Kay, I know a ton of people out there don’t like the word “moist” BUT I’m not sure how else to describe a cake that’s not dry in any way. SO I’ll probably use it a few times in this post – sorry.
Alright. You take the time to bake a cake, then you let it cool, and what happens? STEAM escapes and leaves your cake as it dries. All that moisture is going OUT of your cake into the air, and it’s drying out slightly. For most cakes its probably okay, BUT I don’t just want an OKAY cake I want to serve an amazing cake.
So the second my cake is cool enough that I can tough it without getting 3rd degree burns I wrap it at least twice in plastic wrap and throw it in my freezer. Yup, trapping that steam and cooling the cake.
BIG tip here – NEVER refrigerate baked goods. Nothing dries out cake or other breads/baked goods faster than the fridge. It’s a killer, better to leave in on the counter. BUT freezing is different, it STOPS, rather than slows and so your cakes will stay not dried out and still taste amazing when it thaws (without losing all that steam).
Of course if I’m CARVING a cake I let it stay in long enough to freeze completely, but you can just leave cake in until it’s cooled then immediately trim, frost and serve as well.
Hafiza Dakri
Hi Ashlee, thanks for the tip I am going to try it. I’ve noticed that if I keep my dry cake covered in a dome overnight even while frosted, it’s moist the next morning. Any advice on why this technique works too? Definitely doesn’t help when frosting a carrot cake with cream cheese frosting so i look forward to using your tip in future!
Ashlee
the cake is pulling moister from the frosting, once you cut it that won’t help of course, as the air will get in. and cream cheese frosting doesn’t have that much moisture to pull from, and a carrot cake is more dense, so it can’t pull as much from the frosting. you can also use a simple syrup
Carol
Hi Ashlee, I’m making a 4 tier wedding cake for next weekend. 1-10″ 2 layer… 2-8″ 2 layer(drum) and 1-6″ 2 layer. I’ve never baked and froze any of my cakes, but this is a big wedding and I’m also making 2-1/2 sheet cakes. So, I want to try this process to cut my time. I was thinking of baking all week long, freezing, and then taking them all out on Friday, filling, frosting and stacking the cakes. I have to refrigerate them again because the cake will be too tall to put back in my freezer and and I need to get the buttercream rock hard so that I can paint the entire cake gold. Any helpful tips you can give me would be appreciated ? I’m on facebook Crazy Confections By Carol
Ashlee
personally I don’t ever refrigerate cakes – just my own rule of thumb. and I only paint gold onto fondant – never buttercream. So I’m not very helpful on that front, sorry! esp since once you bring the cake out of the fridge and it comes back to room temp it will condense and could ruin the frosting and paint job.
Shokofe
Hi .i have a problem with butter cream.when i cover my cake or cup cake with butter cream i keep them in fridge but when i want to serve the frosting got tough and dry .please help me ❤
Ashlee
I never refrigerate cakes – it dries them out. once you frost them they are fine on the counter- the frosting will keep the cake moist. ALL bread products can be frozen or room temp but should never be put in the fridge.
Kay
Hi Ashley,
If im stacking a cake do I frost inbetween the layers before freezing or after?
Ashlee
After – you freeze while they are still steaming to trap the steam into the cake – if you wait until it’s cooled there really is no point
Linda
Hey Ashlee
Just wondering if i can freeze a cake that has sour cream in the batter?
Love all your tips!
Ashlee
once it’s baked it just fine to freeze
Jo ann dill
How do you keep the plastic wrap from sticking to the cake once it is thawed? I tried this freezing method , and the cake was very moist; however, the plasticstuck and peeled away a lot of the cake
Ashlee
is it a from scratch cake? or a box mix – box mixed don’t really work well with this technique as they get really gummy – make sure you peel it off when it’s still frozen if that’s the case and that will help.
