posted by Lisa on November 2, 2015
Are you ready to hear about what I have learned about how to freeze a cake before decorating? I hope so because I have learned a lot! Most of it is about condensation. Who knew you needed a science lesson for cake decorating. Not me! Don’t run away because I mentioned ‘science!’ I promise there isn’t going to be a test.
Recently I shared a tutorial on how to dirty ice a cake and a lot of people asked me what ‘dirty icing’ was. I thought it was something that was well known, but I guess I was wrong. Dirty icing a cake is the same as crumb coating a cake. It is when you add a thin layer of frosting to a cake to contain the crumbs so when you add the decorative layer of frosting, none of the crumbs will show in the decorated layer of frosting.
I first heard of ‘dirty icing’ from Buddy Valastro aka The Cake Boss. I thought the words ‘dirty icing’ sounded more interesting than ‘crumb coating’ so I started saying it. Say it with me, “dirty icing.” Fun isn’t it?
Today we are going to talk about how to freeze a cake. I know this may be a no-brainer for most of you, but when I started making cakes I was totally clueless. Maybe today we can answer a few questions to make things easy for a few beginners.
How to Freeze a Cake before Decorating it:
There are a few questions I had before I started freezing cakes. As a newbie, I was confused so I started doing things ‘my way’ and experimented baked and freezing a lot of cakes to see what worked best.
Here were my questions:
- When do I freeze a cake?
- How do I freeze a cake?
- Can I decorate the frozen cake?
- Do I thaw the cake first?
- Should I crumb coat or dirty ice it before I freeze it?
- Do I crumb coat it after I freeze it?
- When do I level the cake?
You can see how confusing this can get. Well, I am going to share what I’ve learned with you. Keep in mind I’m not a professional cake decorator. I’m self-taught and have learned a lot by trial and error. That’s the way I like to learn and it works for me. If you want to take professional classes I suggest you do it. People who have been decorating cakes for years are fountains of knowledge and we can learn a so much from them.
But in the meantime, here is what I have learned about freezing a cake.
Prepare the cake pans so the cake will easily slide out without breaking. I use this Cake Release Recipe to coat the inside of my pans. It works like a dream and the cakes just pop right out.
The first question I had was why in the world would you want to freeze a cake.
- The simple answer is because it can save time. You can freeze it so when you’re ready to decorate all you have to do is remove it from the freezer and get to work.
- The second reason to freeze a cake is that it makes it easier to handle when you’re working with it. A frozen cake won’t crumble as you work with itand itwill stay in place and hold its shape as you add the icing.
- People swear that freezing a cake for a short time will help make the cake moist and delicious. Professional decorators freeze their cakes because they say it helps the cakes hold their shape and not turn into a giant pile of crumbs when you add the weight of frosting and decorations. It will help the cake slice into beautiful pieces when it’s ready to serve.
Next question, please.
When do I freeze a cake?
- Bake the cake and cool each layer on a wire cake rack.
- Wrap each layer in plastic wrap. I usually wrap it with two pieces to make sure it is covered well.
- Wrap each layer with aluminum foil.
- Place it in a Ziploc bag (if it will fit) and place it in the freezer for a few hours or overnight.
- I like to write the date and what kind of cake it is on the outside of the Ziploc bag. I also like to number the layers because sometimes I might be working on 2 or three cakes at a time. If it is clearly labeled, you don’t have to open all of them to figure out what cakes go together.
You will notice all of the pictures above are of a cake that has been dirty iced, frozen and placed on the counter to thaw. They all have condensation on them. That is what happens if youdirty ice it and then freeze it. I wanted to photograph the cake as it thawed to see if I could capture the moisture as it thawed. It worked! There was a lot of condensation on this cake. The more this cake thaws the more little water beads appear. Yikes! This is why I like to freeze the layers first and then assemble the cake.
- Take the frozen cakes out of the freezer and let them thaw a little while still wrapped.
- Unwrap the layers and level them. Leveling means you cut off the dome with a serrated knife to make the cake even for decorating.
- Don’t level when the cake is completely frozen or it might cause it to crack or pieces may break off.
- Then, fill the layers of the cake with frosting and fillings and stack the cake making sure each layer is level.
- Next, dirty icing or crumb coating and place it back in the freezer for about 20 minutes before adding the decorative layer of frosting. This will help the dirty iced layer set up so you can add the decorative layer of frosting without pulling crumbs into the toplayer of frosting.
How to Freeze a Cake Before Frosting It
This cake has been frozen, then thawed a bit, leveled, filled, stacked and dirty iced. It is ready to decorate and I can’t wait to dive in!
I hope this will help answer some of your questions about when and how to freeze a cake. I know my family was happy to eat all of my science experiments while I turned my kitchen into a baking science lab.
Like I said before, I am not a professional decorator. This is what works for me. You need to practice and see what works for you and when you do, I would love you to share your results with me.
Bear hugs,
posted in All Things Cake, Recipes, The Bearfoot Baker, Tutorials
169 comments 
Hi Diane,
For fondant you can do the same thing except apply a thicker coat of buttercream icing when you dirty ice it. Place it in the freezer for about 20 minutes and take it out when you are ready to decorate it. Use a spray bottle to mist the frosting right before you cover it with the fondant. Be careful and don’t get the cake too wet but spraying it with water will make the fondant stick to the frosting.
Thanks for the tried out and true info! I plan on following your tips. Will cupcakes turn out in the same manner? Wondering if size makes a difference in the process.
Hello Lisa,
I have to bake several cakes for the holidays. Could I try your freeze technique and leave them in the freezer for several days before icing?
Hi Petronia,
You can freeze a cake for up to 3 months as long as you wrap it and store it correctly. Just be sure the place the cake on the counter to thaw completely before you unwrap it. Once it’s thawed, decorate as you normally would.
Hi Monica,
Sorry it took me so long to answer your emails I was on vacation for a couple of weeks. Hubby and I celebrated our anniversary at the beach and it was wonderful. But I’m sorry for not answering you.
I actually don’t freeze cakes with fondant. I make them just before they need to be delivered so they may sit on the kitchen counter over night but I don’t freeze them. Again I feel like I need to mention I’m a self taught baker so maybe a more experienced cake decorator can answer this for you. Check with Melissa at http://www.mycakeschool.com. She is a sweetheart and she’s so helpful!
Thank you! I will be trying this for a cake order this weekend. I am doing a large donut cake, but nfortunately I don’t have the right pan so I will be using 2 layered 10″ rounds and carving them. Would it be better for me to already put the hole in the middle of the cakes before I freeze them and then once frozen and un thawed a bit, then I can carve and round the outter part to make the donut shape? Thank you!
Hi Megan,
I sure hope you share a picture of your donut cake with us! Actually, a donut cake is on my list of cakes to make. When you make yours, you can give me some pointers! 😉
To make the donut cake, I would remove the cakes from the pans after they have cooled.
Then, I would level them and stack them with a layer of frosting in the center.
Next, I would chill it for at least a half an hour before I started to carve it.
If you try to carve when the cake and frosting are room temperature, the layers will slide and it will make things a lot harder. Chilling is the way to go! 😉
Good luck with your donut cake!
I have had great success w/ frozen cake layers and even a completely iced frozen cake, by taking out of the freezer the day before use and keeping in a refrigerator overnight. This will virtually eliminate the sweating on the icing. I have done it w/ homemade marshmallow fondant as well and had the same results. While I don’t like to pre-make my cakes, there have been times when I had to do this process and it worked very well.
Thank you for this info! I’ve never tried freezing cakes well ahead of time because of the condensation issue. I’ve seen it on the dirty iced cakes when I left them in the freezer too long (I always let my cakes chill out in the freezer for about a half hour before I decorate) and so have been scared to just freeze altogether. I have seasons where it’s cake after cake after cake with far too little time to get it all done so this will be a huge time saver. Thanks again!
Hi
Can you tell me how this applies to naked cakes please? Im making my friends wedding cake and an going to freeze it before decorating.
Thanks
I used to freeze my cakes and dirty ice them as well when I lived in Nebraska. Now every time I do that here in Florida my cakes start leaking when I am about half done frosting them. It is so frustrating. I have practically given up decorating cakes. ?
Don’t give up Becky! I know with all the experienced cake decorators out there someone will have an answer that will help you. Have you thought about using a dehumidifier? I mostly make cookies with royal icing and humidity can kill a cookie in a heartbeat! Several cookie decorators purchased dehumidifiers and use them and it really helps. If you enjoy making cakes it might be worth a try.
Hello
My name is Dawn. I am a self baker and I learned different things for different climates. Ia located in Maryland so in the winter Butter cream is best. In the summer mainly the humidity they doing a qhipped chocolate ganache. It doesn’t sweat. Just a hint (for extra shine in your ganache add a 1/4 to a 1/2 top corn syrup. Makes the ganache shine. Hope this helps with the humidity and heat issue. I use it every summer in all my sweet Treats. Just hold better.
Jenn —Reply
Hi Becky! I used to live in Florida for a long 20 years. It is important that you do not freeze the cakes. Due to the high humidity it causes to sweat like no tomorrow. Even if your house is cool it does not matter. Florida is a bucket of humidity. I would refrigerate. Only freeze when you want the crumb coat to stiffen up and if you want the second layer to stiffen up and in increments of 20 minutes-30. How ever do not do this a lot ( the in and out of freeze) once your decoration is done place it in the fridge. So technically do not over freeze. Yes some things may take longer but you won’t have so much sweating issues. I did my cake buttercream. I did the same procedure I just explained to you and no sweating whatsoever. I hope this will help!
I have been decorating cakes for more than 30 years and always bake a couple days ahead, crumb coat and freeze. Much easier to handle. I also do any leveling before freezing the assembled layers. The overwhelming majority of the time the cakes do not sweat while decorating unless it’s really humid. Definitely do not allow the layers to thaw out before decorating or it will be a big mess! Hopefully helpful to someone out there!
I m sorry dear. I just noticed, that my question has been answered down bloew. It takes 2-3 hours to defrost. Leave it on the counter 🙂 And I guess I ‘ll leave it covered in the plastic wrap and tin foil. You are so patient to answer all these questsions! Thanks so much!
Mindy Herrmann —Reply
Cynthia
Could I call you? My sister is getting married in 2 weeks and my daughter on Oct 2. I like to bake and I’m average at it… But I said I would do this for both of them. I have big tiered pans and the will! But would like to talk through the process with someone who actually knows what they are doing?
My cell is 248-231-7887. If willing text or call me!
This morning I made a 12 inch cake and a 10 inch cake lemon blueberry and I am freezing it/both layers right now… They turned out great. My other daughter who likes to bake as well but doesn’t live here with me anymore she said to keep the cakes flat by wrapping them as they bake in tinfoil tubes with wet paper towel in the middle which I did and actually worked! Anyways I will be busy both days of the wedding and wanted to do these the day before and just would like to talk through the process with someone. Thank you, Mindy
I’d like to share another tip…you can freeze cake batter too!! Just thaw and bake as usual.
That is an awesome tip Donna! Do you place it in an airtight container before freezing it?
I have a food saver but you can also use ziplock freezer bags, squeezing out as much air as possible. I have frozen dozens of different kinds of batters and dough and have never had an issue. To thaw it quicker you can also submerge in warm water but if using ziplock take care not to get the zipper part wet. I expecially do this with things like carrot cake and apple cakes that take more effort to slice and dice the ingredients.
