I love freezing cakes and cupcakes. I actually think they taste better and are more moist when they’re frozen first. If you freeze them the right way, there is no way anyone can tell that they’ve been frozen…as long as you follow these tips 😉
I like to do things ahead of time. I’m not really a procrastinator and I’m not one of those people who thrive on last minute stress. I like to bake my cakes in advance and I thought why not share with you how I freeze them. I think there are a lot of people who don’t realize that you CAN freeze cakes and cupcakes successfully.
It is such a time saver, especially if you have a cake business as a side job, or if you just like doing things ahead of time.
I never have freezer burn on my cakes, probably because I go a little overboard on wrapping them, but I thought I’d share with you my tips and tricks.
By the way, you can get to two of my favorite cake recipes by clicking these links:
Favorite Vanilla Bean Cake Recipe
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Freezing Cakes:
When I pull my cakes out of the oven, I set them on racks to cool for 10 minutes. I don’t let them sit in their pans any longer than that.
After ten minutes, I then turn them out of their pans and onto the racks to cool completely. I’ve heard of people actually wrapping their warm cakes and sticking them directly into the freezer, but honestly that makes me a little nervous. Isn’t it moisture that causes freezer burn? I just don’t want steam in there when I wrap them up, so I let them cool almost completely.
I may have mentioned it a time or two, but I have a love-affair with press-n-seal wrap. I can’t seem to work regular saran wrap. Call me weird, but it always just crinkles up on me. Press-n-seal is just so much easier to use.
I take a large piece of press-n-seal and set it sticky side down on the counter, set my cake layer on it and wrap it up. (Oh, yeah, I also go ahead and cut the domes off the cakes, if there are any.)
I then set a second piece of press-n-seal sticky side up on my counter, set the cake (seam side down) on it and wrap it up.
Next I take a strip of foil and wrap them up. Here’s my method: I press down the ends of the foil, fold them in like a present and then roll up the ends.
After I’ve wrapped it once with foil, I’ll place the cake layer (seam side of the foil face down) and then wrap it up all over again.
I’ll then put a piece of tape on the top and write what kind of cake it is, the size and the date.
By the way, you can find the video on the process below!
How to Freeze Cupcakes:
Freezing cupcakes is almost the same procedure. I take my cupcakes out of the oven and let them set in the pan, on the rack for ten minutes.
Then I take my cupcakes out of the pan and set them on the racks to cool almost completely.
I spread out a strip of press-n-seal (sticky side down) and set 6 to 8 cupcakes on it and then wrap it up.
I then set another strip of press-n-seal on the counter (sticky side up) and wrap them up again.
Next, I place one or two of these cupcake packets into a gallon freezer bag. I label the bag with the flavor and date.
Again, it may be a little overkill with the wrapping, but I’d rather be safe than sorry and I’ve never had a cake or cupcake come out of the freezer with freezer burn. Another tip is that I don’t like to keep my cakes frozen over three weeks.
So try it out!
UPDATE!!!
How to Defrost Cakes and Cupcakes:
I think most people would assume you just take the cakes or cupcakes out of the freezer and their packaging to let them defrost, but YOU DON’T WANT TO DO THAT! Ok, I’m sorry I yelled at you, but I had to get your attention.
Here’s what you DO want to do: Take your cakes or cupcakes out of the freezer, but leave them in their packaging to defrost. The reason? Well, defrosting will cause some condensation and if you leave them in their packaging, then the condensation will form on the outside of the packaging and NOT on your cakes or cupcakes.
Too much moisture on your cakes can cause air bubbles when you try to ice it. The icing may go on smoothly, but a couple hours later, you’ll look at the cake and there will be a blow out or icing bubble on the side of it. As for cupcakes, if you allow condensation to build on the actual cupcake, it could cause the liners to pull away from the cupcake.
So that’s my update and it’s what I do for all my cakes and cupcakes that I won’t be serving right away.
Try it!
Here’s a quick video I made to show you the whole process!
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New at this. Frustrated with freezer snafus. (Had always stared at the PressnSeal to use for freezing) You made my day! Thank you!
