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.
Nicole
Thank you so much for all the advice!! I make my kids birthday cakes and am now making a three tier wedding cake! So nervous, but this post has helped a ton!
June
Can you freeze gluten free cakes and not lose moisture? I make a gf carrot cake that is moist but by day four the texture starts to dry. Hoping freezing would help. Anyone out there with gf experience..
Thanks
Ashlee Marie
once you slice open a cake there isn’t much you can do but wait. Obviously don’t refrigerate either, that makes it dry out even faster.
Lola
I’ve tried this twice now and I love doing it. Thank you for sharing your knowledge! I think dry cake is very sad, especially the morning after you’ve worked so hard to make something moist and delicious. The other reason I enjoy cooling the cake quickly is that I have a toddler who can’t wait to sample the goodies, so the time between leaving the oven and offering her a slice with frosting is not too long. The post is very informative. Lots of the answers to some questions being asked are in there. Great job, Ashlee.
Ashlee
you are so welcome! so glad you enjoyed the tip – and yes, getting to the cake faster is always better 😉
Lisa Wilson
Thank you for this post on freezing cakes. I am making a blueberry wedding cake with fresh blueberries in cake so when I freeze it and then take out to frost the day before can I put in frig because of having blueberries I don’t want cake to spoil, also I live in hot Las Vegas and I don’t want frosting to melt or droop because I’m doing rosettes on one of the layers. Please help.
Ashlee Marie
sometimes you have to refrigerate the cake, it can’t be helped, I just try to avoid it when I can.
Kathy lail
I’m gonna be making a wedding cake in October..wedding is on a Saturday….will it be okay if I bake cakes and freeze them a week before
Ashlee Marie
yup – just don’t freeze once you add fondant to it.
Gretta
I love to read informative comments. You can sometimes get nearly as much information from the comments section as from the original topic. BUT I hate reading the same posts over and over, or questions that want to author to pull answers from the air…you get the point. My question is how do you keep from screaming or answering with “please read the comments before asking questions” or “use some common sense”. Sorry, this is not meant to be “mean” but I have always wondered…especially when I’m reading 200 comments and only about 1/10th are relevant. (I know, so don’t read them, right!!! lol)
Ashlee Marie
ha, it can get frustrating for sure, but getting upset doesn’t do much good
Dora Schubert
Hi Ashlee, we can’t finish off a cake right away, usually the cake is for my husband and me. Should I freeze the leftover cake? Should I slice the cake first and wrap the slices or leftover cake (if sliced big isn’t recommended) in plastic wrap for freezing? Till now I’ve always fridges my cakes. Appreciate any tips you have! Thank you.
Ashlee Marie
100% cut into wedges that you’ll want to thaw and enjoy for a day or two, and wrap in plastic then foil
Ashwini
Hi…. don’t know what went wrong always…. I fill the layers / frost my spongy, soft and moist cake with butter cream / heavy whipping cream and after keeping it in fridge for a while when I want to serve it, have noticed that the cake becomes tough and dry….. can u please help me with the reason n solution…… Thanks !!
Ashlee Marie
refrigerators dry out baked goods, I almost never refrigerate cakes. buttercream doesn’t need to be refrigerated, but of course whipped cream would need to. but yeah, a refrigerator will make the cake tough and dry.
Pat V.
I ALWAYS freeze my cakes for at least one night before thawing and frosting. And I even let them cool all the way, they are still moist when they thaw out. It makes the world of difference, I get many compliments for their moistness.
Lorrie
HI have you ever frozen an Italian Cream Cake.
Ashlee Marie
yup! worked just fine.
Chalotte
Hi Ashlee! I am making a wedding cake and freezing it per your specifications. I am frosting with cream cheese frosting the night before. I think I read not to put it in a dome or you will have moisture problems. What do you suggest? I have cats and was going to put the cake in a large box for stacked cake. What do you suggest?
Ashlee Marie
cream cheese frosting need to be refrigerated, or frozen, so that will protect it from the cat.