Sarah —Reply
Hi…I just love ur tips n tricks n ur recipies as well bcz u really explain it so nicely that i can never forget keep giving us ur tips n tricks so tht v can b a professional like u yes u r professional i really wanna appreciate ur work…
Its really a blessing for us to learn from u…
Tc gud day
I an glad you have found tips and tricks that you can use Sarah. Please let me know if you ever need anything. I am here to help! 😉
Sure! It’s in the “About Me” tab at the top of the page if you ever need it again. It’s lisa@thebearfootbaker.com
Hugs,
Lisa
I love freezing cakes and I also freeze cupcakes if I have a few left over too. With Cupcakes, I put them in ziplock bags and then inside a rigid plastic, air tight container in single layers, I don’t stack as this can warp the wrappers. Leave them until they are cold before putting in bags as moisture inside the bags will make the cases peel. You can even pipe the swirl of butter icing on when they are frozen – great for the summer when everything melts. With regard to layered cakes, I have frozen both uniced cakes and crumb coated cakes. I have added fondant when there is a little beading of moisture too as I find this negates the need for misting with water but I’m not a professional either and so have no idea of whether I’m doing things right but it’s worked for me when I’ve tried it 🙂 Love your posts – so helpful. Thank you.
Thank you Sue for the “freezing cupcake tips.” I know that will come in handy for a lot of people.
I am glad you found a way to add the fondant that works for you. I never would have thought that the little beads of moisture could replace misting the frosting but it makes sense. Do you let it thaw a certain amount of time before you cover it with fondant?
I do let it thaw out; almost completely but not quite so that it’s still cold and firm with just a little beading of moisture, as it’s much easier to handle. If I left it even an hour longer, the moisture would have completely gone, the butter cream crumb coat would be dry and I would have to mist it with water. x
Thank you so much for the clear instructions on freezing a cake. I’ve never done this before and would like to try it. I need to prepare several cakes for a gathering on Saturday and I have a question about the timeline. Do I understand correctly that I should:
1) Bake and freeze on Thursday evening
2) Let thaw (for how long?) Friday morning and then decorate. Back in fridge.
3) Take to gathering
Is this correct based on your experience? Thank you so much for sharing your expertise with us!
Nev
Please note; if you intend to put fondant or sugarpaste on the cake- make sure you defrost completely first or you will find huge air bubbles bulging your beautiful flat fondant after about half an hour. The above advice is perfect if a cake is to be buttercreamed, but NOT if it is to be sugarpasted.
Sugarpaste
I plan to make a cake Sunday and freeze undecorated cake because I don’t need it until 6 days later on Saturday for party. My questions are:
When should I take out to thaw? For how long? Should I put in fridge or counter? When do I frost it, do I when it’s completely thawed or semi thawed? Will I need to put back in freezer or fridge during the frosting process at all? Should I store frosted cake in fridge or counter? Any info would be great, just want to make sure I get it right it’s for my sons bday party.
Hi Kimberly,
Sorry it took me so long to respond. I have been helping get camp ready for the kids to arrive. Me and the mower are getting to know each other pretty well.
Keep in mind that I am not a professional decorator but this is what works for me:
When should I take out to thaw? It will thaw in about 2-3 hours depending on the thickness of the cake.
For how long? 2-3 hours.
Should I put in fridge or counter? Just sit it on the counter and leave it wrapped in the plastic wrap as it thaws.
When do I frost it, do I when it’s completely thawed or semi thawed? Different people do this different ways. Some will thaw a cake completely before decorating and some decorate while it’s frozen. You will have to try both ways to see what works best for you. I think it’s safe to say most people prefer to decorate a cake that has been completely thawed.
Will I need to put back in freezer or fridge during the frosting process at all? Most people dirty ice the cake with buttercream and place it in the freezer to chill (15-20 minutes), then they remove it and decorate.
Should I store frosted cake in fridge or counter? I leave mine on the counter until it’s time to serve.
If you would like to see videos on how to decorate I recommend “How to Cake It” She has a great Youtube channel full of awesome decorating tips and tricks.
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCvM1hVcRJmVWDtATYarC0KA
Bear hugs and happy birthday to your son!
I am going to make a camera cake. I plan on baking tonight and then putting it in the freezer in the morning. I want to start working on the cake tomorrow evening, constructing, dirty icing, fondant. What steps should I follow so I don’t end up with a mess.
Thanks
Hi Andrea,
If you are baking the cake and decorating it in the same day you don’t need to freeze it.
Keep in mind that I’m not a professional baker but here is what I do:
1. Bake the cake(s) and remove them from the pans.
2. Level and tort the cakes (tort just means cut them in half.)
3. Add a simple syrup to the layers if want to use a simple syrup.
4. Ice each layer and stack the cake.
5. Place the cake in the freezer to chill for about 10-15 minutes.
6. Remove the cake from the freezer and carve it.
7. Add dowels if needed.
8. Dirty ice the cake and chill for another 10-15 minutes. Dirty icing will seal in the crumbs so they don’t show in the top layer of icing.
9. Ice the cake and cover in fondant. If you are covering the cake in fondant, use a thin layer of frosting so the fondant doesn’t slide .
10. Add the finishing touches.
Hope that helps!
If you would like to see a video I looked for camera cakes on Youtube and there were several I watched a few and feel like I need to make a camera cake now! LOL
I’ve decorated cakes for about 16 years now but I’ve never frozen a cake. I always have decorated them fresh after they cooled. However I am getting married In a few weeks and I am baking my own cake. So I thought with how busy I’m going to be the last week before the wedding I could make a few layers at a time and freeze them. So I read your tutorial and it was very helpful, bUT I have a delema. I am going to be acutely building my cake at the reception place so to insure it don’t fall in the transfer from my home. If I stack and dirty ice it at home then when I get to the reception what if it is not completely thawed? Is it going to seap or condensate? Our wedding is outside in may in Texas heat. Please help if you can. Thank you
Hi everyone!
I am doing my first 2 tier, made it with box mix and added more eggs and less liquid for a denser cake. I cooled and froze the layers 3 days ago. I plan to pull out tonight and ice and put on fondant for sat pickup, decor tomorrow night. Thoughts on simple syrup?
Hi Stacey,
Simple syrup is wonderful! Use it wisely and remember less is more.
Would you be willing to share a picture of your gorgeous cake when you get it decorated? We would love to see it!!!
Bear hugs,
Lisa
http://pin.it/xZqmEwh
and I used the simple syrup on the cupcakes http://pin.it/xlG7aM-
If putting fondant on a frozen crumb coated cake does the fondant get condensation too as the buttercream does?
Yes it will have condensation if the cake is frozen. That is why I let it thaw on the counter a little while before I dirty ice it. It isn’t frozen when it gets leveled and dirty iced, it’s just really cold.
Once it has been dirty iced, I place it back in the freezer for about 20 minutes to make sure its good and cold before I add the final layer of frosting. I have read many, many blogs and some people like to cover a cake with fondant while it is frozen and some people don’t. This is one of those things that you’ll have to play around with and decide if you like to work with a frozen cake or a cold thawed cake. Finding what works best for you is the hard part. Once you see what works for you, the rest is a piece of cake!
MAXBET —Reply
So how many people will the 2″ tall 12×18 half sheet serve? Because Costco claims their full sheet serves 76.
Hi I was just wondering how long you froze the cakes the first time? And how long have you kept one in the freezer? Thank you!
Hi Anna,
You can freeze a cake for about 3 months but I’m never that organized! LOL Freezing cakes about a week before you need them really helps save some time when it comes to decorating. If you do decide to freeze it a month or so ahead of time, you can thaw it in the wrapper it was froze in by placing it on the counter the night before you decorate it. Placing it on the counter the night before will help make sure it is completely thawed and no condensation will destroy your decorating.
Lisa,
Thank you for all the great advice! I have been making cookies and cupcakes for a little while now, but just venturing into cakes. Your blog has been incredibly helpful as I was terrified to freeze cakes! I am making my first weeding cake for this weekend and as they lay thawing I figured I would show you some love! Thank you! Thank you!! xoxo
Hi, all these tips are helpful I just wondered if you had much experience with fondant icing the cakes after freezing too?
I’ve been freezing my cakes with the crumbcoat on and then putting the second layer of buttercream on straight from freezer and then leave to defrost in the fridge overnight. This works fine at this stage. But when I come to covering with fondant icing it starts to sag after a couple of hours! I have a five teir wedding cake in couple of weeks! HELP please!
Hi Toni,
I will be 100% honest with you. I’d be really nervous to give you advice on this since I’m not a professional cake decorator. I would hate to tell you something that would mess up a wedding cake.
I suggest you ask someone with more experience like Melissa at My Cake School: http://www.mycakeschool.com/video-tutorials/ or Sharon from Sugar Ed Productions: https://www.sugaredproductions.com/ or look and ask questions in the forum at Cake Central: http://www.cakecentral.com/forum.
I wish I could help more but I want you to get help from a cake expert who makes cakes daily. 😉
Thanks for a really good article. I like to freeze my cakes and have always had great results.
I do have a question though – I have a recipe that calls for sugar syrup to be brushed over the cake whilst it’s still warm (but not hot). Once I’ve done this and it’s cooled can I still freeze it? Or will the sugar syrup in the cake ruin in? The recipe states that by adding the sugar syrup you could wrap well and leave at room temp for a week with no problem, but I need to bake further ahead and need to freeze it but worried about the reaction of the sugar syrup in the freezer? Any thought would be much appreciated!
Hi Claudipop,
I personally wouldn’t add the simple syrup until time to decorate the cake. If you freeze it for an extended period of time I feel it is best to freeze just the cake. When your ready to decorate the cake, remove it from the freezer ahead of time and allow it to come to room temperature before you unwrap it.
Then I would level the cakes and add the simple syrup and stack it with buttercream in between each layer.
Keep in mind I’m not a professional cake decorator. I’m totally self taught and this is my opinion and what works for me so you might want to ask someone with more experience.
Sharon at Sugar Ed Productions is wonderful and has a ton of tutorials in her cake school https://www.sugaredproductions.com/. Her classes are $10 a month with a ton of tutorials to help make all kinds of different cakes.
Melissa at My Cake School http://www.mycakeschool.com/?gclid=Cj0KEQjw6O-9BRDjhYXH2bOb8Z4BEiQAWRduk5J-pFObb6s-sFbEJFrsRDUoM180TipC6vH8Yk5GoSQaAhBm8P8HAQ offers classes for $30 for a yearly membership.
I’m sure one of these ladies will be able to answer all of your questions about freezing and simple syrup.
Hope this helps!
Yael Cohen —Reply
I am making an Air Jordns shaped cake for my friends 19th birthday this Sunday. I have made plenty of fondant cakes before but very few carved cakes so I haven’t had to freeze them. In the past when I have tried refridgerating cakes they have always become dry and I am worried about the same thing happening if I freeze it. Would it be okay to make the cake on Friday and freeze it for about 36 hours or would that be too long? Also, how much would you let the cake thaw before carving it? I think if I wait too long it will be difficult to carve. I was wondering if maybe I should cut and fill it then refreeze it quickly before carving. Thanks for your help:)
Hi Yael,
If you do make the cakes ahead of time and freeze them be sure to wrap it like I’ve shown you here. It will help keep the cake moist so it doesn’t dry out. When your ready to decorate it remove it from the freezer, place it on the kitchen counter and let it thaw to room temperature while it’s wrapped. Don’t unwrap it until it is thawed completely.