Awesome! I LOVE my press n seal. If they ever discontinue it for some reason, I might actually cry! Lol 😉
How long are they good for once they are frozen???
I usually keep them frozen for about three weeks or so and they always taste fine for me.
Believe it or not I had a bride have to postpone her wedding for nearly a year. Sorry to say the cake was on the counter ready to frost. I told her I’d wrap and freeze for a month or so but that she would have to take to her own freezer for the balance if time. We even froze the frosting.
I explained ( she had already paid) that as long as the cake and frosting tasted to my and her satisfaction when thawed I wouldn’t charge her any more to put together on her new date. Well come time we tasted and they were great. I did have to rebake 3 layers , 1 for damage in freezer and 2 other layers because they ate them lol. Wrap tight and the taste will stay amazing
Wow, they lasted that long!? I’m impressed! That is so funny that they couldn’t keep from eating some of it. hahaha!
thank you I always bake at Christmas and I have to stand on my feet baking for 2 days and then I hurt for a week. Do you know or can you freeze truffles without them sweating after you take them out– another big problem .Right now I just stand on my feet for another day and make them instead of freezing them
My pleasure 🙂 I’m the queen of doing everything ahead of time. I don’t like stressing out at the last minute. As far as freezing truffles…I’ve never tried it. That would be a good experiment though. It might work if you set each truffle on the press n seal, sticky side up, but space them apart a little. Then put another piece of press n seal, sticky side down, on top of them. Then you can take your finger and seal the press n seal around each truffle, then seal the edges of the press n seal together. I’d wrap them in foil and then put in a ziplock freezer bag. I do something similar to fondant decorations I want to keep fresh. I’ve got a post coming up that explains it. If you try it, let me know if it works! 😉
What is the Scottish equivalent to press and seal? Great tips, thank you
Oh my goodness, I have no idea, but if you don’t see it in your grocery store next to the regular Saran Wrap or foil wrap, you might try online. Or you could always take a fun trip to the US! 😉
Very informative
I despise cling wrap as well. I make a huge mess and still don’t have anything wrapped!! I’ve developed an obsession for press n seal!! It’s just so reliable & easy to use!! I love to bake, but have been nervous about freezing! Thanks for this!
Haha!! That’s exactly what I think of cling wrap! I just end up losing my temper with it 😉
Glad I could help!
I’m planning to bake and decorate the cake for my daughter’s first birthday. I’m kind of nervous as I’ve never done it before for a group of people. I’ll be freezing it so that I’m not rushing with the cooking and decorations. I just hope it doesn’t taste like my freezer after it’s been in there for a week!!!
Just make sure and wrap it twice with the press n seal and twice with the foil and it’ll be fine. It’s only going to be in there for a week, so you should be good. Just remember when you take it out, let it defrost still wrapped up.
I am so happy l found yiur blog. It is very imformative. I do have a couple of questions though.
How far ahead does one start defrosting a cake?
Also, defrost in the fridge or out?
Glad I could help 😉 As far as defrosting goes…it depends on how big the cake layers are. Cupcakes will defrost rather quickly (maybe 30 minutes or so). Bigger cake layers may take an hour. Leave them in their wrappings when you defrost them. Just defrost them on the counter. I set mine out and about an hour later, I unwrap them, unless it’s a larger cake layer and then I leave it wrapped on the counter a little longer.
Hi, Kara…
i never freezing any cakes i’ve made, maybe i’ll try later 😀
after you defrost it, then?
eat it directly or you have to warm it again?
thanks
Just defrost it in its wrappings. Once it’s defrosted, take the wrappings off and you can either serve it right away, or ice it and serve it. You don’t need to warm it up. The cake will be fine sitting on the counter for a couple days if it’s covered in a cake server or wrap it again with press-n-seal. You will have to refrigerate it if there are perishable fillings or if you’re using an egg white based buttercream to ice it. If you use the American buttercream (with butter and confectioners sugar), it’s fine to leave it on the counter, covered, for a couple days.
