I'm a home baker who is just begining the stages of baking for $$. I generally make everything from scratch fresh. However I just learned the technique of wrapping and freezing my cakes warm and then thawing them before torting/stacking, but haven't used it yet. And I've never frozen any thing I've baked.

Anyway. I have a large order for next week and I'm not sure how soon I should start baking and freezing/decorating.

I could really use some suggestions on a time line for getting this all done with out baking/decorating 48 hours straight.

My orders are

2 doz cupcakes for Wednesday the 14th
7 doz cut and decorated cookies + 7 doz fudge brownies for Friday the 16th
4 tier cake w/ fondant for Friday the 16th (cookies and cake are for the same event).

I'd bake my cakes now and freeze. That way you'd have them out of the way. I don't like freezing cupcakes and I don't make cookies. But I always freeze my cakes.

I have no useful suggestions, just wanted to wish you well!! That's a lot in a short time frame...look forward to additional suggestions so to learn more about freezing, etc.

I don't freeze anything, but I've heard from other people who didn't have good results with freezing cakes warm. I'd try it before you use it for a cake that you're going to sell.

I think it is generally recommended that you freeze the cakes after they've cooled. Even recipes I use which specifically call for you to freeze the cake, have you do so after the cake has cooled down. I have only one recipe which I wrap while warm, but you still don't freeze til after it's cooled.

There is plenty of debate about that technique, with the concern being that the extra moisture trapped in the cake can breed bacteria faster, so proceed within your own comfort level after reading up on it.

Here is my approximate timeline that I would use for that order. Now this is with me being home all day (minus any errands that I would normally run) Not sure if you're trying to work this arounda full time job outside of the home or not.

This week:
- Make all the icing for decorating the cookies/cupcakes/and cakes (i use buttercream with shortening/butter so i just store it on the counter til needed)
- Make my sugar cookie dough and cut out all the shapes I needed for order (plus about 10% for "just in case needed") I then freeze these shapes flat on a cookie sheet, once frozen I stack in a tupperware container between layers of waxed paper. I then bake the cookies frozen, which helps hold their shape.

The weekend of the 10th/11th.
- Bake the cakes for the tiered cake.
- I bake and let cool for a few hours, then wrap in plastic wrap and freeze. Once frozen solid I wrap in Aluminum foil and then place in the deep freezer.

Tues the 13th
- Bake cupcakes and let cool
- Box up and then decorate
I don't like to freeze cupcakes, I have never had good luck with them staying as fresh as I like them too.
- Bake cookies
- Get base icing on cookies (whether royal icing or fondant) so you can do details the next day after the base is dried. But not sure what your design is, so maybe you can do it all in one day.

Wed. the 14th
- Get your cakes out of the freezer and let sit at room temperature for 1-2 hrs.
- Fill/base coat cakes
- Final coat with buttercream or fondant and let sit over night
- prep any structure or other decroations needed (if you haven't already) so all you have to do is deocrate on Thursday

Thursday the 15th
- Bake brownies
- Decorate each tier of your cake and stack what you can for transport
- Bag or box your cookies

Thursday The 17th
- Bag or box your cookies if you didn't get to it on thursday
- get your delivery kit and extras ready for your delivery of the cake
- Box up the brownies

I hope this helps, I know that I missed some things, but the biggest thing is get as much done now that you can as possible, cake boxes ready, bags for cookies if they get individually wrapped, and ribbon or cards that go on the bags. Don't forget to make sure you have all of your boards/dowels, or other structure for the tiered cake ready to go so you can just assemble and go. Don't want to have to stop to cover a board or find dowels, etc...

Oh I also forgot, not sure what you're using for filling in the cakes, but you can get that made this week along with the buttercream and icing for the cookies.

my cakes were "cooled slightly, wrapped warm" when I threw them in the freezer. No problems. I wanted to trap most of the "steam" before it escaped from the cake, so the extra moisture was retained in the cake.

I'd bake the cookies ahead of time, too, and freeze. I did this for my nephew's graduation .... first time trying it. I was very happy to discover that the thawed cookies (I iced and decorated after they thawed) tasted as soft and fresh as day one.

Thank you Leily, Debi and everyone! This is great help! I'm definitely going to get started on the buttercream, fondant, fillings and cookie dough tomorrow!

Would putting a warm cake in the freezer not cause the same problem as putting a warm cake in the fridge ie: raising the temp of the freezer? Or is the temp so low that a slight increase won't make it unsafe?
xx

I had a 2-door comm'l freezer. placing a 'warm' cake in this freezer, that had a temp of below 0 degrees, wouldn't adversely affect the temp.

A home freezer that is opened and closed, opened and closed, during the normal course of a day, lowers the temp much more than what would happen in my commercial environment.

I discovered first hand why many HD's require comm'l grade appliances. THey just keep the food colder, longer, ergo the food is in food-safe temp safety zone better. Celery would turn limp and yucky within days in my home 'frig ..... but I could keep celergy for a couple of weeks or more in a commercial 'frig.

I have a separate refridgerator just for my cakes so if I freeze my cakes warm I shoudn't be at risk for affecting other food.

Debi, should I freeze my cakes still warm in the pans or flip them out?

flip them out.

I freeze all my cakes... even if i am making it the same day.... I take them out of the oven and flip them right out to saran (heat proof kind) and pop in the freezer....
I wouldnt suggest making & freezing more than 3 weeks prior....

It is true that you are not supposed to put hot foods in a refrigerator/freezer for food safety reasons. Cakes, fortunately, do not need to worry about being time/temperature abused like other foods do, so the cooling process isn't rigorous like it is for other kinds of foods. However, it CAN raise the temperature for awhile, so please keep that in mind.

I make my cakes from scratch and bake them a week in advance and freeze them. It actually makes them more moist. I do let them cool, put simple syrup on them and wrap and freeze.

I also bake and decorate sugar cookies in advance and freeze them. I ice them with RI and they will keep decorated for up to a month in advance.
The cupcakes I would make and decorate the day before and place in the refrigerator overnight until delivery.

Fondant wedding cakes I start buttercream and decorating 3 days in advance. Start Wed. for Sat. delivery. Buttercream wedding cakes take me 2 days.

Hope this helps.

I let my cakes cool completely then triple wrap in plastic wrap before I freeze. They come out super moist

Original thread with pros/cons of freezing hot cakes:

http://cakecentral.com/cake-decorating-ftopict-610054-.html

HTH