How Do I Cool A Cake Out Of The Oven Quickly?
Decorating By SuperSoupy Updated 9 Apr 2007 , 7:14pm by gateaux
I usually like to bake and decorate my cakes the same day, and sometimes I wish there was a way to cool them quickly once they're out of the oven... i've been sticking them in the fridge or freezer for a short period of time. Is there a better way? Thanks to anyone who can offer any tips! 
Hmm, I used to do that too but I'm finding that baking ahead a day or two not only saves time but it doesn't hurt the cake at all. I just wrap the cakes, and set them in the fridge or freezer for a day or two.. and they are ready to go when I'm ready to decorate.
It would solve the problem anyway...
I never bake and decorate the same day. I think a cake that has cooled completely is much easier to work with. I level mine after they have cooled, brush the cut surface with flavored simple syrup, wrap and freeze. I take them out of the freezer the morning of the day I decorate, take the plastic wrap off and thaw, place on cake board, fill, ice and decorate. They are always moist, but they don't tend to have a lot of crumbs and they don't fall apart or crack.
If you were doing a 3 or 4 tiered wedding cake how could you possibly bake and assemble the same day as a wedding? I would be a nervous wreck.
While I won't be brave enough to bake, ice, decorate and assemble all on the day of the wedding, I frequently will bake, ice, decorate the same day. (Obviously for simple designs, of course!) I will put the cakes in the freezer for fast cooling. I tend to bake the larger tiers first and put them in the freezer. The smaller cakes don't take as long to cool, even sitting on the counter or just in the refrigerator. So while the large layers are cooling, I can bake the smaller tiers. While I'm icing the large layer, the smaller ones have been moved to the freezer.
If you get a good assembly line process set up, it all just flows! 
If you were doing a 3 or 4 tiered wedding cake how could you possibly bake and assemble the same day as a wedding? I would be a nervous wreck.
oh wow..it took me a while to figure out how to quote that! i am new to cake central, and i am in no way, shape, or form, ready for a tiered cake! haha...i'm sticking to filled round cakes right now!! thanks for the tips! can anyone offer a recipe for simple syrup? i know it's supposed to keep the moisture of the cake in..i think? [/quote]
rlsaxe...if I want to quote just part, I've always had to go in with the delete key and delete what I don't want to quote...just make sure you don't delete the quote part at the beginning and end of the message. There may be an easier way to do it, but I haven't found it in the year I've been here!
This thread has reminded me of the dozens of people who have asked why I don't bake a wedding cake on the same day as the wedding?
I once replied "It's not a pizza, I can't just pop it in the oven and serve it when it gets out."
They just want assurance everything is fresh, fresh, fresh.
supersoupy......maybe you can tell me how you quoted only a section of someone's previous post. I haven't been able to figure that out yet either!
I'm also interested in the simple syrup recipe.
That is how I quote too, just use the delete and make sure you keep the words inside the square brackets: []
Simple Syrup:
My simple Syrup is
1 cup water
1 cup sugar
1 tsp to 1 tbsp flavor once sugar has disolved and syrup is cooling.
You can bring the whole thing to a boil and once the sugar is disolved you are good. On the stove.
I poor it in a bowl or measuring cup. I usually wait about 5-10 mins.
Then I flavor - I usually use a liquor, but that the french in me. I have also used drop of extracts insteads of the TBPS of liquor.
If I know I only need a little bit, I dont flavor all the way, I set some aside add red coloring and more water to bring ratio to 1 sugar - 4 water and voila you have hummingbird food!
I make my cakes the day before mostly small order, but I would make it 2 days before if I had too. They never turn out the way you want the day of!
Good Luck
I use 2 tall sturdy drinking glasses to elevate my cooling racks to cool them quickly.
2 weeks ago, I did my BIL's wedding cake all in one day (planned on baking 1 day, then icing/decorating the next), but started early enough to get it done by late evening. It was a 6, 8, 10, 12, 14 and an 11 x 15 sheet. I started baking in the morning 8:00 a.m., each cake I pulled out of the oven, I put them on cooling racks and used sturdy tall drinking glasses on each side of the cooking rack to elevate them so the air could circulate under them.
to quote, i highlighted the part i wanted to quote with my mouse, then i click on the "post a reply" button. then i past it in the text box, rehighlight it with my mouse, and click on the "Quote" button. it took me a few tries though, because the highlighting part didn't always work. i'll try the simple syrup recipe!! i made my first cake from scratch last night, the white cake one from CC, and it was really good!! i'm so proud of myself!!! BUT...i bought the bake even strips from wilton and because i was using a 13x9 pan that had slightly slanted edges, it kept falling off... any way to remedy this?! is there another way to keep those things together besided the metal pins they give you?
thanks!
SHIRLEY, I am doing same thing but this time I have to make a cake for Sunday morning and don't have time for that on Saturday so can I bake my cakes on Friday night? Its three-tiered cake so worried about test after two days. I usually making cakes a day before cut, brush and wrap like you are doing but what for more days?
One more question, how long can we keep sugar syrup in refrigerator?
Thanks for your help.
Nitu
there's a quote button in the top right hand corner of everyone's post.
Don't you find most simple cakes easier to work with after they've been frozen? (I'm still new to this, but that's been my experience.)
I started doing it that way because I read that the cake would become a little more dense and less "crummy". I also read that you should thaw in the wrapping so that the condensation is on the wrapping rather than on the cake itself, which could cause the cake to be too moist and more hospitable for bacteria.
Can anyone confirm? 
What you have to try is taking it out of the pan about five to ten min. of cooling in pan or it might crack. Then place it in the fridge or freezer.
loveqm wrote: "What do you flavor your simple syrup with, if you don't mind sharing?"
I like to flavor mine with a vanilla bean, if i wanna be gourmet, but you can use orange, almond, etc.
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