Another little tip I learned from managing an ice cream store is to frost the cake while still frozen. So much quicker because the cake is solid, and the frozen cake helps to chill and set up the frosting, plus traps in the moisture from the defrosting cake. Everyone always asks how my cakes and cupcakes are so moist! That’s my trick.
Good tip. I personally haven’t had much luck icing frozen cakes. I seem to get icing blow outs when I do that, but it may because I don’t typically chill my cakes afterwards. I leave them room temp. It’s never worked for me when I’ve had to cover a cake in fondant, but that doesn’t mean it won’t work for others. Good tip if you plan to keep your cakes chilled afterwards.
Can I freeze a cake that is done with butter cream and fondant
Hi Debbie, I prefer to freeze my buttercream separate from my cake. You can put mounds of buttercream on plastic wrap, wrap it and then twist the ends and put it in a ziplock freezer bag. If the buttercream is already on the cake, you can probably freeze it all together and the taste should be just fine. It won’t be a smooth buttercream finish though. Also, when you take it out of the freezer, you’ll need to leave it on the counter to defrost a bit, but leave the wrapping on it. Let the condensation form on the outside of the wrapping, then you can unwrap it before the buttercream gets too soft.
As far as freezing a cake that is covered with fondant, I have never personally tried it, but my friend Rose has and it seemed to work for her. Here is a link where she talks about it: http://rosebakes.com/can-freeze-fondant-decorated-cake/ Hope this helps you!
I do the same thing when freezing my cakes. I do go one step beyond, because my freezer is so tightly packed. I freeze my cakes on a board. I simply wrap the board with tin foil before I place my wrapped cake on it. That way Im sure to not wreck my cake before it’s frozen. You are right though. It works everytime!
That is a great idea! Thank you for sharing!
Thanks so much for your ideas I am new at this.
Vivian, you’re so welcome 😉
Hi
How do you store your muffins?
I love make banana muffins.
When I store them in ziploc bags and the next day they are WET. I’ve tried other bags and containers, next I tried other recipes. Haven’t found anything yet.
Help.
Hi Cindy, I don’t make muffins often, but I do make cupcakes a lot and I store them a little differently than I do my cakes. You might try it with muffins and see if it makes a difference. Here’s a link to the post I wrote about it. https://iscreamforbuttercream.com/keep-cupcakes-from-drying-out/ Basically, I just keep them in a plastic container. I just set them in the container without wrapping them, then close the container and wrap the outside where the lid snaps shut. They may have a little moisture on the top, but they shouldn’t be wet. Just make sure they’re cooled down when you put them in the container. Hope this helps!
How long does it usually take to defrost a cake ? And do you defrost it completely before unwrapping and using it ? Help! My first time doing this!!!
It really depends on the size of the cake. Usually what I do is take the cake out of the freezer and just set it on my counter. Leave it wrapped. I let mine sit out like this for at least an hour and sometimes a bit more. Condensation will form on the outside of the wrappings instead of on the cake when you allow them to defrost in their wrappings…that’s a good thing. I like to let mine come to room temp before icing them. I know some decorators like to ice their cakes cold, but I haven’t had much luck with that. It seems like I get icing blowouts (big bubbles under the icing) when I do that, so I prefer mine to be completely defrosted and almost room temp before I start decorating. Hope this helps!
Hi Kara
I am making a 4 tier wedding cake for 29th September, how far ahead can I make it and freeze it???
Going onto to amazon to get press and seal, looks a great product, we don’t have it here in Ireland🙁 But hooray 😁 for amazon!!!!!!
Oh yes…the wonders of Amazon! There are tons of things I don’t have available near me, so it’s my saving grace 😉 Ok, onto your question. When I freeze my cakes, I don’t like to leave them frozen longer than two weeks. Really, it’s probably fine up to a month, but if it’s a cake I’m doing for a client, I don’t freeze it over two weeks. Once I’m ready to start the decorating process, I just let them defrost on the counter in their wrappings. Then I’ll unwrap and start decorating. Hope this helps 🙂