Can you guys give me feedback on icing a frozen cake? Good or bad?
I worked in the Wal Mart bakery and that is all we ever did. However, I would say their icing is fattier and smoother than homemade buttercream (it never crusted the same) and I am worried about cracks. (This is for a wedding cake so it has to be really nice)
Also - can anyone give me clues as to how they get SUPER smooth buttercream texture? I use the warm water/spatula but are there other secrets that would work? My buttercream tends to crust a lot so harder to smooth.
Thank you so much!!!
If you frost a frozen cake, the frosting tends to harden up fast and is hard to smooth. I crumb coat them frozen then let them thaw in fridge overnight. Take out then final frosting. Alot of people say never frost it frozen but I have done this for years!!!
If you frost a frozen cake, the frosting tends to harden up fast and is hard to smooth. I crumb coat them frozen then let them thaw in fridge overnight. Take out then final frosting. Alot of people say never frost it frozen but I have done this for years!!!
I find the opposite ... when a frozen cake is iced/crumb-coated, the added moisture from the freezing process prevents my icing from crusting as quickly as it normally does. It stays wet much longer ... the moisture prevents it from air-drying like it should. The frozen cake doesn't "freeze" the icing hard for me.
I never refrigerate my cakes because I prefer the icing to air dry. Cakes only take a few minutes to a couple of hours to thaw, depending on size.
The one time I iced a totally frozen cake, it cracked on me (the science of it: as things warm, they expand ... the expanding cake cracked the icing), but I've read that a lot of folks on here ice frozen cakes with no issues, so I'm going with the assumption that I must have done something different.
Nooooo!!!! No icing a frozen cake! Indydebi, you're not alone, I once iced a frozen cake with the same results. It took forever to crust, decorations fell off, I got a bulge in several places from the frosting pulling away from the cake, bad bad bad 
I really think it depends on where you live, if you live in a low humidity area it probably works out very well....maybe....
The benefits of Icing a frozen cake are: I torte and syrup my cakes before freezing, so they are thin layers, and the freezing makes them MUCH easier to handle without cracking or breaking. So I can easily Dam, fill and stack. Trying to do this to an unfrozen cake caused me nothing but nightmares!!!
THEN I crumb coat and let thaw in refrig. anywhere from 2hrs. - 6 hrs. to settle. Trim and then apply fresh buttercream.
My tip for good buttercream? Beat longer time on slow speed to prevent air bubbles from forming. Med.- fast speed caused air bubbles.
Hope this helps!
Hey, you're in Puyallup! Hi neighbor! Well, I'm in Port Orchard but I used to live straight down 112th on the other side of Pacific.
Anyway, your method sounds fantastic. I only wish I had a freezer with that much room. I have a side by side, no extra freezer. I've been thinking about getting one.
I'll have to try it if I can make room in the one I have. Does it make it easier to get straighter sides?
Thanks so much!
Amy
Wow, small world huh? Nice to meet ya!
Yes, I LOVE having an extra freezer in my garage...It really helps with getting that baking step done quite a bit prior to decorating. Freezing is SO much better on cakes than refrigerator, because refrig. dries out a cake and freezing does not. So, I "limit" my refrigerator time.
And, yes, i believe it does help in getting straighter sides, because when it gets put together firm like that, (without the problems that soft cakes cause) then it has that chance to "settle and thaw." Then sometimes, if it looks not so straight, I use that time to trim up the sides, like SugarShack teaches in her tapes.
THEN I put my final buttercream layer on.
I am surprised to hear all the problems with icing frozen cake layers - I have done this many many times - in fact, I find it really easy! I never wait between the crumb and final coat. In fact, since it is frozen, I just skip the crumb coat! No crumbs come off b/c it is frozen.
this thread prompted me to start a new thread about the fridge/freezer combo we bought specifically for our garage...you may want to check this out, before buying!
http://www.sears.com/shc/s/p_10153_12605_04643173000P
I ice frozen cakes all of the time and you should try a cool whip frosting which is what I use. You can make it very smooth and silky (for writing or stencilling) by adding half and half or very stiff by whipping it a lot. It is very versatile and it always looks great on cakes frozen or not. I had a customer request the cool whip icing under a fondant covered cake and it worked well also. A custard based buttercream works well too, but with frozen cakes I would go with the cool whip frosting.
Jamey
I always Ice them frozen.....I've never had a crack...
My biggest complaint, and this is RARE, is that I sometimes get air pockets that I have to poke with a knife or pin or something....
That said, I usually don't sit them out to thaw them where they thaw really fast, I usually put them in the fridge to thaw, so it is a slower process...IDK, but I love frozen cakes, and working/icing them...wouldn't do it any other way.
Oh, the other reason to ice them frozen (or so I was told) is to get them more moist...I take them out of the oven, let them cool just enough to work with, tort, warp with saran, then freeze, this traps in a lot of moisture/condensation, so then when I ice it, I leave all the "ice" on the cake and the buttercream traps that in. When it melts, wetter cake...
I ice frozen cakes all of the time and you should try a cool whip frosting which is what I use. You can make it very smooth and silky (for writing or stencilling) by adding half and half or very stiff by whipping it a lot. It is very versatile and it always looks great on cakes frozen or not. I had a customer request the cool whip icing under a fondant covered cake and it worked well also. A custard based buttercream works well too, but with frozen cakes I would go with the cool whip frosting.
Jamey
sounds interesting! are you talking about the one that is in the recipe section? http://www.cakecentral.com/cake_recipes_id-add_box-712.html
Yes, I'd be interested in your recipe for that too!
Thanks!
I have to agree I've never had a problem freezing cakes they are much easier to work with when they are frozen especially if you carve cakes it makes it alot easier to carve and do what you want with them.
The icing I use is not exactly the same as the one in the recipe section. Start by mixing 1c cold milk with one package instant pudding mix (any flavor you want vanilla is basic), adding 1/4c powdered sugar, mix those three and then add 8oz cool whip by folding it in. You can add more powdered sugar,or more milk, it is so simple and easy to change consistency. It does need to stay cool, sitting out for long periods of time is not recommended.
Let me know what you think once you have tried it. 
Jamey
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