How long beforehand can you bake a cake?

[ajane]

I'm going to attempt the impossible for DD3's b-day and I need to save my sanity and keep a happy household the day of her party, so I want to make the cake ahead of time. I can't make it the day before due to a full schedule of activities, so I was thinking of making it 2 days before. Any advice/suggestions?

While it should probably be in the kitchen forum, I was hoping to get more traffic here. If you have to move it I do understand and apologize for the extra work.

[settles]

My mother inlaw is an amazing baker! She actually makes the cakes 2-3 days ahead of time, wraps them in press & seal and puts them in the freezer! Then she decorates them the night before or morning of the event! The cakes are so moist and taste wonderful!

good luck mama!

[CarrieMF]

yup, freeze it. in fact freeze it for a couple of hours before you ice it. It is easier to ice & the icing doesn't get mucky or smeared as it will freeze to the cake.

[3sweetboys]

Originally Posted by settles My mother inlaw is an amazing baker! She actually makes the cakes 2-3 days ahead of time, wraps them in press & seal and puts them in the freezer! Then she decorates them the night before or morning of the event! The cakes are so moist and taste wonderful! good luck mama!

This. I don't let it cool or anything. Just straight from the oven to the freezer. It also makes it really easy to cut them without crumbs if you need to do any of that.

[pcjs]

Same day or the day before if I actually bake... we are only able to have Baskin and Robbins for birthday cakes so we pick up the day before or same day.

[GC's Mama]

Yup, straight from oven to freezer. It will make it easier to even out if you need to cut the top, and icing it will be easier (I'd remove it in the morning and ice it then, so it'll have time to thaw). I wish I'd have done this with my son's 6 layer rainbow birthday cake last week instead of scrambling at the last minute.

[stephie_j24]

OK, to you freeze-reccomenders, how long does it take for an average sized cake to defrost? Like how long before the party do you need to bust it out?

(I know it's kind of a threadjack, but DS's birthday party is Saturday and I was wondering the exact same question!)

[ajane]

So, do you wrap it tightly with the press and seal? And then you just place in the freezer wrapped in that?

Originally Posted by GC's Mama Yup, straight from oven to freezer. It will make it easier to even out if you need to cut the top, and icing it will be easier (I'd remove it in the morning and ice it then, so it'll have time to thaw). I wish I'd have done this with my son's 6 layer rainbow birthday cake last week instead of scrambling at the last minute.

Hee, hee, hee.....that is what I'm making. I'm so nervous so I want to have a day without worrying about decorating the house, preparing food, and the guests arriving. She is having a rainbow party and is SO excited! I got a few great party ideas online.

Originally Posted by stephie_j24 OK, to you freeze-reccomenders, how long does it take for an average sized cake to defrost? Like how long before the party do you need to bust it out? (I know it's kind of a threadjack, but DS's birthday party is Saturday and I was wondering the exact same question!)

No worries, great question! I need the answer myself.

[JAG's baby mama]

Originally Posted by CarrieMF yup, freeze it. in fact freeze it for a couple of hours before you ice it. It is easier to ice & the icing doesn't get mucky or smeared as it will freeze to the cake.

I would let it cool for 20-30 mins before going into the freezer. Putting warm or hot things in the freezer raise your freezer temp significantly for hours. The food in there can become partially thawed. Other than that, this is a great idea.

I have always just put the cake in a Tupperware cake holder and sit it on a cool place on the counter (especially if it is frosted). It is never stale and is just as moist.

Now if I were baking a week or more in advance, then I'd use the freezer.

HTH...

[Computermama]

I'm a cake decorating hobbiest, and I bake my cakes up to a week or so before usually. Sugar loves moisture, so putting it in the freezer can actually make it more moist. I take it out of the oven, let it sit 10 minutes, turn it out of the pan and let it cool completely. Then wrap it in tinfoil, and if it's an 8" round, which most of mine are I can slip it in a large ziplock and put it in the freezer. The night before I want to decorate it, I pull it out and put it in the fridge to defrost. If I forget, so long as I get it out at least 3-4 hours before I need to have people eat it, it should be fine.

Neat trick for the summer - my instructor had to make a cake every single basics course, so she'd make several in late spring and freeze them for use throughout the summer. So long as you take pains to make the packaging good and airtight, they last for quite a while in the freezer, which is quite nice when it's so hot and sticky out that you don't want to turn on the oven.

If you're just thinking of baking a day or so in advance, you can either refridgerate it or just leave it out. Just put it in something airtight so it doesn't dry out.