Next, unwrap the cakes and level them. If you want to use a simple syrup add it once all the layers are level before you begin stacking the cake. Begin stacking them with a layer of frosting in between each cake layer and remember to use supports as needed. If I make a cake that is going to be over 6” tall, I use a cake board and dowels to support it so it doesn’t fall over.
Once the cake is stacked, place it in the fridge or freezer for a little while just to let the buttercream firm up. It doesn’t need to be frozen at this point but it does need to be chilled, Chilling it will make the buttercream nice and firm so your cake doesn’t slide around as you try to carve the shape.
Then decorate as usual with your fondant.
Hope this helps!
Hi, I am a beginner at making tiered cakes. I am really enjoying it, and have questions. First after freezing your cakes then crumb coating them. do you placing the crumb coated cake back in the the freezer or refrigerator. Then take it out to finish frosting. Now can you place the frosted and decorated cake back in the freezer or refrigerator, if you are not serving it till the next day? or will the cake start to dry out?
Hi Kikib,
Sorry because this is kind of a repeat answer to a question already asked by Yael. Sorry if you have already seen the answer. I wanted to add it again to be sure you saw it.
If you do make the cakes ahead of time and freeze them be sure to wrap it like I’ve shown you here. It will help keep the cake moist so it doesn’t dry out. When your ready to decorate it remove it from the freezer, place it on the kitchen counter and let it thaw to room temperature while it’s wrapped. Don’t unwrap it until it is thawed completely.
Next, unwrap the cakes and level them. If you want to use a simple syrup add it once all the layers are level before you begin stacking the cake. Begin stacking them with a layer of frosting in between each cake layer and remember to use supports as needed. If I make a cake that is going to be over 6” tall, I use a cake board and dowels to support it so it doesn’t fall over.
Once the cake is stacked, place it in the fridge or freezer for a little while just to let the buttercream firm up. It doesn’t need to be frozen at this point but it does need to be chilled, Chilling it will make the buttercream nice and firm so your cake doesn’t slide around as you try to carve the shape.
Then decorate as usual with your fondant.
I don’t refreeze the cakes once I have removed them from the freezer and dirty iced them. I do however place them back in the freezer for a few minutes after I add the crumb coat. It is just to chill the cake and make the icing firm so the crumb coat will hold all the crumbs so my final layer of frosting will be crumb free.
I hope this helps!
Lisa
See AlsoHow to Layer Your Hair ProductsHi I wonder if u can help. I am doing a tiered wedding cake for the weekend and froze my cake in layers last week. I have removed them from the freezer today and left them in film and popped into the fridge to defrost (this is without any filling). I was worried if I left on the side they would defrost to fast. Anyway to late to worry about that. So I now have the cakes all thawed and in the fridge still in film. Should I remove from the fridge and leave overnight on the side to then crumb coat and fondant cover tomorrow or am I best to leave in the fridge overnight? Am I right in thinking once they have been frozen and defrosted I can’t crumb coat and put back in freezer to harden up again before covering in fondant? Feeling stressed haha xx thank u xx
Hi Niki,
It will be alright to place the cakes in the plastic wrap on the counter overnight or you can go ahead and leave them in the fridge. Just be sure they are completely thawed before you add the icing.
As far as the crumb coat goes, you can add the buttercream frosting and then place the cake back in the freezer or fridge for a few minutes to chill. You basically want the icing to get firm so you can add the pretty layer of frosting without it getting mixed up with all the crumbs from the cake. Good luck with the wedding cake! Send me a picture if you can! 😉
Hope this helps,
Lisa
Thank you so much for ur reply. I will definatley send a picture across when it’s all done. Do u have any advice on where I ask the venue to store the cake? I am dropping it off tomorrow, will they be beat storing at room temp than in a fridge? Thank u and Fingers crossed xx
Hi, I’m doing my first cake for my sister’s birthday in a week and I’m a bit confused about the freezing. My teacher in food tech told me one time that if we freeze the cupcakes and not poke a hole in the ziplock bag, that the cupcakes willl become soggy. Though we froze these for a week before decorating,I wondered isn’t that the same thing with cake freezing overnight, will the cake become soggy if there is no air passing through the cake???
Hi Ruth,
Condensation is the process in which water vapor turns from a gas to a liquid. Little water vapors in the air will turn to a liquid when it comes into contact with something cold like a frozen cake. If you have plastic wrap on your cake, the condensation will form on the plastic wrap instead of on your cake. That is what we want. If the condensation is on the plastic wrap, you can will be dry and not wet.
Same thing goes with the cupcakes. You want to keep the little water vapors from landing on your cupcakes which will result in to wet cupcakes. If there is a hole in the plastic wrap, the cupcakes will catch the water vapors and will be wet. You want the plastic wrap to catch them for you so you will have nice dry cupcakes.
If you would like more information on this please see Wicked Goodies Freezing and Condensation video on Youtube. She has three videos that will explain things perfectly for you:
Cake Filing Method Freezing Cakes: Part 1: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WwpboYdwKTE&feature=youtu.be
Cake Filling in the Pan Part 2: https://www.youtube.com/watch?annotation_id=annotation_3806130143&feature=iv&src_vid=WwpboYdwKTE&v=2U4nBzNKsW4
Cake Filling-Freezing and Condensation Part 3: https://www.youtube.com/watch?annotation_id=annotation_2250503613&feature=iv&src_vid=2U4nBzNKsW4&v=vUBuJP-H6v4
Bear hugs!
Going to try for my first layered cake this weekend. 8″ going to make it Saturday and freeze it. Then take it out Sunday morning to thaw and frost. How long does it take to thaw? 8 don’t want to serve a really cold cake! And it’s ok to frost while it’s still a little cold/frozen? Thanks!
Hi Jessica,
Somehow your comment ended up in my spam box. So sorry about that.
I hope your cakes turned out well and you probably don’t need me to answer your questions anymore but I’m going to anyway for future reference.
Thaw the cake in the wrapper. Don’t open it until it’s completely thawed or you could mess up your cake.
It usually takes a thin layer cake 2-3 hours to thaw and longer if the layers are thicker. You might want to place a thicker cake on the counter in the wrapper and let it thaw 4-5 hours before you open it.
Some people like to decorate a cold cake and some like to let it thaw completely before they decorate. I personally like to decorate a cold cake but not a frozen cake. I don’t like a sweaty cake so cold and not frozen works best for me.
If I were you I’d bake a few cakes and play around with them to find out what works best for you.
Again, sorry your comment ended up in my spam box.
Bear hugs,
Lisa
Would this work the same with different flavored cakes? Like would there be a difference?
Hi Kiara,
I’ve never had a problem freezing cakes but like any baked goods, some cakes will freeze better than others. I suggest you test your recipe by baking and freeing it to see how well the recipe holds up. I’ve have never had a problem freezing mine, but through the years I’ve heard some people struggle with certain recipes.
Hope this helps,
Lisa
Hi Lisa. i am making a friend’s wedding cake and have been travelling a lot for work. I froze the cakes in the hope that this will help me time-wise but i am beyond petrified that the cakes will taste terrible. Will they be alright? How do i check to see if they do actually taste nice? Thank you so much.
Hi Philippa,
Always start with a good cake recipe and use quality ingredients.
Freezing the cake will actually make the cake moist and delicious. I strongly suggest you make a few test cakes so you can practice what will work best for you. Freeze one for one week, another for one month and another for 3 months and taste them. I promise if you wrap them and freeze them correctly, you’ll love the taste of all three cakes.
Here are the steps to follow:
Bake a cake and let it cool completely.
Wrap the cake in two layers of plastic wrap.
Next, wrap the cake in one layer of foil.
Then, place it in a large sealable bag and push out as much air as you can. Large Ziploc bags work well.
Write the date and what type of cake it is on the bag so you will know when you froze it. Place it in the freezer.
When your ready to decorate it, or in this case taste it, remove the wrapped cake from the freezer and place it on the counter. Don’t unwrap it! I know that it is hard to look at because you want to see it, smell it, and taste it but don’t open it yet.
Let it come to room temperature before you unwrap it.
Once it’s thawed, unwrap it and give it a taste. Repeat the process with a cake that’s been frozen for one week, one month, and three months. I think you’re going to be amazed by the delicious moist cake.
As a matter of fact, most decorators freeze their cakes every time they bake. Here is a thread on Cake Central where people talk about it.
http://www.cakecentral.com/forum/t/687120/im-convincedfreezing-cakes-rocks.
Its good to read about the different ways people do things so you can adjust and tweak it for your needs.
Hugs,
Lisa
thank you this is very helpful. I am a baker to but am also not professional . I was asked to make a cake for my little cousin and as I was building it, it fell apart 🙁 so I end up just going to the store the next day to getting a blank cake and decorating it myself. It was a rush job but all the kids loved it and I actually got a request from my little cousin(6-8) asking me to make her the kind of cake that fell apart on me. 🙂 so I’m definitely going to try again and use the method you have shared.
jennifer
Hi Jennifer,
How tall was your cake? If my cakes are 6″ I use supports to help keep them standing. I remember making a cake for my niece a few years ago and it fell. I know how you feel.
It’s heartbreaking. I have faith the next one will be amazing!
Let me know if you need anything.
the cake was a 4 layer 8×8 square cake, I had to cut and move the inside around, here’s the link to the cake I was trying to make https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i5vOTakaew4&index=1&list=PLdLouUwdD7Tq89wg6vneY8pos9oMroLKq . Yea in the middle of working with it I saw it was starting to crumble/starting to fall apart and I was trying to work with it but it just got harder and harder to handle and just fell :/ We learn from our mistakes so now I know freezing is defiantly a must when handling cake.
Hi Lisa!
I just wanted to clarify. Do you wrap your cakes after they’re crumb coated? Or do they go straight into the freezer?
I am making bundt cakes for my daughters wedding in July. I plan on freezing and thawing them as you suggest. My question is, can I pipe thick of dollop of buttercream frosting and freezing this to save time a few days or even weeks before the wedding?? Some of the cake will not be covered with frosting. Infact, I plan on just putting powder sugar on the chocolate one at my daughters request. How would you (or would you)go about doing this?
Hi Mary,
I am not a professional cake decorator. Everything I know I’ve taught myself so I don’t want to ever give advice that might mess up someone’s wedding. That terrifies me. Since you asked I’m going to give you my best advice, but please, please do a test run on a small cake so you will know for yourself how the icing and the cake will work with the humidity in your area.
I would make the cakes ahead of time and freeze them without icing. You can also prepare the icing ahead of time so when it’s time to decorate, the hard part will be done and you can focus on making the cakes pretty. Feel free to ask a professional decorator or call a local bakery and see what advice they give you, but I myself wouldn’t freeze them with the icing on the cake. I know that’s probably not the answer your looking for, but it’s the one I’m most comfortable giving.
I hope this helps,
Lisa
Hi Lisa,
I have been asked to bake my friends Wedding Cake I can bake but have never attempted anything this big.
I have to make a 12 inch fruit cake 10 inch chocolate cake 8 inch madeira cake made. I plan to make and freeze the fruit cake a month before and the chocolate cake 2 weeks before. The cocolate cake is very rich and moist. The fruit cake will be covered with marzipan and fondant and the chocolate will be covered with ganache and fondant
I am very nerous about covering with ganache but its a challenge right.
