Welcome to the Cake Decorators Q&A

I am making my daughters wedding cake (you might remember me panicking earlier in the year -well I have progressed somewhat since then!) and the only thing I am worried about now (well not quite the only thing!) is the timing of everything in the week leading up to the wedding. Do you think it would be ok to fill,buttercream and ice the cakes on the Tuesday so that I can start stacking and decorating Wednesday/Thursday? Also if I do that what ‘use by’ date would you put on the cake? Only 8 weeks to go! Sandra

Hi MIWL, Thank you. I have made a 14″ Madeira which I have put in the freezer and I am going to make Paul’s 10″ moist chocolate cake (love that recipe!) and freeze that one also. The top tier will be fruit (already made). Will that make any difference to shelf life? Sandra

Is it the ready made fruit cake you’re saying? If it is you should have a use by date on it from the supplier, if you haven’t I would check with them. Fruit cakes last for several months if properly fed and well stored so I doubt very much that there will be a problem with it. Another advantage with fruit cake of course is that you can get on and decorate well in advance, the marzipan (if using) and fondant will lock in the moisture and the cake will continue maturing under the icing. Just store it some where cool and it’ll be fine. Boil the apricot jam first when you come to decorating as this will prevent any bacteria from developing. You can put a drop of vodka in it too as an extra measure. These are the things I do, I’m suspicious of everything, dreadful really because there’s nothing to worry about. Must be nerve wracking for you, your daughter is a lucky girl and I envy you! xx

Hi, no I’ve made the fruit cake and its maturing nicely thank you. I just wondered if freezing the Madeira and the moist chocolate cake would affect the shelf life at all. You mention Vodka – where do you add that? I have used sherry in the fruit cake!! Sandra

Oh right, I’ve misunderstood you, I thought the fruit cake had been a bought one! I usually use vodka to boil the apricot jam in to brush on the fruit cake for the marzipan to adhere. Once the marzipan has dried I use vodka again to moisten it for the sugar paste to stick. That’s all I meant about the alcohol. If you’re using ganache with the chocolate cake a little tipple wouldn’t hurt that either. Freezing shouldn’t make any difference to the Madeira or the chocolate cake. I’ve made both cakes and used them after freezing and they’ve been fine. Just keep them in a cool place, the weather will have cooled off between now and the wedding.

Thank you for all your suggestions. You’re a star! No doubt I will be back again before Sept 21st!! Sandra

Hi sandrafrearson

Shelf life depends on the recipes used. A Madeira is good for two weeks, most sponge cakes have five days from bake to eat, mud cakes in my experience last ten days or more as in the case of the mud cake here http://www.cakeflix.com/blog/how-to-make-chocolate-mud-cake and fruit cakes several months if store properly.. You have the timing right however if you’ve used cream cheese or fresh fruit filling this is reduced to a few hours. It’s an exciting time for you, hope all goes well, and I’m sure other members will also give the benefit of their experience. x