Hello everyone I’m new to this site.. was just wondering if anyone could help I’m struggling to bake and decorate my buttercream cakes with in two days as keep getting booked. So I was wondering for bakers who do buttercream cakes how far I’m advance do you bake the sponge with out freezing ?
Thank you
If you are going to be in business, you need to get comfortable using your freezer. There is no bakery, homebased or commercial, that runs without the aid of their freezer. Cake has a 4 day shelf-life. Less if it has a fresh fruit, custard, cheese or cream based filling—but of course you cannot legally sell products that contain fillings or icing with butter, cream, cheese, eggs, fresh fruit (unless its sleeve filling) if you are producing from a home kitchen as they exceed AW limits for food poisoning/safety .
So you have two options:
1. take fewer orders so you can finish the cake orders you do accept out on time
2. bake cake layers in advance and freeze
Just a few things to keep in mind about cake:
- All cake must be caked at least 24 hrs before torting, damning, filling, and icing
- Fondant covered cakes must be de-gassed overnight before covering with fondant
- Shelf life of cake is 4 days. Cake with fresh fruit, custard, cream cheese filling has a shelf life of 2 days. NOTE: STATES WITH COTTAGE FOOD LAWS PROHIBIT THE SALE OF BAKERY PRODUCTS PRODUCED IN A HOME KITCHEN THAT CONTAIN FILLINGS and/or icing WITH FRESH FRUIT, EGGS, BUTTER, CREAM, OR CHEESE.
- Butter and Pound Cakes: bake 2 days before if using fresh. For a large scale cake, bake in advance and freeze the layers. May be frozen for up to three months. Freezing butter/pound cake produces a moister crumb as it has a high fat content.
- Sponge Cake: bake 2 days before if using fresh. For a large scale cake, bake in advance and freeze the layers. May be frozen for up to three months. Freezing sponge cake does not produce a moister crumb, but does not damage the cake texture unless the formula has a really low egg to flour ratio
- Genoise Cake: bake 2 days before if using fresh. Does not freeze as well since the cake is dry by nature due to the low egg and fat to flour ratios.
