Help! Need Advice Quickly Please- To Freeze Or Not To ????
Decorating By fourangelsmommie Updated 2 Aug 2006 , 2:49am by SugarFrosted
I just finished decorating my first 'dog' cake for a co-worker, and she informs me she wants to take it now on a 2 hour car ride to where they used to live to celebrate her husband's birthday. But, then she says it will be 'sitting out' for a few days before the party!
Can I put a fully decorated (buttercream icing) cake in the freezer until she picks it up tomorrow without it hurting the cake?
I was hoping that the freezing of it would help it during it's 'travels' to get there, but I don't know about letting it sit out for a few days after that.
What can I do with it now to help?????
Well, think about it like this-a bride freezes the top to her wedding cake and it's fine (at least mine was) for a year. If it's all bc I would put it in the freezer for a couple of hours(or till the decos are frozen) then wrap in saran wrap then foil, put it in the box and wrap the box in saran wrap and stick it back in the freezer. I would let her know not to remove the wrapping until it's completely thawed and after you have been paid let her know that you don't recommend the cake sitting around for more than a couple of days just as a matter of taste and freshness.
Yikes, that is a tough one!
I think that if it were me, I would not freeze it after it if fully decorated. I believe that I read on here somewhere that once it thaws out, condensation forms on the icing and can discolor it or possibly cause the colors to run into each other.
I think what I would do is to bake the cakes and freeze them while they are undecorated. This will make them be very moist. Then you can thaw and decorate them and then I think the cakes will be okay to "sit out a few days." The extra moisture in the cakes will help to not dry out the cake as it sits waiting to be eaten. The buttercream also locks in the moisture and as long as it doesn't get cut into prematurely then I really think that you'll be fine.
For me, I just have strong hesitations about freezing a fully decorated cake. Maybe someone who has actually done it can also respond to your question.
Sorry not able to help.
I have a fully iced cake in the freezer at the moment that i made and did not use and thought i would use it as a test run to see what it does.
Sorry. but i wish you luck sound complicated that she wants to keeep it that long out.
I would worry about colors running. What i would do is refridgerate it. Then advise her to keep her car as cold as she can. Maybe even place the cake in a box with some of those frozen ice packs for the trip. Heat here is over 90 so i can imagine what it must be like down there. I would advise her that if she is keeping the cake for a couple of days before serving that she either has to refridgerate it or freeze it. I am afraid with the heat it might start to mold. If you have a perishable filling in it, then i would take the chance and freeze it, but still your colors may run.
I have frozen several cakes that were fully decorated with buttercream and never had a problem. Just make sure the cake is fully defrosted before removing the wrapping. I also freeze the cake unwrapped til the buttercream is frozen enough to be wrapped without damaging the design.
Good luck.
I have had trouble freezing and thawing a fully decorated ,especially if you used dark colors on a white background. They may run when it thaws.
I've never frozen a decorated cake but wouldn't you want to unwrap the cake before defrosting it since once it's defrosted and soft you would ruin the decorations when you unwrapped it?
Jacqui
I've never frozen a decorated cake but wouldn't you want to unwrap the cake before defrosting it since once it's defrosted and soft you would ruin the decorations when you unwrapped it?
Jacqui
I have a problem with that, I don't freeze whole cakes but the pieces I have frozen get messed up while defrosting.
I'd be nervous about the order since the cake will be sitting for so long before they eat it. Maybe you could put it in the fridge so it's cold before the trip and tell her to freeze it when she gets there, give her the wrapping instructions.
Good Luck.
I made a softball cake for someone and their party was cancelled due to rain, they moved the party to the following week. She could not pay for 2 cakes, and I did not want to make another one. I wrapped the box in saran wrap and foil and froze the cake. I took it out to totally defrost before I unwrapped the box and it was fine! I'm still having people tell me how good it was. The decorations did not run. A picture of it is in my photos after it defrosted.
I would say No to freezing a fully decorated cake, because of color failure when it thaws.
How big is the cake? Will the cake be in a cake box to give to your co-worker? If so, would that cake box fit inside an ice chest? A layer of those frozen plastic things used in lunch boxes (or ziplock bags filled with ice) could be put in the ice chest bottom, and then a plastic pan or something to set the cake box in, to keep it cool for the trip. I use plastic cake boxes and plywood cakeboards, covered with white plastic Contact and foil. My cake boxes fit well in a big ice chest.
I'd advise your co-worker to keep the cake cool and protected or risk having only a puddle of buttercream to celebrate the birthday.
And don't forget, after it is out of your hands, the cake is no longer your problem, especially if the advice you give is ignored.
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