How long in advance can I make the cake and crumb coat it? Can I leave it in the freezer? Is it better to have it frozen when I put the fondant on it? Sorry I have so many questions.....I am still learning!!!!

I make my cakes a week in advance....wrap real good in sarah wrap, wrap in aluminum foil and them put in a monster zip lock freezer bag and put in the freezer. I thaw 24 hours in advance (in the frig), and crumb coat/ice the night before. But I am usually only working on one order at a time (at home). I put the fondant on after the crumb coat. I am not a fondant expert, so others may give your better instructions.

Personally, I like to put the fondant on my cakes after they are thawed then iced. I like to let them "settle" a little bit at room temp. This helps avoid any bulges.

I agree.. thawed, settled at room temp, then filled and iced, chilled slightly, like for only five minutes just to set the bc, then fondant.

Thanks so much...I watch the cake challenges on food network and they make it look sooooo EASY!!! It looked like they put the fondant on while the cake was cold...straight out of the fridge. Oh my there are so many things to learn about this.

I do the same: bake up to a week in advance, wrap well, and freeze. I let the cakes thaw overnight on Thursday (for a Saturday cake) until they're just slightly firm Friday morning. I then level and let them settle for a while (like a pp said, this helps with the bulging). Then I crumbcoat, ice, let the icing crust a bit, then apply the fondant. Basically, by the time I'm applying the fondant the cakes are pretty much room temp. Putting fondant on a frozen cake makes me nervous, I'd be worried about condensation issues when it starts to defrost!

~Sarah

I thought I read somewhere on the threads not to let your icing crust a bit before putting on the fondant. Are there any pros or cons to waiting or putting on right away? I think it had something too do with the fondant sliding down on the cake to far!

Just a newbie so could be wrong
Cake experts any helpful info

I think we all do it different ways...I actually let mine crust a bit so it won't be as mushy and slide-y when I apply the fondant. I roll my fondant out right on the countertop and always spread a bit of shortening on it before rolling. It helps keep the fondant from sticking (I use MMF) and gives the underside of it just enough "tackiness" to stick to the slightly crusted buttercream. That's just what works for me...like I said, there are lots of tried-and-true techniques out there!

~Sarah

I as well bake about a week ahead, wrap well as others have said and freeze. I then thaw on the counter in the wrapper, fill and let it settle. I use Sugarshack's method of filling then putting in the big bakers bags, get all the air out and let sit overnight ( or for a few hours)on the counter so that they settle. Then I trim it, crumb coat and put fondant on. I also use Sugarshacks method...crumb coat, and freeze for about 10-12 minutes then wipe the cake with a damp paper towel to get the icing tacky and put the fondant on. HTH

I like a nice crust on my buttercream so if I need to take the fondant off and re-apply it dosen't stick to the fondant!