July 2013 Moms

Questions for the More experienced Bakers among us

I'm toying with the idea of baking LO's cake. Would it do to make it on Thursday for a party on Saturday afternoon? I'm wondering if it would taste stale. I'd like to avoid the stress of baking it on LO's actual birthday (Friday). Any tips or tricks to make it taste awesome?

I'm thinking a basic yellow cake with a butter cream style icing, totally open to recipes if anyone wants to share. :)

I've been checking with local bakeries and apparently it's a thing to shut down for the week or two over July 4th. 
:-q I still could check the grocery store, but the ones I've had from them are just so-so and I want it to be DELICIOUS! 

Re: Questions for the More experienced Bakers among us

  • fabkfabk member
    It shouldn't be a problem. I usually make the cake one day and ice it the next. Just keep it cool.
  • Loading the player...
  • Thanks, ladies! :) It didn't even occur to me to wait until Saturday to ice it. That makes sense. Do you use simple syrup on the cake when icing it or is that just unnecessary sugar?
  • NKF312NKF312 member
    A lot of bakeries freeze the cakes to make them easier to ice anyway :) So i agree, make it ahead freeze ( or refridge) and ice the day of, or night before
  • casey78 said:
    This is my absolute favorite white cake recipe. It's just a doctored up mix (I use almond and vanilla extracts): https://www.recipegirl.com/2007/03/16/white-wedding-cake/ I would make ahead, cool completely, and then wrap well in Saran Wrap. It can stay on the counter until you are ready to frost. If you aren't an experienced decorator, either: 1) make it easy on yourself by not doing a smooth frosting. Do one that can have a little bit of movement in it, 2) do a crumb coat (thin layer of frosting first) to lock in the crumbs. Then, layer on your frosting thicker. Before frosting, You can position wax paper around the bottom of the cake so that you don't have to worry about your serving plate getting messy. Then, just pull out carefully when you are done frosting.
    Awesome, thanks @casey78. I made lots of cakes as a teenager, but not many since. Thanks for all of the tips and tricks. I was wondering if I should frost the crumb coat earlier in the week or just wait to do it all on Saturday. I've seen some baking shows say to frost the crumb coat and then put the cake in the freezer - good idea or unnecessary?


    So if I want to make 2 12" layers and 2 6" layers, it looks like I would need 3 of these recipes - does that sound right?

    I'm wondering if I should just find another bakery :P
  • simone711 said:

    Do you have a Costco near you?  They actually have really good cakes there!
    LO's birthday cake is coming from there! 

    This! Costco makes these cakes with pudding/custard in between the layers instead of icing and it's really good(:
    Image and video hosting by TinyPic

    Lilypie First Birthday tickers
  • Yaybaby01 said:
    Do you have a Costco near you?  They actually have really good cakes there!
    LO's birthday cake is coming from there! 
    This! Costco makes these cakes with pudding/custard in between the layers instead of icing and it's really good(:
    Hmmm... I forgot about Costco. This could be an option, too!
  • Make your cakes ahead of time and freeze. I don't ice my cakes frozen, I prefer to let them defrost first. You could pull your cake out Friday night and let it sit on the counter to frost Saturday.

    When doing your crumb layer, frost your cake thinly and pop it in the freezer for 10-20 minutes, pull out and continue/finish your frosting and piping. (The freezing helps set up the icing and lock the crumbs in place. Otherwise you could skip the crumb layer and just frost the whole cake and you normally would.) Doing your crumb layer a day early and frosting Saturday will result in harder, crusty, pain in the ass frosting to deal with.

    I agree with using parchment paper like Casey78 said but I find that using the pan spray w/ flour works just as well.
    I also don't usually use a simple syrup unless you have a drier cake. I prefer to split my layers so instead of having 2x6" and 2x12" layers, I would cut each layer to make an extra layer. So 4x6" and 4x12". That way I can throw some filling or buttercream between the layers and help with the moistness. Does that make sense?
  • Thanks @RoRo10733‌ that does make sense. I appreciate the suggestions!
  • missymr said:
    I'm making a three tier old McDonald farm cake for lo's birthday and I have to make some of it ahead if time or I just won't have time. I'm doing one vanilla and one red velvet or chocolate. I plan to make the cakes the weekend before and freeze them. The recipes I use are dense and moist so I'm not too worried they will be dry. If they are I will use a simple syrup but I don't anticipate having to do so. Definitely ice the day of or at most the night before. Our party is at 11 am so I will be doing most of the cake the day before.
    @missymr - that sounds awesome! I can't wait to see pictures of your cake :)
  • @Married071709‌ - that is cool!! This is what I have in mind. We'll see how close I get :) I like that we both have sprinkles planned!
  • Cute and simple is my theme!!
    After 4.5 years our miracle IVF baby is here!
    Born 7/30/13
This discussion has been closed.
Choose Another Board
Search Boards
"
"