Need Your Opinions - Freezing Cakes
Decorating By angelcakes5 Updated 5 Nov 2010 , 9:48pm by Sweet_Toof
I have a 4 tiered wedding cake for this coming Saturday Nov. 1st. I have two cakes due on Friday - 2 -10" rounds. Today is Monday, I have frozen cakes before but only used them for family so on. If I start baking cakes tonight and stick them in the freezer, do you think it will be all right? I am just nervous. I am sorry too because its a stupid question. Its not like I have never had to bake that many cakes but because its Halloween on Friday I am also making 8 cookie bouquets and also treats for my son and daughters parties, plus helping out a friend. If I can try to get as much done before the end of the week, I might actually be able to get some sleep!
Thanks
It's not a stupid question. I pretty much asked it about a year or so ago, and I'd been doing cakes for 25 years!!
I always bake on Monday or Tuesday and put them in the freezer, then ice and decorate on Thursday. When properly wrapped and thawed (and that is the key), it adds moisture to the cakes and makes them easier to handle. (If I only had video tape of me FLIPPING a 16" round cake over onto another cake! I would have won the Funniest Home Video contest!)
I wrap the cakes in saran. To thaw, I just throw them on the counter, still wrapped. It doesnt' take long for them to thaw.
Ditto to what indy said. I am a "freezer" convert. Before I came on this site I only froze cakes for myself also, and never for longer than a couple of weeks.
After reading all the posts on here about it, I started baking on Monday, which is my day off from my reg. job. I bake everything I need for 2 weeks worth of orders and sometimes an extra couple layers just in case, or for tastings.
I also make all of my BC for the orders and put it in gallon sized freezer bags (suck out the air with my vacuum sealer) and throw those in the freezer too.
It makes it so much quicker to just pull them out on Thursday or Friday and just start to decorate.
So far, everything has been very moist with no evidence that it was ever frozen. I do caution though, some of my scratch butter cakes do not freeze as well. I use the Food Saver vacuum sealer for all of my layers, so I know they're wrapped well.
So far, everything has been very moist with no evidence that it was ever frozen.
I love messin' with my brides' minds! Once in awhile, I'll be short on my sample cakes and I'll have to bake one real quick. The bride asks if I freeze my cakes. I will always turn it back on her by asking, "You tell me .... 2 of these cakes were in the freezer for 3 weeks and one was baked this morning. You tell me which is which."
They ALWAYS pick the wrong one. ALWAYS.
It's one of those questions that will get a flurry of answers going both directions. I freeze. Actually, there are now "experts" who are touting the benefits of frozen cakes --fresh factor, etc. Some people are "freeze-phobic". They think that if you freeze a cake overnight or longer it is no longer fresh. I disagree! People I have baked for always rave about how moist and delicious the cake is. Frozen cakes will actually hold up to six months. Last night, my family wanted a cake for dessert so I pulled out a left over six inch from a project about a month ago... brought it to room temp and frosted it. It was amazing!
if you read some decorating books it tells you to freeze the cake because it's earlier to tort ot carve. I work at a Super Target and all are cakes come in frozen, I make my cakes fresh at home, but your average joe blow wouldn't know the difference if it sat on his lap and called him mommy. 
I had a lady tell me she hates cakes that have been frozen but loves mine because they are so fresh. When I told her she was eating a cake that had been frozen for a week her jaw dropped. She said that wasn't possible because she could always tell when a cake had been frozen. I guess I proved her wrong 
Ok Thank you so much! I think you just saved me. I am going to start my baking tonight then and wrap the cakes really well with siran. Thanks so much, you guys are great!
I had a lady tell me she hates cakes that have been frozen but loves mine because they are so fresh. When I told her she was eating a cake that had been frozen for a week her jaw dropped. She said that wasn't possible because she could always tell when a cake had been frozen. I guess I proved her wrong
Tiggy2, that's funny. Sure, if it was frozen/thawed next to last week's marinara sauce or fish... then you'd have issues, I'm sure. My deep freeze desserts only. As well, the proper wrapping (tight and at least three layers of plastic wrap) makes a huge difference as well.
newnancy: I use the layer of aluminum foil as well(my last post sounded like I had a brain attack), but I have not gone the extra step of an additional plastic bag. I've never had freezer burn with the plastic layers and foil outer layer. I'm not saying you're in overkill mode, but I have not found the extra bag necessary myself.
Good Morning!... Just a question... Does anyone know if it has to do with the type of recipe used?
I most always bake from scratch and froze a cake once (baked Monday, thawed Friday) to see how it would change. I wrapped it in a gazillion layers of plastic wrap. The outcome was that I did not enjoy the texture of the cake and I thought it kind of tasted "frozen" (but I admit, that could have been psychological! 
). It seemed much more dry and crumbly, kind of like cake gets if it set out too long, or when it goes stale. Also, please note that my scratch cakes are more dense than a box mix, but they are not dry. So after that experience, I said "Guess I won't be freezing cakes."
I had a friend tell me once that I should be freezing cakes ahead, so I don't spend so much time at once mixing, baking, making filling, making icing, coloring, putting it all together, decorating, etc... I don't have to tell YOU guys how crazy it is to do around a full-time work schedule. 
