Hi everyone I am new here and I have quite a few questions so please bear with me. I am making a cute as a button themed birthday cake for my daughter's first birthday at on the 23rd of this month. I need help/ tips on how to recreate the cake and cupcakes here:

http://cakecentral.com/g/i/2892734/a/3286518/6-8-vanilla-cake-top-has-chocolate-ganache-filling-bottom-has-strawberries-n-cream-iced-in-home-made-buttercream-w-fondant-decorations-the-colors-were-made-to-match-the-little-girls-tutu-this-cake-was-also-ordered-with-24-ruffle-button/]

I'm a pretty good baker and have taken a class (Wilton) on the basics. Here is what I have questions about. To get my cake this smooth do I really need to use a super sweet butter cream frosting? I am not a fan of the Wilton buttercream recipe or their decorator's frosting. I would like something airy and light but I know that might not get a really smooth surface. 

I also need tips on how to stack tiered cakes. How many dowels to use? Wood vs. plastic. 

Last but not least I don't want to do everything at the last minute should I bake the cakes in advance and freeze them? If so how to store them so the will remain moist, flavorful and not freezer burnt. ANY helpful tips, suggestions or guides are welcome. Thanks! 

I just made the "indydebi" frosting recipe last night (it can be found in the recipe section here on CC).  Its is really smooth and taste great but not too sweet. But if you feel like it is too sweet, you can always add a pinch of salt to cut the sweetness. 

When I stack cakes I use fat boba straws or bubble tea straws (you can get them off ebay or amazon and they are pretty cheap..i have recently seen them in some grocery stores as well advertised as milkshake straws) in each layer, then once my cake is stacked i use a wooden dowel to go down in the center of the whole cake and cut it so its flush with the cake. 

As for making cakes in advance I usually make them 2 to 3 days in advance and let them come down to room temperature.  Then i wrap them very tightly with saran wrap and place them in the freezer.  I have never had anyone say my cakes are dry they always feel super moist and if you feel like your cakes are dry you can make up a simple syrup (1part water + 1 part sugar, let it boil them cool..a full recipe is easy to find on google) and spritz your cakes with this mixture.  If will not make them soggy or add any extra sweetness to them, it just remoistens them.  Sorry it's so long, hope it helps!!
 

Thanks so much for the tips! I never knew you could re-moisten a cake! I'm getting so excited. 

AI got my bubble tea/ milkshake straws at bed bath and beyond.

Thanks! I am learning sooo much! I do have a question. I have a silicone button mold will fondant or gumpaste work with that?

I forgot to ask when thawing out the cake should I just take it out of the freezer and let it come to room temperature or should I put it in the fridge to defrost slowly?

AYes, the fondant or gumpaste should work fine in the mold. I'd suggest dusting the mold with cornstarch to make it easier to release the buttons, though. If you have a hard time finding gumpaste you can use fondant with Wiltons's gum tex mixed in. Buttons made from that will dry hard in a day or so. I also highly recommend Italian Merengue Buttercream (IMBC). I also think if you use enough flavoring in IMBC it tastes great and is really nice to work with.

I usually find it easier to torte and shape my cakes while they are frozen, but while you are working with them and icing them they tend to defrost on their own, it doesn't take much time at all.  But you don't have to wait until the are defrosted to start decorating them.
 

The silicone moulds are fine for gumpaste or fondant. Just defrost the cake at room temp.

Days or weeks in the freezer won't give your cakes freezer burn. Just make sure it's wrapped well.

AI bake my cakes in advance, cover with Saran wrap and foil then stick in the freezer, when I pull them out I let them sit on the counter for a little bit so most of the condensation forms on the outside foil-then carve partially frozen (a personally preference do whatever works for you). I level and torte my cakes (you'll want to use two or three for each tier, depending on how tall your cakes are and how tall you want your tiers) my tiers are about 4-5" tall after filling, then crumb coat and let settle to avoid bulges. Then final coat. You can use whatever frosting you like! I use ganache mostly or IMBC.

A quick way to make the smaller buttons is using the bottom of a piping tip to cut them out from fondant, then a smaller one for indentations, and the top of a round piping tip for the holes. But if you already have a mold, again, do what works for you. Definitely make the larger buttons in advance (you can make the smaller ones in advance also). In the picture the medium sized buttons look like they are on wires, don't stick them directly in your cake. You can use a stir straw to place inside your cake, then put the wire into the stir straw-or use cake pop sticks.

I use different dowels for different projects, that's a personal preference too. Are you traveling with the cake? Make sure you use some sort of cardboard cake circle (foam core, sps, etc.) between each tier as well as a base board strong enough to hold the full weight of the finished cake (like a cake drum).

AThis link is from Wilton about how to stack tiered cakes - it gives the basics on building cakes. Be sure to read the 'Using Dowel Rods' section along with whatever type of tiered cake you choose. They talk about wooden and plastic dowels.

http://www.wilton.com/cakes/tiered-cakes/

Thanks again everyone! I will be sure to come back and share pictures of how everything turned out. I am going to do a practice run this weekend. Wish me luck.

Very smart to do a practice cake...

Update: I did a practice cake last night. It wasn't a complete failure but it definitely wasn't what I was hoping for. I had trouble with the SMB. I followed all the steps (or at least I thought I did) correctly. The frosting wasn't as white as I would have liked and it seemed to have little air pockets. It wasn't a satiny smooth finish. And it tasted just like eating butter. It wasn't horrible but the butter flavor was very pronounced even after the vanilla extract was added. Do I have to use a certain amount of butter or can I play around with the ratio? My cakes also seemed a little too moist to handle properly should I bake them longer ( I don't want it to be dry) or handle them chilled. Stacking the cake was really hard to do as well. I think I will need to watch more videos. 

If your cake store carries Lorann see if they have "Princess Emulsion" I use 2-3 Tbs in a 10 egg batch. It is wonderful!

I don't think it does but I am going to order it online. 

Its really good that you are planning to celebrate your daughter's first birthday. As she is just one year old even though you throw a big party she will not remember that. So I suggest you to have a small party with marvelous cake. Now a days 3D cakes are more in demand among the kids, so you can order a nice 3D cake or even you can keep cupcakes along with that. For marvelous cupcake I will suggest you to order cake from Deliciae Patissarie, all of their cakes are made by Bunty Mahajan which differentiates it from others cake. In any occasion at my home even I bring cake from their and my guest likes this mouth watering cake.