How To Prepare Cake In Advance

As many of y'all know past now, making cakes from scratch isn't something that can be done in a hurry. One of the first tips I give new bakers is to program out the baking procedure then they're not trying to do everything in simply a couple hours. Rushing the process is a recipe for disaster. Then, for today's edition of Cake Nuts, I thought I'd help you schedule out the block making procedure based on how much time you have.

Cake Basics: How to Schedule Your Cake Making #cakebasics #cakebycourtney #timemanagement #howtobakecakes

Block Basics: How to Schedule Your Cake Making

Before we get to the different schedules, the first piece of timing communication I desire to offering is this: read through your recipe at least a week before you start blistering . This way you lot'll have plenty of time to buy ingredients, guild whatsoever special ingredients, and plan how much fourth dimension to give yourself for the whole process.

Some of my cakes only have a couple elements to them. Take my Classic Yellow Cake with Chocolate Buttercream, for example. This cake has two elements: cake layers and buttercream. It's a great cake to make when you only have i or ii days to broil. My Ultimate S'mores Block, on the other hand, has SIX different elements. That's a great one to spread out over the class of a week. And trust me, that one is worth every minute of your time!

If You Take a Week

Let'southward start with a week of prep time! A total week is a skilful amount of time to requite yourself if you're making a block with a lot of elements, as I mentioned in a higher place.

Day one: Review the recipe and practice your grocery shopping.
Solar day 2: Broil the block layers.
- Once the cake layers are cooled to room temperature, wrap each layer in plastic wrap and freeze. The layers will be good for a week like this. If you lot want to freeze the layers for longer, wrap a second fourth dimension in tin foil and place in a zip lock bag.
- One hour earlier you lot're prepare to showtime stacking and decorating your block, remove your cake layers from the freezer.
Day 3: Brand one of the fillings.
- Fillings are usually best stored in an airtight container on the counter or in the refrigerator.
Day 4: Brand additional fillings, if any.
Mean solar day 5: Make the buttercream.
- To shop the buttercream, place the buttercream in an closed container and air-condition.
- To use the premade frosting, remove from the refrigerator a few hours before you want to decorate. Let the frosting get dorsum to room temperature and re-beat the buttercream to soften information technology.
Twenty-four hour period 6: Assembly the block.
- I typically similar to assemble the cake a few hours before I want to serve it and volition so store it in a cake box or on a cake stand with a chapeau. Room temperature is okay for most cakes, for 2 to three hours. Some cakes, like my Ricotta Olive Oil Cake, are all-time stored in the fridge and served slightly chilled.
- If you don't programme to serve the cake on the mean solar day you get together the cake, you tin refrigerate it overnight in an airtight container.
Day 7: Serve the cake.
- On the mean solar day you lot're set to serve your masterpiece, you'll want to bring the cake back to room temperature if it's been frozen or in the refrigerator. Refer to the final department in this post most freezing and thawing your cakes.

If You Take Iii to Four Days

If you're a little tighter on fourth dimension, but withal have a few days to prep, here'south how I suggest laying out the baking process:

Day 1: Review the recipe i more fourth dimension, do your grocery shopping and bake your cake layers.
Day 2: Make your fillings.
24-hour interval three: Make the frosting. If you only have three days, you lot'll want to gather this solar day too.
Day 4: If yous have an extra mean solar day, assemble the cake on day iv a few hours before you lot plan to serve it.

If You lot Take Two Days

At present let'due south say you just accept two days to get everything together, here'due south how I would plan out the process:

Mean solar day 1: Shop for ingredients in the morning. Past lunchtime, program on making the cake layers. If you lot accept fillings to brand, effort to get those washed in the afternoon or evening when the kids get to bed.
Day 2: On twenty-four hours ii, when you lot programme to serve the cake, you'll want to brand the frosting and assemble the cake. You lot can make the frosting in the morning time and permit it sit at room temperature for a few hours (covered well), and then re-beat out it for a few minutes right before you beginning to assemble the block.

If You Take Ane Day

If you simply have one day to brand a block, choice something unproblematic. To me, something simple is a block that only has 2 elements to it: cake layers and buttercream.

Morning: Shop for ingredients and then brand your cake layers. Even though you'll be putting the cake together in a few hours, you still want to let your cake absurd to room temperature, wrap it in plastic wrap and freeze information technology for an hour. You'll have a much easier time decorating your cake if your block layers are chilled.
Afternoon: While your cake layers are chilling, make your buttercream. A few hours before y'all serve your cake, start the associates process. I would requite yourself virtually an hr for stacking and decorating your cake.
Evening: EAT!

Making Cakes Ahead of Fourth dimension

Some other choice is to make the entire cake alee of fourth dimension and freeze information technology. I like to exercise this if I have a cake deadline in the most future but don't take the availability to make the cake near the fourth dimension I really need to deliver information technology or serve it.

I wrote an entire web log mail service about How to Freeze, Thaw and Transport You Cakes. You can read the entire post for all the details, simply here'south the reader's digest version:

After y'all've frosted your cake completely, freeze the cake for nearly 30 to 60 minutes to set the outer coat of frosting.
Once the frosting is set, wrap the block tightly in plastic wrap.
The night earlier you want to serve your cake, move it to the refrigerator (however wrapped).
The next forenoon, move the cake to room temperature. You can leave the plastic wrap on for the first hour or two. You'll so remove the plastic wrap and keep the cake in an closed container like a block box or block carrier.
If you accept any condensation appear on the cake, just gently pat information technology dry with a paper towel.

Alright! You're all set to plan out your next block! What's it going to exist?

I'm a self-taught bakery, obsessed with cake.

I long ago ditched box mixes in pursuit of melt-in-your-mouth, to-die-for flavour combinations, fillings and textures. I believe block must be decadent, life-changing and worthy of celebration! And I believe anyone should exist able to bake that kind of cake – and I'thousand here to teach you lot but that!