Can You Freeze A Fully Decorated Cake?

Decorating By stephanie214 Updated 17 May 2005 , 4:56am by SquirrellyCakes

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stephanie214 Posted 16 May 2005 , 10:12pm
post #1 of 22

Hi everyone,

I have a cake order for the Sponge Bob sheet cake with the gel transfer. The order is for the 3rd of June. I will be going on vacation on the 28th of May and will not return until the 5th of June. Can I decorate him and then freeze until the day before pick-up and if so, how would I do this?

Any help would be greatly appreciated.

21 replies
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ntertayneme Posted 16 May 2005 , 10:31pm
post #2 of 22

I'm really not sure if you could do this or not ... never heard of anyone freezing a fully decorated cake...

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tcturtleshell Posted 16 May 2005 , 10:48pm
post #3 of 22

The only thing about freezing is that the dark colors will run when it starts to thaw out. Is this a FBCT or is it a character cake or what? I would be worried about the colors running.

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magentaa23 Posted 16 May 2005 , 11:02pm
post #4 of 22

u can freeze fully decorated cakes.. iv froze fondant ones before too not coz i actually wanted too, but the party was changed to a different day and the cake was done already.... however i wouldnt want to freeze a gel transfer... u might want to do it out of buttercream, but it shoulld hold up good i never had color bleed yet .

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veejaytx Posted 16 May 2005 , 11:09pm
post #5 of 22

The one time that I froze a decorated cake, the BC piped decorations broke apart and fell off when the cake was cut. Janice

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stephanie214 Posted 17 May 2005 , 12:04am
post #6 of 22

Thanks everyone for your help.

magentaa23, the gel transfer is only the outline to get the picture. He will be done with the buttercream stars, will this make a difference?

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veejaytx Posted 17 May 2005 , 12:23am
post #7 of 22

Hi, I just did an experiment with freezing piping gel, if that is what your outline will be, and it just gets stickier and stickier when it is put in the freezer. Of course, you may be using the icing gel, I don't know how that does when frozen. Janice

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stephanie214 Posted 17 May 2005 , 12:48am
post #8 of 22

veejaytx,

I use the Wilton piping gel. I have never colored it because I've only used it as outlining to transfer the picture. I will try a mini cake and use dark colors and see what happens. The only dark color that I will use is brown for his shorts, do you think this will bleed around the outlining?

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unforgetable2u Posted 17 May 2005 , 1:29am
post #9 of 22

i dont know if this will help or not but i worked in a bakery for 5 years and we always put the fully decorated cakes in the walk in cooler not the freezer... maybe there is a way to refrigerate it while your gone?

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cakes-r-us Posted 17 May 2005 , 1:59am
post #10 of 22

you can freeze decorated cakes. put in freezer unwrapped, when frozen wrap with plastic wrap and put in your box. when ready to defrost, unwrap and let thaw at room temperature.

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veejaytx Posted 17 May 2005 , 2:03am
post #11 of 22

Stephanie, try the piping gel in the freezer when you do your trial, just to see how it works. Janice

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stephanie214 Posted 17 May 2005 , 2:18am
post #12 of 22

Thanks so much for all the great responses.

AS ALWAYS, YOU ARE THE GREATEST !!!!! thumbs_up.gif

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stephanie214 Posted 17 May 2005 , 2:25am
post #13 of 22

Sorry, but I forgot to ask unforgetable2u, if I put the cake in the cake box and completely wrap the box in saran wrap and put it in the refrigerator will that keep it fresh? Do you think the refrigerator is close to a walkway as possible?

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cakes-r-us Posted 17 May 2005 , 2:28am
post #14 of 22

If you dont freeze your cake before you wrap in plastic, it will ruin your decorations.

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SquirrellyCakes Posted 17 May 2005 , 3:30am
post #15 of 22
Quote:
Originally Posted by stephanie214

Thanks everyone for your help.

magentaa23, the gel transfer is only the outline to get the picture. He will be done with the buttercream stars, will this make a difference?



If all you are doing is tranferring the picture to get the ouline of it, with the gel, then it should be fine because your transfer is really out of buttercream and it will cover the gel. I have done this before. However sometimes the darker colours do bleed out once defrosted. This doesn't happen to everyone, but it does happen to some. The darker colours like red, dark blue and black are the worst colours for doing this.
Another option would be to do an actual buttercream transfer, make it up ahead and freeze it separately. I do this often. I freeze it overnight, remove it, reverse it to check the design and then I place it on parchment and cover it with parchment and bag the whole thing, still on top of the plexiglass and freeze it for a couple of weeks until I need it. I use my own recipe that I do not find bleeding out an issue with.
I do agree though, that when you freeze a cake, most particularly with the all shortening and water recipe, that when you cut it, as was stated, it does tend to break off in rows of stars, not a big deal but that is what happens.
I freeze them a bit differently, I box the cake and then put the box into a green garbage bag and get rid of any air and tie and freeze. I would suggest double boarding this cake, because sometimes these rectangular boards tend to warp when frozen and thawed - even when well sealed.
Anyway, just another opinion, haha!
Hugs Squirrelly Cakes

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stephanie214 Posted 17 May 2005 , 3:39am
post #16 of 22

Thanks SquirrellyCakes, your advice was very informative. I would love to have your recipe if you don't mind sharing. I use butter and shortening. Don't particularly care for the shortening only.