After all that bumf what I need help with is freezing. Can I trim them before freezing Must I let them defrost completely before covering. Would the condensation cause problems with the marzipan, fondant and the ganache
I really hope you can help me 🙂
Hi Mary, I would like to make a cake for my daughters baby shower. I am not really accustomed to making cakes (I am more a cookie and pie person). I would really like to prepare a large round cake for about 20-30 guest and freeze beforehand. I am looking into making fondant icing (I have watched several video tutorials and it looks like something I could do) I would definitely prefer to have only that to deal with at the end. I thought I would bake the cake, (could I level beforehand once cooled then wrap and freeze.?) I then thought to perhaps apply the buttercream icing (a day or two before?). I have gotten the impression from the tutorials on fondant icing that it is not a good idea to place in the fridge afterwards. The problem is there is butter cream icing under it and the cream is perishable. Could I perhaps put the fondant on the day before and then place cake in my cold room (maybe 10 c these days) not as cold as a fridge but much cooler than on the counter. I was really hoping to do this in steps as its my first time, I am thinking if for some reason my fondant fails I can just add more butter cream and decorate differently. The other reason is that I am planning a baby shower and the day of there are hundred other things to take care of and would prefer not to attempt applying fondant for the first time. Any advice will be greatly appreciated. Thanks so much.
I bake cakes in jelly roll pans, then use cake rings to cut the layers to the diameter I want. Since I cut my layers out, I don’t have crust on the sides of my cakes.
The white cake recipe I developed has buttermilk and sour cream. So the crust is moist. Since I do not like having that brown crust line between the layers, I gently rub the crust off the top and bottom after the cake layers are cooled and cut.
So my cake layers are naked. Given the absence of crust, do you think it will harm the quality of my cakes if I freeze them?
Your non stick recipe is absolutely amazing. I threw 3 cakes away before I tried this. Like amazing. You have saved my son’s 3rd birthday cake. Thank you!!
Hi Lisa….I have a few questions and really need your help. This was a great article you did about freezing cakes. I baked my cake yesterday and let it completely cool. Then I filled/frosted the layers and let the cakes (I’m doing a 2-tier celebration surprise cake for my sister’s 60th birthday this coming Saturday, June 30th) for almost 5 hours to make sure they settled. After that, I placed them into the refrigerator to cool before I crumb coated. I will barely have enough time to finish decorating the cakes when I get into Atlanta via plane rides with these cakes, so I was wondering if I can just leave them in the refrigerator for the next 5 days since cakes are typically fine refrigerated for up to 2 weeks. I’ve never traveled with a cake before on a plane but I’m doing this as a gift and as a favor for my wife’s husband who asked me to make it for the party of 24 for her birthday. Questions: 1) once the crumb coated hardens in the refrigerator, can I just cover it with plastic wrap or what would you recommend? 2) I’m tempted to freeze it before heading out of town and then letting it thaw overnight out of the refrigerator (or would I let it thaw in the refrigerator) and then head to the airport with a thawed cake and finish frosting it when I get there. Any guidance you can give me will be greatly appreciated. Thanks so much. Blessings, Suzanne
I pull my cakes from the oven cool only enough to handle then turn then out on plastic wrap, wrap and freeze to freeze the moisture in before it is released in cooling. SUPER Moist cakes! Was taught this trick by a co worker. That in addition to melted butter for oil, full fat milk, and 1-2 extra eggs make the best tasting box cakes!
Hi Lisa! Thanks so much for this post. I am baking the cakes for my wedding, andI was thinking on doing the baking at least 1 week in advance since there are many things that need to be prepared. I was planning on decorating the day before, but I am not a big fan of BC so I use mascarpone cheese. Is this good to crumb coat? After I take the cakes out of the freezer, do I let them thaw completely (how long will this take?) and then dirty frost?
Thanks a million!
Hi Lisa – Thank you for the detailed instructions! Being able to bake the cake ahead of time will be a game-changer! Usually I stick to cookies, scones, and 9×13 cakes … but your tips have empowered me to make a layered carrot cake for the parish bake sale this month (boo-yah!).
Could I just clarify one step in the process? The instruction reads: “Take the frozen cakes out of the freezer and let them thaw a little while still wrapped.” In a few of your replies, though, I got the impression that the cakes should be allowed to THAW COMPLETELY before unwrapping. When the frozen cakes are removed from the freezer, is it best to leave them wrapped until they are completely thawed?
Thanks for sharing the benefit of your experience and the many resources. I’m going to try out your “cake release” recipe and check out “How to Cake It” for more decorating tips!
Hi Laura,
Yes you need to leave them wrapped until they thaw completely so the condensation will end up on the wrapper and not the cake itself. Sorry, I wasn’t clear and I’ll try to fix it. Have fun baking and I’d love to see your cakes! 😉
The cake release is one of my favorite recipes. It works like a dream! (((Happy Dance!!!)))
Hi Lisa,
I was planning on preparing my daughters second birthday cake a week before and freeze it but wondering if it’s too long in the freezer? Thank you for your advice
Warmly
María Elena
Tess —Reply
Thank you so much for these tips! I always freeze my cakes now, and they look and taste so much better.
Hi Lisa,
Not sure if someone asked this but when u freeze say and 8inch round cake for 2 days do u know by any chance how long we should leave it out to thaw before we dirty ice it? This. Is my first time freezing a cake and it’s just because of the holiday and the party the next day.
Cause today Monday I am making the cakes then Wednesday I am cutting the cakes and then Friday afternoon I am decorating the cakes. Cause Tuesday my mom will b making pies and Thursday is thanksgiving.
Any info would b helpful. Thanks!
Krista(Cincinnati)
Madilyn —Reply
Thank you so much for your tips. Now I want to freeze the cake in the freezer before the decoration. But what if using fondant?
Just freeze the cake just as you normally do. If you’re going to add frosting or fondant, just set the cake on the counter for a few hours and let it thaw. Don’t remove the plastic wrap. Just let it thaw and then decorate as you normally would.
You just need to make sure the cake is at room temperate before you add the frosting and fondant.
Hope this helps.
If I am using simple sugar on some of the layers, would you add that before freezing or do it after it has thawed? Thanks for all of the help on freezing cakes!
If I need to have the cake ready on a Friday afternoon, when should I be thawing the cake out, and then decorating it? Should I do all this on the same day (Friday?)
thank you!
Hi Maria,
Remember, I’m a self-taught baker so what I’m telling you works for me in my humidity. I hope it works for you in your humidity if you decide to try it.
What kind of frosting are you decorating with?
I’d set the cake on the counter and let it thaw for a few hours, then I’d decorate it. I would do it the day before you need the cake in case something goes wrong. I have my fingers crossed for you that everything works out smoothly and the cake will be perfect the first time. Make sure the cake is thawed before you decorate. 😉
Hugs!
Hi..I bake cakes for family n friends. I freeze cakes all the time but mostly the cakes turn out dry.
1. I freeze the cakes when they are still warm. Is that the mistake?
2. I only put them in 2 layers of cellophane wrap. I don’t further put them in ziplock. Can that cause the dryness? Whenever I’ve finalized the cakes without freezing (which is a lot more last minute work), they turn out better.
Please help.
Hi Manpreet,
I freeze my cakes when they are still warm. It helps capture the flavor and makes them extra flavorful.
I always wrap my cakes in plastic wrap, aluminum foil, and then a plastic Ziploc bag to help keep them moist and fresh. I suggest you try this again and be sure to wrap in all three layers and see if it works. If not, email me and we will work on a solution for you.
Karen —Reply
Thank you so much. I am hosting Christmas Bunko and didnt’ want to try & do everything on the same day.
Hi Lisa, I am hoping you can tell me how long it will take my cake to defrost before cutting into it? I did the freezing part tonight and I am going to frost them in the morning, but it hasto be refrigerated after frosting because I’m using a cream cheese and whipped cream frosting. So I am hoping that you can tell me how many hours in the refrigerator it will take for the cake to be defrosted?
Thank you, Cindy
Hi Cindy,
I’ve very late with this comment. I don’t normally thaw cakes in the fridge. I usually place them on the counter for an hour or two. I suggest you check with a cake person to see what they would do. I’m self-taught and I don’t use whipped cream frosting so I’m afraid whatever I tell you would be wrong. I’m so sorry.
I do the exact same thing! When I first started I was working full-time and I’d be booked all weekend. It was way too much for me to do everything the day before. So I did the exact same thing you did, trial and error! I’ve always felt they are so much more moist when they’re frozen. I just started up my home bakery and have three large cakes this weekend! I just popped them all in the freezer!♥️
Hi Liza,
I the recipe you say that the sponge should be baked, then cooled down, then wrapped. However in your reply to Manpreet you say that you wrap your sponges while they are still warm. So when should I wrap my layers? Cool or warm?
Thank you!
What about ice cream cake? How do you keep the cake layers from freezing if you have to keep it in the freezer so the ice cream doesn’t melt?
Lynn Ryan —Reply
Hi Lisa,
I rarely bake. I’m more of a cooker. I was asked by my family to make my zucchini quick bread for Thanksgiving. No problem. Well, OCD must have set in because I made 2 zucchini loaves and 6 mini. Then I continued with 2 banana nut loaves, 3 apple cake loaves and lastly 2 carrot cake loaves. All were 8 x 4. I wrapped and froze them all exactly the way you did and labeled it with the website the recipe came from, it’s contents, date prepared, nuts or no nuts and/or use by date. My dilemma is the carrot cake. I froze it un-frosted. I was going to take it out of the freezer, frost it with cream cheese frosting while still frozen and stick it back in the freezer. Can I do it this way and what are the ramifications, if any? I was planning on doing this today. I know you thaw your cakes on the counter but cream cheese frosting should be thawed in the fridge. Is that right? Do you know how long that takes? My mother-in-law just passed away on Sunday 11/17 and I’m feeling very overwhelmed at this time. Oh Lisa, please help me out with any suggestions or ideas! Thanking you in advance!
Tip instead of leveling off the domes of your cake- take a pretty damp paper towel (wring out and fold close to width of cake pan) wrap that in aluminum foil and wrap around cake pan when you bake it. This helps disperse the heat so you dont end up with the dome and the cake is a lot more even consistency. (Read- yummy!). Learned this trick from Preppy Kitchen. Try it out! Love, Dani
Hi Lisa,
I’m making a double layer carrot cake in 12×18 sheet pans. Would I wrap them in clear plastic and foil and put in freezer just like that, or do I put them on cardboard before wrapping? If I thaw them completely won’t they get soft for frosting? When do I level them? Do I have to put cream cheese frosting in fridge before using to frost and decorate cake? Thank you for your response in advance!
Hi Gerbie,
I have always wrapped my cakes in plastic wrap and then in foil and put them in the freezer. I don’t use a cake board. I just use plastic wrap and foil.
When it’s time to decorate I place them on the counter overnight and let them thaw completely and they taste as if I just baked them. They don’t get soft. After they thaw completely, level them and decorate them with frosting just as I would if I had just baked them a few hours before.
Hi! If I freeze my cakes the night before and get them out the freezer the day after, I would let it sit for 30 minutes and begin crumb coating/ decorating right after as I find this helps it from tipping over. If I crumb Croat/decorate whilst it’s frozen and put it in the fridge for an extra day would the cake still be kind of frozen?
Hi Tasneem,
I’ll be totally honest with you. I’ve never tried that before so I’m not sure how it will work. I strongly suggest you ask a professional cake decorator. I don’t want to tell you something wrong and make you mess up your baked cakes. I’ve learned a lot from Avalon Cakes and here is her Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/AvalonCakes/. I’d try asking her.
Bear hugs,
Lisa
Hi Marisol,
Personally, I would not add the simple syrup before I freeze my cakes. It is so much moisture I think it can end badly.
