Hi Megan! For sure, just reduce the baking time — start checking them at 15mins or so.

Hi Judith! You can totally make everything well in advance. I would assemble day of or even day before and store it in the frige. Here are my tips:

For the Cake: Cool the layers, double wrap in plastic wrap, freeze for up to 3 months. Take out 2-3 hours before assembly.

For the Buttercream: Place in an airtight container and refrigerate for 1 week for freeze for 3 months. Bring to room temperature and rewhip before using.

For the Curd: Cool completely and place in an airtight container. Refrigerate for up to a week or freeze up to 3 months.

Finished Cake: The whole frosted cake can be frozen as long as it is stored in something airtight. For shorter storage, the cake will be fine in the fridge for 2-3 days but after that it will start to dry out.

If the buttercream splits when you rewhip it it just means that it will still a bit too cold. You can save it via my tips here: https://livforcake.com/swiss-meringue-buttercream-recipe/

I am planning on making this cake for our engagement party but I was thinking to do it ahead of time to save time on the day. Ideally I would do as much as I can on Thursday for our party on Saturday but I want to make sure the cake is as fresh as possible.

I have frozen cakes before and this has worked well. I was thinking to make the cakes on the Thursday and freeze them, then also make the lemon curd and the buttercream that day and assemble everything on Saturday. Do you think that would be okay with the buttercream and curd or should I make that on the day itself?

Thank you!!

Hey, no it was not chilled and I did spoon the flour. Well I guess I will just use more syrup 😃 thx for your advise

Hi Pia! The cake should not dry out after a day. Was it still cold when you ate it? If so make sure it’s completely at room temperature. Otherwise here are some tips:
Dry cakes can result from a couple of things. Firstly, is it possible the cake was overbaked? Baking times are just a guideline as every oven bakes differently. I recommend checking on the cakes as they are baking. Second, how do you measure your flour? I always recommend spooning flour into the cup and levelling it off rather than using the cup to scoop it. The latter can add too much flour to a recipe. Those are the most common culprits. Dry cakes can be saved though by brushing the cake layers with some simple syrup: https://livforcake.com/simple-syrup-recipe/

Friendly greetings,
Pia

Hi Laurie! I am so happy it turned out well and that you loved it. Thanks for the feedback!

Hi Trish! Converting pan sizes is always tricky. Here are some sites I use as a guideline:
http://www.joyofbaking.com/PanSizes.html
https://www.cookipedia.co.uk/recipes_wiki/Cake_tin_conversion_charts
I would increase both the cake and buttercream.