Is it a bad idea to frost a cake...

[mountainash]

tonight for a birthday party on Sunday? My plan is to bake and crumb coat my son's birthday cake tonight then decorate it tomorrow. I don't want the cake to get dry but I also don't want to be baking and frosting all day tomorrow. I have to make the cake and the powdered sugar for the frosting from scratch. It seems to take forever just to make a simply cake.

:think Should I just bake the cake and freeze it? Can you frost a frozen cake or is that a bad idea?

What would you do?

TIA! :rockon

[Marzipan]

I think if it were me, tonight I would put the dry ingredients for the cake together, and powder the sugar. Tomorrow before bed, I would bake the cake, and make the frosting, and I would frost it Sunday morning. I don't know anything at all about freezing cakes.

[PurpleButterfly]

What a sweet mama to make your lo's bday cake! :rockon

It's always best to freeze your freshly-baked cake overnight or 1-2 days prior to crumb coating. Wrap very well so it doesn't dry out. Be sure to defrost the cake before coating/frosting or it will "sweat" and ruin your hard work.

I would bake it tonight and pop it in the freezer until the latest possible day, no earlier than tomorrow afternoon, for crumb coating. The cake needs to be completely cooled and totally firm for proper crumb coating to work and if you're not baking til tonight, you don't want to crumb coat it tonight.

So bake asap, freeze asap, coat and decorate as late as possible. :)

[mountainash]

Hmm, ok. The cake shouldn't be frozen for crumb coating though, right? It should just be completely cool? :scratch

I'm thinking I'll skip the freezing step. Tomorrow evening I'll either have to wait for it to bake and cool or wait for it to defrost. I'll run the sugar through the food processor tonight and then I'll just bake the cake tomorrow. It's Friday, I'm tired! Maybe my man will want to watch a movie with me tonight instead. :)

It shouldn't get dry and icky over night if I frost it tomorrow evening, right? I can cover it or refrigerate it if need be. Though the refrigeration would probably cause the sweating thing? Gah! Now I remember why I usually stick to cupcakes! :doh :giggle

Thanks!

[Aerynne]

I like to freeze my cakes before frosting them. Fewer crumbs.

But if you don't want to, I think it will be fine. Frosting will keep the moisture in the cake, so you want to avoid leaving a non-frosted cake out, but a frosted cake will be fine. I tend to do my cakes over a few days, too.

[PurpleButterfly]

The cake can be cool but should not still be frozen for crumb coating. It will be easier to coat and frost if it has been frozen then defrosted, it keeps it moist but makes it firmer and less likely to crumble/break apart.

But ITU not feeling like bakin' a cake tonight :hug2 so you could do it early AM, freeze it for a few hours so it's firm but not frozen to the point of needing defrosting, then do your coating and frosting.

It will definitely not dry out if you complete the whole frosting process a day in advance. :no I prefer to refrigerate frosted cakes and usually use a glass cake plate w/thick cover, then wrap the whole thing in saran to keep air out before serving the following day.

[OrthoMama]

I'm piggy-backing here, is that different from hi-jacking? I'm going to defrost a cake tonight to fill and ice tomorrow, but about the defrosting... do I leave them on the counter in the saran wrap, or naked? Do I take all the wrapping off and put them on cake wracks to thaw? Just on the counter? Help! Thanks!

[PurpleButterfly]

It only takes about two hours for average sized round cake layers to defrost...is there any way you can defrost early in the AM instead of leaving it ou all night? I would unwrap and leave on a rack on the kitchen counter, loosely covering the top with tin foil. :)

Mountainash, how did your cake come out? :popcorn

[OrthoMama]

That is so helpful, thank you Purple Butterfly! I knew someone would know. Now to unearth room in my freezer (they were in my in-laws' deep freeze.)

[PurpleButterfly]

Have fun frosting! :grin :rockon

[mountainash]

It only takes about two hours for average sized round cake layers to defrost...is there any way you can defrost early in the AM instead of leaving it ou all night? I would unwrap and leave on a rack on the kitchen counter, loosely covering the top with tin foil. :)

Mountainash, how did your cake come out? :popcorn

It was great! I did the Magnolia Bakery cake recipe which was fantastic. My only complaints are that my corn-free fondant didn't turn out (did marshmallow instead) and the powdered sugar that I made with the coffee grinder was ever so slightly gritty. Benji was thrilled.

I'll post pictures when my husband uploads them from the video camera.

Thanks for the help!!!

[PurpleButterfly]

:rockon :popcorn :mrgreen

[mamacat]

When I worked in a bakery they froze all of the cakes before decorating........

[mountainash]

http://www.facebook.com/photo.php?pid=5354304&l=ff25588d36&id=531071390

[PurpleButterfly]

Aw, fb won't show anything but an x. :(