New to decorating, want some input.
How much time in advance can I decorate with buttercream and fondant and leave the cake out without it getting nasty/dry/whatever happens when it's out too long uncovered?
I'm wanting to decorate a good 36 hours before the party b/c I won't have much time the day of. Also want to factor into things coming up that I may need extra time for last minute crisis.
I'm new to cake decorating so any thoughts would be great.
If the cake is due Saturday, and I have fondant accents or characters, I will start on those the weekend before....But I bake, ice and decorate all on the Friday before pickup. If I am covering the cake with fondant I will make that the day before.... I have a friend who pre bakes way in advance and freezes them, and her customers never complain about it being dry, or not tasting fresh...but I just can't bring mysself to do that LOL
Handimama,
What do you mean when you say put a weight on top? I'm very new. And not a professional by any means. I'm making a 3d train cake for my son's bday, but husband will be oot next week so I want to give myself time to make, decorate, etc. w/o being stressed and strapped for time.
Planning to make the fondant for the train cars this weekend and keep in airtight bag. The engine of the train I am using a mold and will use buttercream to frost the engine.
My thoughts were to bake the cakes over the weekend as well, wrap them, and freeze them. How long do I need to wait to decorate after they thaw? What is the normal 'thaw' time on a cake? The train cars will be made in loaf pans.
I torte. fill, wrap in plastic, then set the cake pan on top (since it's a perfect fit) then set whatever is at hand that seems like a good weight in the pan. For larger cakes some people use a 12" x 12" floor tile. You want to equal or slightly exceed the amount of weight that your icing and fondant will add later so the cake can settle and express air before you ice it, not after. I rarely freeze cakes, but when I do I thaw them overnight. I would think if it's no longer cool to the touch you'd be good to go.
Handymama, that is a really interesting idea putting a weight on top of the cake after filling it. Since I've started using a commercial refrigerator that gets the cakes extra cold I've had problems with blow outs in my fondant. Probably from all the air that is trapped in between the layers of the cold rigid cakes. I bet using your trick of weighing the cakes down after filling but before frosting/fondant will stop that from happening!
OP, you'll be alright making your cakes the week before and freezing. just be sure to double wrap them to keep flavors out. If you are using a buttercream with butter in it, once you've put on your crumb coat, a lot of the moisture will be trapped in the cake. Don't worry about thawing them, unless you are going to carve. Then you should let them thaw a little bit so you can get the knife thru.
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