hi im very very new to cake decorating and never have been very good at pretty things so would love to be able to do all the lovely things i see, but im not sure how to go about things ? number 1 what does a good shelf life mean for a cake ? number 2 if you buttercream then cover your cake with mmf how long will it last ie how far in advance can you make the cake , buttercream, then put the icing on ?any help would be greatly received thanks trudi

I'm sure you'll get several differing answers but I bake the cake on day 1, decorate on day 2, and deliver on day 3. Mmf can be made several days in advance(in fact, it's best to let it sit a night or 2 before using it); even longer if u keep it in the fridge. Buttercream can also be made several days in advance. Just make sure to keep it in the fridge and stir it before using.

U can also freeze cakes for up to a month if u wrap them at least 3 times with plastic wrap and once with foil( the plastic wrap keeps the cake moist and the foil keeps other food smells out)

Hi tru71, I'm responding to your post due to my very recent experience with an unwanted, 2 tier cake I made for my niece.
I baked the cakes on Monday, decorated and stacked on Tuesday, my sister was to pick it up on Wednesday. But due to an unfortunate, bad case of morning, (noon and night) sickness she couldn't come. The cake sat, untouched til Saturday night. I just couldn't bring myself to throw it away! I decided to at least taste it before I did so. A "shelf life" test if I must say. It wasn't bone dry, but It was very close. Hope this helps!

Most of us spent some time practising on cake tins and dummy forms that don't go bad. You can even scrape the icing off and re-use it for more practise.

But you should also get yourself a good instruction book. Any of the pre-2000 Wilton yearbooks bought secondhand will do.

Why pre 2000?

More space and effort shown for piping exercises and border ideas.

Frozen layers = 6 months (wedding top tiers are still good after 1 year when sealed airtight).

Cake can't dry out if the air can't get to it. It will become more moist as the icing has time to meld with the cake. Most cake will start to grow mold in about two weeks.

i was thinking shelf life was like a week at least if you had stored and not cut into it lol. as you see im very new and thanks for all your answers take care all