I'm making a cake for this Saturday, if I bake the layers tonight and/or tomorrow will I need to refrigerate them or how should I store them until I'm ready to put together. Also, if I bake the cakes tonight or tomorrow is it ok to go ahead and crumb coat them and again would I store in the refrigerator or on the counter? I plan on putting the cake together on Friday, but the party is Saturday afternoon.

Last question, the frosting is going to be blue (under the sea cake). When I do the filling for the cake should it be blue too?

Thanks so much for all of your help, still new and not so confident on the order of baking/storing and etc. This is the first cake I'm making for someone else and I don't want to food poision them.

Heh... I don't think you'll have to worry about poisoning anyone if you bake today. Your biggest worry is that the cake will become stale.

Wednesday is always my baking day. I store all the cakes in the freezer overnight, then take them out in the morning. The cakes thaw while I prepare everything else.

I try to steer clear of the frig because it will cause the cakes to go stale faster. That said, one day probably won't affect your cakes.

As for the filling color, that is your choice. Since everyone's mouth is going to turn blue just from the outer icing layer, maybe you can give the grown-ups a reprieve and fill with white.

when i bake in advance i double-wrap with saran wrap and wrap in foil, put the cake in the freezer. leave it there until i'm ready to ice/decorate. the filling does not have to be blue =)

for me, its normally longer than just one or two days so i try to err on the side of caution. i actually wrap with plastic wrap then put the cake back into the pan and only put foil on the top of the pan, rather than wrapping the whole cake =)

Thanks ladies! I wasn't able to make the cakes tonight, so will make them tomorrow afternoon. You ladies are the best! Thank goodness for this site!