Ok, stupid question. 
Can you make cake batter ahead of time and refrigerate it? Does it bake up the same way? How long will it keep in the fridge?
Sorry for all the dumb questions, I make so few cakes that I usually make the batter and put them straight in the oven. But I'm on a time crunch.
TIA
no help here...but it's an excellent question not a stupid one! I want to know that too!!!
i have used left over batter and added it to new batter, but it just doen;st bake up as light, it seems a little heavier. i try not to do it, and would rather make cupcakes with the left over now.
I totally agree with sweetcakes. I've done it before and it does not bake the same. Anytime I have batter left over I just bake little loafs or cupcakes.
Ok, so everyone is right. The answer to this question is NOOOO.
I knew I would be pushed for time this evening, and I have a cake due tomorrow, so I got up early and made the batter and put it in the fridge. Hubby wakes up and says, "Can you do that? I don't think it will bake right." I hadn't even thought of that. So I posed the question to the endless knowledge that is CC.
I went ahead and baked it, because, let's face it, I didn't want to waste materials. And it didn't rise AT ALL. So now I have a pathetic looking 1/2 inch (yes, that says a half inch) tier cooling in my kitchen. 
So hubby is off to the store for some box mixes. At least that will save me a little time tonight. 
I do it all the time when I'm baking lots of layers but it's not an overnight thing.I fridge it for about 40 minutes while I'm baking other layers.
I have freezed cake batter also.and it still baked up the same!!
Grocery stores get frozen muffin batter in already packed in bakeable plastic pan.They pop it right out of the box and into the oven!! you can FREEZE it also.
Ok, stupid question.
Can you make cake batter ahead of time and refrigerate it? Does it bake up the same way? How long will it keep in the fridge?Sorry for all the dumb questions, I make so few cakes that I usually make the batter and put them straight in the oven. But I'm on a time crunch.
TIA
Boxed cakes are more forgiving than scratch cakes when it comes to this. You can refrigerate box cake batter for a few hours or so. (The manufacturers have actually done this in their test labs.) With scratch cakes this is not recommended as the leavening agents start to work almost immediately.
Interesting that I just saw this post.
I'm probably a late getting my two cents in, but I put batter (box) in the fridge last night. It was there all day until I got home, just took it out of the oven and it rose nicely.
Like Cake_Princes said, "box mixes are more forgiving". I had a little left and made cupcakes they tasted wonderful 
Most baking powders (in the U.S., anyway) are double-acting. Double-acting means that while they begin working immediately, they are also heat-activated (by baking):
http://tinyurl.com/2p7fd4
Here's another thread where members have successfully both refrigerated and frozen cake batter:
(Unfortunately, previous threads on this subject were lost in THE CRASH.)
http://cakecentral.com/cake-decorating-ftopict-580334-.html
Freezing cakes & cake batter:
(And lots of other food stuffs.)
http://tinyurl.com/5dcn4n
HTH
Helpful info from:"thekitchn.com"
"Freezing Cake Batter"
Here are three ways to freeze your batter to make sure you have rave results three days, three weeks, or three months down the road:
1. Freeze the Batter In the Wrapper: Line your muffin trays like normal and fill the cups. Cover with plastic wrap tightly (so it doesn't drag on the surface) and freeze. Once frozen, remove tray and toss the cupcakes into a zip top bag and remove as much air as possible. You can either allow them to come to room temperature before baking or leave them in the oven for an extra 5 to 7 minutes. How simple is that?
2. Freeze the Batter In Zip Top Bags: This one requires a little bit of leg work, but it can be well worth it. You can freeze your batter into larger bags, therefore having fewer roaming around in your freezer, but we actually prefer smaller quart size bags instead. Using a 1/4 cup scoop, place 6 scoops of batter inside each bag (roll the zip edge back before starting so it stays clean). Remove the air, seal and freeze. Thaw in the refrigerator and snip the tip to pipe the batter back into the cups. Add 2 minutes additional baking time (unless batter is at room temperature).
3. Freeze the Batter Disposable Muffin Pans: Although this isn't our most frequently used option by any means, when we're catering for large groups, this method has come in handy on more than one occasion. Line cups and freeze batter in the pan in the cups and then the trays can literally go straight from the freezer to the oven without any extra steps in between. Plus, the pans give a little structure to the chaos of your deep freezer and keep things in line and neatly stacked.
We've tried this method with all sorts of cupcakes and although we've never had a problem with butter based recipes, we have had an occasional hiccup with vegan or recipes where white vinegar and baking soda create the lift in the batter. When there's no other add-ins, things turn out just fine, but say you've added chocolate chips or ginger chunks to your batter, they kill the lift in the batter while things are freezing up and aren't as sponge-y as we hope (though they are still tasty and edible).
Oh pshaw. I refrigerate batter ALL THE TIME. I'd wager that every bakery in the country refrigerates batter ALL THE TIME. I refrigerate it for DAYS AT A TIME. Take it out of the fridge, stir it and bake. I don't even let it come up to room temp. It bakes up fine, but maybe not quite as high, so throw some extra batter in the pan.
And I'm exclusively a scratch baker.
Note - batters leavened with only baking soda or only whipped egg whites will not hold for long. Baking powder batters will hold fine.
Yeah...I do the same with mine and they turn out just fine as well. I'd just never heard of freezing it.
If you want to mix batter ahead, you can add the baking powder at the last minute before baking. Keep out 1/4 cup flour and the baking powder, mix them together first, and then fold them into one batch of cake batter by hand.
If the recipe calls for whipped eggs, on the other hand, you have to put the batter into the pans right after mixing. It can then sit for a few hours but I would not try to keep it any longer.
I have just one home oven so being able to store the batter in the fridge while waiting on one 12" pan baking at a time will be very helpful.
Hello all,
I used to work for a celebrity professional bakery and let me tell you refrigeration of batters must be allowed or businesses would not be an operation. Batters are refrigerated until they are used up which sometimes can take a couple of weeks and they are completely fine. All of these batters are from scratch so trust me when I say depending on how you make them and how you store them refrigeration is absolutely possible.
I know this is an old thread, but I came across it yesterday while searching for the same answer. I do a lot of cupcake baking and also have a full time job, so making batter ahead and refrigerating it would be awesome. I read a few comments and decided to try it with a scratch recipe that uses baking powder and today, 24 hours later I took the batter out of the fridge and scooped it into my cupcake pans and VOILA - they rose up perfectly and had nice domes and everything! Just wanted to post this for someone who's still unsure...I tried it and it works. Now I need to find out how many days this batter can stay in the fridge and still be used. Next time I'll try two days :-)
I ran across this just recently and saw on a Betty Crocker website that you should refrigerate no more than 1 hour. Also, as was probably mentioned, baking soda reacts to the liquid and baking powder reacts with heat, so if using only baking powder, I think it would do well. But, if using baking soda, it would probably lose much of its height. :)
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