Is there an article on here that gives a timeline as to how the cake baking and decorating process goes? I have seen people who bake ahead and ALWAYS freeze (and that it makes their cakes super moist), people who never freeze their cakes and people who do both depending on their timelines... but then if you DO freeze, some people decorate while still frozen, while others swear by letting them thaw, while others ice while partially frozen... I am getting so confused!

Then I don't know when I should insert the support system if I use a cake that I froze, and after you insert the support system can you immediately start icing? I thought I read it needed to "rest" Why is it so tired? LOL

My party is on a Sunday and I am planning on making a 2 or 3 tiered cake, covered in BC with fondant Sesame Street characters attached. When should I make the fondant characters? Does this time line seem okay?

Thursday, bake all cakes and freeze overnight

Friday, take out of freezer, let thaw, stack and dirty ice. Make fondant characters

Saturday frost with bc, keep in fridge (cinnamon cream cheese filling)

Sunday attach bc characters

Will my characters be too dried out by Sunday if I make them on Friday? (they're flat pieces, not 3d).

Make the fondant characters as soon as you can, that will cut down on your workload and you will be able to spend more time getting everything else just right.

Monday- cut boards and cover, make any structures needed, work on any decorations or flowers
Tuesday- make icing, fillings and fondant, work on any decorations or flowers if needed
Wednesday- Bake, cool, torte, fill, wrap each cake stacked on their own boards and wrap with saran wrap
Thursday- crumb coat if needed, ice, apply fondant, finish up any fondant or gumpaste decorations
Friday- Decorate
Saturday- finish up if necessary, Deliver

Everything I use is shelf stable, I do not refrigerate.
If I have a lot of orders, say I have to bake 20 cakes for 4 decorated cakes, I may bake on Sunday and freeze until Wednesday. On Wednesday I would remove only what I could work with prior to it totally thawing. So, I would remove say, 5 cakes, let them thaw a little, place on board, torte, fill, layer.
In the middle of this I may take out the next batch I am going to be working with so they can begin to thaw.
I like to work with only a few at a time and I like to do it by order. That way I am not getting mixed up.
Lately I have been trying to do it be filling flavor, it is beginning to work.
After I have torted, filled and stacked the layers (not the tiers) I wrap each in saran wrap that I buy from sams club (because it is wide).

I hope that helps

I make the fondant figures as soon as I can...they just get harder as they sit and dry so no harm in making them early. Remember to keep them out of direct light tho or the color can fade from them. My weekly time line goes like this:

M-W I bake and freeze the needed layers of cake as well as make my fondant. Thursday I fill, crumbcoat and then set aside the cakes so they can settle. (I do not refridgerate after they are crumbcoated) Friday I finish up the decorating of the cakes for Saturday delivery. Occassionally I'll have a Sunday delivery..if so..and there are no Saturday deliveries...then Thursdays are an unexpected day off that, honestly, I use to make sugar flowers or other fondant decorations for upcoming cakes. I'm still a part timer so I try not to have more than two cakes a week on the books..three cakes really tax me physically and I feel like I'm living at the kitchen and never home! LOL!

Hope this helps!
Cat