Feel free to ask a professional cake decorator because I’m better with cookie decorating. I just don’t have good thoughts about freezing the syrup. Sorry.
Hi Lisa!I filled my cake and wrapped it in film to make it more stable, I left it in the freezer for a day so that when I decorate it it will be more like solid. My question is if I can decorate it while is still frozen or should I wait until it’s chilled?
Hi Zeinab,
I’d wait because little drops of water can form as it comes to room temperature. I’m not a professional cake decorator but I’d feel better waiting. You might want to ask a professional cake decorator because they will know a lot more than me. I’m totally self taught.
Bear hugs,
Lisa
So helpful! BUT then last part… What next!? Once you frost and decorate…. Do you do back into fridge? Freezer? Room temp? Until delivery. Thank you!!!!
Hi Christina,
I’m so sorry I’m super slow at responding to this. We moved to a beautiful mountain where we have an amazing view of The Great Smoky Mountains, but we have been struggling with internet service. We have finally found something that works (a year and a half later) so I’m back in the studio making tutorials, answering emails, and playing with icing. I’m so happy!
Again, I’m so sorry it took me so long to respond, but here is how I treat the cake that has been frozen. I usually decorate it the day before it’s needed. I decorate it, place it in the container I’m going to deliver it in, and cross my fingers it will look the same as it did when I covered it. That’s it. There are a million different ways to do it and I hope you find one that works well for you my baking friend!
Bear hugs,
Lisa
Hi Lisa. Instead of wrapping the cake layers before freezing, can I put them in air-tight containers? I’m looking for a more sustainable way of doing this with the least amount of disposables.
Hi Jenny,
I have never tried to do it that way before. I have always used plastic wrap to freeze them. You may need to ask a professional cake decorator about the air-tight containers. So sorry I can’t tell you more but I don’t want to tell you some thing wrong.
And I’m so sorry it took me so long to respond. I’ve been having health issues this year. I’ve had pneumonia, at heart attack due to lack of oxygen from the pneumonia, and seizures from brain damage due to the brain tumor I had in 2019. I’m just now catching up and I’m so sorry!!!!
Hi Lisa! I’m attempting a 2 tiered heart shaped cake for my daughters 15th bday. I was curious so you leave the cake layers wrapped and thaw out completely before doing the crumb coat or do you do the crumb coat when it’s still frozen a bit? How long would you thaw them before applying the crumb coat? And after you crumb coat would you put back in freezer 10-20 mins before icing and decorating? Sorry I just want to make sure I completely understand so I don’t mess this up. Thank you so much!
Leave a Reply
Hi Diane,
For fondant you can do the same thing except apply a thicker coat of buttercream icing when you dirty ice it. Place it in the freezer for about 20 minutes and take it out when you are ready to decorate it. Use a spray bottle to mist the frosting right before you cover it with the fondant. Be careful and don’t get the cake too wet but spraying it with water will make the fondant stick to the frosting.
Thanks for the tried out and true info! I plan on following your tips. Will cupcakes turn out in the same manner? Wondering if size makes a difference in the process.
Hello Lisa,
I have to bake several cakes for the holidays. Could I try your freeze technique and leave them in the freezer for several days before icing?Hi Petronia,
You can freeze a cake for up to 3 months as long as you wrap it and store it correctly. Just be sure the place the cake on the counter to thaw completely before you unwrap it. Once it’s thawed, decorate as you normally would.
Hi Monica,
Sorry it took me so long to answer your emails I was on vacation for a couple of weeks. Hubby and I celebrated our anniversary at the beach and it was wonderful. But I’m sorry for not answering you.I actually don’t freeze cakes with fondant. I make them just before they need to be delivered so they may sit on the kitchen counter over night but I don’t freeze them. Again I feel like I need to mention I’m a self taught baker so maybe a more experienced cake decorator can answer this for you. Check with Melissa at http://www.mycakeschool.com. She is a sweetheart and she’s so helpful!
Thank you! I will be trying this for a cake order this weekend. I am doing a large donut cake, but nfortunately I don’t have the right pan so I will be using 2 layered 10″ rounds and carving them. Would it be better for me to already put the hole in the middle of the cakes before I freeze them and then once frozen and un thawed a bit, then I can carve and round the outter part to make the donut shape? Thank you!
Hi Megan,
I sure hope you share a picture of your donut cake with us! Actually, a donut cake is on my list of cakes to make. When you make yours, you can give me some pointers! 😉
To make the donut cake, I would remove the cakes from the pans after they have cooled.
Then, I would level them and stack them with a layer of frosting in the center.
Next, I would chill it for at least a half an hour before I started to carve it.If you try to carve when the cake and frosting are room temperature, the layers will slide and it will make things a lot harder. Chilling is the way to go! 😉
Good luck with your donut cake!
I have had great success w/ frozen cake layers and even a completely iced frozen cake, by taking out of the freezer the day before use and keeping in a refrigerator overnight. This will virtually eliminate the sweating on the icing. I have done it w/ homemade marshmallow fondant as well and had the same results. While I don’t like to pre-make my cakes, there have been times when I had to do this process and it worked very well.
Thank you for this info! I’ve never tried freezing cakes well ahead of time because of the condensation issue. I’ve seen it on the dirty iced cakes when I left them in the freezer too long (I always let my cakes chill out in the freezer for about a half hour before I decorate) and so have been scared to just freeze altogether. I have seasons where it’s cake after cake after cake with far too little time to get it all done so this will be a huge time saver. Thanks again!
Hi
Can you tell me how this applies to naked cakes please? Im making my friends wedding cake and an going to freeze it before decorating.
Thanks
I used to freeze my cakes and dirty ice them as well when I lived in Nebraska. Now every time I do that here in Florida my cakes start leaking when I am about half done frosting them. It is so frustrating. I have practically given up decorating cakes. ?
Don’t give up Becky! I know with all the experienced cake decorators out there someone will have an answer that will help you. Have you thought about using a dehumidifier? I mostly make cookies with royal icing and humidity can kill a cookie in a heartbeat! Several cookie decorators purchased dehumidifiers and use them and it really helps. If you enjoy making cakes it might be worth a try.
Hello
My name is Dawn. I am a self baker and I learned different things for different climates. Ia located in Maryland so in the winter Butter cream is best. In the summer mainly the humidity they doing a qhipped chocolate ganache. It doesn’t sweat. Just a hint (for extra shine in your ganache add a 1/4 to a 1/2 top corn syrup. Makes the ganache shine. Hope this helps with the humidity and heat issue. I use it every summer in all my sweet Treats. Just hold better.
Jenn —Reply
Hi Becky! I used to live in Florida for a long 20 years. It is important that you do not freeze the cakes. Due to the high humidity it causes to sweat like no tomorrow. Even if your house is cool it does not matter. Florida is a bucket of humidity. I would refrigerate. Only freeze when you want the crumb coat to stiffen up and if you want the second layer to stiffen up and in increments of 20 minutes-30. How ever do not do this a lot ( the in and out of freeze) once your decoration is done place it in the fridge. So technically do not over freeze. Yes some things may take longer but you won’t have so much sweating issues. I did my cake buttercream. I did the same procedure I just explained to you and no sweating whatsoever. I hope this will help!
I have been decorating cakes for more than 30 years and always bake a couple days ahead, crumb coat and freeze. Much easier to handle. I also do any leveling before freezing the assembled layers. The overwhelming majority of the time the cakes do not sweat while decorating unless it’s really humid. Definitely do not allow the layers to thaw out before decorating or it will be a big mess! Hopefully helpful to someone out there!
I m sorry dear. I just noticed, that my question has been answered down bloew. It takes 2-3 hours to defrost. Leave it on the counter 🙂 And I guess I ‘ll leave it covered in the plastic wrap and tin foil. You are so patient to answer all these questsions! Thanks so much!
Mindy Herrmann —Reply
Cynthia
Could I call you? My sister is getting married in 2 weeks and my daughter on Oct 2. I like to bake and I’m average at it… But I said I would do this for both of them. I have big tiered pans and the will! But would like to talk through the process with someone who actually knows what they are doing?
My cell is 248-231-7887. If willing text or call me!
This morning I made a 12 inch cake and a 10 inch cake lemon blueberry and I am freezing it/both layers right now… They turned out great. My other daughter who likes to bake as well but doesn’t live here with me anymore she said to keep the cakes flat by wrapping them as they bake in tinfoil tubes with wet paper towel in the middle which I did and actually worked! Anyways I will be busy both days of the wedding and wanted to do these the day before and just would like to talk through the process with someone. Thank you, Mindy
I’d like to share another tip…you can freeze cake batter too!! Just thaw and bake as usual.
That is an awesome tip Donna! Do you place it in an airtight container before freezing it?
I have a food saver but you can also use ziplock freezer bags, squeezing out as much air as possible. I have frozen dozens of different kinds of batters and dough and have never had an issue. To thaw it quicker you can also submerge in warm water but if using ziplock take care not to get the zipper part wet. I expecially do this with things like carrot cake and apple cakes that take more effort to slice and dice the ingredients.
Sarah —Reply
Hi…I just love ur tips n tricks n ur recipies as well bcz u really explain it so nicely that i can never forget keep giving us ur tips n tricks so tht v can b a professional like u yes u r professional i really wanna appreciate ur work…
Its really a blessing for us to learn from u…
Tc gud day
I an glad you have found tips and tricks that you can use Sarah. Please let me know if you ever need anything. I am here to help! 😉
Sure! It’s in the “About Me” tab at the top of the page if you ever need it again. It’s lisa@thebearfootbaker.com
Hugs,
Lisa
I love freezing cakes and I also freeze cupcakes if I have a few left over too. With Cupcakes, I put them in ziplock bags and then inside a rigid plastic, air tight container in single layers, I don’t stack as this can warp the wrappers. Leave them until they are cold before putting in bags as moisture inside the bags will make the cases peel. You can even pipe the swirl of butter icing on when they are frozen – great for the summer when everything melts. With regard to layered cakes, I have frozen both uniced cakes and crumb coated cakes. I have added fondant when there is a little beading of moisture too as I find this negates the need for misting with water but I’m not a professional either and so have no idea of whether I’m doing things right but it’s worked for me when I’ve tried it 🙂 Love your posts – so helpful. Thank you.
Thank you Sue for the “freezing cupcake tips.” I know that will come in handy for a lot of people.
I am glad you found a way to add the fondant that works for you. I never would have thought that the little beads of moisture could replace misting the frosting but it makes sense. Do you let it thaw a certain amount of time before you cover it with fondant?
I do let it thaw out; almost completely but not quite so that it’s still cold and firm with just a little beading of moisture, as it’s much easier to handle. If I left it even an hour longer, the moisture would have completely gone, the butter cream crumb coat would be dry and I would have to mist it with water. x
Thank you so much for the clear instructions on freezing a cake. I’ve never done this before and would like to try it. I need to prepare several cakes for a gathering on Saturday and I have a question about the timeline. Do I understand correctly that I should:
1) Bake and freeze on Thursday evening
2) Let thaw (for how long?) Friday morning and then decorate. Back in fridge.
3) Take to gathering
Is this correct based on your experience? Thank you so much for sharing your expertise with us!
Nev
Please note; if you intend to put fondant or sugarpaste on the cake- make sure you defrost completely first or you will find huge air bubbles bulging your beautiful flat fondant after about half an hour. The above advice is perfect if a cake is to be buttercreamed, but NOT if it is to be sugarpasted.
