Im curious... I had someone ask me to make a cake. I went through the process of finding out what she wanted, came up with the idea, etc. She then said "never mind" because the cake wouldnt be "fresh"??? I asked what she meant and was told because the cake wouldnt be made fresh the day of pick up it wasnt fresh. So, my question is, do you guys bake and assemble all in one day? Or am I crazy that my cake is baked, filled, and iced a or 2 day before and then assembled??? Ive never had any one tell me my cake didnt taste fresh..

Your not crazy
If I'm making a cake for Saturday I usually bake on Thursday, decorate Friday and have it ready for Sat. I don't have a business but I make lots of cakes and I've never had someone tell me it didn't taste fresh. As a matter of fact, everyone always comments on how fresh and moist my cakes turn out.

I have baked and finished a cake the day I wanted it but only very simple cakes (the 18th guitar, halo or kitten one in my pics) all the others have been baked the day before I needed them and have been covered in at least ganache to seal it abit.

When she buys a cake from the supermarket does she assume they were all baked, packaged and delivered to the store on the same day

I've been told people have were still eating my cake 10 days after they picked it up! I know my cakes are fresh and I do not do everything the day of or even the day before.

I do not discuss my baking schedule with customers.

Some of my cakes take several days to assemble. I often bake on Tuesday for my weekend orders. I do toss the layers in the freezer right away until I'm ready to thaw and use them.

I have tastings sometimes using cake that has been frozen for a month. haha. Nobody ever complains...but many rave about how yummy and moist it is!

Baking the week of the event *IS* baking fresh!!!! How many cakes do you buy at the bakery were actually baked only a couple days before.....?

But yes I've had those questions too...."If I pick it up the day before the party, will it still be fresh?"

A few years ago I had a lady call me about a 3 tier wedding cake. We went through all the details of flavors and design and she asked me when did I actually bake the cake. I told her a couple of days before and my procedure, she then proceeded to tell me that she did not want to use me because the cake would not be fresh. I proceeded to tell her that no one would make her cake the day of the wedding, especially when it was needed for 1 PM. She would not listen nor take my word for it so I said thank you and goodbye. Goodbye to end the call and goodbye to her as a customer cause I figured I would have problems with her anyway.
evelyn

I personally think most cakes taste better (moist and aged in a good way) if baked 2-3 days earlier and sometimes even if they have been frozen.
I also make sure a cake that I am taking to a family gathering is torte and filled 24 hours before serving because as I believe by then the tastes and moisture of cake and filling had enough time to marry each other

Thats insane - thats why we coat cakes with BC or ganache once they're cool - so that they do stay fresh! I find cake on the same day its baked can taste quite eggy - especially when warm

3 tier wedding cake baked and decorated before 1pm on the same day??? Suuuuure if you want the icing and decor running down the sides of the cake! I wonder sometimes if these peoples brains have been abducted by aliens....

I agree with Cakegrandma, if it starts out this way, probably not a customer you want to concern yourself with anyway. I bake as close to the date as possible depending on the cake design but always give myself plenty of time to "fix" anything the day of the pick up or delivery. Most of the time I'm 2-3 days in advance.

I always bake a couple days before I decorate. There is no possible way that I could make, bake, make icing, ice cake and decorate in one day!! Well, maybe an entire 24 hour day and I'm not willing to do that!! I have even frozen cakes for a couple of months (when I have left over batter, I will make an extra cake or even cake balls and freeze them)...wrapped properly, they are fine!

Probably better to not do business with someone so unreasonable anyway, unfortunate though

Had a co-worker (years ago) who was surprised to learn I baked on Thursday for a Saturday wedding. I said, "When did you think I baked it?" She, of course, thought a 4-5 tier wedding cake was baked the morning of the wedding. I said, "VICKY!! It's 8 hrs baking time! How do you expect me to bake it and decorate it THE MORNING OF the wedding!!????"

Plus people seem to have an inaccurate or skewed perception of what "fresh" is. They think nothing of making a sandwich from a loaf of bread that has been on their counter for 6 days (and in the store how long, and on the delivery truck for how long?), but a cake can't be more than 4 hours old? Silly people!

Had to find this thread and share this story about "fresh" and people's perception of what "fresh" is!

As some of you know, I work nights in a hotel. This week, during our Free Dinner period, I was putting out more hot dog buns. I grabbed the bags of buns, carried them out to the front and dumped the bag into the bread basket. Now, normally the ones in the basket should be removed and placed on top (oldest on top), but we had over 400 people that I was feeding that night, so I wasn't too concerned that the 24 buns I'd put in there would last long! And this basket has a plastic lid so the buns are not just sitting out, exposed to the air, getting hard and stale by the second.

Some guy was in line and I overheard him say, "Oh ... the fresh ones are on top!"

The "fresh" ones? They all come came in a plastic bag off of the same delivery truck, from the food supplier who bought them from the bread company and put them in their warehouse until we bought them, just like this same guy does when he buys hot dog buns at the store. The only difference between whats in the basket and what I was just then PUTTING in the basket is I open some of the bags and put the buns in the basekt at 5:15 pm, some at 5:45, some at 6:10 and so on and so on. I have 400 poeple to feed and the basket holds 48 buns max. I'm going to be putting more buns in there all night long!

The "fresh" ones? Its all perception!

Thanks guys!! Iam more of a hobby baker, friends and family. The request was from a girl I work with. She went into this whole "lecture" about passing off cake as fresh when it isnt. I tried to explain it to her but she wasnt having it. In the end she said she would stop the morning of and pick up a fresh cake from walmart. Well alrighty then....

Hubby and I are cracking up!!!!!

I guess "fresh" is defined as "the first time I SEE it!"

"fresh" and "walmart" in the same sentence! Now that's funny right there!! (As Larry the Cable Guy would say!)

People are just plain weird!!! I work at a bakery where we make rolls 16 on a bake sheet and 25 in a rack. That means that 400 rolld are baked and come out at the exact same time. So in reality it doesn't matter which one you get it is as equal to the others in every way possible. Geez!! Oh you can't forget the people tha come in and ask for the "fresh" bread apparently if its not steaming hot its not fresh!?!?

I have a lady tha keeps saying,please can you bake my cake on friday so its fresh for saturday,and keep replying her that 'do you remember your last cake you loved so much,it was baked on WEDNESDAY'.