Ok, so I made a Monsters Inc cake for a friends son and I had to make it a couple days in advance. I researched how to store a cake a TON!! And it said that I could just wrap it tight and freeze it and it would stay fresh. Unfortunately, I delivered it today, and they said it was SUPER dry and the icing was rock hard. What did I do wrong, what should I change!? Was it my recipe?! Please please help me, I am feeling really down about it right now. :-(

Was it still cold when they served it? Icing being rock hard makes me think it came straight out of the fridge, or hadn't defrosted yet.

I moved it from the freezer to the refridgerater the night before and first thing in the morning 5 hours before pick up I removed it from fridge and let it thaw.

AHow exactly did you wrap it?

When I used to freeze my butter cakes I would spray them with a sugar syrup after they defrosted. Scratch cakes tend to be drier than box mix cakes and some people may not be used to the difference in texture.

I always make sure I taste my cake scraps, I hate the idea of sending off a cake to my friends/family not knowing if it was good. Its one of those things I'm self conscious about. It's a crappy feeling and I hope you'll be able to figure out what went wrong.

ACling wrap. But I trimmed and crumb coated so the cake was moist before refrigeration. What type if sugar spray? Do you suggest a certain recipe that does better with storing.

AI use cling wrap, twice around and a single layer of foil and all this being done while the cake is still warm...within 15 minutes of popping out of the oven.

I just use simple syrup in a spray bottle. And spray each layer 3-6 times, depending on the size.

I don't think the recipe matters, as long as you didn't over bake to begin with.

Hth

AWrapping warm doesn't cause ice crystals to form within the cake?

Thank you!! I'll try the syrup spray!!

AWell yeah, of course ice crystals will form when liquid is frozen. Freezing for a few days won't freezer burn your cakes, if that's what you are implying. I'd rather wrap while warm than have all that moisture escape.

AOk I see what you're saying now. I thought we wanted to wrap when cool but that makes perfect sense!! Thanks

ALet me know how it turns out next time you bake:)

Was the fondant covered or buttercream?  Just wondering.  If it was BC, "rock hard" implies dried out, or dry to begin with.  As for the cake, it's important to know it's texture before it was frozen.

If this were me, I'd want a sample of that cake from the client as soon as possible after the complaint.

If you box a completed cake, wrap the box completely in several layers of saran wrap & a layer of foil.  Freeze.

Take wrapped box and place in fridge 24 hrs. before serving.  Place wrapped box on counter to come to room temp several hours before serving.  Remove box before display.

If a cake is going to be frozen once completed, I have a  "one freeze rule", so I don't freeze the layers before decorating.  I feel that cakes get mushy after being frozen twice.  JMHO

AAre you sure it was totally at room temperature?

AIt was covered with BC. I tried the pieces I cut off to level it was moist to begin with. The BC was great but I don't think it tolerated freezing well. I thinking was back to too temp it was about 8 hours from the time I pulled it out of the fridge (not freezer) to the time it was served.

Try making simple syrup, its a mix of sugar and water. Heat it up in a pot on the oven. I put some on top of my cake before doing the crumb coat, and never had a complaint about dry cakes. It makes them really moist.

AOk!! Thank you!!

Hi Swayman,

Solution 1: Let it Steep
Poured boiling water in a teacup and then suspended the cupcake in a tea strainer above. Boiling water was only poured to below the point where the strainer reached, so that the water didn't touch the wrapper.
The reasoning: The steaming water would infuse, and re-moisten, the cake.
The result: The texture of the sides and bottom of the cake did benefit from the steaming, however the inside of the cake was still rather hard and stale-tasting. The frosting began to melt on the sides. Overall, not worth the annoyance.

Solution 2: It's a Wrap
Wrapped the cake in a wet paper towel and then microwaved it for 20 seconds (in two ten-second intervals).
The result: While i can't explain the science behind it, i can say that it worked! The cake was warmed and seemed to have been nicely moistened all the way through; the frosting was ever so slightly melty around the edges, but still solid. It is important to note, however, that if you use this method, the cake ought to be consumed immediately.

AThank you!! I think my new goal will be to avoid a dried out cake!!

For everyone else that wanted to know, I made another cake Tuesday, froze it (wrapped in Saran Wrap and foil) We'd morning I removed it brushed on a simple syrup. Not a whole lot because I noticed the cake was pretty "mushy" idk if that's a term that actually fits it. But I could tell it was still pretty moist. Then I crumb coated and frosted. I left it at room temp wrapped tightly in a cake box and delivered this am. The customer told me it was very moist and yummy and the frosting was soft!! I feel like my mistake on the first cake was putting it into the fridge.