Sugarpaste
I plan to make a cake Sunday and freeze undecorated cake because I don’t need it until 6 days later on Saturday for party. My questions are:
When should I take out to thaw? For how long? Should I put in fridge or counter? When do I frost it, do I when it’s completely thawed or semi thawed? Will I need to put back in freezer or fridge during the frosting process at all? Should I store frosted cake in fridge or counter? Any info would be great, just want to make sure I get it right it’s for my sons bday party.
Hi Kimberly,
Sorry it took me so long to respond. I have been helping get camp ready for the kids to arrive. Me and the mower are getting to know each other pretty well.
Keep in mind that I am not a professional decorator but this is what works for me:
When should I take out to thaw? It will thaw in about 2-3 hours depending on the thickness of the cake.
For how long? 2-3 hours.
Should I put in fridge or counter? Just sit it on the counter and leave it wrapped in the plastic wrap as it thaws.
When do I frost it, do I when it’s completely thawed or semi thawed? Different people do this different ways. Some will thaw a cake completely before decorating and some decorate while it’s frozen. You will have to try both ways to see what works best for you. I think it’s safe to say most people prefer to decorate a cake that has been completely thawed.
Will I need to put back in freezer or fridge during the frosting process at all? Most people dirty ice the cake with buttercream and place it in the freezer to chill (15-20 minutes), then they remove it and decorate.
Should I store frosted cake in fridge or counter? I leave mine on the counter until it’s time to serve.
If you would like to see videos on how to decorate I recommend “How to Cake It” She has a great Youtube channel full of awesome decorating tips and tricks.
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCvM1hVcRJmVWDtATYarC0KABear hugs and happy birthday to your son!
I am going to make a camera cake. I plan on baking tonight and then putting it in the freezer in the morning. I want to start working on the cake tomorrow evening, constructing, dirty icing, fondant. What steps should I follow so I don’t end up with a mess.
Thanks
Hi Andrea,
If you are baking the cake and decorating it in the same day you don’t need to freeze it.
Keep in mind that I’m not a professional baker but here is what I do:
1. Bake the cake(s) and remove them from the pans.
2. Level and tort the cakes (tort just means cut them in half.)
3. Add a simple syrup to the layers if want to use a simple syrup.
4. Ice each layer and stack the cake.
5. Place the cake in the freezer to chill for about 10-15 minutes.
6. Remove the cake from the freezer and carve it.
7. Add dowels if needed.
8. Dirty ice the cake and chill for another 10-15 minutes. Dirty icing will seal in the crumbs so they don’t show in the top layer of icing.
9. Ice the cake and cover in fondant. If you are covering the cake in fondant, use a thin layer of frosting so the fondant doesn’t slide .
10. Add the finishing touches.Hope that helps!
If you would like to see a video I looked for camera cakes on Youtube and there were several I watched a few and feel like I need to make a camera cake now! LOL
I’ve decorated cakes for about 16 years now but I’ve never frozen a cake. I always have decorated them fresh after they cooled. However I am getting married In a few weeks and I am baking my own cake. So I thought with how busy I’m going to be the last week before the wedding I could make a few layers at a time and freeze them. So I read your tutorial and it was very helpful, bUT I have a delema. I am going to be acutely building my cake at the reception place so to insure it don’t fall in the transfer from my home. If I stack and dirty ice it at home then when I get to the reception what if it is not completely thawed? Is it going to seap or condensate? Our wedding is outside in may in Texas heat. Please help if you can. Thank you
Hi everyone!
I am doing my first 2 tier, made it with box mix and added more eggs and less liquid for a denser cake. I cooled and froze the layers 3 days ago. I plan to pull out tonight and ice and put on fondant for sat pickup, decor tomorrow night. Thoughts on simple syrup?
Hi Stacey,
Simple syrup is wonderful! Use it wisely and remember less is more.
Would you be willing to share a picture of your gorgeous cake when you get it decorated? We would love to see it!!!
Bear hugs,
Lisahttp://pin.it/xZqmEwh
and I used the simple syrup on the cupcakes http://pin.it/xlG7aM-
If putting fondant on a frozen crumb coated cake does the fondant get condensation too as the buttercream does?
Yes it will have condensation if the cake is frozen. That is why I let it thaw on the counter a little while before I dirty ice it. It isn’t frozen when it gets leveled and dirty iced, it’s just really cold.
Once it has been dirty iced, I place it back in the freezer for about 20 minutes to make sure its good and cold before I add the final layer of frosting. I have read many, many blogs and some people like to cover a cake with fondant while it is frozen and some people don’t. This is one of those things that you’ll have to play around with and decide if you like to work with a frozen cake or a cold thawed cake. Finding what works best for you is the hard part. Once you see what works for you, the rest is a piece of cake!
MAXBET —Reply
So how many people will the 2″ tall 12×18 half sheet serve? Because Costco claims their full sheet serves 76.
Hi I was just wondering how long you froze the cakes the first time? And how long have you kept one in the freezer? Thank you!
Hi Anna,
You can freeze a cake for about 3 months but I’m never that organized! LOL Freezing cakes about a week before you need them really helps save some time when it comes to decorating. If you do decide to freeze it a month or so ahead of time, you can thaw it in the wrapper it was froze in by placing it on the counter the night before you decorate it. Placing it on the counter the night before will help make sure it is completely thawed and no condensation will destroy your decorating.
Lisa,
Thank you for all the great advice! I have been making cookies and cupcakes for a little while now, but just venturing into cakes. Your blog has been incredibly helpful as I was terrified to freeze cakes! I am making my first weeding cake for this weekend and as they lay thawing I figured I would show you some love! Thank you! Thank you!! xoxo
Hi, all these tips are helpful I just wondered if you had much experience with fondant icing the cakes after freezing too?
I’ve been freezing my cakes with the crumbcoat on and then putting the second layer of buttercream on straight from freezer and then leave to defrost in the fridge overnight. This works fine at this stage. But when I come to covering with fondant icing it starts to sag after a couple of hours! I have a five teir wedding cake in couple of weeks! HELP please!
Hi Toni,
I will be 100% honest with you. I’d be really nervous to give you advice on this since I’m not a professional cake decorator. I would hate to tell you something that would mess up a wedding cake.
I suggest you ask someone with more experience like Melissa at My Cake School: http://www.mycakeschool.com/video-tutorials/ or Sharon from Sugar Ed Productions: https://www.sugaredproductions.com/ or look and ask questions in the forum at Cake Central: http://www.cakecentral.com/forum.
I wish I could help more but I want you to get help from a cake expert who makes cakes daily. 😉
Thanks for a really good article. I like to freeze my cakes and have always had great results.
I do have a question though – I have a recipe that calls for sugar syrup to be brushed over the cake whilst it’s still warm (but not hot). Once I’ve done this and it’s cooled can I still freeze it? Or will the sugar syrup in the cake ruin in? The recipe states that by adding the sugar syrup you could wrap well and leave at room temp for a week with no problem, but I need to bake further ahead and need to freeze it but worried about the reaction of the sugar syrup in the freezer? Any thought would be much appreciated!
Hi Claudipop,
I personally wouldn’t add the simple syrup until time to decorate the cake. If you freeze it for an extended period of time I feel it is best to freeze just the cake. When your ready to decorate the cake, remove it from the freezer ahead of time and allow it to come to room temperature before you unwrap it.
Then I would level the cakes and add the simple syrup and stack it with buttercream in between each layer.
Keep in mind I’m not a professional cake decorator. I’m totally self taught and this is my opinion and what works for me so you might want to ask someone with more experience.
Sharon at Sugar Ed Productions is wonderful and has a ton of tutorials in her cake school https://www.sugaredproductions.com/. Her classes are $10 a month with a ton of tutorials to help make all kinds of different cakes.
Melissa at My Cake School http://www.mycakeschool.com/?gclid=Cj0KEQjw6O-9BRDjhYXH2bOb8Z4BEiQAWRduk5J-pFObb6s-sFbEJFrsRDUoM180TipC6vH8Yk5GoSQaAhBm8P8HAQ offers classes for $30 for a yearly membership.
I’m sure one of these ladies will be able to answer all of your questions about freezing and simple syrup.
Hope this helps!
Yael Cohen —Reply
I am making an Air Jordns shaped cake for my friends 19th birthday this Sunday. I have made plenty of fondant cakes before but very few carved cakes so I haven’t had to freeze them. In the past when I have tried refridgerating cakes they have always become dry and I am worried about the same thing happening if I freeze it. Would it be okay to make the cake on Friday and freeze it for about 36 hours or would that be too long? Also, how much would you let the cake thaw before carving it? I think if I wait too long it will be difficult to carve. I was wondering if maybe I should cut and fill it then refreeze it quickly before carving. Thanks for your help:)
Hi Yael,
If you do make the cakes ahead of time and freeze them be sure to wrap it like I’ve shown you here. It will help keep the cake moist so it doesn’t dry out. When your ready to decorate it remove it from the freezer, place it on the kitchen counter and let it thaw to room temperature while it’s wrapped. Don’t unwrap it until it is thawed completely.
Next, unwrap the cakes and level them. If you want to use a simple syrup add it once all the layers are level before you begin stacking the cake. Begin stacking them with a layer of frosting in between each cake layer and remember to use supports as needed. If I make a cake that is going to be over 6” tall, I use a cake board and dowels to support it so it doesn’t fall over.
Once the cake is stacked, place it in the fridge or freezer for a little while just to let the buttercream firm up. It doesn’t need to be frozen at this point but it does need to be chilled, Chilling it will make the buttercream nice and firm so your cake doesn’t slide around as you try to carve the shape.
Then decorate as usual with your fondant.
Hope this helps!
Hi, I am a beginner at making tiered cakes. I am really enjoying it, and have questions. First after freezing your cakes then crumb coating them. do you placing the crumb coated cake back in the the freezer or refrigerator. Then take it out to finish frosting. Now can you place the frosted and decorated cake back in the freezer or refrigerator, if you are not serving it till the next day? or will the cake start to dry out?
Hi Kikib,
Sorry because this is kind of a repeat answer to a question already asked by Yael. Sorry if you have already seen the answer. I wanted to add it again to be sure you saw it.
If you do make the cakes ahead of time and freeze them be sure to wrap it like I’ve shown you here. It will help keep the cake moist so it doesn’t dry out. When your ready to decorate it remove it from the freezer, place it on the kitchen counter and let it thaw to room temperature while it’s wrapped. Don’t unwrap it until it is thawed completely.
Next, unwrap the cakes and level them. If you want to use a simple syrup add it once all the layers are level before you begin stacking the cake. Begin stacking them with a layer of frosting in between each cake layer and remember to use supports as needed. If I make a cake that is going to be over 6” tall, I use a cake board and dowels to support it so it doesn’t fall over.
Once the cake is stacked, place it in the fridge or freezer for a little while just to let the buttercream firm up. It doesn’t need to be frozen at this point but it does need to be chilled, Chilling it will make the buttercream nice and firm so your cake doesn’t slide around as you try to carve the shape.
Then decorate as usual with your fondant.
I don’t refreeze the cakes once I have removed them from the freezer and dirty iced them. I do however place them back in the freezer for a few minutes after I add the crumb coat. It is just to chill the cake and make the icing firm so the crumb coat will hold all the crumbs so my final layer of frosting will be crumb free.
I hope this helps!
