Until now I have always carved my cake fresh however now have a couple of intricate cakes coming up and would like to try carving them frozen or semi frozen. I'm looking for some advice on the full process i.e. do I buttercream the frozen cake before carving and once I have achieved the required shape do I then let the cake defrost before covering in fondant. If not how far ahead should I make up the cake to allow it to defrost completely? Think I'm probably making the whole thing more complicated than it should be (as usual ) so would be grateful for any help you can give. thanks

Secrets of Cake Carving:

http://cakecentral.com/cake-decorating-ftopict-59361-.html

HTH

I prefer to carve frozen or semi frozen - I feel like I have more control. I only take off small bits at once and I use a steak knife - I'd likely lose a digit with a sharper one! Once the cake is carved I fill (no point in filling and carving off the damn). However, if it too dangerous(narrow) to remove and fill after carving, I will do it before, but guesstimate how far in the damn will be....

Then I let it settle (usually overnight) do the crumb coat just before or after the settling, then pop it back in the freezer for 10 mins before I cover in fondant (Sharon Zambito's trick). Works for me!