Freeze Cakes

Freezing a cake or cake mixture can be very useful when there's too much on hand, or there are leftovers or even when you've prepared in advance for a special occasion. This article provides some suggestions for freezing cakes and cake mixture.

Steps

 * 1)  Select the cake wrapping. The cake must be protected from freezer condensation by using a moisture-proof wrapping. Suggested wrappings include:
 * 2) *greaseproof paper thoroughly covering the cake and taped
 * 3) *aluminium foil, or aluminium foil and plastic wrap/greasproof paper underneath it
 * 4) *plastic self-sealing bag
 * 5) *placement of wrapped cake into a metallic tin if desired (protects the cakes from being knocked by other items, makes it very easy to find and provides added protection from moisture and freezer odours, such as seafood)
 * 6)  Select the cake type. Most cakes will freeze well, even most iced cakes. Things to consider are:
 * 7) *Never Store a Durian Cake in The Freezer as it will spoil the durians and give it a acidic taste. Durians become spoilt when they are over freezed.
 * 8) *Uniced cake: in general, uniced cakes are fine to freeze apart from those with little or no fat.
 * 9) *Iced/frosted cake: most frostings are okay to freeze but avoid freezing icing/frosting that contains cream cheese, egg, fresh cream or boiled versions. ; candy frostings can freeze for about 4 weeks and buttercream frostings freeze very well for a couple of months.
 * 10) *Wedding cake and Christmas cake icing/frosting: this uncooked confectioner's icing freezes well for a long time.
 * 11) *Filling: Avoid freezing cream or cream cheese filled cakes.
 * 12) *Cake with no fat: Not ideal to freeze as likely to lose its moisture content and dry out too much.
 * 13)  Wrap the cake. The process of wrapping the cake differs slightly depending on whether or not it is iced/frosted:
 * 14) *Wrap an uniced cake and place in the freezer;
 * 15) *Place an iced cake into the freezer until the icing hardens. Then wrap in plastic wrap or greaseproof paper and finish with a layer of aluminium foil.
 * 16)  Freeze within time limits. Whilst freezing initially retains the moisture of a pre-baked cake, cakes will tend to dry out after two months of freezing and you can expect the flavour to change at around four months. A good guide to follow is:
 * 17) *Freeze uniced/undecorated cakes for up to three months
 * 18) *Freeze iced cakes for up to two months
 * 19) * Durian Cake should only be stored in normal Fridge Temperature. The temperature of the cake should not go below 2.7°C - 3.0°c
 * 20)  Freeze cake mixture. It is possible to freeze cake mixture that hasn't been baked yet. Either place in an airtight container or place in a pre-prepared baking tin or muffin pan, already greased or lined with baking paper. Freeze uncovered first and then wrap tightly in plastic or foil once frozen.
 * 21)  Thaw. To thaw a frozen cake, this depends on whether or not it is iced:
 * 22) * For an uniced cake: leave it on a wire rack in a clean part of the kitchen. Do not microwave or oven heat a frozen cake or you will ruin it. It will take about two hours for a large cake to thaw under normal room temperature conditions.
 * 23) * For an iced cake: let it thaw in the refrigerator. This will prevent condensation from forming on the icing/frosting. Unwrap it first to prevent the icing sticking to the wrapping.
 * 24) * Uncooked mixture: this will take about 2 - 3 hours to thaw and can be thawed at room temperature.

Tips

 * Sponge cakes can also be frozen.
 * It can be helpful to wrap slices or layers of cake, so that you only have to defrost the part of the cake that you will consume or use at that time.
 * Always ensure that a cake has cooled completely before freezing.
 * Freeze leftover cake. Even a cake that isn't in the best of shape can be frozen for use as a base in trifles and other dessert dishes requiring a mushy cake layer. Don't throw it away - turn it into a new dish!
 * For a really nice touch for guests arriving in your holiday home, leave frozen cupcakes ready to thaw and cook for them. Leave instructions stuck on the freezer door.

Warnings

 * Cakes lacking fat/oil freeze poorly, including fat-free whisked sponges.
 * With the exception of lime, fruit toppings on cakes are unsuitable to freeze.

Things You'll Need

 * Appropriate wrapping
 * Metal tin (optional)
 * Wire cooling rack
 * Freezer

Related wikiHows

 * How to Store a Christmas Cake
 * How to Bake a Cake
 * How to Make a Spongy Chocolate Cake
 * How to Ice a Cake
 * How to Make Buttercream Frosting
 * How to Fondant a Cake