After spending about a year practicing cakes, testing recipes, learning how to stack and decorate, and making my fiancé fat - it's finally here, my wedding day! I'm looking for a final boost of confidence, and also some reassurance that this plan below will work! Tell me it will all be OK?
In my practice cakes, I've done most of the work in one day. My main concern right now is when to use the fridge and when not to. My cake is made and in the freezer. 3 tiers (12", 9", 6"), two layers each.
Wednesday: Make buttercream (Italian meringue), fillings (raspberry and blueberry), and simple syrup (vanilla bean). Put BC in fridge overnight.
Thursday: Take buttercream out first thing. Thaw cakes a bit, then torte and coat each layer with simple syrup. Fill and crumb coat each tier. Put in boxes (?) and refrigerate overnight.
Friday: I may make one more batch of IMBC first thing, so that I can have a "fresh" one for the final layer. Ice and smooth cakes. At this point, should I refrigerate overnight or should I put in boxes on the counter? I often leave iced cakes on the counter for days, but am a little worried because it's going to be hot (80s) at my venue. Should the cake arrive to the venue chilled, or room temp?
Saturday: Wedding day!! Stack cake onsite (after much deliberation, this just makes me so much less anxious than driving a 3-tier cake on a warm day) early in the day. Pipe rosettes around the layers. My florist is decorating with fresh flowers.
TL;DR - here are my main questions (still long-winded, sorry!)
1) My IMBC will be just fine refrigerated overnight and brought to room temp on the counter - right? It will have a fair amount of shortening in it to stabilize for the hot weather!
2) Can I crumb coat and refrigerate overnight? In boxes or just unwrapped in the fridge?
3) Should I refrigerate the final cake the night before the wedding, so that it's cool for transport and slowly warms up all day? Will it weep?
4) What should I pack in my on-site assembly/emergency kit?
5) I can do this right?? And if I can't, there is always Costco sheet cake to the rescue :)
I don't think it's necessary for you to fridge your BC overnight....I don't use IMBC, but I believe you can leave that on your counter, so you don't have a rock in the morning. I use ABC, so that may differ. Once crumb coated, I just place my cakes in the dedicated cake fridge - no box, no wrap.
And I always transport COLD cake....
You got this! I made my own wedding cake as well :)
Friday: ............ should I refrigerate overnight or should I put in boxes on the counter? I often leave iced cakes on the counter for days, but am a little worried because it's going to be hot (80s) at my venue. Should the cake arrive to the venue chilled, or room temp?........
Refrigerating cakes tends to speed drying out unless they are well covered w/plastic. You could put the cake (in box) into a lg plastic bag overnigt.....that would be good. I cannot understand why a venue would be in the 80s......no air conditioning?? Or is it in something like a barn? Yes, the colder the cake is when it arrives the better.
....Saturday: Wedding day!! Stack cake onsite (after much deliberation, this just makes me so much less anxious than driving a 3-tier cake on a warm day) early in the day. Pipe rosettes around the layers. My florist is decorating with fresh flowers.....
......3) Should I refrigerate the final cake the night before the wedding, so that it's cool for transport and slowly warms up all day? Will it weep?
I suggest freezing the cake overnight before a 3 hr trip in hot weather, then an outside display...The cakes will sweat (not weep - but then I haven't used IMBC) some probably but by the time you arrive 3 hrs later it should all have evaporated w/o a problem.
4) What should I pack in my on-site assembly/emergency kit?
What to take? Any tips you use for decorating; an off-set spatula; turntable; extra icing; any food coloring you used; paper towels; wire whip (to mix icing)....gosh it's been so long since I've packe up one I can't think of anything else........maybe someone else will fill in anything I forgot :)
Congratulations on your wedding!!! Can't wait to see a picture of your beautiful cake!!!
Congratulations! Are you sure you don't want to go ahead and completely ice and decorate as much as you can on Friday? I just hate being pushed to get a cake done, and you never know what may come up on your wedding day. Just a suggestion. Good luck!
@cutiger - my plan is to get it as finished as possible on Friday and "just" have to assemble on-site on Saturday. Do you think the on-site assembly is a mistake and that I should stack it on Friday? Just so nervous about it falling over!
thanks so much for the tips! Yes the wedding is outdoors in a garden - but we'll be able to store the cake inside until serving. But.. I don't think there is air conditioning !
You should stack it on site in my opinion. That way there would be no issues of it falling. I have heard some horror stories about cakes being driven and end up being smashed up.
I would wait and assemble it at the site too. I misunderstood your timetable and just didn't want you to be trying to finish the cake and not enjoying your wedding day. Sure do hope everything goes well for you and that you have a perfect day!
Not sure what you are using for support(s), but SPS is a time saver for me. you insert the dowels before you leave and then when you go to stack, you add the plate and the cake and it's all centered already.
Not sure if you have practiced tiering cakes...If you doesn't have SPS already it's too late to order them. Using plastic drink straws will be fine as dowels. I'd put 6 in the lgst/base cake (spread around an 8" circle centered on the top of the 12" tier), then only 3 in the 9"er. Be sure to put one in the tier, measure/mark where it meets the cake, then cut ALL of the rest to that heigth, ice the cake and insert the straws. Just be sure the go in *straight* - not off on a slant:) Then do the same w/the next tier.
I don't think WalMart does. What they carry is Wilton products. SPS are definately different. If you can get them that's a good way to go.
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