Hi, it's my sons 2nd birthday at the weekend and we're having a party for him on Saturday. I'm making his cake which will be 2 tiers so just wanted to make sure my plans are ok and I'm leaving enough time in between everything for it to go well! Please feel free to tell me what I need to change as I really want this to go well!

Wednesday - bake cakes, let them cool, fill and crumb coat, chill in fridge for an hour, second crumb coat and chill in fridge overnight

Thursday - cover with fondant and stack tiers (does it need to go in fridge overnight again?)

Friday - decorate 

This is info I've collected online so I'm not sure if it's all correct or what needs to be changed/added etc. I've tested the recipe and I'm happy with it but I've never made a cake like this before so just want to get it right. After the cake is completed, should I chill it in the fridge overnight ready for Saturday?

Thank you in advance!

What are you using for support between the tiers? If it were me I wouldn't stack two days in advance but I get paranoid about that since I'm new to this stuff. I've only made one two tier cake and I used drinking straws but didn't stack until right before so it only had to be ok for three hours 

i suppose if i used the dowel rods I would feel more confident 

I'm using bamboo dowel rods. Not sure if they're any good?

I haven't used bamboo rods but I'm sure they are better than straws

Hmm my post was longer but it all got cut off ?? This forum is weird sometimes 

anyway I'd probably just stack and decorate Friday since the stacking only takes a minute. Fondant cover and  Insert the rods and then store them apart, stack the next day 

prob not even necessary but I would anyway since it doesn't change the timeline much anyway

I think your timeline sounds good.  I would just stack on Friday since that takes no time at all.

What type of filling are you using?  If it is just a basic buttercream and not something perishable then the cake will be fine to sit out overnight.  If you do put it in the fridge just be aware that condensation can form on the fondant as it warms to room temperature.  So be careful not to touch it until it dries.

Actually I see no reason to chill the crumbcoat twice.  I never (Yes, NEVER!) chilled a crumb coat. It should dry within an hour (usually much less) and be ready for the final coat of b'cream.  Once finished w/the final b'cream coat It does not need to be refrigerated unless it is very hot & humid in your kitchen &/or you have a perishable filling.  Bamboo stick usually are much too thin to support tiers.  Plastic drink straws (like the ones at McDonalds and other fast food places) are a much better choice!   If you have to transport the cake then yes, chill it overnight; otherwise it's not necessary but won't hurt if you do.   Just be sure it comes to room temp before serving.   I have stacked as many as 4 tiers as much as 48 hrs ahead - as long as you use proper support there should be no problems. 

Thank you for your replies! I do actually have McDonald's straws in my drawer so would it be better to use to those? If so, should I put the bamboo rods inside them to strengthen them?

If I decorate and stack on Friday, should I stack before decorating or decorate and then stack? Each cake is a different design so they don't HAVE to be stacked to decortate, I just don't know which way round is best?

I think decorating each cake before or after you stack is really a personal preference.  I would rather stack and then decorate so that way I am not having to move a fully decorated tier with the possibility of accidentally messing something up in the moving/stacking process.

You mention bamboo *rods*......I'm thinking sticks like one would use to make a kabobs on the grill and those are much too thin to hold any weight.  If you really want to you can put them inside the straws but it's not necessary.  A hollow pipe/straw/etc is one of the strongest elements one can use :)  Even being plastic it is very strong as long as it is placed *straight* in the cake. When I was teaching I showed students how to be sure any dowel goes into a cake straight.                                                   Since each tier has a different decorating theme, I would make each seperate then stack.  Leave off the border on the top tier- do that after it has been stacked, but most, if not all the decorating should be done before stacking - IMHO:)  If the decorating was more like a wedding cake where it needed to blend together then I'd stack the iced tieres before decorating.