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unforgetable2u Posted 17 May 2005 , 3:45am
post #17 of 22

i am so sorry i stepped away for a bit.... i believe it would be just fine as long as there are no refridgerator odors that get to it. we had them stay in the walk in cooler for as long as a week and were perfectly fresh, they were also decorated with buttercream and whipped icing.

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stephanie214 Posted 17 May 2005 , 3:50am
post #18 of 22

Thanks unforgetable2u, I'm going to wrap the box in saran wrap and then tie in trash bag as Squirrelly suggested.

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unforgetable2u Posted 17 May 2005 , 3:52am
post #19 of 22

your very welcome icon_wink.gif glad i could help in a little way lol

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SquirrellyCakes Posted 17 May 2005 , 4:17am
post #20 of 22

There is usually better humidity controls in bakeries than that which we have in our own refridgerators. I do know a few folks that will refridgerate a cake in their fridges for a week, I don't. Maybe I am more sensitive to taste changes.
Ok I pretty much follow Cali4Dawn's method for doing a buttercream transfer, the one that is on the site, it is excellent.
I do a different icing though, mainly because I wanted to come up with an icing that was a consistency that people wouldn't have to guess at, one that would work the first time. So I played with this. It doesn't mean that her recipe isn't as good, it just means that I could tell what consistency I needed.
For a very large tranfer you will likely have to triple the amounts used. I use regular real old brown vanilla and the only colour you won't be able to get with it is a pure white. IF you must have a pure white, then go with the clear vanilla and it will be fine.
Had not done one of these transfers in about 15-20 years.
Just go without about 1/4 inch of colours and top that off when set with some more icing of the colour of the top of your cake.
So I played with the icing until I got the right consistency and here is what worked for me. It also worked just fine for the black outlining, I didn't have to freeze it or dry it before continuing with the other colours. All I did was add black Wilton paste food colouring to a small portion of this icing, no special fudge icing or Wilton black icing ready-made or anything.
So you are going to follow the usual steps. You use a sheet of plexiglass or a board that can go into the freezer. You tape your picture on well. Cover it with waxed paper and tape it well too. I had my brother-in-law get a 16 inch square of plexiglass cut for me, I figure that would be about the biggest size I would ever use for anything, but you can get various sizes cut.
Buttercream Transfer Icing
1/2 cup Crisco shortening
1/2 cup butter, softened, I use salted
1 1/2 tsp. vanilla extract, I used the pure brown, but you will get an ivory tinge to your icing so you can switch to clear (the brown really does not affect any colouring except your white will be more of an ivory, but for eyeballs etc. it isn't noticable)
2 cups of sifted before you measure it out, icing (powdered) sugar
No other liquid and you don't need to dip your spatula in hot water or any of that stuff!
Blend butter on low until softened. Add Crisco and continue on low. Add vanilla and continue on low. Add icing sugar, one cup at a time and continue on low until well incorporated. Then colour and apply. I use a tip 3 for outlining and a tip 12 for filling it in. I don't use a coupler in my icing bags for this. You can use parchment bags with just a tip cut off the end or whatever. Let it set for a 25 minutes or so and dipping your fingers in icing sugar or cornstarch smooth out. When all colours are done and set a bit, smooth out your fingers with a spatula and apply your backing and outlining colour. Now if it doesn't feel set, I sprinkle on some icing sugar and then smooth out the icing using a pouncing motion, up and down. Again smooth out with a spatula, once set. Now I also covered the finished product in parchment paper, then inserted the whole thing in a green unscented garbage bag and froze it overnight. Then in the morning I took it out, flipped it onto parchment, lifted off the waxed paper and then reinserted it with a piece of parchment over it, back on plexiglass and into an unscented green garbage bag and back in freezer. It is solid enough that you don't need the plexiglass on it to re-insert in freezer, I just did because I needed a flat surface as the freezer is pretty full! You could just put it parchment paper and all, into a freezer bag.
When you need it, take it out of the freezer, remove the papers and lift it onto your iced cake and using a small star tip or shell or bead, go all around the outer edges.
My regular buttercream for icing a cake.
1/2 cup butter, I use salted
1/2 cup Crisco shortening
1 1/2 tsp. of vanilla, I use the real brown, you can use articial clear of whatever flavour combination you want
5 cups of sifted before you measure it, icing/powdered sugar
2 tbsp. unwhipped whipping cream
whole milk to thin to desired consistency
Using paddle attachment on low whip butter until softened. Add Crisco and continue on low until blended. Add vanilla or flavourings and continue on low. Now add one cup at a time, powdered sugar and continue on low until well incorporated. Now add cream and mix on low. Sometimes I mix for a very short time on medium, but only seconds really. You now have a very stiff buttercream suitable for doing a stiff buttercream dam, but too stiff for anything else. So add some whole milk, generally I add about 2 tsp. at a time mixing on low, until I get the consistency I need.
Hope that helps.
Hugs Squirrelly Cakes

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stephanie214 Posted 17 May 2005 , 4:42am
post #21 of 22

Thanks Squirrelly, can't wait to try your recipe icon_lol.gif

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SquirrellyCakes Posted 17 May 2005 , 4:56am
post #22 of 22

Youi are very welcome Stephanie, hope it all goes well for you! I do know that several folks who couldn't get the consistency right, had success first time out with this icing, so that is a good thing!
Hugs Squirrelly Cakes

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