I'm making (gifting) a 4 tier cake with a gumpaste rose and calla lily cascade to my cousin for his wedding on Saturday, July 3. I was going to decorate the cakes on Thursday night and refrigerate for the night and transport 2 1/2 hours the next day (Friday) to the wedding venue. It will sit out overnight in the church (where the reception will be) and will be filled with ganache and sleeve fillings so it's non perishable.

Here's the catch: my very close friend just let me know she's coming out to visit (a 14 hour drive) and wants to go out Wed. night and celebrate Canada Day on the 1st, which is Thursday. I really don't want to be messing around with the cake while she's here so what should I do with the timeline? I am planning on doing BC but could go with fondant if that would be a better choice. I also have a large upright freezer that I could freeze complete tiers and an empty second fridge. Any ideas/advice? Thanks!

hand your friend a sleeve of filling and say happy piping!! you just got yourself an assistant !!

lol Tesso, good one.
I have had wrenches thrown in my plans as well & somehow just figure it out & work around the wrench. Good luck & have fun with your friend & at your cousin's wedding.

well, you have plenty of time to change things up if you really want to go out that evening! I say get as much as you can now and do what you said about freezing and what-not and give yourself plenty of room for anything that may happen. Not saying anything will but wouldn't it be nice to have time to breathe before delivering your cake!?

Explain to your friend that although she is making a long drive, you already have a prior commitment, but don't mind her company if she wants to hang out & chat while she watches you decorate. If anything goes wrong with your cousins cake (related to your timeline or not) & she realizes it may have been due to the fact that you decided to go out partying with your friend instead of sticking with your normal plans for the cake....my guess is that you will probably never hear the end of how you ruined her wedding in exchange for a night out on the town. I'm guessing that you will have other opportunities to celebrate the Canadian holiday with your friend, however you will not have another chance at the cake if it doesn't go well. That's what I would do if I were in your situation anyway.

You guys are funny! But I have to say, as two responsible moms, a night out on the town is a movie and a bag of popcorn - and maybe a Starbucks latte if we're feeling really free As far as getting as much done as possible, I have the cakes all baked and frozen already. Can I defrost, fill, crumb coat, and then re-freeze until Friday morning? I'm thinking that I could get up quite early and do the final coat of icing then. The only problem with that is there wouldn't be a lot of time to get them chilled and ready for the drive (we'll probably leave at around 3:00) as we have to get to the rehearsal. My husband and I are also doing the ceremony music (piano/violin), our son is singing in the ceremony, and our daughter is a flower girl!

What do you mean: I baked the cakes ... and can I defrost them and crumb coat them? Didn't you do that already? Crumb coats are there to protect the cake and keep it fresh. If you skipped that part, the cake will not taste as good as it would have if you would have done it as soon as it cooled from the oven!

Other than that - yes, you can do it. I hope all goes well.

What do you mean: I baked the cakes ... and can I defrost them and crumb coat them? Didn't you do that already? Crumb coats are there to protect the cake and keep it fresh. If you skipped that part, the cake will not taste as good as it would have if you would have done it as soon as it cooled from the oven!

Other than that - yes, you can do it. I hope all goes well.

I've never filled and crumb coated before freezing the cakes as some of my fillings are not freezable. I find that torting and crumb coating cakes is much easier after they have been frozen and I haven't had a problem with my cakes not being moist and delicious. I was just wondering if I can freeze and re-freeze as I haven't done that before.

I'm not sure about the re-freezing part, but I never have crumb coated my cakes before freezing. I level and torte, then wrap the cake in Saran and a freezer bag, or foil. I thaw in the wrapping then unwrap and fill/crumb coat.

I'd just get as much done ahead as you can...see what advice you get here on re-freezing from people who've tried it. Let your friend know you may need to cut your evening short depending on your progress on the cake, and make the cake your #1 priority.

Best of luck - I'm sure you'll end up working it out!