I thaw mine on the counter also. Just leave them all wrapped until they come to room temperature again!
I decorate my cakes while they are still frozen (more of a stable base i found). Is this wrong? Should they be fully thawed before I start.
I always decorate day before a cake is due so I know they will be defrosted by then and I haven't had a problem (yet!)
I ALWAYS thaw my cakes in the refrigerator completely covered a full 24 hours before decorating. This allows for even and consistent thawing to prevent any soggyness 
on the outter surface of the cake. It also depends on how warm it is in your house/kitchen when you thaw on the counter as well. You do NOT want your cake to thaw quicker on the outside than on the inside!!! This is from my experience plus what I was taught from a woman with 30+ years experience in the business!! I trust her advice!! JMHO on the subject of thawing! I know I'll be disputed for this but that's alright. I don't take any chances especially when it comes to cakes for my customers!!!
Amy
Ive never frozen a cake nor thawed one....so let me get this,...if you dethaw, you DO NOT want the cake to dethaw on the outside first...has to be from inside out....what happens to the cake if it thaws outside first? is it not workable?? Does it get soggy and ruin the whole cake....I know, I know...sounds dumb.
BUT IM HERE SO I CAN LEARN FROM ALL OF YOU. 
Through MY experience and I have lived in Texas and Washington climate through all seasons with and without A/C the outside of the cake will get soggy/gummy and peel (if you will) while you are trying to ice the cake. Temperature can also make your icing sweat if not applied when the cake is the appropriate temperature...room temp!
This will be disputed so this is MY experience!
Amy
We were just discussing this in another thread. You will get lots of answers and opinions I'm sure. Here is another one, I wrap my leveled cakes on a cake cardboard round, wrap in plastic wrap and freeze. But when I thaw I unwrap the plastic wrap from the top and side and thaw on the counter top, I think what happens to many by thawing with the wrap completely covering the cake the plastic builds up beads of water underneath and the cake absorbs the moisture making the layers soggy, and then you have problems with the icing pulling away from the cake in places. What some call blowouts. Large air pockets that form between the cake and the icing.
I freeze my cakes before I torte them and have learned it's much much better to thaw before you torte. Trying to torte a frozen cake doesn't work that well.
So I freeze my cakes whole and thaw them on the counter still in the wrap. I've never had them get soggy or anything.
I live in CA and don't know if that has anything to do with it or not. Maybe it doesn't get that hot here???
Okay, here is the reply I got from my instructor Amy Malone!
Hi Amy,
There is no 1 correct way to defrost a cake. People have their own preferances. I do mine gradually like you do, wrapped and in the fridge and then on the counter. I never frost a frozen cake becuse the moisture trapped inside can cause the outside icing to pull away if you're tansporting it. Some people don't have a problem with it.
Your Lambeth cake would be in foreign technique. Good luck.
Amy
Hopefully this will help some of you that have questions.
Amy
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