I am interested and want to try this - now tell me, for the bigger cakes (12X18, etc), do you put them on a board before wrapping? otherwise how do they not break? and for those of you that do not freeze/refridgerate (I am not a fan of freezing, used to all the time and noticed the funny taste and cakes weren't as moist) do you just wrap then let it set out at room temp? how many days will a cake keep wrapped in saran and out at room temp? tia !
Well I tried it for the first time. I made an apple spice cake with walnuts, dates and golden raisins, wonderful smell as it baked. The cake was already a moist cake at start, but when I unrolled if from the wrap an hour ago, it was even more so. It was like a moist fruit cake.
Thanks for the tip!!!
yellobutterfly,
when i made my 12 x 18 i left it on the cooling rack and wrapped it on there, ie just wrapped the saran wrap around the entire thing, otherwise I think the board would get soggy. I left mine at room temp for a couple - maybe 3 days and it was fine.
sherik, you are welcome but the real thanks go to helen - she is the one that posted this tip originally like i said once before helen you are the bomb!
I just want to make sure I got this right since I've read a couple of conflicting posts.
So after I take the cake out of the oven, I let it cool in the pan for 10 mins and then transfer it to my cooling rack and IMMEDIATELY wrap it in saran wrap, even though it's still going to be hot?
The way I was taught was to wrap it in saran wrap the minute it comes out of the oven. Then once it cools, put it in a deep freeze for at least three hours. Because something like it freezes the moisture molecules and then when it is unfrozen prior to decorating that moisture unthaws making the cake extremely moist.
I wrap a piece of cardboard with saran wrap then put it on top of the cake pan - flip the cake over - take the pan off and wrap the cake immediately out of the oven.
puzzlegut that is the way I do it, I think some might actually flip it out right after it comes out of the oven. I give it 8 - 10 mins or so in the pan so that the cake does not break on me - but that's just me, I had a cake fall apart on me once when I tried to take it out of the pan too soon.
This has become a personal habit of mine as well and get wonderful results. I think my sister-in-law first encouraged me to try it. She is a great cook so I respect her suggestions. All of the steam has nowhere to go but back into the cake.
I saw the Moist Cakes post and I had to check it out! I have been doing this since I started baking cakes and it works like a charm! However, I don't wait on mine to cool, I take them straight from the oven and turn them out on saran wrap and wrap them up tight! A lady from church that has done wedding cakes for 40+ years told me about this little secret and she absolutely recommends freezing them, she says she thinks it makes them even more moist. If she always did this, I never noticed a freezer taste in her cakes. I tried this both ways with freezing and without and neither myself or my mother could tell the difference. I don't know if the saran wrap seals the cake in better than the plastic the bakery cakes are wrapped in. Whether you freeze them or not, I whole-heartedly recommend wrapping them immediately after taking them out of the oven - it works!!!!
I just want to make sure I got this right since I've read a couple of conflicting posts.
So after I take the cake out of the oven, I let it cool in the pan for 10 mins and then transfer it to my cooling rack and IMMEDIATELY wrap it in saran wrap, even though it's still going to be hot?
what i do, is put the cake and the pan (depending if i need the pan or not) right from the oven into a garbage bag, tie the end up and put it into the fridge.. super easy 
Ok...so, I've been reading this post for a couple of days...and am very intrigued. Specifically, bc I have a wedding cake and grooms cake due next Saturday, the 3rd, and I'm stressing over when to do what....
So...this evening I made the groom's cake. Let it cool 10 min in the pan. Wrapped in saran..lots of it. And then wrapped in foil..lots of it. And put it in the freezer.
Sooooo..now I'm completely freaking out!! 
I'm wondering, Did I wrap it too tight and mess up the shape of the cake?!?! 
The cake is really moist to begin with, so now that I've done this to make it even more moist...is it going to be so moist that people are going to think it's undercooked!?!? 
I know I'm sounding a little crazy, but I guess I just need some encouragement and advice from all of y'all who've been doing this for years.... I mean how crazy can I be that I'm afraid people will think my cake is TOO moist!?!?! 
I tried it for the first time, and this might depend on the type of cake, mine was a dense spice cake almost like a fruitcake, and it did sort of round the edges a bit. I am not saying that is a good or bad thing, but it definitely altered the shape a smidge, not perfectly straight like when they came out of the pan.
I would not worry about it to much as it was barely noticeable. One thing I always suggest, especially when trying some new technique, flavor or whatever is do a test cake (small cake) before. This will prevent any surprises. lol.