Lisa
Hi I wonder if u can help. I am doing a tiered wedding cake for the weekend and froze my cake in layers last week. I have removed them from the freezer today and left them in film and popped into the fridge to defrost (this is without any filling). I was worried if I left on the side they would defrost to fast. Anyway to late to worry about that. So I now have the cakes all thawed and in the fridge still in film. Should I remove from the fridge and leave overnight on the side to then crumb coat and fondant cover tomorrow or am I best to leave in the fridge overnight? Am I right in thinking once they have been frozen and defrosted I can’t crumb coat and put back in freezer to harden up again before covering in fondant? Feeling stressed haha xx thank u xx
Hi Niki,
It will be alright to place the cakes in the plastic wrap on the counter overnight or you can go ahead and leave them in the fridge. Just be sure they are completely thawed before you add the icing.
As far as the crumb coat goes, you can add the buttercream frosting and then place the cake back in the freezer or fridge for a few minutes to chill. You basically want the icing to get firm so you can add the pretty layer of frosting without it getting mixed up with all the crumbs from the cake. Good luck with the wedding cake! Send me a picture if you can! 😉
Hope this helps,
LisaThank you so much for ur reply. I will definatley send a picture across when it’s all done. Do u have any advice on where I ask the venue to store the cake? I am dropping it off tomorrow, will they be beat storing at room temp than in a fridge? Thank u and Fingers crossed xx
Hi, I’m doing my first cake for my sister’s birthday in a week and I’m a bit confused about the freezing. My teacher in food tech told me one time that if we freeze the cupcakes and not poke a hole in the ziplock bag, that the cupcakes willl become soggy. Though we froze these for a week before decorating,I wondered isn’t that the same thing with cake freezing overnight, will the cake become soggy if there is no air passing through the cake???
Hi Ruth,
Condensation is the process in which water vapor turns from a gas to a liquid. Little water vapors in the air will turn to a liquid when it comes into contact with something cold like a frozen cake. If you have plastic wrap on your cake, the condensation will form on the plastic wrap instead of on your cake. That is what we want. If the condensation is on the plastic wrap, you can will be dry and not wet.
Same thing goes with the cupcakes. You want to keep the little water vapors from landing on your cupcakes which will result in to wet cupcakes. If there is a hole in the plastic wrap, the cupcakes will catch the water vapors and will be wet. You want the plastic wrap to catch them for you so you will have nice dry cupcakes.
If you would like more information on this please see Wicked Goodies Freezing and Condensation video on Youtube. She has three videos that will explain things perfectly for you:
Cake Filing Method Freezing Cakes: Part 1: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WwpboYdwKTE&feature=youtu.be
Cake Filling in the Pan Part 2: https://www.youtube.com/watch?annotation_id=annotation_3806130143&feature=iv&src_vid=WwpboYdwKTE&v=2U4nBzNKsW4
Cake Filling-Freezing and Condensation Part 3: https://www.youtube.com/watch?annotation_id=annotation_2250503613&feature=iv&src_vid=2U4nBzNKsW4&v=vUBuJP-H6v4
Bear hugs!
Going to try for my first layered cake this weekend. 8″ going to make it Saturday and freeze it. Then take it out Sunday morning to thaw and frost. How long does it take to thaw? 8 don’t want to serve a really cold cake! And it’s ok to frost while it’s still a little cold/frozen? Thanks!
Hi Jessica,
Somehow your comment ended up in my spam box. So sorry about that.
I hope your cakes turned out well and you probably don’t need me to answer your questions anymore but I’m going to anyway for future reference.
Thaw the cake in the wrapper. Don’t open it until it’s completely thawed or you could mess up your cake.
It usually takes a thin layer cake 2-3 hours to thaw and longer if the layers are thicker. You might want to place a thicker cake on the counter in the wrapper and let it thaw 4-5 hours before you open it.
Some people like to decorate a cold cake and some like to let it thaw completely before they decorate. I personally like to decorate a cold cake but not a frozen cake. I don’t like a sweaty cake so cold and not frozen works best for me.
If I were you I’d bake a few cakes and play around with them to find out what works best for you.
Again, sorry your comment ended up in my spam box.
Bear hugs,
Lisa
Would this work the same with different flavored cakes? Like would there be a difference?
Hi Kiara,
I’ve never had a problem freezing cakes but like any baked goods, some cakes will freeze better than others. I suggest you test your recipe by baking and freeing it to see how well the recipe holds up. I’ve have never had a problem freezing mine, but through the years I’ve heard some people struggle with certain recipes.
Hope this helps,
Lisa
Hi Lisa. i am making a friend’s wedding cake and have been travelling a lot for work. I froze the cakes in the hope that this will help me time-wise but i am beyond petrified that the cakes will taste terrible. Will they be alright? How do i check to see if they do actually taste nice? Thank you so much.
Hi Philippa,
Always start with a good cake recipe and use quality ingredients.
Freezing the cake will actually make the cake moist and delicious. I strongly suggest you make a few test cakes so you can practice what will work best for you. Freeze one for one week, another for one month and another for 3 months and taste them. I promise if you wrap them and freeze them correctly, you’ll love the taste of all three cakes.
Here are the steps to follow:
Bake a cake and let it cool completely.
Wrap the cake in two layers of plastic wrap.
Next, wrap the cake in one layer of foil.
Then, place it in a large sealable bag and push out as much air as you can. Large Ziploc bags work well.
Write the date and what type of cake it is on the bag so you will know when you froze it. Place it in the freezer.When your ready to decorate it, or in this case taste it, remove the wrapped cake from the freezer and place it on the counter. Don’t unwrap it! I know that it is hard to look at because you want to see it, smell it, and taste it but don’t open it yet.
Let it come to room temperature before you unwrap it.Once it’s thawed, unwrap it and give it a taste. Repeat the process with a cake that’s been frozen for one week, one month, and three months. I think you’re going to be amazed by the delicious moist cake.
As a matter of fact, most decorators freeze their cakes every time they bake. Here is a thread on Cake Central where people talk about it.
http://www.cakecentral.com/forum/t/687120/im-convincedfreezing-cakes-rocks.
Its good to read about the different ways people do things so you can adjust and tweak it for your needs.Hugs,
Lisa
thank you this is very helpful. I am a baker to but am also not professional . I was asked to make a cake for my little cousin and as I was building it, it fell apart 🙁 so I end up just going to the store the next day to getting a blank cake and decorating it myself. It was a rush job but all the kids loved it and I actually got a request from my little cousin(6-8) asking me to make her the kind of cake that fell apart on me. 🙂 so I’m definitely going to try again and use the method you have shared.
jennifer
Hi Jennifer,
How tall was your cake? If my cakes are 6″ I use supports to help keep them standing. I remember making a cake for my niece a few years ago and it fell. I know how you feel.
It’s heartbreaking. I have faith the next one will be amazing!Let me know if you need anything.
the cake was a 4 layer 8×8 square cake, I had to cut and move the inside around, here’s the link to the cake I was trying to make https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i5vOTakaew4&index=1&list=PLdLouUwdD7Tq89wg6vneY8pos9oMroLKq . Yea in the middle of working with it I saw it was starting to crumble/starting to fall apart and I was trying to work with it but it just got harder and harder to handle and just fell :/ We learn from our mistakes so now I know freezing is defiantly a must when handling cake.
Hi Lisa!
I just wanted to clarify. Do you wrap your cakes after they’re crumb coated? Or do they go straight into the freezer?
I am making bundt cakes for my daughters wedding in July. I plan on freezing and thawing them as you suggest. My question is, can I pipe thick of dollop of buttercream frosting and freezing this to save time a few days or even weeks before the wedding?? Some of the cake will not be covered with frosting. Infact, I plan on just putting powder sugar on the chocolate one at my daughters request. How would you (or would you)go about doing this?
Hi Mary,
I am not a professional cake decorator. Everything I know I’ve taught myself so I don’t want to ever give advice that might mess up someone’s wedding. That terrifies me. Since you asked I’m going to give you my best advice, but please, please do a test run on a small cake so you will know for yourself how the icing and the cake will work with the humidity in your area.
I would make the cakes ahead of time and freeze them without icing. You can also prepare the icing ahead of time so when it’s time to decorate, the hard part will be done and you can focus on making the cakes pretty. Feel free to ask a professional decorator or call a local bakery and see what advice they give you, but I myself wouldn’t freeze them with the icing on the cake. I know that’s probably not the answer your looking for, but it’s the one I’m most comfortable giving.
I hope this helps,
Lisa
Hi Lisa,
I have been asked to bake my friends Wedding Cake I can bake but have never attempted anything this big.
I have to make a 12 inch fruit cake 10 inch chocolate cake 8 inch madeira cake made. I plan to make and freeze the fruit cake a month before and the chocolate cake 2 weeks before. The cocolate cake is very rich and moist. The fruit cake will be covered with marzipan and fondant and the chocolate will be covered with ganache and fondant
I am very nerous about covering with ganache but its a challenge right.
After all that bumf what I need help with is freezing. Can I trim them before freezing Must I let them defrost completely before covering. Would the condensation cause problems with the marzipan, fondant and the ganache
I really hope you can help me 🙂
Hi Mary, I would like to make a cake for my daughters baby shower. I am not really accustomed to making cakes (I am more a cookie and pie person). I would really like to prepare a large round cake for about 20-30 guest and freeze beforehand. I am looking into making fondant icing (I have watched several video tutorials and it looks like something I could do) I would definitely prefer to have only that to deal with at the end. I thought I would bake the cake, (could I level beforehand once cooled then wrap and freeze.?) I then thought to perhaps apply the buttercream icing (a day or two before?). I have gotten the impression from the tutorials on fondant icing that it is not a good idea to place in the fridge afterwards. The problem is there is butter cream icing under it and the cream is perishable. Could I perhaps put the fondant on the day before and then place cake in my cold room (maybe 10 c these days) not as cold as a fridge but much cooler than on the counter. I was really hoping to do this in steps as its my first time, I am thinking if for some reason my fondant fails I can just add more butter cream and decorate differently. The other reason is that I am planning a baby shower and the day of there are hundred other things to take care of and would prefer not to attempt applying fondant for the first time. Any advice will be greatly appreciated. Thanks so much.
I bake cakes in jelly roll pans, then use cake rings to cut the layers to the diameter I want. Since I cut my layers out, I don’t have crust on the sides of my cakes.
The white cake recipe I developed has buttermilk and sour cream. So the crust is moist. Since I do not like having that brown crust line between the layers, I gently rub the crust off the top and bottom after the cake layers are cooled and cut.
So my cake layers are naked. Given the absence of crust, do you think it will harm the quality of my cakes if I freeze them?
Your non stick recipe is absolutely amazing. I threw 3 cakes away before I tried this. Like amazing. You have saved my son’s 3rd birthday cake. Thank you!!
Hi Lisa….I have a few questions and really need your help. This was a great article you did about freezing cakes. I baked my cake yesterday and let it completely cool. Then I filled/frosted the layers and let the cakes (I’m doing a 2-tier celebration surprise cake for my sister’s 60th birthday this coming Saturday, June 30th) for almost 5 hours to make sure they settled. After that, I placed them into the refrigerator to cool before I crumb coated. I will barely have enough time to finish decorating the cakes when I get into Atlanta via plane rides with these cakes, so I was wondering if I can just leave them in the refrigerator for the next 5 days since cakes are typically fine refrigerated for up to 2 weeks. I’ve never traveled with a cake before on a plane but I’m doing this as a gift and as a favor for my wife’s husband who asked me to make it for the party of 24 for her birthday. Questions: 1) once the crumb coated hardens in the refrigerator, can I just cover it with plastic wrap or what would you recommend? 2) I’m tempted to freeze it before heading out of town and then letting it thaw overnight out of the refrigerator (or would I let it thaw in the refrigerator) and then head to the airport with a thawed cake and finish frosting it when I get there. Any guidance you can give me will be greatly appreciated. Thanks so much. Blessings, Suzanne
I pull my cakes from the oven cool only enough to handle then turn then out on plastic wrap, wrap and freeze to freeze the moisture in before it is released in cooling. SUPER Moist cakes! Was taught this trick by a co worker. That in addition to melted butter for oil, full fat milk, and 1-2 extra eggs make the best tasting box cakes!
