I making my daughters baptism cake for this Sunday. I'm new to the cake decor stuff. I want to start on the cake but not sure if I could bake it maybe today? I'm scared it will get hard or taste stale if i bake it too early.
Any suggestions?

I would think that if you made it today, you'd have to wrap it well and freeze it until you're ready to decorate it. It might be better to just get everything else ready, your icing made and tinted, etc., and then bake your cake on Friday or Saturday.

Hi Melly!

I baked a cake for a Saturday baby shower on Tuesday. When it was lukewarm, I wrapped it up in saran wrap. People commented on how moist the cake was. I did not have the heart to tell them it was close to a week old. I decorated it 2 days before the shower. Duncan Hines cake mix is the best in my opinion.

Joe

Thank you for your suggestions. I'm going to make all my flowers and icing first then bake last!

I bake all of my cakes and then wrap warm in plastic wrap and freeze. I tested out different ways of baking and between refrigerated, freezing, baking early baking late etc and this is the best method I found. I bake on Monday's or Tuesdays usually and do this. Every one always says it's the best cake they have had and very moist.

Bonnie

Well, wrapping a cake while it is still warm can cause some cakes to get a rubbery texture and some to get a soggy outside. Freezing a cake while it is hot is a risky practice as you can compromise the safety of all of the other items in the freezer.
There seems to be a few folks that think that by wrapping a cake and freezing it as soon as it comes out of the pan, they will get a more moist cake. This is not a safe food handling practice.
Every cookbook you will ever read or course you would ever take will recommend that a cake be cooled to room temperature on a cooling rack before being wrapped.
If you are worried that cooling an uncovered cake to room temperature will dry a cake, you can brush on a simple syrup or apricot glaze while the cake is still warm and allow the cake to cool, sealed like this.
A cake that is cooled to room temperature, a process that generally takes about 1-2 hours, will not dry out in that time period.
I would wrap and freeze any cake that would sit for more than 2 days, wrapped, before being decorated.
Hugs Squirrely Cakes

Yep, what SquirrellyCakes says! I let mine cool then wrap generally a couple of times with plastic wrap and place in the fridge. If it's going to be more than a couple days, I then wrap it with foil also (it's just something I feel better doing is all) and place on a solid surface in the freezer.

The last couple of times now I've put on the simple syrup after taking the cakes out of the pans then cooled and wrapped. I've had more compliments on the moistness of my cakes than I could have imagined!

Well I don't know about that. I have a food handlers card for my state and I have been in business for going on 3 years now. My practice does not go against anything in the manual. My family eats my cakes too. I would never do anything that could make someone sick. The refrigerator/freezer I use is also just for my cakes to go in.
My cakes are not soggy or anything either. They are more moist however and I do not have to use a simple syrup or anything like that.
I of course tested this like I said I think that is what anyone should do , test out your recipes, procedures etc until you know what works for you.

i have a question, after you take the cake out of the vriezer, do you leave it thaw out at room tempeture or in the fridge?
I ask as i never vrieze my cakes. but would like to try for like when i get really busy.