Cake Freezing/Thawing Advice, Please

[AlwaysCookin']

There is a big bake sale at my church on October 13. I want to begin baking cakes now and freezing them, so that on the day before the sale I can thaw and ice them. Is there a right or wrong way in which to wrap, freeze or thaw them? I thought I heard something on a cooking show recently that they should be thawed while still wrapped, to avoid sogginess. I always thought that the opposite would be true. I also wonder if it makes a difference if they are thawed in the fridge or on the counter. Any advise would certainly be appreciated. I will have spent quite a bit of time and money, come thawing day, and I sure do want to get it right.

[Spoons]

Bake, Cool completely,place on cake round, cater wrap really well,I stick them in a ziploc, s u c k out air.(not neccesary, but I do it anyway) Thaw them with it's wrapping still on,on the counter or fridge. No real difference, just preference. I like my crumbs in tact b4 I ice. So, thaw in fridge. Sometimes I'm in a hurry, thaw on counter.

[ September 29, 2001: Message edited by: Spoons ]

[W.DeBord]

Ditto, I'd add... that if they don't fit in a ziploc make sure you use foil over the plastic wrap so it stays wrapped once the plastic freezes. You can re-use your foil later. I also like to place a cake cardboard on the top of my cake too so the corners don't accidentally get bruised.

Ideally I prefer to defrost in the cooler over the counter. If you have any cakes already assembled with fillings inside them use the cooler to defrost them. Plain cakes with-out any fillings in them are fine defrosting on the counter.

Also if your making any decorations out of frosting (like pumkins or flowers to place on your cakes) you can pipe out your figures on wax paper and freeze them. When their hard transfer to a sealed container and they'll hold for a very very long time. You also can make decorations out of royal frosting which hardens and also lasts for ever (but they don't go in the refrigerator).

Give yourself plenty of time...you can make all your frostings a couple days before you need to use them. Let them warm up on the counter and then you just give them a re-beat and frost when you need them. So on your last day your not stopping and making anything just assembling, decorating and wrapping.

P.S. have fun too....

[W.DeBord]

Oh, one more thing. Slice your cakes into layers before you freeze them. Then you don't have to wait for them to defrost before you use them. Wrap them with a layer of wax paper between layers so they'll seperate while frozen.

You can frost plain cake layers before they defrost (it's pretty easy to handle cakes this way)...this can really speed up your assembly if your making simple layer cakes.

[momoreg]

There is a big difference between thawing cakes that are wrapped vs. unwrapped. The plastic provides a barrier between the condensation and the cake. So you are right, it prevents sogginess. Good luck!

[Isa]

Welcome to Chef Talk AlwaysCookin'!

Good luck with your cakes.

[AlwaysCookin']

Thanks to everyone for your help. I have officially begun baking and should have some in the freezer by the end of the day! And as for having fun ... if I'm baking, I'm having fun!

[Shimmer]

I know its too late for your particular situation, but this is what I learned from where I work.

In general, cake thaws very rapidly. I grab cakes out of the freezer and decorate them immediately. It is easier to ice frozen cakes!

For denser cakes, carrot, spice, etc, I would suggest poking holes into them if you wish to decorate them right away. This prevents cracking as they thaw.

It's important not to leave the cake out exposed to air while it thaws, it will get stale! And if the plastic is too close to the cake, it might get pretty messy unwrapping it after the cake has thawed. This is why I prefer the frozen decorating thing.

~~Shimmer~~