I have several cakes due for tomorrow, I baked them yesterday, and wrapped them - (still not going to put anything in the freezer though) I am going to decorate them today and tomorrow - I made one extra so I can see for myself what the results are. I am sure hoping and praying that it works like everyone says. It makes me nervous as the dickens doing this ~ I am known for my fresh baked cakes......I will post my findings tomorrow sometime with my opinions. (not that it matters to anyone but me!) 
I work full time as well. I usually always bake then wrap and freeze ASAP. then at the first opportunity I quickly crumbcoat it/torte it and pop it back into the freezer, well wrapped of course. Then when Im ready to decorate I take it out and let it sit or a bit and finish. I akways have rave revues about the taste of my cakes. Go figure!
Well you made a believer out of me, I am going to try it next time
Hey Quadcrew...go back and read my post...do you think it doesn't matter to me how your cake turns out!?!? Of course, I'd love to hear your results...if only for selfish reasons to put my mind more at ease!
Rodneyck...I absolutely hear you on the practice part..especially with something new. I usually do that...which is probably why I'm being such a basket case about this!! Eh...so, ya learn....
I have always put my cakes in the freezer after wrapping a cake with plastic wrap (10 min after taking from oven). After reading here, I decided to just leave the cake out on the counter after wrapping it. I baked on monday and frosted the cake wednesday night. It was perfectly moist and everyone loved it.
I always thought the freezing part was what locked in the moisture, but now I don't know. I personally have never tasted a "freezer" taste in my cakes, but I once had a friend ask if I had frozen the cake. Now I'm selfconscious about the flavor of my cakes.
Does anyone know how long you can leave a cake on the counter after it's been baked? My Wilton's instructor said we could freeze a cake up to 3 months, although my cakes never last more than a week in the freezer.
Thanks everyone for the wonderful help.
I have never heard of wrapping cakes with saran until just now, and I'm so excited to try it. I usually just use Duncan Hines cake mix, does anyone know if it works for cake mixes...I doctor mine up a little but not much. Also, I am very senstive about tastes as well so I never freeze because I can always tell, but was wondering if the cakes ever get a plastic taste from the saran? I'm thinking because you frost the area where the saran is that if it did pick up any taste from it, the bc or whatever would hide it. Thanks so much for this tip! I LOVE THIS SITE!
Lordy, I hope it doens't taste like Saran wrap! (I am one who can taste the freezing taste..... ) I have a whole kitchen full of wrapped cakes right now.....
1- 9x13
1- 12x18
2 - 9" chocolate rounds
3 - 9" white rounds
2 - 6" chocolate rounds
3 - 6" white rounds
I am going to be one unhappy camper if it don't work!! ( I am thinking positive here though.....it's GONNA WORK) I'll find out for sure tomorrow!!
Lordy, I hope it doens't taste like Saran wrap! (I am one who can taste the freezing taste.....
) I have a whole kitchen full of wrapped cakes right now.....1- 9x13
1- 12x18
2 - 9" chocolate rounds
3 - 9" white rounds
2 - 6" chocolate rounds
3 - 6" white rounds
I am going to be one unhappy camper if it don't work!! ( I am thinking positive here though.....it's GONNA WORK) I'll find out for sure tomorrow!!
Use clean garbage bags. That's what I use, saran wrap takes up too much time, and yes I'm one who can taste the freezer taste UCK!! 
hope this helps
b
I have a cake in the oven right now but it's for tomorrow so I'll be doing it today. But do you think this would work for it to, if I wrap it when it's done and then decorate it later on this afternoon? Or would it not make a difference in such a short time?
I have a cake in the oven right now but it's for tomorrow so I'll be doing it today. But do you think this would work for it to, if I wrap it when it's done and then decorate it later on this afternoon? Or would it not make a difference in such a short time?
I automatically slide the pan in the bag instantly, even if I only need it in a few hours.
Well, I did get the cakes all unwrapped and decorated today.....it worked out well with one exception. It seems that all of them were kind of "soggy" on the very tops of the cakes. I just took a sharp knife and trimmed it off, and the rest of the cake was fine. I kept one of the layers and cut into it to see how the texture was and it was perfect (after trimming the soggy part off) I didn't taste any "off taste" from the saran wrap ~ which was a great thing! I will definately use this again when I have a lot of cakes to do in a short time frame.
I also tried something else too. I needed a "smash" cake for a 1 year old and it needed to be cut/trimmed in the shape of a flower, so I FROZE one of the 6" cakes (I figured the baby would not be able to taste if the cake had been frozen - poor baby!! 
) I have never frozen a cake in my life, and I was not happy with how that all worked out. I obviously must've done something wrong - the icing refused to crust for me....what a mess! I ended up doing the whole cake in "dots" because of not being able to smooth out the icing on it. Lesson learned.....back to NO frozen cakes for me!
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