How to Freeze a Cake

Why freeze a cake. Two simple reasons:

• You have plenty of advance notice, but want to get the baking done.
• The cake you have in mind will take a week to create, so get the cake baked first.

Freezing a cake ahead of time is a common practice among cake decorators. However, freezing the cake so that it doesn’t try out takes a little bit of practice. There’s nothing worse than dry birthday cake when all the kids are lined up for your beautifully decorated cake.

Before you even consider baking and freezing your cake, take a look inside your freezer. Is there enough room for your cake to sit level on the freezer shelf without anything being piled on top or touching the sides? If not, you need to clean out the freezer and remove anything that could damage your cake.

The key to freezing your cake is how it is wrapped. Follow these general guidelines:

1. Bake your cake.
2. Allow the cake to fully cool.
3. Wrap the cake in 2 layers of plastic wrap, do not leave any part unwrapped.
4. Wrap the cake in 1 layer of foil.
5. Place the cake flat in to the freezer.
6. Freeze from 1 day to 1 month.
7. Remove from the freezer 1 day before you plan to ice and decorate, do not unwrap the plastic.

The reason I wrap with plastic first is that the plastic keeps the cake fresh and dry. The aluminum foil protects the cake from freezer moisture.

One final cake freezing tip: don’t ice the cake ahead of time. Frosting does not freeze well. It can crack easily and will ruin any time savings you had hoped to gain by icing ahead of time. Plus, the tint in your color may run when the cake defrosts.

That’s it. Your cake is now ready to be decorated. Have fun!