So the cake I'm making is for an outside bday party on Sunday.
I was going to bake the cakes Friday and torte/fill them Saturday then finish putting it together Sunday.

Should I wrap the cakes after I make them Friday and put them in fridge?

If I use a buttercream icing/filling that has butter and milk in it do I need to refrigerate it after I frost them?

If I make the icing on Saturday but don't want to frost it til Sunday morning should I refrigerate it? I'm afraid it will be hard to work with if I do.

I guess I just need to figure out if I'm better off making a buttercream that doesn't have butter/milk in it so I don't have to worry about refrigeration and the cake being outside on Sunday in the heat.

Thank!!

You do not need to refridgerate the icing. The amount of sugar "cooks" the dairy products. However, you say this is an outdoor party. I don't know where you are, but if it's really hot, you may consider 1/2 shortening, 1/2 butter. The butter is too soft for all that heat and may cause it to slide off the cake. As long as you crumb coat the cakes, you shouldn't need to refridgerate, crumb coating will seal in the cake. I usually freeze my uniced cakes overnight wrapped in plastic wrap and foil, it helps preserve the moistness. Others don't freeze it and do well.

Put the wrapped cakes in the freezer, not the fridge. Freezing will keep them moist and make them easier to handle for carving (if applicable) and stacking too, whereas the fridge will tend to dry them out. Or yeah, you can just leave the wrapped cakes out at room temp. After you tort and fill, you can also either freeze them, or wrap or crumbcoat and leave at room temp -- unless you're using a filling that requires refrigeration. Letting it sit at room temp overnight is a good idea so that it has time to settle.

No, buttercream does not need to be refrigerated, even when made with real butter and milk. The high sugar content stabilizes the dairy. If you want to make the BC the day before you ice the cake, just cover it with plastic wrap -- put the plastic directly on top of the frosting, not over the top of the bowl, so that the BC is not exposed to air -- and it will be fine at room temp.

Yes, using a BC with at least 1/2 shortening might be a good idea if the cake will be outside in hot weather, because all-butter based BC can melt. But it depends on just how hot you're expecting it to be, how long the cake will be outside and whether it will have any protection (shade, etc.). I've never had any problems with my all-butter BC melting, but my cakes are not usually displayed outdoors in extreme heat.

Thank you sooooo much!
So if I bake the cakes tomorrow and freeze overnight. Do I have to take them out of the freezer and let them sit a bit before torting and filling?


It will prob be 80 degrees on Sunday so I will be sure to do at least half shortening. I am just excited I can do butter at all! My fav recipes call for it but I didn't want to have to refrigerate.

Thanks again. I just adore this site!

You want them to thaw at least a bit while still wrapped, ideally, but frozen cake thaws pretty quickly. So you don't need to let them sit for long. Taking 'em out of the freezer just before you mix up your filling, for example, works well.