Lierin
I have been doing the freezing for a few cakes now and love. I am making a cake for a bday and have to be in transit for 45 min to an hour…it it SUPER hot in Arizona right now…115! Any tips on how to keep it looking good? When I have parties at the park and hot I have been putting them in fridge, but hoping you have other suggestions!
Ashlee Marie
any way you can frost the cake fresh when you arrive? driving with cakes that long in AZ is not a great option. fondant is the best choice, I wouldn’t do buttercream at those temps, not without a refrigerator car
Katrina Laughlin
I have a wedding this weekend, so i have and still am making the cakes during the week, My question is should i take the cakes out of the freezer and ice (using buttercream icing) them on Saturday morning (wedding is at 5 that evening) or should i do it friday night? So confused lol on which is better cause i want them to be amazing.
Ashlee Marie
the time is so close it really wont matter, friday night or saturday morning is both fine
Winifred
Hi Ashley,my sister’s wedding is coming up in September can I bake and freeze the cake a week before the wedding? And please when I cover it with fondant won’t it melt the fondant.
Ashlee Marie
you can freeze the cake after frosting but make sure you thaw it completely, and wipe off any condensation before adding the fondant.
Mary
Hi. I’m make cake for 140 ppl for outside event. I will set up cake table about 1 hr before eating.
I usually ice with buttercream which is yummy. I’m afraid it may fail outside so I tried 1/2 butter 1/2 Crisco shortening. I don’t like the taste. It tastes flat and greasy. Any suggestions for icing for outdoors please?
Ashlee Marie
high temp shortening salt to cut the grease and lots of butter emulsion for flavor. Or serve the cake indoors if possible. It sucks. Outdoor weddings is why they invented fondant – it doesn’t melt.
Tiffany
Do you have to let it thaw before decorating and how long does it take. This will be my first time to Do the freezing process for my daughter’s birthday cake
Ashlee
I leave it frozen if I’m carving it, and it thaws as I carve. But for a normal cake yes I leave it in the plastic wrap and let it thaw for an hour or so (leaving it in the plastic so that any condensation doesn’t get into the cake). then level, fill and frost.
Caroline
Hi Ashlee,
I’m making blueberry and plum cakes. Does the freezing effect the bits of fruit in the cake?
Ashlee
I’m not much of a fruit person so I don’t bake with fruit in my cakes, so honestly haven’t tried it! I would ASSUME it would work just fine, but I’d hate to promise it would work and have it get messed up!
Yvette
I am making my niece’s 15th birthday party cake… Ok so I think I got it down?? I am decorating it with fondant BTW. So freeze cake THEN crumb coat? Or do I let it COOL, level it (except the dome), packaged it well, freeze the layers individually, THEN crumb coat and apply Fondant? I am SO confused!!!
Ashlee
I wrap it then freeze it while it’s warm to seal in the steam, no point in freezing it once the steam is all gone – you’ve let the moisture all leave at that point. then I let it thaw completely in the plastic, unwrap it and level it, frost it then cover in fondant
Rozz
Hi Ashlee, My daughter is insisting on making her own wedding cake. She plans to make a 6 layered carrot cake with cream cheese frosting. She’s planning on baking and freezing the cakes a few days before the wedding and adding the cream cheese frosting the day before the wedding. My question to you is will the creamcheese frosting be ok ,if she doesn’t put the cake in the fridge or will it go off? Thanks so much for all this great advice so far.
Ashlee
She’d def want to refrigerate any cake with cream cheese frosting. There is a reason cake decorators use shortening based frosting or fondant – they don’t need to be refrigerated.
Lori
Ashley, thanks for the tips. I was asked to make a wedding cake for my nephew. And was given a recipe for a white cake that called for buttermilk. I was out of milk and could not make my own, in a pinch the only milk like substance in my fridge was vanilla liquid coffee creamer. Once the cake was done and taken out to cool it fell in the center. I was heart broken…never had a cake fall. Crazy thing taste wise was the best cake we have had in a long time. Any suggestion on how to keep it from falling and still use the creamer?
Ashlee
Buttermilk is more acidic so if you aren’t using it you need to balance the acid in the recipe in another way. Like decreasing the baking soda.