ARLINE ORR
i AM FREEZING A FROSTED CAKE FOR ONE WEEK. WRAPPING WITH ALUMINUM FOIL AND PLASTIC WRAP.. WILL THIS BE MOIST WHEN REMOVING 1 WEEK LATER
Ashlee
I don’t freeze frosted cakes, just pre frosted – and I wouldn’t use aluminum foil – just plastic wrap – this techniques works best when you wrap a cake when it’s still warm cause it traps the steam into the cake instead of it evaporating. the reason I don’t freeze frosted cakes – is cause when it thaws the condensation will ruin the frosting
jan
Hi i tried this this week, but came across a problem, the cakes went out of shape, bout the were round, so had to bake some more, and use fresh, where did i go wrong? wrapped to hot, to tight??
Ashlee
I wait 10 mins then wrap and I bake VERY dense cakes so they are strong – but yes don’t wrap too tight – you could totally get it out of shape – also make sure your shelf in the freezer is flat
Candace
I’ve been told you have to have a separate freezer for cakes than with normal food. The temp of the hot cake can make the freezer temp rise and can cause bacteria to grow on the other foods. Your thoughts on this? I freeze my crazy banana cake but just to cool it off and I cool it in the pan.
Thanks
Ashlee
I happen to have a separate freezer – I have 3 in total so one is for my baking – but before I got the freezer I still did it this way. I think it depends on how close your cake is to the other foods and how cold and full your freezer are – when I did it before I had the second freezer I always put it on a shelf with a wide berth – and kept my freezer slightly colder than they recommend – but never in the pan – the pan will take a lot longer to cool then the wrapped cake
Lauren
Hi Ashlee, 2 questions-
Will a recipe using boxed cake mix + sour cream and other ingredients freeze well?
I am making two 10″, 3″ deep cakes. Do I freeze as-is or do I cut 1″ layers then individually wrap and freeze 6 layers? If the former, how long to thaw? Thank you!
Ashlee Marie
I freeze while they are warm, don’t cut them but box cake mixes don’t freeze well.
Meghan
Simple, fantastic idea. It solves two problems for me. I sometimes over-bake becauseI have a tiny apartment with a smoke alarm that goes off once the oven door opens. So I sometimes leave things in longer than I should, to avoid having to open the oven door to put things back in. So trapping some moisture in a slightly dried out cake sounds good. (I have mine on the counter now, defrosting.) Also, I’m often short on time and reducing the time I spend waiting on a cake to cool is wonderful. Thanks for sharing!
Suney Diedericks
I removed a cake that I froze 3 weeks ago and it came out perfect. If you don’t know it was frozen you would think its freshly baked. I found that the cake had less crumbs when cut and its still moist. I let is cool before I wrapped it for freezing. Thanks for the great tip.
Patricia Biernat
I live in florida where humidity is an every day occurrence…. i am making a wedding cake and need to frost ahead any recommendations to thicker firmer frosting to hold up in humidity they do not like fondant
Ashlee Marie
make sure it’s inside then. High temp shortening is a must if your going to be outside. make sure your client knows it’s not going to be your classic deliciousness.
Skye
Hi I’m just wandering I have a wedding cake to do and as its 4 tiers plus some sheet cakes it’s going to be a Madiera cake should I freeze it while it’s warm as they say Madieras should sit for 24 hours to rest. Thanks
Ashlee Marie
don’t freeze the sheet cakes – yes you can freeze the cake
Beryl
Have read all your posts and really found them helpful. Wondered why my cakes were rather dry. Will use your tips in future. Can’t wait. Thank you.
Nicki
Will this work for ricotta cake as well?
Ashlee Marie
I havn’t tried it – does it need to be more moist?
Jannie linn
Thank you for all the help!
Emily
Someone asked about whipped cream as icing..I use whipping cream and butter for my buttercream. How long would you keep that at room temp? I used to refrigerate my cakes and have now started keeping them in a cooler room of the house instead if they have to wait.
Ashlee Marie
a small amount of whipping cream in buttermilk isn’t enough to need refrigeration – butter is okay out, I don’t refrigerate buttercream
Campbell Miller
Hi Ashley, I saw you on the HBC and you were incredible! I was wondering if I could do this a couple of days before I am actually putting together my cake. Let’s say I make and wrap the cake on a Thursday and I put my cake together on a Sunday, is that too long, or is it Ok? Thanks so much and let me know.
STEFNEY
Hi Ashlee, thanks for the post. I was wondering,can this method keep sponge cake moist if left in the freezer for a week?