Hi there!  I've made a few cakes for my kids birthdays but usually have to stay up most of the night to have them done for the party in the mornings.  I'd like to get a headstart this time so I won't be tired at the party.  The party is in 3 days and I have already baked the layers and put them in the freezer.  My plan is to take them out of freezer, level them, crumb coat, apply buttercream icing, and then add the writing and marshmallow fondant accents.

Can I crumb coat tonight and then leave the cake in the fridge for 2 days?  Then the night before apply the icing and the decorations?

If I do refrigerate the crumb coated cake, what is the best way to keep it from getting dried out?  And do I need to let it warm up before I apply the buttercream icing?

Thanks so much!!

Crumb coat after supper, chill half an hour, finish icing tonight.  Cake will stay fresh for a week in fridge this way.  I wouldn't plan to store a crumb coated cake. 

Let cake warm up to room temp for serving and then add fondant decorations.

May I recommend you try a different timetable next time--starting several days ahead.  Bake cakes in evening, crumb coat in morning, finish icing in afternoon/evening.  Once you get any cake iced, you can freeze it for a good month.  Tastes just like fresh when thawed overnight in the fridge.

Thanks so much!  I will do that tonight.  I should be able to get the crumb coat on by early evening and then I can let it rest for 3-4 hours befor doing the icing.

Once the cake is iced, what is the best way to store it?  Should I cover it with anything?  Or just stick it straight in the fridge?

I have to make another cake in a few weeks so I will definitely try your timetable for that one!

Stick the cake into the fridge until the icing hardens up.  Then wrap with palstic wrap to keep little fingers out of it.

I always bake my cakes ahead of time. I use the #7 flower nails when baking cakes & depending on how big the cake is I will use more nails.

I let the cake cool on a rack, in the pan, for 10 minutes. Then I trim the cakes (even before I take them out of the pan). I always over-fill my pans with batter, so I make sure that I won't have a huge gap, at the cake board level (that I have to fill with frosting, before I can even start to decorate).

Place a piece of parchment paper on your cake, then a cooling rack & then flip your cake out of the pan onto the p.paper. Cover & let cool till completely cold. Double wrap cake with plastic wrap, put cake back on the cooling rack & into the freezer. The freezing process, some how makes the cakes more moist.

Bring out the afternoon of the day, before the cake is needed. Let it defrost & then crumb coat the cake. The next morning, frost the cake & decorate it all the same day.

Works good for me.

Hi, this is how i always freeze my cakes after reading BlakesCakes thread. It is really simple and the way to go. I did a three tier anniversary cake for me and my husband last  week. It was so moist and delicious. hth  mine wasn,t fondant, but covered with smbc and fresh strawberry filling.

http://cakecentral.com/t/732338/freezing-fondant-covered-cake

On my previous post (I just re-read it again) I need to make a change. I freeze the cake right after I flip it out of the pan, with the parchment paper & cooling rack. After it's frozen solid take it out, double wrap it & return the cake to the freezer, till I need it.

It would be way too tender to wrap it before it was frozen & I'm sure it would break, especially if it were a large cake.

I have the cake board all ready, when I take the cake out of the freezer. I unwrap the cake, but it's still sitting on the plastic wrap (with the leveled, cut side up). I spread a slight bit of frosting on the board, invert it onto the cake & center the board over the cake. Flip the whole thing over & let the cake thaw completely, sitting on the board. Crumb coat cake, then frost normally.

Let the fun begin.