Cake Decorating Community - Cakes We Bake

Is it ok to bake a cake in advance and freeze it or how long can you bake ahead of time? I am trying to learn and some forums say it is better to refigerate before icing - is this true? hope this makes sense. Thanks in advance Debbie :)

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how long does can i freeze?  i've never done this before and i've got a ton of cakes to do for the 19th weekend, and would love to get the baking out of the way!!  So the cakes remain moist and taste good even when you take them out of the freezer???!!

 

So this is the process from what i've read:

1.  Let cakes cool first

2.  Wrap in Saran Wrap and then wrap with layers of alumin foil. 

3.  Before taking out of wrapping, let the cake sit until they reach room temp so the condensation does not get into or onto the cake.

 

In step#2, do you put them in a plastic bag once it's been foiled?

 

thanks ladies!!!

Yes they are moist and taste good after freezing.  Think of all the things you buy at the store that are frozen, pizza, pies, cakes, pasta, etc.  All moist and tasty after freezing.  As far as how to wrap, you can do pretty much anything and different people do it different ways.  I just use a single layer of saran or a zip lock or a tupperware type container and they are fine.  At wilton.com forums they did an experiment and froze cakes with NO wrapping at all and they were moist after thawing, so I consider the wrapping mainly just keeps the cake clean in the freezer.  This assumes you don't have a stinky freezer of course.   Others double up the wraps, some even triple wrap.  So it really depends on what you are comfortable with.  Think again about my grocery store example.  Pizza, cakes, ice cream, pies usually just in a single layer of plastic OR a cardboard box and they taste fine and are manhandled and frozen much more than your cake.  As far as thawing, lots of people say to defrost while covered to keep condensation off the cake.  But many people, including myself start to crumb coat and sometimes ice while thawing.  So really, cakes are pretty forgiving and for most things there are no absolute correct ways to do things.  So bake away!!

I baked a cake last night and put it in the freezer when still warm, I need it for the 19th, I am thinking of putting fondant on Thursday, should I take it out of the freezer on Wed morn and crumb coat it in the evening? 

 

Thanks for your help.
Kathy Kmonk said:

When I take my cakes out of the oven.  I let them cool for ten minutes, then I wrap them in plastic wrap and aluminum foil and put them in the freezer while they are still warm.  I freeze cakes for several weeks sometimes.  Wrapping them while they are still warm helps them retain moisture.  I always have a cake on hand for last minute orders.
I don't work with fondant, but it seems early to defrost on Wed for a Sat cake.  Crumbcoating only takes a short time, couldn't you do the crumbcoat and fondant Thurs or Friday?
They say if you put the Saran Wrap in the freezer for 30 min  it will not be hard to handle.

denette lynch said:
If you and saran wrap don't get along you can use aluminum foil or a ziplock bag.

I always bake and freeze about 20 minutes after it comes out of the freezer. I thought it was frowned upon but they always taste wonderful once they are properly sealed before going into the freezer.

 

I don't know why I never baked a few of different flavors and just let them sit in the freezer for last minute events.

 

Thanks guys

Well i've put 2 16" round cakes in the freezer...lets hope it works fine!! It's for a wedding cake this weekend!!!! 

 

I will be crumb coating Thursday night, and fondant on Friday morning...so should i take the cake out  Thurs morning for it to come back to room temperature?

 

Thanks ladies!!

That would be plenty of time to defrost, it takes a couple of hours.  I often crumbcoat while frozen.
Thanks Denette, this discussion is giving me more confidence, keeping all my fingers & toes crossed.

denette lynch said:
That would be plenty of time to defrost, it takes a couple of hours.  I often crumbcoat while frozen.
Me too Anne :)

I may the lone dissenter but here goes.

 

I think that if someone is going to pay decent money for a decorated cake, they deserve FRESH cake.  I, myself can discern the difference between fresh and frozen....but with that said...cake decorating is only a hobby for me and I have the luxury of baking fresh...I can see how a full fledged business would need to freeze because of time constraints....but to me there is nothing better than a fresh cake....jmho.

Time to report,  my cake was moist and tasted really good.  I did start carving and crumb coating when it was still cold, then started on my fondant work by which time my crumb coat had crusted and was able to put the fondant on the cake.  After which I did not put the cake back in the fridge.  The only pet peeve I have about fondant is that people do not like to eat it, me including, so I may stick more to butter cream. 

Thank you guys for all the help.

Anne M said:

Thanks Denette, this discussion is giving me more confidence, keeping all my fingers & toes crossed.

denette lynch said:
That would be plenty of time to defrost, it takes a couple of hours.  I often crumbcoat while frozen.

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