I need to make a cake for next week but have no time to work on it next week so I'm wondering if I can bake, crumb coat, fill and ice a cake this week (chocolate cake, whipped chocolate ganache filling and buttercream icing) and freeze it - then take it out to thaw the night before or morning of?

I haven't decided how to decorate it. Likely just using buttercream. I was considering fondant but don't love the taste... depending on the 'shape' I may need to use fondant to cover. I'm hoping to make the cake in the shape of a phone but it may be overambitious of me considering it has to be made ahead of time.

All advice is greatly appreciated!

I have always read that fondant decorated cakes can't be frozen.
But when I made this cake http://www.cakecentral.com/modules.php?name=gallery&file=displayimage&pid=1432303 the friend to whom I made it, didn't know about it, and she froze it (his son wasn't at home and she decided to wait for him).
She kept it on a plastic box (tupperware) and had it frozen for a week. When she took it out, she kept it on the box (closed all the time) until it thawed completely. I couldn't believe my eyes. It was perfect!!!!!

wow that looks great! so she just put it in a big tupper ware type box? or did she put the paper cake box in side the tupperware too?

I never thought you could but I just had a customer who ordered a Thomas Cake from me. Her son got the flu so they had to postpone his party a week but the cake was already done. I had it covered in fondant and also used some gumpaste for the numbers, etc...I told her it was up to her, once it left me, my hands were off of it ....but to let me know how freezing it turned out.
She emailed me the next week to say she had left it in the box I placed it in and then double wrapped in plastic wrap. She pulled it out of the freezer 48 hrs. prior to the party and it was FABULOUS!
I know it wasn't a fluke because she ordered another fondant covered cake from me the next week to freeze and drive to NY. for Thanksgiving and that one came out awesome too!
So, there you go. HTH

So we know fondant can be frozen. How about buttercream, royal icing decorations, fillings? Has anyone tried it? I might have to experiment.

well....they were filled with a buttercream filling and iced with buttercream under the fondant and all of that was fine. So my guess is that that kind of filling would be fine. Not sure about the royal icing or buttercream without fondant. Hopefully someone else will have a thought

when thawing a butter cream cake the colors sometimes run from the moisture when it is thawing to avoid this turn a fan on the cake to dry as it thaws it will work find you can do the same with royal icing

We made a gingerbread house one year that was over the top the lady we gave it to saved ti for many years she stored it in the freezer and thawed it out each christmas.

To avoid condensation collecting on the cake as it thaws, you can do a slow defrost by putting it first in the refrigerator overnight and then move it to the finish at room temp.

I froze a buttercream sculpted cake and made the mistake of going straight from the freezer to room temp. and ended up with puddles around the cake . I did take the wrap off it immediately though with no problem . But next time I will do as mrsb37 suggested and defrost in steps.

from the comments it seems that going from freezer to fridge then counter is best. At which point do you take off the wrapping (plastic or other) that you've used around the cake?

THANKS everyone!!

I can't attest to whether it works or not (I've never frozen a cake) but here's an article on the subject I saved from the internet ages ago...

How to Freeze Cakes

1.  Always ensure that a cake has cooled completely before freezing.
2.  Select the cake wrapping. The cake must be protected from freezer condensation by using a moisture-proof wrapping. Suggested wrappings include:
  greaseproof paper thoroughly covering the cake and taped
  aluminum foil, or aluminum foil and plastic wrap/greaseproof paper underneath it
  plastic self-sealing bag
  placement of wrapped cake into a metallic tin protects the cake from provides added protection from moisture, damage and odors
3.  Select the cake type. Most cakes will freeze well, even most iced cakes. Things to consider are:
  Uniced cake: in general, uniced cakes are fine to freeze apart from those with little or no fat.
  Iced/frosted cake: most frostings are okay to freeze but avoid freezing icing/frosting that contains cream cheese, egg, fresh cream or boiled versions; candy frostings can freeze for about 4 weeks and Buttercream frostings freeze very well for a couple of months.
  Wedding cake and Christmas cake icing/frosting: this uncooked confectioner's icing freezes well for a long time.
  Filling: Avoid freezing cream or cream cheese filled cakes.
  Cake with no fat: Not ideal to freeze as likely to lose its moisture content and dry out too much.
  Sponge cakes can also be frozen.
4.  Wraping the cake. The process of wrapping the cake differs slightly depending on whether or not it is iced/frosted:
  Wrap an uniced cake and place in the freezer;
  Place an iced cake into the freezer until the icing hardens. Then wrap in plastic wrap or greaseproof paper and finish with a layer of aluminium foil.
5.  Freeze within time limits. Whilst freezing initially retains the moisture of a pre-baked cake, cakes will tend to dry out after two months of freezing and you can expect the flavour to change at around four months. A good guide to follow is:
  Freeze uniced/undecorated cakes for up to three months
  Freeze iced cakes for up to two months
6.  Freezing cake mixture. It is possible to freeze cake mixture that hasn't been baked yet. Either place in an airtight container or place in a pre-prepared baking tin or muffin pan, already greased or lined with baking paper. Freeze uncovered first and then wrap tightly in plastic or foil once frozen.
7.  Thawing. To thaw a frozen cake, this depends on whether or not it is iced:
  For an uniced cake: leave it on a wire rack in a clean part of the kitchen. Do not microwave or oven heat a frozen cake or you will ruin it. It will take about two hours for a large cake to thaw under normal room temperature conditions.
  For an iced cake: let it thaw in the refrigerator. This will prevent condensation from forming on the icing/frosting. Unwrap it first to prevent the icing sticking to the wrapping.
  Uncooked mixture: this will take about 2 - 3 hours to thaw and can be thawed at room temperature.

what type of fondant was everyone using?? I wonder if it varies depending on what kind....................mmf vs. satin ice, fondx, etc.????

I would love to get some mini cakes iced and covered in fondant and pop them in the freezer for next weekend. I'm going to be SWAMPED next week and this week I have all my cakes spread out, 1 each day!

I use satin ice, so I'm interested if that freezes well or not!