How in advance do you prepare for cake orders? I feel like I spend so many hours are one cake

if i did a cake today i would have spent about 55 years in preparation  give or take --

but i get what you mean -- it does eat up your brain and body -- once you have enough consistent weekly orders to get a rhythm to it you can start to calm the storm sort of -- this is why it can be a big burn out pit for solo cakers --

How soon ahead do you bake your cakes, make your fondant and buttercream k8memphis?

early in the week i make my fillings, frostings and splash first then i bake and then freeze the filled cake tiers uniced -- then thursday/friday i final ice and decorate -- i usually buy satin ice if i need it --

ABake on Wednesday Fill on Thursday Ice and decorate Friday Deliver Saturday

Depending on the types of filling and decorations they might be made the day I need them or a week before. Each cake is different. I buy my fondant.

The 4 tier wedding cake and kitchen cake I delivered yesterday took me about 15 hours from start to finish. I did one in May that took me about 50 hours to complete. Again, each cake is different. Just make sure you are charging accordingly.

and by the time i start making the fillings i have all the last things done-- all my boxes are ready, the cake stand, the boards, gum paste flowers, bows, are made -- also my sheet pans and items to level the seats (like paper towel rolls) and the nubbley shelf liner are in the car waiting patiently with the extra boxes i will leave at the venue for the leftovers -- all that can be done in advance --

so as i'm final icing and sliding cakes in & out the fridge, doing borders -- at this very happy place i meet up with my earlier preparations and all i have to do is slide in to home base, slap on decor, slip cakes into boxes, boxes into car -- i love it when i get to that part -- very little thinking is left to be done and it's good because not much brain power is firing at this point -- the 'crucial' time -- hehehehahaha

working for others is a lot easier but it's all good