how soon can you set it up, so that you still have time to be part of the wedding party.
xx

Since I don't have a big fridge, I'll try brushing the cake with syrup, and wrapping and sealing it. Thank you for your advice. Hopefully I'll be successful. The wedding will be on a Saturday so I plan to bake Thursday and decorate Friday. I would like to start baking Wednesday but I'm afraid the cake will be dry by Saturday. If anyone can suggest a good recipe, I would greatly appreciate it. Thanks again.

Madeira is not a moist cake, in fact is very dry, good for carving.

Can you suggest a recipe for a good moist cake?

i like the victoria sponge - like this one http://www.bbc.co.uk/food/recipes/database/victoriaspongewithst_90309.shtml

Madeira is very dry and very firm. You dont need to worry about the firmness of your cake if you support it properly - try the SPS system by bakery crafts. Many bakers on this site rave about it. As for good cake recipes, I use Serious_Cake's yellow cake recipe -

- and call it vanilla cake because it is so light. I use that as a base recipe for just about every flavor, if you would like a different flavor let me know and I'll tell you how I make it.

HTH

This is great!!!! Thank you all so much for your help. brincess_b, I will check out the link for the victoria sponge. And sayhellojana, I will also watch the video for the yellow cake. Thank you both again!

I am not sure why someone would give false information about the cake being dry. Madeira Cake is certainly not dry, I would review your recipe, I few drops of glycerine makes all the difference, also extend the shelf life. 

AI generally use genoa for my cakes. But it does not have a raising agent in it so is dependant on the air you whip into the eggs and sugar. I have never had any complaints about it being dry. Because it is quite a wet batter it cooks level.

ATry a mud cake, it's dense enough to hold up to heavy decorations but is moist and tasty, it's most commonly used in Australia. There is a scratch off forum in here somewhere with all different mud recipes, I love blue hues white mud! HTH