I am making two half sheet cakes for a silver anniversary. I was thinking that it would be really convenient to bake/fill/frost my cakes, freeze them a few days before the party, and then just decorate the day before.
One will be the white butter wedding cake (pg. 484), filled with white chocolate ganache and frosted with white chocolate mousseline.
The other will be chocolate butter wedding cake (pg. 486) filled with chocolate mousse and frosted with white chocolate mousseline.
Will the chocolate mousse hold up to being frozen? (It is basically just a chocolate whipped cream)
How long will it take to bring the cake back to room temp?
Is it okay to decorate on top of a frozen cake?
I have never frozen a frosted cake before, so any info. would be greatly appreciated!

Also, has anyone used these wedding cake recipes? Are these the best CB recipes to use for large sheet cakes? How much batter should I use? (My pans are 12x18)
Should I use a heating core for this size cake, or is a flower nail okay?

Thank you!!!!!

Hi Kristen - I can’t answer your freezing questions, but I can tell you TCB’s recipes are great for wedding cakes.  Check the charts on pages 490 - 493 for the white and chocolate butter cake recipes (page 490 has an error that may or may not be corrected in your copy - the baking times listed for the 9x13 and the 12x18 layers are switched).  Please note the chart on 490 gives specifics for two layers of each of the round cakes listed, but one one layer for the 9x13 and 12x18 rectangular cakes listed.

Cakes can be frozen, as cake, filled, and/or frosted.  But they should not be handled directly from frozen.  If you bring a frozen cake to room temperature, it will start to condensate and form water puddles.  It will be very messy to apply decorations on top.  You need to thaw them in the refrigerator for 24 to 48 hours first.

The cakes you mention, and in general most butter cakes, can be stored for a week, refrigerated (longer if your refrigerator stays cold and you don’t open it and close it often).  Frosted or not.  Be sure they are airtight.  I refrigerate the frosted cake until the buttercream has hardened like butter, then wrap with plastic wrap.  Since the buttercream is hard, it won’t get damaged from the wrapping.  From the refrigerator, take your cake out, and decorate.

Thanks for your answers….......very helpful! I think that I’ll refrigerate them as suggested. I’m just hoping that the cool weather will hold through the week…....I’m imagining trying to make several batches of Mousseline in the typical hot California weather