How to Make + Decorate Cakes Ahead of Time

hi everyone i'm whitney from sugar and sparrow and today i'm showing you a few easy ways to work ahead when it comes to cake decorating it can be super stressful to make a cake when you're rushing to get your layers cools your buttercream made and everything else ready to go before you can even start assembling your cake cake making takes a lot of patience but by learning how to make things ahead of time you'll be able to breathe a little easier on decorating day first let's talk about cake layers these can be baked one to two days ahead of time and store it at room temperature as long as they're wrapped tightly in plastic wrap just make sure that they're completely cooled before wrapping them up if they're even a little bit warm when you wrap them in plastic wrap it will trap condensation in with your cake layer which can make the top soggy or sticky so if you plan on storing your cake layers at room temperature be sure to cool them completely for a few hours before prepping them for storage if you want to work really far in advance you can store your cake layers in the freezer for up to two months to make sure that they stay as fresh as the day i baked them i always wrapped them in a layer of plastic wrap and then cover them with a layer of aluminum foil don't forget to write the date and cake flavor so you don't forget what you wrapped up for extra protection against freezer burn i also recommend placing the wrapped layers into a ziploc bag or other airtight container then just pop them in the freezer until you're ready for them up to two months in advance to thaw frozen cake layers just remove them from the ziploc bag and let them sit at room temperature for a few hours i keep them wrapped so that the condensation collects on the outside of the aluminum foil as it evaporates from the cake layer with your cake layers made ahead you can save yourself a ton of time on decorating day you'll just pick up where you'd be with a freshly baked and cooled cake layer you can see here that i'm torting these layers to my desired height which would be my next step in the process if you want to learn more about why i do that and my favorite methods for torting layers i have another cake basics video dedicated to that linked below in the video description another great thing to make ahead and save yourself time and energy on decorating day is buttercream buttercream can be made up to two weeks ahead of time as long as it's stored properly to store it well i place it into an airtight container make sure it's sealed nice and tight and pop it into the refrigerator then on decorating day i take it out of the refrigerator to thaw at room temperature for about an hour and then whip it back to frosting consistency with my stand mixer i like to bring mine together on low power to create a silky smooth consistency with minimal air bubbles there are so many things you can make ahead so you're not scrambling to throw a cake together the day of for example if you're planning on making a drip cake your chocolate ganache can be stored in an airtight container for up to two weeks in the refrigerator then brought back to life by gently heating it in the microwave and 10 second spurts until it's drip consistency again buttercream flowers can be made up to two weeks ahead and stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator this way they'll be super easy to handle you can just pop them on your cake without the added stress of planning for those extra hours it would have taken to make them and allow them to air dry on decorating day fondant and gum paste decorations can be made a few weeks in advance and stored safely in a cool dry place like the back of your pantry it's always a good idea to sit down and plan out a timeline for your cakes so you give any decorations adequate time to dry and have all your materials prepped and ready to go when you need them trust me it will save you a ton of stress so what about storing your cake once it's decorated i get this question all the time i work with buttercream cakes primarily so i can't speak for the best way to store phonic covered cakes but my favorite way to store an uncut fully decorated cake is in the refrigerator i've found that the coolness of the fridge helps preserve all the decorating and fine details it'll basically set the buttercream any piping ganache strips sprinkles basically keeps everything looking the way that i left it the buttercream finish helps keep all the moisture inside the cake and acts as a great barrier so there's no need to cover the cake in the refrigerator i just keep it on its turntable and pop it in i typically store the cake this way a day ahead and when i'm ready to serve it i take it out of the refrigerator a few hours ahead of time transition it onto a cake stand and then let everything come to room temperature cakes store great cold but they taste a thousand times better at room temperature now that you know that you can make your ingredients ahead you may be wondering how to plan out a cake on a timeline and what day to start on things i want to give you an example of how it can go let's say that the cake is due on a saturday if the cake involves buttercream flowers fondant or gum paste decorations or decorations made out of chocolate i would make those on the monday prior and store them appropriately buttercream flowers and chocolate work in the refrigerator fondant or gum paste decorations at room temperature in a cool dark place like the pantry on wednesday i'd make the cake layers and while those are cooling i'd make the buttercream once the cake layers are cooled completely i'd wrap them in plastic wrap and store them at room temperature overnight and store the buttercream in the refrigerator in an airtight container on thursday i take the buttercream out of the refrigerator and leave it out for an hour or two before mixing it with my stand mixer on low speed to bring it back to frosting consistency then i tore my cake layers fill and stack the cake and crumb coat it before storing it in the refrigerator overnight on friday i decorate the cake with all of my elements this can mean adding the final layer of frosting dripping the cake with ganache decorating it with sprinkles or whatever you need to do to finish the cake if the cake were topped with fresh flowers i would add those on saturday as close to the time the cake is due as possible just so they last a long time before wilting one other thing that i would save till the very last minute is cotton candy it starts to deflate after about an hour so i always add that right before the cake goes on display keep in mind that this sample cake timeline is just one example it can be reduced down to baking and making buttercream one day and doing all the decorating the next day or spreading things out even further where you're making cake layers weeks in advance and freezing them it's all up to you but hopefully you now have the tools and tips necessary to plan out your cakes well make your elements ahead of time and set yourself up for success if you want to learn more about cake baking and decorating be sure to follow along with this cake basics series and all of the fun cake decorating videos i release on my youtube page hit that subscribe button so you never miss a new one you can also head to my blog at sugarandsparrow.com for all of my favorite recipes baking tips cake decorating tutorials and so much more thanks for watching

Channel: Sugar and Sparrow

Views: 278,534

Keywords: make ahead tips for cake, cake decorating, cake videos, cake basics, sugar and sparrow, how to freeze cakes, how to store cakes, how to store buttercream, buttercream, cake layers, cake tips, cakes, how to make cakes in advance, how to make cakes ahead, cake timeline, cake decorating timeline, cake schedule, how to schedule cakes, how to plan cakes, planning cakes, freezing cake layers, freezing cakes, thaw cakes, how to thaw cakes

Id: neoP7FCfNCo

Length: 6min 57sec (417 seconds)

Published: Fri May 28 2021