How should I organize making a cake days ahead?

Question

My wife's birthday is coming up and I want to make a cake for her.

I was thinking of making a layer of sponge cake, amarena cherry sauce (cherries, wine and sugar), chocolate mousse, another layer of sponge cake with sauce, Diplomat cream and amarena cherries on top.

The problem is that I won't have time the day we eat the cake (Saturday) and the day before (Friday), so I need to make it in advance. I'm thinking of preparing the sponge cake, cherry sauce and chocolate mousse on Thursday and build the bottom layers and put it in the freezer. I can make the Diplomat cream on Friday morning, save it in the refrigerator, and build the rest on Saturday (after we'll arrive home).

Does this sounds like a good plan? is it better to just make the pastry cream on Friday and mixed it with the whipped cream on Saturday? Can the cake and the mousse wait for two days?

Asked by yuchtman

Answer

I wouldn't make the layers fully in the freezer. It will be hard to seal up and may dry out. Also, frozen layers are easier to work with. The freezer will dry out unsealed cake extremely fast.

I'd bake all the cake, trim and level them, wrap tightly and freeze on Thursday. Make the sauces and creams on Friday and put them in the fridge. Assemble all on Saturday.

Answered by rfusca

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