Here’s Everything You Need To Know Before Freezing Your Cakes!
There's little else that beats having a delicious cake on hand in your home. Thus, the common method of freezing them to keep them long lasting. As a matter of fact, expert bakers advise freezing your cake after baking to make frosting and decorating it easy. The nitty-gritty of the process may seem complex, but this simplified guide will help you get it right every time.
Aside from making frosting and decorating easy, freezing your cake will help you break up labor chain so you don't let your tiredness ruin the end result. Even better, you can freeze just about any kind of cake! Below, we have compiled answers to some of the most frequently asked questions about freezing cake.
WHEN SHOULD CAKES BE FROZEN?
The ideal time to freeze a cake is after it has fully cooked but just before you level it. This way, you can level off the top of the cake that may have a freezer burn. Partially frozen cakes (thawed for about 20mins) are also easier to trim and sculpt as they let off only little crumbs.
Before freezing the cake, let it sit and cool at room temperature. First, let the cakes cool in their pans for 10 minutes, then transfer them to a cooling rack where they'll cool down for 10 more minutes.
Warning: Don't wrap a warm cake; it'll only leave the cake soggy! If you do wrap and freeze a warm cake, the best thing to do is to quickly unwrap it after removing it from the freezer. Also, brush off frost so that it doesn't wet the surface of the cake as it defrosts.
WHAT KIND OF CAKES ARE BEST FOR FREEZING?
Freezing is best suited normal to high-fat cakes, which is literally any regular cake that contains some amount of milk and/or oil. On the other hand, lean cakes that lack fat, like chiffon cakes, shouldn't be frozen as they quickly dry out in the freezer.
HOW TO WRAP CAKES FOR FREEZING?
The go-to wrap for freezing cakes are plastic wraps as they provide a tight seal that prevents loss of moisture and protects the cake from freezer burn. A single layer of plastic wrap is sufficient if you're freezing your cake for three days or less.
If you're freezing the cake for much later, then you need to add an extra layer of protection. This can be another layer of plastic wrap, a layer of foil or a freezer bag. With such protection, your cake can last for up to 3 months.
Tip: date the package!
WHAT IS THE BEST WAY TO THAW FROZEN CAKE?
The challenge that accompanies thawing a frozen cake is the condensation that forms inside the plastic wrap during the process. Yet, you can't do without the wrap as it helps collect some of the condensation during thawing, preventing the cake from becoming soggy.
So, the best thing to do is let the frozen cake sit at room temperature for 20 to 30 minutes. Then, with utmost carefulness, remove the plastic bag and frost your cake.
Happy baking!
