Freezing A Finished Cake?

Decorating By ladybuglau Updated 1 Aug 2014 , 5:06pm by ladybuglau

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ladybuglau Posted 2 Jul 2014 , 6:52pm
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AHey guys! I haven't been on here in forever! Mostly because I moved down south and my cake business is not much of anything for now, BUT I am making a cake for my best friend's baby shower and I need some advice. I'm planing the shower in NYC from South Carolina and I can't very well plan a whole shower and not have a beautiful cake for her when that's my thing. The party is a children's book theme and this is the cake that the cohost and I would love the most [IMG ALT=""]http://cakecentral.com/content/type/61/id/3257778/width/350/height/700[/IMG] The problem is how I can possibly make the cake for a party on a Sunday when we're leaving to drive up on the Thursday before- I'd have to make it a minimum of 4 days in advance but I don't want to be serving people a stale cake!

So do you guys know if these can be made ahead and frozen, then defrosted and stacked the day before the party? I feel very skeptical about it and I'm not sure what to do. Any advice would be appreciated, TI

19 replies
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cakegrandma Posted 2 Jul 2014 , 8:38pm
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I would freeze it well and then wrap dry ice in a big box, not sure though of what is used to protect the cakes from the dry ice.  I know it will make it up there and hopefully someone can tell what is used to do all this. ;-)

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kakeladi Posted 2 Jul 2014 , 8:48pm
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You definitely can do this ahead then stack together on site :)

I really don't seen the need for dry ice.  It can be dangerous.  If you want the cake to remain fzn on the trip up to NY, be sure to freeze the tiers well.  Have them wrapped in plastic wrap, then a layer of foil then maybe even a couple of layers of newspaper.  Yes, newspaper - it's very insulating.  Put the wrapped cakes in cake boxes.  If you still feel the need to keep them cold on the trip  freeze big blocks of ice and wrap them the same as the cake is and put it all into big plastic trash bags.  Blocks of ice melt slower than ice cubes so the bigger the blocks you can fz the better. 

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Ellie33 Posted 2 Jul 2014 , 9:09pm
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AAre you planning to freeze cake already covered in fondant? I don't think it could be done. Condensation will melt it off..

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ladybuglau Posted 2 Jul 2014 , 9:25pm
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A

Original message sent by kakeladi

You definitely can do this ahead then stack together on site :) I really don't seen the need for dry ice.  It can be dangerous.  If you want the cake to remain fzn on the trip up to NY, be sure to freeze the tiers well.  Have them wrapped in plastic wrap, then a layer of foil then maybe even a couple of layers of newspaper.  Yes, newspaper - it's very insulating.  Put the wrapped cakes in cake boxes.  If you still feel the need to keep them cold on the trip  freeze big blocks of ice and wrap them the same as the cake is and put it all into big plastic trash bags.  Blocks of ice melt slower than ice cubes so the bigger the blocks you can fz the better. 

This is good info! Would you thaw them at room temp or in the fridge? And I should keep them wrapped to keep the condensation on the plastic instead of the buttercream, right?

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ladybuglau Posted 2 Jul 2014 , 9:26pm
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A

Original message sent by Ellie33

Are you planning to freeze cake already covered in fondant? I don't think it could be done. Condensation will melt it off..

I MUCH prefer working with fondant, but I was thinking I probably couldn't freeze the fondant and would just do them in buttercream (that's what it looks like in the pic)

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Edible Art Co Posted 3 Jul 2014 , 8:34am
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I'm sure I've read on here that you can freeze fondant covered cakes. The condensation issue happens because of the difference in temperature in the room when you take it out of the freezer. I think it said keep the cake in the box, wrapped up, that way it will come to room temp gradually and it should be fine. Please do a search to be sure, it's on here somewhere! :) 

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Rohini Posted 3 Jul 2014 , 11:10am
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Quote:

Originally Posted by ladybuglau 


I MUCH prefer working with fondant, but I was thinking I probably couldn't freeze the fondant and would just do them in buttercream (that's what it looks like in the pic)


Hi!

 

I have frozen and defrosted a fully fondant covered and decorated cake without any problems. So it can be done :)

 

The trick is to put the decorated cake in a cake box, put the lid on and then cover then entire box in several layers of plastic wrap and then with a layer or two of aluminium foil.

 

When defrosting, take the box out of the freezer and keep it in the fridge still with all it's wrappings on and let it defrost slowly (I usually let the cake sit like this for about 24 hours in the fridge). Then take the box out of the fridge (still in all it's wrappings) and leave it at room temperature until it comes to room temperature. This can take up to anything between 2-4 hours (depending on the temperature of course, it can take less time or a little more).

