Hello ladies,

I'm fairly new to decorating, and I'm doing a cake next Saturday for my son's 2nd birthday. What steps do you take to make the cake? I work part time and get home probably around 7-7:30. I don't want to feel overwhelmed as time gets closer. When would you suggest I bake my cake, make the filling, buttercream, ice the cake and decorate it? Thanks in advance ladies

When I started off I'd give myself a week to make a simple cake. I'd plan out what I needed for all the tools and ingredients and go shopping Monday night.  On Tuesday I would make the frostings and fillings and store them in the refridge. On Wedensday I would bake. On Thursday, level, fill, and crumb coat the cakes (so much easier when the cakes are nice and cold, so a day in the ice box works great). On Friday I would frost and decorate.  If there are any fondant decorations to make in advance I'd do them the week before. 

I'm much faster now, so I have a much more condensed timeline. But this is where I started. Make sure your frosting and filling come back to room temp before using.

Most important part.....HAVE FUN!