How Far In Advance To Make Cakes
Decorating By SugarBakers05 Updated 16 Jan 2007 , 11:22pm by DianeLM
I have about 3 cakes all due on one day! I'm wondering, how far in advance can I make a cake (Vanilla with BC icing) and still have it taste fresh? Any suggestion would be greatly appreciated
Its probably best to bake all cakes one day then decorate the next. Three days ahead should be good, for example, if due on Saturday, bake Wednesday, and decorate Thursday and Friday. With good planning, this should also allow extra time in case of any mishaps. Hope this helps.
the 3 day time schedule that was suggested is a good rule of thumb. I've made many cakes that far in advance, and everyone's loved them.
Not sure how you feel about freezing cakes, but that's an option too. I didn't think I would like it but tried it and people couldn't tell a difference. I wrapped A LOT in saran wrap, them put in a garbage bag and froze. If you don't want to freeze, maybe you could make all of your icing in advance. That has a longer shelf life than the cake.
I use the 2-3 day rule of thumb too... I just don't have the freezer space. I have never had anyone complain of dryness.... so hopefully that will help you out 
Freezing ahead is the way to go. I actually think they turn our MORE moist (I've read somewhere that freezing actually traps the moisture in although only putting them in the fridge will dry them out due to the air circulation in the fridge, etc.).
I wrap in a lot of plastic wrap while they are still sort of warm. If they are too hot, they will fall apart but I definitely don't wait until they are totally cooled off. I basically started doing this because I'd bake at night and wouldn't want to wait until they were totally cool so that I could go to bed and I've found that it works just fine.
When I have several cakes to do, I also do them over three days. I bake the cakes in the morning 3 days before cake is due, once the cake is cooled I wrap in saran wrap, then a plastic grocery bag or trash bag and put into refrigerator. I then start making my icing. That afternoon I torte and fill the cake with filling. Then I recover the cake and put in the refrigerator overnight. The next day I color my icing, and cover the cakes with icing. This gives me plenty of time to be sure my cake is frosted smoothly. I have found if I rush that step, I end up having major problems with crumbs. Then the final day, I decorate.
I have tried to do it in two days, and I always run into problems and get so... frustrated. 
So I use the full three days, and my customers also always tell me my cakes are so moist and fresh. 
I like to bake early in the week and freeze the cakes. I wait for them to cool, then wrap in two layers of plastic. I've used cakes that have been frozen for a month and they tasted as fresh and moist as the day they were baked.
It's important to note that I have a commercial freezer, meaning, NOT a frost-free. I would not chance it in a frost-free freezer.
Quote by @%username% on %date%
%body%