Hi all! What's the best way to cool your cakes....so you take them out of the oven and then....?

Thanks!!

Melissa

I leave it in the pan for 10 minutes then transfer it to a rack to cool compretely.

Doesn't the rack leave imnprints on the cake though?

Yes but on the top of the cake which becomes the bottom of your cake. If that makes any sense!

out of the oven.. cool about 10 min. then onto a board same size as cake, covered wtih thin foil .... let cool 15-20 more minutes. wrap that with saran wrap... then heavy foil and place in freezer.. for couple of days up to a month.. if it is a 9x13... 11x15.. i wrap several boards that are larger that cake,.. with white freezer paper.. shiny side up... dump my cake out on it... let cool some more.. wrap with saran wrap.. wrap with heavy foil. into freezer.. ready to ice.. let thaw... then ice and decorate....hth

Don't forget to "flip" your cake layers again, so that they're NOT resting on their "humps" while cooling (as this can cause the layer to crack).

HTH

out of the oven....let it sit for about 5 minutes, flip on to a rack, wrap in plastic wrap and throw it in the freezer Let thaw, wrapped at room temp. Results in a very very moist and dense cake......

Out of the oven to rest for about 5 to 10 minutes, no more. Then flip over onto a piece of Glad Press and Seal. Cover it with the P&S well and flip it back in the pan to freeze. I do this even if I'm going to use it the next day. This seals in the steam and makes for a really moist cake.

I dump mine onto a cooling rack right out of the oven and cover top and sides with press n seal untill cool. If not icing that day then I wrap whole cake once it is cool or even warm.

Thank you all so much for the tips!! You are all life savers!!

Melissa

I level mine before removing from pan, and I do that as soon as I take it out of the oven. Sometimes I flip onto a cooling rack, sometimes I leave in the pan and cover with a towel until the next day. Depends on how lazy I am at that moment.

I like to bake my cakes on Weds. so I freeze all my cakes. No one has every ask if my cakes have been frozen, I think it helps them be moist. I bake, let cool in pan for about 5 minutes or until the sides of the cake pull away from the pan. Then I flip on wire rack. I even put bowls under my rack for extra room for air to get under the cakes, then flip over again. I let cool then wrap in plastic wrap, put back in the pan I baked it in (washed) cover well with foil then pop in freezer until the night before I want to ice. I usually do this on Thurs. Fri. or Sat. Sandy

This may sound weird but I pull my cakes out of the oven and cover right away w/ wax paper then I take a cake board cut just a hair smaller than the pan then I put a heavy pan w/ a couple of cans from my pantry in it to press it down a bit 3-5 minutes, then I turn it out onto a cooling rack. Since I have been doing it this way I haven't had to level a cake, it comes out perfectly flat.

I bake my cakes and when they're out of the oven, I just let them cool for 5 mins, level the cake in pan (i haven't had to do this much since I got a convenntion oven though.) cover with plastic film and let them cool completly.

I grease/butter my oan and then line with parchment paper..HTH


SANDY

Wow...great to see all the different techniques!

I have been trying to figure out what works best, so trying different things. Right now, I'm letting them cool in the pan about 5 mins then flip out onto a plate and cool another 5 mins then wrap everything including plate in foil. If I'm working with it on a different day than I'm baking, I will double wrap with cling, then double wrap with foil.

Wow. You want ribs barbecued for six hours over slow, smoky heat? I'm your gal. You want a pasta sauce to die for? I'm your gal. Baklava? Me. Indian/Chinese/Japanese delicacies......pick me.

But........cake? The more I read this site, the more I realize I know NOTHING about cake. I've always cooled my cakes completely and then just leveled and decorated. I don't make enough to have to freeze them. I would have thought that freezing while still warm would make a TOO moist cake. I would have thought that flattening the cake with weights while still in the pan would squish and ruin it.

But obviously not. I am REALLY interested in all the information here, and if anyone would like to elaborate why you do what you do, I'd definitely appreciate it. Specifically, doesn't your cake come out too moist and fall apart if frozen while warm? Obviously not, but can someone please describe the texture? Doesn't it get "gooey" when it thaws even while wrapped so that it sticks to everything? And what about this "flattening" thing? That would sure help in less cake waste. Are you all scratch bakers or mix/doctored mix bakers? And does that make a difference in the freezing?

Wow. There is SO much to learn here! Thank you all!

I flatten mine gently with a clean dish towel when they come out of the oven. I've never weighted them, I'm too chicken to try that, but I'll get a clean towel and press down the 'hump' with my hands. It reduces the need to level and also seems to make my cakes a little denser (maybe I'm squeezing out the air or something.)
As far as freezing...I always pop warm cakes in the freezer overnight (wrapped well, of course). I find it makes them nice and moist and gives them a great firm texture. I don't know enough about the science of it to know why it does that. My cakes are much more likely to fall apart if I DON'T freeze them. Strange but true.
I am a doctored mix baker, and I think that probably does make a difference. Mix cakes tend to be lighter and more delicate than scratch (IMO) so they need a little structural help where ever you can get it. However, I don't see how freezing would hurt a scratch cake, either.
If you're curious, and you have time, make a small test cake and freeze one layer and leave the other out to cool like you usually do. That will give you a good comparison to see how it works for you and your recipe.

Since my sheet cakes are always one layer I put more batter into the pan if doing half and half or all of the batter if doing all one kind, that way the cake is taller then just 2 inches. I have noticed that the cakes will shrink down some when cooling so I never level mine anymore. If I turn them out and one side might be a little taller than the other, I just hold up that end with a spatula and pipe some icing under that low end and my cake is the same hight around. Saves that mess of cutting them off. I usually bake cup cakes with the left over batter and give away to family. Sandy

All of mycakes are from doctored mixes. I love the WASC recipe that I found on here, it is the base to most of my recipes now I just add different flavorings to it. I do have a couple of different recipies for chocolate. I have frozen most of my cakes at one time or another.The WASC based ones are great when thawed, the chocolate is super moist when thawed and a huge hit. Now as for weighing it down the cakes are still light and airy( I don't even know if that is a word) I put just enough weight spred evenly for 3-5 min I guess you gotta kind of eyeball it so its not too heavy. This is so much easier for me since I can't level a cake right to save my life, I'm always crooked somewhere lol. I never get squished cakes this way either, and no complaints, that I know of

Great info, just super! It might be a good idea that shelbur10 had for me to try the idea of cooling one completely and freezing one warm and then comparing the two. This way I'll get actual hands-on experience with the two. I've read lots of people on here who say that they ALWAYS freeze their cakes without exception and not just because they bake/sell in high volume. They do this even if they bake only occasionally for their own families because they think the texture and moistness is that much better.

So much to learn......... Thank you all.

And when I joined this website, I thought it would only be on cake decorating!!! I have learned quite a bit on this discussion thread. When I've had to bake my layers early, I've always let them cool completely and then frozen them. Otherwise, I've used the layers fresh not frozen. I am eager to try out your hints. I will also try the WASC as everyone seems to love it! Of course, my coworkers are my taste testers, and they never complain of anything I bring in!