I am making 3 dozen cupcakes for my daughter's birthday next month. I was wondering if it anyone has experience with freezing cupcakes. How far in advanced do you do it and how do you wrap them (individually vs wrapping in bulk)?

I freeze my cupcakes if I have left over. I have done it for 2 weeks and they are still very good. it makes it more moist. It depends on your recipe. Mine is chocolate, so freezing doesnt alter the taste.

Good question. I'd like to know also. I freeze all my cakes, even if it is only for a night as it really adds to the moistness and flavor. But, I wrap them up good and tight with plastic wrap and put them back in their pans to keep their shapes. I'm wondering if cupcakes could be put in a plastic ziploc and frozen or what....

When I freeze cupcakes, I use the lid of a new baker's box (the cardboard boxes with the separate lids and you fold everything into place http://www.google.com/products/catalog?q=banker's+box&um=1&ie=UTF-8&tbm=shop&cid=2073378322436964489&sa=X&ei=qAYITq-gL4q3twew6vGzBQ&ved=0CDgQ8wIwAg. Can be bought at Wal-Mart - have even used them to deliver cakes when I need a larger box). Anyway, I line up all of the cupcakes (don't remember how many it holds, but quite a bit) and then wrap the entire lid several times with saran wrap. If the recipe produced sticky tops on the cupcakes, I lay a piece of wax paper over the tops before wrapping with saran wrap. When I'm ready to thaw, I remove it from the freezer, cut through the wrap, and remove the cupcakes, putting them on my cooling racks. When I thawed them in the lid, still wrapped, the wrappers peeled away and the cupcakes felt a little soggy. With thawing them on the cooling racks, I didn't have those issues and they were ready to ice within 30-45 minutes.

I wrap my uniced cupcakes and muffins individually with plastic wrap. I then double bag them in plastic freezer bags making sure to get the excess air out. They are good stored this way for up to 3 months. I don't unwrap the cupcakes until completely thawed.

I layer them in a Tupperware container & separate the layers with saran wrap & then I place another piece under the lid... They stay fresh & moist

I tried freezing up to a month only...& they were still moist... I've read it here on CC that some use them up to 3 months...

HTH

Great advices. This helps cut down on my stress level. thank you.

I've frozen them plain, with no frosting on top, and with buttercream on top and they thaw out very nicely. If I freeze without frosting, I just put them in a food saver bag and suck the air out (not too much though or you'll squish them!). If I freeze with buttercream, I put them on a tray in the freezer first, to harden the buttercream so it doesn't stick to the inside of the bag. Once the buttercream is first, I then put them in the foodsaver. Then when I defrost them, I take them out of the bag first, so again, the buttercream doesn't stick to the inside of the bag.

I wrap my cupcakes while they are still warm out of the oven in saran wrap individually (doing when this while they are still warm makes them moister). Then I just put them in freezer bags and put them in my freezer. To thaw them, I just unwrap them and set them out on my counter top. They only take about 20 minutes to thaw.

i have frozen chocolate , red velvet, and vanilla cupcakes, i just put them on a sheet pan and cater wrap it . the taste is even better when they have been in the freezer makes them more moist.

I've frozen cupcakes (both iced and uniced) for up to 6 months in a manual defrost freezer. (Self-defrost freezers go through a freeze-thaw cycle which is not kind to baked goods.) For iced cupcakes I first open-freeze until the buttercream is hard and then set them on a tray or box lid and wrap well. For uniced I simply set them on a tray and wrap well. I never had a problem.

I see that sparkle25 freezes her cupcakes while still warm. Anyone else do this or is it better to wait until they are completely cooled to freeze them? I have an event I'm baking for next weekend, but I happen to have some spare time this week. I just know I am going to be so busy next week making 3 cakes and now a bunch of red velvet and also coconut cupcakes. Baking the cupcakes this week and being able to freeze them would be so nice and a major stress reliever. I just need to make sure they stay moist and don't get soggy! I read the Cooks Illustrated article on freezing yellow cupcakes, but any advice and help from fellow bakers would be very much appreciated. Thanks!

I always cool to room temp before wrapping. Always. If a product is wrapped while still warm there will be extra moisture; when it's defrosted that extra internal moisture may create a soggy exterior. It may also contribute to the paper liner pulling away from the cupcake.

I freeze (un-decorated) while still warm, but not straight out of the oven. I put about 8 in a gallon sized ziploc bag (not touching) and remove enough air for them to be kind of vacuum sealed, but not squooooshed or smooshed against each other. I have never had issue with the papers pulling away or sogginess.

If it matters, I bake from scratch.

HTH