Filling and freezing cakes

by Ashley
(Georgia)

Hi! I have been making cakes for a couple years now but I am too afraid to freeze them - although I would love to and know it would save me a lot of time! I'm afraid I will do something wrong or they will be soggy after they thaw. I have so many questions and concerns;

Hi Ashley, I freeze all of my cakes successfully. I will answer your questions one by one here for you and then you can check out the posts at the bottom of this page.

Question: Do I fill and layer before I freeze?

Answer: It is difficult to cut into a frozen cake, so get the cakes very cold and then slice, fill, wrap very well, and freeze.

Question: Do I thaw at room temp. or do I thaw in the fridge?

Answer: Thaw them in the fridge after you have crumb coated them. See answer below about crumb coating.

Question: Do I wait until completely thaw to crumb coat??

Answer: Crumb coat your cakes while they are frozen. This will help to keep the cakes fresh and are so much easier to work with. Plus you can trim them if needed while they are super cold.

I'm sure these questions have been answered but I'm having a hard time understanding exactly what to do.

Here are a few good posts for you to read on this site from other people with similar questions.

Can I frost a frozen cake

What is the process of putting together a 3 tiered cake?

This may sound silly but can you give me the "step by step" from oven to your decorating table...? Thanks so much!

Thank you Ashley-I think you just gave me the title to the e book that I am working on. Do you mind if I use that title? I think it's perfect.

Wedding Cakes-Step By Step From Oven To Decorating Table

Comments

Hi Ashley, here is a video that may help you as well on frosting and filling a small wedding cake.

When I do wedding cakes I do two layers of cake and one layer of filling as you will see in the video. This way there is no cutting of layers involved and the cakes are more stable.

You can cut the layers and make four layers of cake with three layers of filling if you want to.

Thanks!
by: Ashley

Thanks for your help! And of course you can use the title :)

Freezing Cakes With Chocolate Ganache Icing

by Gina
(Salisbury, UK)

I've read your excellent advice for freezing cakes, but have one more question. I'm going to crumb-coat my chocolate cakes with a ganache made with fresh cream and chocolate. Is this okay to freeze because some websites only recommend butter cream?
Many thanks.

Hi Gina, Freezing cakes with chocolate ganache icing as a crumb coat should not be a problem. Are you doing the final coat in ganache? You may have to rough up the surface of the crumb coat before frosting with a second coat. Hope that helps you out.

Comments

Storing a cake
by: Anonymous

I have gotten the date wrong for a very detailed cake! I have made it a week too soon. I so do not want to have to redo this cake. Is there any way to store this cake for a week and it still look and taste fresh and just made the date needed? If so, how? Please help!

I would say freeze it then wrap it as well as you can without ruining the decoration, or better yet box it, seal it with plastic and tape.

Take your cake out a day in advance and open the box up to let it breath. Any condensation should dissipate. Good luck to you. Please let me know how it goes and I will ask around on my Facebook and Linked in groups etc to see if someone has a better solution for you.

Lorelie

Freezing cake with filling

by Cathy
(Salem, OR)

Hi :)
I like your tutorial on how you refreeze your cakes after the crumb coat. If I have a fruit filling like lemon in my cake layers will it freeze and defrost safely if I do that??

Hi Cathy, Thank you, I'm so glad that my tutorials are helping. The answer to your question is yes your lemon or fruit filling can be safely frozen. The only caution I can think of is with fresh raspberries. When you freeze and thaw them they tend to breakdown and get juicey.

To make sure that they do not seep through the sides or into your cake, use a firm filling such as a buttercream or my chocolate mousse recipe along with them and bury them within the filling. Be extra cautious and use a dam of buttercream if you use the chocolate mousse filling. Also be aware that frozen fruit may take a while longer to thaw.

Frozen cakes

by Madeline
(Taunton, Mass United States)

Hi Lorelie,
I'm making a 1/2 sheet cake that's due on Friday at 5pm. It's a 3 layer 3 different flavors and 2 different types of fillings. I baked ahead and freeze for the first time. I will be making the filling on Wednesday evening. My question is how long before Friday should I take the cakes out of the freezer to thaw? They don't actually feel frozen to the touch. I want to allowed enough time for filling, crumb coat and icing and decorations but still want my cake to feel fresh on Friday afternoon. It will be buttercream icing, transfer and borders with fondant details.
Thank you so much for all your help!!

Hi Madeline I would fill and crumb coat those today (Thursday). Put them in the refrigerator overnight to thaw. Then spend Friday decorating them. Once the fondant is on the cake you will need to keep them unrefrigerated. Hope that answers your frozen cakes question.

What is the best way to wrap cakes for freezing?

by Barbara
(FL)

What is the best way to wrap each layer of cake for freezing - will be making a wedding cake, so any tips would be appreciated.

Hi Barbara, I have always used layers of plastic wrap and then a plastic bag over that, squeezing out as much air as possible.

Another trick I use to keep the cakes moist is to fill and crumb coat the cakes after they get real cold then re wrap and put them back into the freezer until a day or two before the final frosting and cake decorating.
Hope that helps. We would love to see a picture and a story about your wedding cake. You can submit one on the same form that you used to ask the questions.
Thanks so much for visiting!

Refrigerating Cakes

by Larry M
(Brooklyn NY USA)

I understand the Cream Cheese recipes need to be refrigerated - I was wondering about all the icings / Frostings / Cakes that contain Milk / Buttermilk / Milk Substitutes - Do they need to be refrigerated ? I mean after their served and there is left over.

I love your freezing tutorial prior to frosting and presenting ....works GREAT !!!

Hi Larry, Thanks so much. You can safely leave out a leftover cake for a day or two well wrapped depending on the filling and frosting. The cakes once baked are safe because the milk and eggs are cooked. I would be more careful with a cream cheese filling or frosting, The buttercreams are safer. But generally I would not leave a cake out longer than that. I hope that helps you out. Thanks for visiting and asking a great question about refrigerating cakes. I put link to the freezing tutorial that I believe you are talking about. I have a few of them. If it is a different one please let me know. Thanks

July wedding, can I bake and freeze now?

by madeitwithlove
(UK)

Hi Lorelie

Can I bake and freeze chocolate cake now, June 16th, for a wedding on July 16? It's your chocolate cake with buttermilk recipe.

Also can I fill it with ganache or has that got to wait until decoration time? I'll be double covering with rolled fondant but it will have a thin layer of butter cream first. I'm a bit concerned the moisture will affect the rolled fondant once the cake starts defrosting. I wouldn't want an almighty mess. Many thanks.

with my best wishes

Hi Roshan, Yes you can do all of that. Fill it with the ganache and freeze. Just make sure that you wrap it VERY well. With lots of layers and a plastic bag too. Wait on the fondant though as you probably know. Do that at he last possible moment. I have never had a moisture issue with that cake.

Hope this helps. and good luck. Let me know how it turn out.

Comments

Thank you
by: madeitwithlove

Thanks for your help Lorelie, will let you how it all turns out.Best wishes xx

Your welcome. can't wait to hear all about it. Thanks :-)

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