I am baking a cake for my daughters birthday and unfortunately I have a really busy week before. I was planning on baking them on Friday and decorate it on the Saturday. I now have a birthday party to attend on the Friday. Any suggestions on what I should do? I want them to be fresh but it seems that I have no choice to bake them and freeze them. Do you think that baking them the Sunday before and freezing them will be ok? I guess my questions are what is the best way to package them up for the freezer and how to best thaw them out. I take it they need to be thawed out completey. Oh... also if I am torting a cake into two layers, is it best to tort it before freezing or after. Sorry for all the questions but I am new to this and never had to freeze the cakes.
Thanks 
In the baking world, the freezer is your friend, not your enemy.
I wrapped my cakes in saran wrap when they were still slightly warm (trapping the steam aka "moisture" in the cake) and threw 'em in the freezer. Cakes only take a few minutes to thaw (from 10 to 30 minutes depending on the size) so you'd only have to remove them from teh freezer the morning you're going to work on them.
Leave them wrapped in the saran while they thaw. (When we remove bread or other items from the freezer to thaw, we don't lay the bread slices out on the counter or unwrap the chicken first. We leave it in the plastic wrap.)
Freezing adds moisture and makes the cakes taste better, in my ever so never humble opinion. I was a "my cakes are never frozen!" person for years and when I was forced to freeze, I was amazed at how much better they tasted and I've always ptu the cakes in the freezer, even if it's just for 4 hours or so. 
I take them out of the freezer and put them on the counter.
not sure how a refrigerator would affect thawing, but I've learned here on CC that the process that causes a cake to go stale is halted when a cake is put in the freezer and it's accelerated when it's put in the 'frig. So under that logic, putting a cake in the 'frig will cause it to go stale faster.
See pastrylady's post on this thread: http://forum.cakecentral.com/modules.php?name=Forums&file=viewtopic&t=608252&postdays=0&postorder=asc&highlight=cooks&&start=45
(page 4)
In the baking world, the freezer is your friend, not your enemy.
I wrapped my cakes in saran wrap when they were still slightly warm (trapping the steam aka "moisture" in the cake) and threw 'em in the freezer. Cakes only take a few minutes to thaw (from 10 to 30 minutes depending on the size) so you'd only have to remove them from teh freezer the morning you're going to work on them.
Leave them wrapped in the saran while they thaw. (When we remove bread or other items from the freezer to thaw, we don't lay the bread slices out on the counter or unwrap the chicken first. We leave it in the plastic wrap.)
Freezing adds moisture and makes the cakes taste better, in my ever so never humble opinion. I was a "my cakes are never frozen!" person for years and when I was forced to freeze, I was amazed at how much better they tasted and I've always ptu the cakes in the freezer, even if it's just for 4 hours or so.
Wow, I feel so much better since that's the same thing that I do. I've always been told that my cakes are very moist.
Thank you for posting the link to the other forum - very informative. Now I just wondered when you wrap your cakes when they are slightly warm does it cause condensation that wets the cake causing it to get soggy? also do you cut your cakes into layers before or after freezing? Thanks
The CC'ers who were at the Columbus OH cake club meeting where I spoke recently will recognize this speech:
The steam you see rising from a warm cake is what ......? moisture.
When steam is cooled it turns to ........ water.
When water is frozen it turns to ....... ice.
When ice is returned to room temperature it turns to ....... water.
So when I freeze my cakes while still warm, I turn this escaping moisture (called steam) into water, which freezes into teeny tiny ice crystals. These ice crystals will then melt and turn back into moisture, which will add moistness to the cake. It's not enough "water" to make the cake soggy. but it is enough to keep it moist.
I might compare it to those who brush their cake with a syrup (which is water and sugar). It's enough liquid (i.e. water) to make the cake moist, but it's not soggy.
How long before can you freeze the cake? 1 week or more?
I'm also a "freezer". I think the process makes a moister and slightly firmer cake that is easier to frost. I mostly bake and freeze the weekend before the cake is due. Although I have frozen "extra" cakes and pulled them out of the freezer weeks later for my family and they still taste great!
Personally, I wouldn't freeze for more than a couple of weeks for clients, but that's just me.
How long before can you freeze the cake? 1 week or more?
Up to a year if properly wrapped and stored in a deep freeze.
I will up to two months in a deep freeze for customers (not on purpose, but i do always keep extra cakes in there if i can catch a last minute order)
If in the freezer part of a fridge no more than a week, with the warm air getting in there and the temperature constantly changing it's not good on the cake in my experience.
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