Hi everyone
I'm new to Cake Central.
I have decided what kind of wedding cake I want for my December wedding but its kind of too low-tech for the cake decorators around where I live to make. Also no one except DF and I like the idea of it, so I am going to make it myself.
We want a plain simplicity chocolate cake in three layers, filled with chocolate ganache and covered in buttercream (maybe swiss meringue buttercream - not sure yet). Then we want to have individual square cupcakes in the same chocolate cake, but in two layers (so really cupcakes sliced in half) and again filled with ganache and covered in buttercream.
I've made a batch of cupcakes and frozen them for about six weeks and they have thawed well, and are still good to eat, so I think I can bake up all the cupcakes before the wedding so they are ready to go. Maybe also bake the main cake ahead of time?
What I want to know is how far ahead of time can I fill the cakes with ganache, and then, how far ahead of time can I frost them with the buttercream icing?
Have asked this question in other forums, and gotten no constructive advice in return. I hope someone out there in Cake Central Land can help?

I've never heard of any baker thinking an order was too 'low tech' to consider --especially if there's money involved.
How many cupcakes are you planning on doing? You know torting a cupcake and then frosting it (I'm assuming all over?) is a royal pain and extremely time consuming. You're basically doing large petit fours. Or are you just going to do a swirl on top only? Are you doing any more decoration other than frosting?

I know there are others out there who will say they did their wedding cake and it was no big deal, but for me...I really encourage you NOT to do your own wedding cake...even if it's 'simple'. There is usually so much going on beforehand and you will be very distracted and might not be able to enjoy your pre-wedding activities if this is looming. You know if there is a certain recipe you want to use, most custom cake bakers will accommodate you. And just think...one less thing to worry about doing. Plus, even if you freeze, you still have to worry about delivery and set up etc. Weddings are stressful enough...why add more to it if you don't have to! Just my opinion!

I wish I hadn't taken on my own wedding cake- too late now though as I only have three weeks! eek!

And you wouldn't believe how many guests asked me for cakes to collect from me on my wedding day!! jees!

You should be able to manage provided you keep it simple. Remove cakes and ccs from the freezer the day before (already torted before frozen). Use a piping bag (no tip necessary) to put a blob of ganache in each cc. Use same bag to swirl ganache in between cake layers. Put cake layers together on pre-covered cake board. Pipe a swirl of buttercream on top, and roughly apply same buttercream to cake with spatula. Put a waterproofed ribbon around base of cake. Place everything into cake boxes, and give to a trusted family member to deliver to the reception venue and set up for you the next day. You might also need to hire a stand if you're after a tower effect.

This way you can enjoy your wedding day!

I agree with carmijok that finding a local baker should be no problem. It sounds as if you just really want to do your own wedding cake. And there's nothing wrong with that, you don't need to have an excuse

I suggest you bake ahead and freeze everything. If you have enough cold storage, fill and finish decorating two days ahead. One day ahead is best, but you'll probably have enough to do without getting the cake ready.

Congratulations and keep baking!

I think a lot depends on what kind of person you are - are you calm and organized? If so you can probably do it just fine and feel proud that you did. On the other hand, if you're like me and go insane under the pressure, you'd probably be better off hiring someone!

You can do this especially as you are planning ahead.

The square "cupcakes" are easiest made when you cut a sheet cake into squares...after slicing into two thin layers and filling.

You can do the cake and ganache and a crumb coat of buttercream a month ahead. Freeze and wrap well after they are frozen solid.

If you have a fridge available, you can put all the cakes into it to thaw 3 days before the wedding. Then ice 2 days before, and put back into the fridge. The job of plain icing may be a good calming exercise. Somebody to help would be useful.

Best to make sure you have a friend with a hatchback seat (level surface) who can deliver the cakes to the site.

Do you have a wedding planner? Because no matter how long you have been planning your wedding the last 72 hours are so hectic, I can't even imagine throwing in the cake making process too. Maybe if you have a planner that is 100% involved and will handle everything, but even then I think the stress would suck the fun out of making a cake.

This is the time that everything has to be picked up, dropped off, finalized details, pack a million items you need to get ready, your bridal party will need, groom and groom's will need, hair done, nails done, makeup done, rehearsal dinner, family/friends coming in town, pictures taken... It is a really stressful time period.

How many cakes have you done? How fast are you? What is plan B? Things go wrong for those of us that make hundreds of cakes year round - what will you do if something goes wrong but because your wedding is the next day there is no time to fix the problem? How important is the look of the final product to you?

Maybe if you do just cupcakes, but even then, cupcakes are more time consuming than people think. I have a convection oven and can bake 6 dozen cupcakes at a time, but with a regular oven you can probably only have 2 dozen at a time. That is a slow process.

I strongly suggest creating a design and size that you can box & freeze in advance, along with the cupcakes. That way, you can finish the whole thing several WEEKS before the wedding.

Complete the cake, box it, wrap box in 2 layers of plastic wrap + 1 layer of foil.
Place in freezer.
24 hrs. before serving, place still wrapped box in fridge.
Morning of wedding, place wrapped box on counter to come to room temp.
Remove wrapping right before display.

Rae

Shoot I did my own wedding cake. Four tiers, each just iced smooth with fresh flowers. It wasn't really elaborate. I was focusing more on flavor than looks. I didn't have a wedding planner either. You can certainly fill them and freeze and then ice them two days before.

I agree with Annie. (Hi, Annie!) A simple cake, frozen ahead, and your guests may truly enjoy that you thought enough to treat them to your own baking. So really, in the end, it depends upon how you feel about it.

And PS - I made my own cake, too. I love the memories when I see those pics.

Hi Mimi! I totally agree about the memories. I had less than 100 people at my wedding and almost the entire cake was demolished!

I have been sitting wondering if my post was deleted - I couldn't find it anywhere! Then today I see it had so many replies... thank you!
I don't have a wedding planner. I wish I did but we can't afford it.
I am kind of looking forward to making my own cake. My fiance has picked out not only the flavour cake he wants but the specific recipe, which is supposedly an old family recipe, but I'm not sure about that, LOL.
I waver between calm and collected, and stress-machine, so it's anyone's guess how I'll be closer to the day. I am sort of a perfectionist, and I do things myself because then I KNOW I will get what I want, and if I don't get what I envisioned, I can only blame myself!
I wasn't sure about the ganache. I keep hearing how it will split if I try to freeze it, but perhaps today I'll have a try to see what happens if I ganache some cupcakes.

And after all that, I had a wander through the site, and I saw this tutorial: http://cakecentral.com/tutorial/4-tier-sprinkle-covered-cake
and now I am leaning toward that instead with different types of sprinkles and sanding sugar instead of the hundreds and thousands.
I guess now I have to test whether I can stack the cake that DF wants to have.
More research required I think!

Just make sure when you thaw it that you leave it in the wrapper. This will prevent the cake from getting gummy on the outside. I would also get a coupon and go to Michael's and get the Bake Even strips. They are basically silver baking strips that you use to put around the cake pan. They help the cake bake more level and also prevent the crust from getting too brown and hard. Definitely test that recipe in your larger pans to see how it bakes up. The sprinkle/sanding sugar idea is fun and definitely do-able. Also, any cake can be stacked. Check out the SPS system. You can either get legs that are exactly 4" or buy the legs that you can cut to size. I actually did floating tiers (separate) for my wedding cake to make it easier. Plus I wanted all the tiers cut so having them separate made it easier for the venue. I purchased a set of acrylic stands online but I can't remember where now.