And aside from my experience above, I said I wouldn't do it for freshness reasons. But I see here that it seems to be quite the contrary as well! 
This is very intriguing to me!
Anyway, to see how many of you do it with great success and customer satisfaction makes me wonder what I may be doing wrong in utilizing the freezing process. (The indydebi test just floored me!!!) I tried WASC recently and everyone absolutely loved it! So if it's a matter of freezing cakes that were made from a box mix, I'd be willing to try this!
Thank you in advance for any additional information ya'll are willing to share.
Have a great day, everyone!
I am so glad I saw this post. I was wondering the same thing. Yesterday I made cupcakes, then my frosting, then had to put everything in my bags and what not and by the time I got this done I wanted nothing to do with decorating.. lol.. This will make it easier and funner for me to decorate now...!
Indydebi, I am sooo going to do the same experiment! I'll use my neighbors as guinea pigs.
I usually freeze my cakes, but a lot of the time they just stay in the fridge from Monday to Saturday and remain moist. I keep them in the pan I baked them in and wrap with 3 or 4 layers of plastic wrap.
I have had great success with freezing... this is just a recent adventure. I have found the box mixes seem to do better than my scratch recipes... but depends which one.
I have now taken the WASC recipe and applied the logic to some of my other recipes... ie lemon, chocolate, triple choc... strawberry marble mayhem... etc. It has worked out great.
Now, I am curious about the freezing cupcakes.. a little harder I wonder?? Any of you try that and what are your successes... ( I do a lot of cupcakes b/c of kids school events)
Pinkbox
I bake all my cakes from scratch, and before CC I never used to freeze cakes. I read the freezing directions on another website (2 layers of saran wrap 2 layers of foil) and I have never had a problem. I have even frozen fully iced and decorated cakes with no problem.
Macsmom, I wondered how long a cake would last if I wrapped and put in the fridge. Does it dry out at all being that long? This would be a box mix.
Macsmom, I wondered how long a cake would last if I wrapped and put in the fridge. Does it dry out at all being that long? This would be a box mix.
Another CC'er (wish I could remember who!) posted an article from Cooks Illustrated that said the "going stale" process in baked goods (cakes, breads) is stopped when the item is put in the freezer .... but it's accelerated when it's put in the refrigerator.
Freezer .... good.
Refrigerator .... bad.
Another CC'er (wish I could remember who!) posted an article from Cooks Illustrated that said the "going stale" process in baked goods (cakes, breads) is stopped when the item is put in the freezer .... but it's accelerated when it's put in the refrigerator.
Freezer .... good.
Refrigerator .... bad.
Hi Indydeby, that was me. The website is cooksillustrated.com. You have to be a member to get to the article, but the gist of it is that the refrigerator actually speeds up the staling process and the freezer stops the staling process. Unless you're using the cake the same day, you're better off freezing than refrigerating. And if you don't want to freeze, you're better off leaving the cake out at room temp (unless it has a filling that could spoil) than putting it in the refrigerator.
If you had left-over french bread would you put it in the refrigerator??
Scratch or mix, it makes no difference....
I don't usually freeze - I keep seeing posts saying some scrathch recipes don't freeze well but which ones? I think i'm gonna bake one and freeze it just to see what it's like ( it's usually madeira cake i do coz i mostly have to carve) coz life must be sooooo much easier if you can freeze everything in bulk and just thaw stuff as and when you need it. It must make decorating more enjoyable time wise coz you're not waiting for the cake to bake, cool then start decorating - for me usually about 11pm 
I don't usually freeze - I keep seeing posts saying some scrathch recipes don't freeze well but which ones? I think i'm gonna bake one and freeze it just to see what it's like ( it's usually madeira cake i do coz i mostly have to carve) coz life must be sooooo much easier if you can freeze everything in bulk and just thaw stuff as and when you need it. It must make decorating more enjoyable time wise coz you're not waiting for the cake to bake, cool then start decorating - for me usually about 11pm
I have frozen madeira cake also, with no problems.
I freeze fully decorated cakes all the time. Takes the pressure off during busy weekends. I place my cakes in the appropriate size cake box, tape shut, wrap w/ clear wrap then wax paper then alum foil. 48 before needed I move to the fridge still fully wrapped, then 24 hours before I move to room temp unwrapped. Unless I know that the cust won't be eating it right away, then I just leave in the fidge & let them bring to room temp.
PS ... what is WASC?[/quote]
wow
I need ot make my birthday cake for friday, im totally gonna bake tonight now that I feel more confident with the freezing bit.
Does this mean though that if I have some frozen meat in the freezer- wrapped and in ziplock bags, that I shouldnt freeze the cake??
I only have one freezer and I buy meat in bulk.
If thats true then I guess no freezing for me.
I freeze all the time. Even if I am going to ice the cake the next day, I pop the layers in the freezer over night. People rave about my cakes and how moist they are.
WRAPPING TIP: I have found a new love.......Glad 'Press n Seal'...... I look like a funny I Love Lucy episode when i try to wrap layers of cake with Saran Wrap. I hate fighting the clingy stuff.
Press n Seal is so easy. Cut the pieces a couple inches larger that the layers, one on top and one on the button and press together.....Presto! All done and no multiple layers of wrap needed and no fighting with Saran wrap.
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