Sue, the best way to make this cake ahead of time is to make the components up to 3 to 4 days ahead and stored separately. Cakes should be wrapped in plastic and left at room temperature; pastry cream in the fridge with plastic touching the top to prevent a skin from forming (up to one week). Assemble the torte on the day it will be served if possible. A pre-assembled cake will last for 2-3 days in the fridge; the meringue softens slightly and filling may weep slightly, but still good flavor. Use whole berries (blueberries, raspberries) rather than sliced strawberries if making the cake ahead of time. Happy baking! Kye@KAF

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