Hi Lisa! Thanks so much for this post. I am baking the cakes for my wedding, andI was thinking on doing the baking at least 1 week in advance since there are many things that need to be prepared. I was planning on decorating the day before, but I am not a big fan of BC so I use mascarpone cheese. Is this good to crumb coat? After I take the cakes out of the freezer, do I let them thaw completely (how long will this take?) and then dirty frost?
Thanks a million!
Hi Lisa – Thank you for the detailed instructions! Being able to bake the cake ahead of time will be a game-changer! Usually I stick to cookies, scones, and 9×13 cakes … but your tips have empowered me to make a layered carrot cake for the parish bake sale this month (boo-yah!).
Could I just clarify one step in the process? The instruction reads: “Take the frozen cakes out of the freezer and let them thaw a little while still wrapped.” In a few of your replies, though, I got the impression that the cakes should be allowed to THAW COMPLETELY before unwrapping. When the frozen cakes are removed from the freezer, is it best to leave them wrapped until they are completely thawed?
Thanks for sharing the benefit of your experience and the many resources. I’m going to try out your “cake release” recipe and check out “How to Cake It” for more decorating tips!
Hi Laura,
Yes you need to leave them wrapped until they thaw completely so the condensation will end up on the wrapper and not the cake itself. Sorry, I wasn’t clear and I’ll try to fix it. Have fun baking and I’d love to see your cakes! 😉
The cake release is one of my favorite recipes. It works like a dream! (((Happy Dance!!!)))
Hi Lisa,
I was planning on preparing my daughters second birthday cake a week before and freeze it but wondering if it’s too long in the freezer? Thank you for your advice
Warmly
María Elena
Tess —Reply
Thank you so much for these tips! I always freeze my cakes now, and they look and taste so much better.
Hi Lisa,
Not sure if someone asked this but when u freeze say and 8inch round cake for 2 days do u know by any chance how long we should leave it out to thaw before we dirty ice it? This. Is my first time freezing a cake and it’s just because of the holiday and the party the next day.
Cause today Monday I am making the cakes then Wednesday I am cutting the cakes and then Friday afternoon I am decorating the cakes. Cause Tuesday my mom will b making pies and Thursday is thanksgiving.
Any info would b helpful. Thanks!
Krista(Cincinnati)
Madilyn —Reply
Thank you so much for your tips. Now I want to freeze the cake in the freezer before the decoration. But what if using fondant?
Just freeze the cake just as you normally do. If you’re going to add frosting or fondant, just set the cake on the counter for a few hours and let it thaw. Don’t remove the plastic wrap. Just let it thaw and then decorate as you normally would.
You just need to make sure the cake is at room temperate before you add the frosting and fondant.
Hope this helps.
If I am using simple sugar on some of the layers, would you add that before freezing or do it after it has thawed? Thanks for all of the help on freezing cakes!
If I need to have the cake ready on a Friday afternoon, when should I be thawing the cake out, and then decorating it? Should I do all this on the same day (Friday?)
thank you!
Hi Maria,
Remember, I’m a self-taught baker so what I’m telling you works for me in my humidity. I hope it works for you in your humidity if you decide to try it.
What kind of frosting are you decorating with?I’d set the cake on the counter and let it thaw for a few hours, then I’d decorate it. I would do it the day before you need the cake in case something goes wrong. I have my fingers crossed for you that everything works out smoothly and the cake will be perfect the first time. Make sure the cake is thawed before you decorate. 😉
Hugs!
Hi..I bake cakes for family n friends. I freeze cakes all the time but mostly the cakes turn out dry.
1. I freeze the cakes when they are still warm. Is that the mistake?
2. I only put them in 2 layers of cellophane wrap. I don’t further put them in ziplock. Can that cause the dryness? Whenever I’ve finalized the cakes without freezing (which is a lot more last minute work), they turn out better.
Please help.
Hi Manpreet,
I freeze my cakes when they are still warm. It helps capture the flavor and makes them extra flavorful.
I always wrap my cakes in plastic wrap, aluminum foil, and then a plastic Ziploc bag to help keep them moist and fresh. I suggest you try this again and be sure to wrap in all three layers and see if it works. If not, email me and we will work on a solution for you.
Karen —Reply
Thank you so much. I am hosting Christmas Bunko and didnt’ want to try & do everything on the same day.
Hi Lisa, I am hoping you can tell me how long it will take my cake to defrost before cutting into it? I did the freezing part tonight and I am going to frost them in the morning, but it hasto be refrigerated after frosting because I’m using a cream cheese and whipped cream frosting. So I am hoping that you can tell me how many hours in the refrigerator it will take for the cake to be defrosted?
Thank you, Cindy
Hi Cindy,
I’ve very late with this comment. I don’t normally thaw cakes in the fridge. I usually place them on the counter for an hour or two. I suggest you check with a cake person to see what they would do. I’m self-taught and I don’t use whipped cream frosting so I’m afraid whatever I tell you would be wrong. I’m so sorry.
I do the exact same thing! When I first started I was working full-time and I’d be booked all weekend. It was way too much for me to do everything the day before. So I did the exact same thing you did, trial and error! I’ve always felt they are so much more moist when they’re frozen. I just started up my home bakery and have three large cakes this weekend! I just popped them all in the freezer!♥️
Hi Liza,
I the recipe you say that the sponge should be baked, then cooled down, then wrapped. However in your reply to Manpreet you say that you wrap your sponges while they are still warm. So when should I wrap my layers? Cool or warm?
Thank you!
What about ice cream cake? How do you keep the cake layers from freezing if you have to keep it in the freezer so the ice cream doesn’t melt?
Lynn Ryan —Reply
Hi Lisa,
I rarely bake. I’m more of a cooker. I was asked by my family to make my zucchini quick bread for Thanksgiving. No problem. Well, OCD must have set in because I made 2 zucchini loaves and 6 mini. Then I continued with 2 banana nut loaves, 3 apple cake loaves and lastly 2 carrot cake loaves. All were 8 x 4. I wrapped and froze them all exactly the way you did and labeled it with the website the recipe came from, it’s contents, date prepared, nuts or no nuts and/or use by date. My dilemma is the carrot cake. I froze it un-frosted. I was going to take it out of the freezer, frost it with cream cheese frosting while still frozen and stick it back in the freezer. Can I do it this way and what are the ramifications, if any? I was planning on doing this today. I know you thaw your cakes on the counter but cream cheese frosting should be thawed in the fridge. Is that right? Do you know how long that takes? My mother-in-law just passed away on Sunday 11/17 and I’m feeling very overwhelmed at this time. Oh Lisa, please help me out with any suggestions or ideas! Thanking you in advance!
Tip instead of leveling off the domes of your cake- take a pretty damp paper towel (wring out and fold close to width of cake pan) wrap that in aluminum foil and wrap around cake pan when you bake it. This helps disperse the heat so you dont end up with the dome and the cake is a lot more even consistency. (Read- yummy!). Learned this trick from Preppy Kitchen. Try it out! Love, Dani
Hi Lisa,
I’m making a double layer carrot cake in 12×18 sheet pans. Would I wrap them in clear plastic and foil and put in freezer just like that, or do I put them on cardboard before wrapping? If I thaw them completely won’t they get soft for frosting? When do I level them? Do I have to put cream cheese frosting in fridge before using to frost and decorate cake? Thank you for your response in advance!
Hi Gerbie,
I have always wrapped my cakes in plastic wrap and then in foil and put them in the freezer. I don’t use a cake board. I just use plastic wrap and foil.
When it’s time to decorate I place them on the counter overnight and let them thaw completely and they taste as if I just baked them. They don’t get soft. After they thaw completely, level them and decorate them with frosting just as I would if I had just baked them a few hours before.
Hi! If I freeze my cakes the night before and get them out the freezer the day after, I would let it sit for 30 minutes and begin crumb coating/ decorating right after as I find this helps it from tipping over. If I crumb Croat/decorate whilst it’s frozen and put it in the fridge for an extra day would the cake still be kind of frozen?
Hi Tasneem,
I’ll be totally honest with you. I’ve never tried that before so I’m not sure how it will work. I strongly suggest you ask a professional cake decorator. I don’t want to tell you something wrong and make you mess up your baked cakes. I’ve learned a lot from Avalon Cakes and here is her Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/AvalonCakes/. I’d try asking her.
Bear hugs,
Lisa
Hi Marisol,
Personally, I would not add the simple syrup before I freeze my cakes. It is so much moisture I think it can end badly.
Feel free to ask a professional cake decorator because I’m better with cookie decorating. I just don’t have good thoughts about freezing the syrup. Sorry.
Hi Lisa!I filled my cake and wrapped it in film to make it more stable, I left it in the freezer for a day so that when I decorate it it will be more like solid. My question is if I can decorate it while is still frozen or should I wait until it’s chilled?
Hi Zeinab,
I’d wait because little drops of water can form as it comes to room temperature. I’m not a professional cake decorator but I’d feel better waiting. You might want to ask a professional cake decorator because they will know a lot more than me. I’m totally self taught.
Bear hugs,
Lisa
So helpful! BUT then last part… What next!? Once you frost and decorate…. Do you do back into fridge? Freezer? Room temp? Until delivery. Thank you!!!!
Hi Christina,
I’m so sorry I’m super slow at responding to this. We moved to a beautiful mountain where we have an amazing view of The Great Smoky Mountains, but we have been struggling with internet service. We have finally found something that works (a year and a half later) so I’m back in the studio making tutorials, answering emails, and playing with icing. I’m so happy!
Again, I’m so sorry it took me so long to respond, but here is how I treat the cake that has been frozen. I usually decorate it the day before it’s needed. I decorate it, place it in the container I’m going to deliver it in, and cross my fingers it will look the same as it did when I covered it. That’s it. There are a million different ways to do it and I hope you find one that works well for you my baking friend!
Bear hugs,
Lisa
Hi Lisa. Instead of wrapping the cake layers before freezing, can I put them in air-tight containers? I’m looking for a more sustainable way of doing this with the least amount of disposables.
Hi Jenny,
I have never tried to do it that way before. I have always used plastic wrap to freeze them. You may need to ask a professional cake decorator about the air-tight containers. So sorry I can’t tell you more but I don’t want to tell you some thing wrong.
And I’m so sorry it took me so long to respond. I’ve been having health issues this year. I’ve had pneumonia, at heart attack due to lack of oxygen from the pneumonia, and seizures from brain damage due to the brain tumor I had in 2019. I’m just now catching up and I’m so sorry!!!!
Hi Lisa! I’m attempting a 2 tiered heart shaped cake for my daughters 15th bday. I was curious so you leave the cake layers wrapped and thaw out completely before doing the crumb coat or do you do the crumb coat when it’s still frozen a bit? How long would you thaw them before applying the crumb coat? And after you crumb coat would you put back in freezer 10-20 mins before icing and decorating? Sorry I just want to make sure I completely understand so I don’t mess this up. Thank you so much!