 

Then cut away the wrappings and you should have a perfectly lovely fondant  decorated cake without any condensation at all. If by some chance you see that there is some condensation, don't touch the cake and just place it in front of a fan until it dries thoroughly.

 

The Ariel cake in my photos was done this way. I didn't have all the decorations on the cake but a quite a few. The cake board, I decorated once the cake had defrosted.

 

Hope this helps and good luck with your cake!!

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ladybuglau Posted 3 Jul 2014 , 11:15am
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A

Original message sent by Rohini

Hi!

I have frozen and defrosted a fully fondant covered and decorated cake without any problems. So it can be done :)

The trick is to put the decorated cake in a cake box, put the lid on and then cover then entire box in several layers of plastic wrap and then with a layer or two of aluminium foil.

When defrosting, take the box out of the freezer and keep it in the fridge still with all it's wrappings on and let it defrost slowly (I usually let the cake sit like this for about 24 hours in the fridge). Then take the box out of the fridge (still in all it's wrappings) and leave it at room temperature until it comes to room temperature. This can take up to anything between 2-4 hours (depending on the temperature of course, it can take less time or a little more).

Then cut away the wrappings and you should have a perfectly lovely fondant  decorated cake without any condensation at all. If by some chance you see that there is some condensation, don't touch the cake and just place it in front of a fan until it dries thoroughly.

The Ariel cake in my photos was done this way. I didn't have all the decorations on the cake but a quite a few. The cake board, I decorated once the cake had defrosted.

Hope this helps and good luck with your cake!!

Original message sent by Edible Art Co

I'm sure I've read on here that you can freeze fondant covered cakes. The condensation issue happens because of the difference in temperature in the room when you take it out of the freezer. I think it said keep the cake in the box, wrapped up, that way it will come to room temp gradually and it should be fine. Please do a search to be sure, it's on here somewhere! :) 

Wow, never would've thought, thank you both so much!

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Rohini Posted 3 Jul 2014 , 4:34pm
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You're most welcome!! :)

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Ellie33 Posted 3 Jul 2014 , 6:11pm
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A[B]Rohini[/B], Thanks! Good to know!

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liliduv Posted 4 Jul 2014 , 11:45am
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This is good info! 

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cakebaby2 Posted 4 Jul 2014 , 3:39pm
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Quote:

Originally Posted by Ellie33 

Rohini,
Thanks! Good to know!

Its a great tip that I had never thought of as well, the cakes actually taste better too which is a bonus. I do it all the time now whether I need to or not. Having said that I'm not a pro baker just love all their tips.

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ladybuglau Posted 4 Jul 2014 , 5:19pm
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A

Original message sent by cakebaby2

Its a great tip that I had never thought of as well, the cakes actually taste better too which is a bonus. I do it all the time now whether I need to or not. Having said that I'm not a pro baker just love all their tips.

You think the cakes taste BETTER? Wow, that's interesting, I was never a huge fan of frozen baked goods since I thought they got a little gummy/soggy, but maybe I never defrosted them correctly?

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Rohini Posted 5 Jul 2014 , 8:47am
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Quote:

Originally Posted by cakebaby2 
 

Its a great tip that I had never thought of as well, the cakes actually taste better too which is a bonus. I do it all the time now whether I need to or not. Having said that I'm not a pro baker just love all their tips.


Yes, I agree! The cakes do taste better I think. The cake is really moist and practically melts in your mouth :) Yum!

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Rohini Posted 5 Jul 2014 , 8:48am
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...and by the way....what I have learned...I have learned from the talented members here on CC!! So a very big thank you to them!! :)

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ladybuglau Posted 20 Jul 2014 , 4:38am
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AWell, the cake is in the freezer! Wish me luck y'all ;)

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Rohini Posted 20 Jul 2014 , 7:53am
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Good luck! :)

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cakebaby2 Posted 21 Jul 2014 , 9:04am
post #19 of 20

A

Original message sent by ladybuglau

Well, the cake is in the freezer! Wish me luck y'all ;)

Just follow the script to the letter and you will be amazed, don't forget to come back and let us know what you think,

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ladybuglau Posted 1 Aug 2014 , 5:06pm
post #20 of 20

ASoooo, it worked! I ended up choosing a different design in the end, and being asked to make the inside RAINBOW. The tiers were extra tall because of the rainbow-ness and each of those colored layers baked up softer than usual, so it wasn't the sturdiest thing I've ever made and it did settle/sag a little on the 800 mile drive, BUT there were no disasters and everyone thought it tasted good. Thanks for the tips ladies, I really appreciate the help! [IMG ALT=""]http://cakecentral.com/content/type/61/id/3271051/width/350/height/700[/IMG] [IMG ALT=""]http://cakecentral.com/content/type/61/id/3271052/width/350/height/700[/IMG]

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