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Hi there, My son has asked me to make his wedding cake for 9th November! I love baking and make a mean cake for tea but have never made a tiered, iced cake but am going to give it my best. I have done lots of research and am about to start practicing on a dummy cake. My question is: as the wedding is in Scotland and we are travelling up 3 days before the wedding, I will have to have the cake baked and iced the weekend before! . I shall make a fruit cake for the bottom tier but they want sponge and carrot cake for the other tiers. Please can someone help me decide on the best recipes to use – I think I’ve searched too many now and I’m confused. I need ones that are sturdy, tasty and will stay moist for that length of time. I shall be so grateful if any of you experience bakers could point me in the right direction. Thanks so much

Google sams carrot cake its the best I,ve tried.I added a bit of sherry to the raisins overnight.

Hi ninynookums

The fruit cake will be fine to bake well in advance as it will need to be matured and fed for approx three months if you want it to be moist. If you type in the search box ‘fruit cake’ you’ll find lots of information on baking, feeding and storing. Sponge cakes usually have a shelf life of five days, that will be from baking to eating. You could however bake the sponge and freeze until you need to decorate.ad
Madeira sponge has longer shelf life of two weeks from baking to eating. It can appear dry when first baked but improves in moisture and texture after a few days. Brushing simple syrup to cake layers adds moisture and helps to extend longevity by a couple of extra days. Simple syrup is made by boiling equal quantities of sugar and water or juice for a minute or two. The cooled syrup is brushed on the cake layers before filling and decorating. A vanilla pod can also be added to the liquid during boiling for extra flavour. Another lovely sponge can be found by googling Jane Hornby easy vanilla cake. The carrot cake can also be baked ahead and frozen, I would suggest using a carrot cake recipe which uses a
ground almonds ( providing there are no nut allergy issues),
for a moist but slightly more dense carrot cake. I would give you a link however I’m posting via my very slow phone! I would be a little wary of cream cheese fillings, keeping the cake in a cool place is advisable. Since the wedding is in November I’m sure you won’t have much trouble keeping the cakes cool in Scotland. You have lots of time to practice and research more recipes and ask more questions here. G’d luck!

Thank you so much for your advice. It will be very helpful 🙂