Say I have one due on Wednesday. I usually bake it on Sunday, Score and Level and fill and crumb coat it on Monday and mold any figures or dye any fondant/buttercream. Then on Tuesday night I would put it all together.

I have 3 kids ..two of which are very young. I Stay at home with them but find it impossible to bake while they are up and active. So I am up at night doing this.

How does everyone else have their schedule?

I always aim to have the cake finished the night before it is due. Much less stress than trying to finish the day of. Seems like the days I leave it to finish the day it is due are the days that everything goes wrong and I am scrambling to finish. So my rule for a while has been to have it done the day before. That way I can make any minor changes or final details to it the day of and not be a stress basket.

As far as when I start it, it depends on how many orders I have and what day it is due. Things that can be done as far in advance as possible I do, like making and drying fondant and GP pieces. Baking is usually done 2-4 days before, again depending on how many cakes I have, how big the cake is, and how extensive the decorating is.

Sounds like you have a good timeline and schedule, especially with little ones!

Make any buttercreams, fillings, fondant, etc. early in the week. Bake Thursday. Anything else I may need to do. Assemble and decorate everything Friday for Saturday.

I usually have it done the night before.

I make any GP pieces early, even weeks ahead of time if I have free time or am trying out something I've never made before.

I make the fondant early in the week, maybe Monday.

Bake on Thursday, decorate Friday and then it's ready to go for Saturday.

I do a three day schedule that sound much like your Buttacream including the kids. I bake no more then three days before the party and it's late at night and the cakes go into the freezer wrapped up good. I make any fondant or icing that day as well. So bake/make icings on Wednesday night and freeze cakes. Make deco and stack and fill cakes, let settle and fondant on Thursday. Friday decorate to town and finish in the wee hours of Sat morning.

Unlike many of you ladies and gents, I don't get many orders at this point . At the present time, I bake, make the frosting/fillings, and decorate on the day before the cake is due. I make any GP or RI decorations 2 or 3 days before baking.

If business picks up...I hopefully will continue to follow a schedule that is very close to the one I follow now. I really don't like to freeze my cakes. Nothing against it...just personal preference. Since I don't have any children....or even a man at this point I should be able to maintain it. We'll see.

i'm with you buttacream...2 very little kids so doing things during the day is impossible! so i work every night from 8pm-1am typically.

wed: bake
thurs: make bc, mmf, fill cakes, crumbcoat, ice, viva
fri: decorate!!!!

i try to be done friday night/saturday wee hours so i can get a few good/non stressed hours of sleep. plus, i always want to go to my daughter's ballet class and it's 9:30am on saturdays.

I have a 4 year old and twins that are 21 months, so I'm right there with you on not getting anything done while they're up!

I try to do things in 2 days, and 95% of the time, cakes are needed for Saturdays. While the cakes are baking, I make all the frostings, fondant, etc. I usually try to get the cakes torted and filled on Thursday, then everything gets finished up on Friday, leaving Saturday for any finishing touches. I also hate everything I make by the time I'm done with it, so this gives me a day to sleep on it and like it a little better after I've had some rest, haha.

I'm sure if I had more on my plate I'd do things differently, but this works well for me right now.

I bow to all of you that can get this process done in 3 days!! I hope I'm that talented, organized and SPEEDY someday!