I'm convinced...freezing cakes ROCKS!!! - Page 8

From what I've read on this thread, your cake wouldn't have lifted like that if you'd frosted it frozen. I'd frozen my daughter's wedding cake after I filled & crumbcoated it. I let it partially thaw before attempting to put the final coat of buttercream on and it was a mess, too. The crumbcoat got soft and would lift as I spread the next layer, bringing cake with it. I ended up scraping off the crumb coat and starting over - cake was completely thawed by then. Now I know not to thaw before frosting!

Greetings! Yes, torte means splitting the layers. We have a few legendary Aussies on this site that constantly correct us silly Americans because I believe to you, a torte is a type of cake, splitting your layers is "tort". Right? Anyway, yes it means split your layers.

To ice a cake is to cover in frosting in some form. Many people here use "icing" which consists of shortening and confectioner's sugar, which is where (I believe) the term "ice the cake" came from. But lots of people call that same icing incorrectly "buttercream" since it contains no butter or cream, so don't get too confused by that. And them some of us use real buttercream. But I digress... Using ganache on cakes is sort of new here, and not many do it, we mostly use icing or buttercream.

I would not freeze a decorated cake. I haven't read the entire thread so I don't know what others have said, but personally? No. All my cakes, as soon as they are turned out on cooking racks, go straight in the freezer. Once they are par frozen, I double wrap in plastic and leave for at least overnight if I have the time. Or sometimes if I know I will be using them the next day I don't bother wrapping, but I have a sub-zero in my bakery and they freeze FAST. Sometimes they defrost in the wrapping, sometimes not. I haven't noticed any difference in how "moist" the cake is (man, I hate that word. "Moist" is my underarms after I run 3 miles). I try and tort my layers when they are still par frozen to handle them easily but after just slicing the pad off my ring finger trying to split a too-frozen cake, I'm now waiting until they are more defrosted

We also don't make mud cakes here, which I think is mostly what you make there, so I'm not sure if freezing will help you much since your muds are supposed to mature in the fridge for several days for best flavor. I can't remember what my Aussie pals say about freezing them.

Jen

Thanks for clarifying things Jen.

I'm making a banana bread tonight and will try it out.

Jo

My hips would NOT agree! LOL!

Jen,

I pull my cakes out of the freezer an hour or so before I decorate and let them thaw while still wrapped.

I wrap my cakes warm. It makes sense that the steam that comes from the cooling process will crystalize inside the wrapping and then, when thawing, will soak back into the cake. People go crazy about a moist cake!

This could also cause them to be sticky or gooey on the top. I've found that if I cover them with wax paper before wrapping in plastic wrap, this is not so much of a problem.

I suppose one has to experiment and find out what works for them.

5 years of caking...never had a problem with a cake being gooey.

Fellow cake freezer here. Even if I need to decorate the cake in a few hours I still put the completely cooled cake (wrapped, and zip locked) in the freezer. I feel like the freezer 'matures' the texture and flavor of the cake. I typically leave it in the wrappings on the counter to come to room temp, then I fill and crumb coat e.t.c.

I've tried torting before and after freezing, no difference. I've had success with both butter-based, and oil based recipes.

Does freezing apply to any cake recipe?....n how long before I take it out to thaw?

I notice most people say they wrap and freeze their cakes after they cool completely....I don't. Out of the oven, I let my cakes cool 5-10 minutes in the pan, then turn them out, level them with the cake leveler, then wrap them immediately and pop them into the upright freezer. When I ice them, I ice them from the frozen state...especially with the upside down method.....then they go into the cooler to come up to refrigeration temp slowly.....generally overnight. My cakes stay in the cooler anytime they are not being worked on up until they are boxed for delivery. I have never had a complaint about moistness....that's probably the number one comment I get along with how good they taste. Freezing cakes has gotten such a bad rap over the years....and I agree to a point. If your cake was baked months ago in a factory and delivered by truck, it might not be so good. But a cake baked and frozen a day or so ahead can turn out terrific!

Cool cake and tort then double plastic wrap
- Tight enough not to slide around in the plastic wrap but not so tight it distorts the cake.
Freeze until needed
- Have used a cake up to 9mos old but that was for personal, usually no more than 30 days for someone else.
Take out either night before or morning of icing day depending if it's a "school" day
- Cake usually defrosts in 30min - 1hr
Unwrap thawed cake, if the top is a bit sticky (sometimes happens with the doctored mix cakes). Let sit for 15-30min unwrapped to let condensation dry.
Fill & settle overnight.
Ice and decorate next day.
Cakes are always plenty moist.

I know this is an older thread...but I'm interested in cooking ahead and freezing my cakes.

1. Is there a difference in freezing a cake in a commercial freezer and the home freezer? (I use a commercial freezer)
2. Also do I thaw it in the refrigerator or on the counter?
3. What's the least amount of time I can freeze the cake? (like 1-3 days... is that enough time to help lock in the moisture)

Thanks in advance

Ths method is time saver I always do it