Can I really freeze an iced cake?

Because of a vacation, I had to bake,decorate and freeze a cake for a friend. It was an all buttercream cross-shaped cake. I boxed the cake, wrapped the box completely in several layers of plastic wrap and then foil. They had directions to remove the cake to the refrigerator the day before, and set it out to come to room temp the morning of the party-still completely wrapped. It was frozen for about a week. It was perfect when unwrapped. I don't know about the RI rosebuds. Could you make them from bc. and let them dry?

decorate your sheet cakes with the red ri rosebuds, put the cake in a cake box, place in a large white plastic bag and tie it closed. freeze it, take it out the evening before its needed put it in the fridge if you have room, leave it as is,in box and wrapped. It will be perfect on opening, just like you just made it.

as long as there is not alot of moisture sitting on the surface of the cake they wont run.

Hello, you can certainly freeze your cakes in advance of an event. Oftentimes bakeries freeze cakes after assembly so that they remain solid and sturdy while frosting. As long as your cakes are well sealed and aren't comingling with savory foods, freezing will keep them fresher than leaving them in the fridge for more than a few days. See this link on how to assemble cakes in the pan to freeze:

http://www.wickedgoodies.net/2010/07/how-to-fill-cakes

Condensation naturally occurs when a cake is moved from a freezer to a fridge climate. When the warmer air hits the cold surface of the cake, water droplets form. The key to avoid condensation damaging your cake is to keep it well-sealed in plastic wrap until it's fully thawed (~6-12 hours depending on size). Then you will peel off a very wet piece of plastic wrap but the cake within will be unaffected. So I would recommend not decorating the cake until after the freeze/thaw since you probably don't want plastic mashing your work. Also you are right to assume that you might have some issues with bleeding if you decorate too soon.

Whatever you do, don't move the cake from the freezer to a room temp environment as that extreme of a temperature change will cause a significant amount of condensation. In the food industry it's called "slacking off" to defrost food in the refrigerator and that is considered the best way to thaw sensitive food, especially cakes.

It took me years of trial and error and many sweat-drenched cakes to figure this out so I hope it helps you! Good luck,
Kristen

Poohsmama do you think it would work with a tres leches cake? They will be white so no coloring. I have to make ten so I would really like to fill and frost them and add the gum paste flowers and ribbon the morning of the event. This is the recipe I use. http://allrecipes.com/recipe/white-tres-leches-cake/detail.aspx

I responded to the thread about the tres leches cake and said NO.

That said, for the most part, yes, you can freeze a FULLY DECORATED CAKE without issue.

Box completed cake. Wrap box in several layers of saran and a layer of foil. Place in freezer.
24hrs. before display, place still wrapped box in fridge to defrost.
A few hours before display, place still wrapped box on counter to come to room temp.
Right before display, remove wrappings.

Cake should be dry & just fine.

This cake was handled in this manner--with no bleeding of the ruby red fondant decos.



Rae