Cake Decorating Timeline (When Should I Decorate My Cake)

The most common questions that get asked when one has to decorate a cake are: when should I decorate my cake? How far in advance can you make a cake? When to ice a cake? Today I discuss the cake decorating timeline that I use to make sure I have a fresh cake, as well as enough time to decorate it.

Making dessert cakes is a lot different than making custom-decorated fondant cakes. I can decide in the morning that I want to serve a delicious chocolate cake for dinner today and that would be perfectly fine. I’d have to work hard, and a little fast but in general, I can produce a very impressive chocolate dessert cake in a very short time.

But I can’t do the same with my custom-decorated fondant cakes. Why not? If you are a new cake decorator, then you will find yourself asking – when should I start baking, frosting, and baking my cakes?

The timing for decorating a cake can vary depending on the specific type of cake, the decorations involved, and personal preferences. However, here are some general guidelines to consider:

1. Baking and Cooling: First, make sure your cake is completely baked and cooled before you begin decorating. This is usually done a day in advance to allow ample time for the cake to cool down and set properly.
2. Frosting: If you plan to frost your cake, it’s typically best to do it a day in advance. This allows the frosting to set and creates a smooth surface for any additional decorations.
3. Complex Decorations: If your cake requires more complex or intricate decorations, such as fondant work, gum paste flowers, or elaborate piping designs, it’s advisable to start decorating the day before the event or occasion. These types of decorations often require more time and attention to detail, so allowing extra time ensures you won’t feel rushed.
4. Fresh Ingredients: If your cake includes fresh fruit, whipped cream, or other perishable ingredients, it’s best to add them closer to the serving time. These ingredients may not hold up well for an extended period, so consider adding them a few hours before serving.
5. Delicate Decorations: For delicate decorations like edible pearls, delicate sugar flowers, or fragile chocolate work, it’s generally recommended to add them as close to the serving time as possible. These decorations can be sensitive to moisture or temperature changes, so adding them at the last minute helps to maintain their quality and appearance.

Ultimately, it’s a good idea to plan ahead and give yourself ample time to decorate your cake. This allows for any unexpected challenges or adjustments, and ensures that you have a beautifully decorated cake ready for your intended occasion.

Custom decorated cakes

Technically, you can make a cake in less than 3 hours. Unfortunately, decorating the cake in such haste is very stressful and the outcome will not be very professional.

For example – I always decorate my cakes at least 6 hours after it has been baked. I believe it needs some resting time.

• After I crumb coat and cover it in buttercream, I give my cakes another couple of hours to rest (even 4 hours). This helps all the gasses inside the cake settle.
• Then when I put fondant I don’t have to deal with bumps or bulges.
• Also, I dowel my cakes at least 4  hours before delivery so that I have enough time just in case something goes wrong at the last minute.

If you look at the cakes above in the collage, you will see that they are all similar (not the same) in size. Most of them are single-tier cakes. But each one requires a different timeline.

The bottom three buttercream cakes (see above image)

• The simple ruffles cake (tutorial) took me two hours from start to finish – because buttercream cakes don’t necessarily need a lot of settling time.
• The second princess cake is also a buttercream cake but the bottom tier does need a bit of resting time, and you need more work with stacking as well as piping. So while it is a buttercream cake it still needs more caution compared to the first ruffles cake.
• The third floral cake (tutorial) looks very simple but is actually easier than the second. Why? because the buttercream flowers can be made ahead of time. So you can make this cake from start to finish or in small parts.

The top fondant cakes (see above image)

• The first is a simple small marbled fondant cake with a sugar flower that was made ahead of time. Because this cake is so small you can actually do a lot of it from start to finish without much resting time, unlike our tiered wedding cakes.
• The minion cake (tutorial)- is simple but has a lot of work on details that can be done ahead of or on the cake. This is a type of cake where often cake decorators tend to underprice themselves. Mostly because they do not calculate the amount of time that goes into creating these details. Read more about Pricing your cakes as well as underpricing your cakes.
• The last handbag with shoes is actually a very easy cake. The shoe has to be done in advance because there is no way you can make a Gumpaste Stiletto Shoe at the last minute

Those are very simple cakes. While the wedding cakes below take extra effort to plan and execute. As you can see each and every tier has a very different timeline – depending on how much can be done ahead of time as compared to how much work is involved in the cake decorating the stage. In this post, I don’t discuss these cakes in detail. And yet, if you look at Decorated Cakes – click on a cake and you will find useful information that I share regarding the process of making the cake.

Cakes are tastier when made from scratch

Did you know that if you bake from scratch the cake becomes tastier in the next few days? Because it matures into something more delicious. Now I can’t prove that, but mom used to say it, so; it must be true. Right?
I always bake from scratch. Whether you are a cake decorator or a novice, I bet you will find my collection of Layer Cake Recipes, coffee cake recipes, bundt cakes, and sheet cakes useful.

To better understand this timeline, let’s say that you need the cake to be ready for Saturday night.

• Day I – Wednesday night
  • Make Filling, Frosting including Fondant if I’m using a homemade fondant recipe.
  • Bake the cake. Cool completely. Wrap well in cling wrap and store in the fridge.
  • Prepare your cake boards. Dress the cake board – if using Fondant or Royal Icing on the whole board.
• Day 2 – Thursday morning
  • Bring cake, filling, and frosting to room temperature.
• Day 2 – Thursday afternoon
  • Level, Tort, fill and crumb coat the cake.
  • Let set in the fridge for 15 minutes, then cling wrap and let sit in the fridge for at least 4 hours. This helps settle the cake. 
• Day 2 – Thursday night
  • For Buttercream cakes (how to get sharp edges on buttercream cakes)
    • Apply the second and third coats giving enough time to chill between coats
    • Back to the fridge to rest.  
  • For Fondant/ Sugar paste cakes (how to get sharp edges on ganache cakes)
    • Take the cake out of the fridge – let rest for a few minutes
    • Novelty cake gets carved and shaped at this point.
    • Cover with Fondant (Tips for working with Fondant)
    • Leave at room temperature or fridge if using perishable fillings
• Day 3 – Friday – The fun part
  • Complete design and decorating details including doweling the cake and setting up the tiers.
  • Decorating the cake board.
  • Adding the additional details like sugar flowers and setting up the figures.
  • All decorations are completed by night and the cake is left to rest overnight or (at least 4 hours just in case)
• Day 4 – Saturday 
  • Check cake for any last-minute hi-cups like bulges or burps.
  • Photograph and pack the cake for delivery.

That’s my typical schedule. The exceptions to the rule would be if I have a novelty cake or a wedding cake that requires more decorating time. In that case, I would start a day early.

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