Darn Waste Of Saran Wrap- So I Thought....
Decorating By johnson6ofus Updated 24 Jan 2009 , 10:45pm by majormichel
OK CCers, so I read this often- wrap a warm cake in Saran to get moist cake. I wanted a chocolate fix, had half a mix left, so I made one enhanced 8" round. Finally remembered to set it at 325, not 350.
Done- ok, a hot slice to snack on. Chocolate fix satisfied! Too lazy to deal with it, so I flipped the HOT cake onto two sheets of Saran, wrapped it, saw the steam in the plastic, and went to bed.
Ok, so now in the morning, I see the cake. Looks ok. Hmmmm- too lazy to make something for breakfast, so chocolate cake it is. Chop anorther hunk and sit down with the TV. OH MY GOD! No icing, nothing but the moistest, yummy cake ever.
I never "wasted" so much Saran before because I was "sure" it wouldn't make a difference. Should have know--- you are all right. So I vow to try the tips and tricks here without prejudice, however stupid it may sound.... Foam rollers for fondant, paper towel method (Melvira's), etc. THANK YOU CCERs!!!
Oooh....foam rollers... I love it! Hadn't heard that one before! Are we talk about for bows!?!
Foam rollers for fondant: http://cakecentral.com/article83-Quick--Easy-Smooth-Icing-Using-a-Roller-Melvira-Method.html
yup i plastic wrap all my cakes... and i freeze them too.
I hadn't heard about wrapping it in cling wrap until now. But this past weekend, I had to make a cake for Monday morning. I usually bake the morning before and ice in the afternoon when its a small cake (which it was). So anyway, I baked it Saturday morning because I was going Christmas shopping that day and going out of town the next day so I wanted to keep it covered. So fast forward to Sunday night. I get ready to frost, unwrap it, and I tell my DH how soft it really feels. I would've never thought that this would be the result. I loved it. Soooo, now I'll just have to buy more cling wrap and do it more often.
I believe I read on here that you are not supposed to wrap it warm or hot in plastic wrap, only cool. I think it had something to do with bacteria. I don't remember the whole story, but I did make a mental note not to wrap a warm cake in saran.
Maybe someone else knows about the bacteria thing?
I believe I read on here that you are not supposed to wrap it warm or hot in plastic wrap, only cool. I think it had something to do with bacteria. I don't remember the whole story, but I did make a mental note not to wrap a warm cake in saran.
Maybe someone else knows about the bacteria thing?
I read that post also...when i first started baking & cooking, i was told that you never wrap up anything warm and you never put hot piping hot food in the fridge. Don't know why but it has stuck with me ever since and I refuse to do it.
I think I read that hot thing (don't wrap until cool) too- but this was just for "home use" (read- chocolate fix). But I thought about it, and we seal hot canning jars, and I would think the steam would kill anything (even though the Saran Wrap is "new" and "food safe").
Bottom line- I was going to bed and didn't want to wait. 
I literally dumped it on the saran about 1 minute out of the oven (long enough to get a snack hunk for me- hot---- yum!).
I hope some of the "pro-foodies" have an answer.....
Yes, there is much debate as to whether or not trapping in that moisture while the cake is still warm will cause your cake to spoil faster. Higher moisture=breeding ground for bacteria and molds. Whether or not it is moist ENOUGH to put your cake at risk of becoming toxic is a hotly debated topic, and I don't believe there is a simple answer. I mean, everything is relative: should, then, you stop baking ANY moist cakes, in favor of dry cakes, because the moisture can cause spoilage sooner? (Although the real issue isn't the moisture per se, it's the steaming process itself, because the temp, while it is steaming, is sufficient for bacterial growth). Ultimately the question is, at what point have you created a dangerous environment...?
Bakers have been doing the wrap forever. That doesn't mean it's safe, the same way lots of chefs have been using raw eggs in a variety of foods (caesar dressing, bearnaise sauce among others) forever with mostly safe results but salmonella is still a FACT, just a rare one. I think you have to go with whatever suits your personal safety level. Do you ever taste the raw batter? Then you (like me) are probably open to wrapping your cakes too LOL. I would also bet that your consumption timeline should be considered...i.e. is this cake going to be frozen, then unwrapped and then left unrefrigerated for days on end?? In which case, maybe a little caution would be good. Mine don't last that long so I don't think they have the TIME to spoil!
Anyway this is the thread w/lots of good input. Be sure to check out JanH's links at the end. http://www.cakecentral.com/modules.php?name=Forums&file=viewtopic&t=610054&postdays=0&postorder=asc&highlight=plastic&&start=0
I do something really similar, the concept is the same. Instead of sealing air with saran wrap, I put my cakes in a cake carrier. I let them cool a bit but when they are still warm, I put them in a cake carrier with parchment between the layers. This seals in air and moisture, and makes my cakes moist 
"Finally remembered to set it at 325, not 350."
What do you mean by that? Why change the temperature? I hear this a lot about changing the standard 350 to 325. Won't that affect the time it takes to bake? I haven't exactly read the reason as to why everyone changes the temp. Would someone be kind enough to explain that?
I read on lots of threads that cakes should bake at 325, and some pans require it for best results. As a hobby baker, I don't have many chances to "practice", and have forgotten to try it often.
I just wanted to clarify that I both reduced temperature AND wrapped it. It was LOTS better, and perfectly moist.
Thanks kakeladi for explaining that to me and thanks johnson6ofus also for sharing your tips. I'm also just a hobby baker, but I will try to experiment with a lower temp tomorrow. One question though for you johnson6ofus.... Did you increase your baking time since you reduced the temp or did you keep it the same? Thanks!
ape 74- yes, you do increase the time about 10 minutes, I think. Sorry, I am a "when you smell it" cook, so I don't know how long it was in there. I have some heavy Hoffritz cake pans I love, and I can tell when the cake pulls away from the sides a bit, and I smell it, and poke it.
In this case, I also added about a 1/4 cup mini chocolate chips. I really liked that too.
HTH Rita
just to add - you dont put hot food in the fridge, as it will raise the overall temp of the fridge, and the food in it. dont know how warm is too warm though!
xx
I just used a frozen chocolate cake that I had wrapped hot from the oven in the press and seal(think I read where regular store plastic wrap can melt?). Anyways...this cake was so moist and good it was amazing. I have made this recipe before and it does tend to be a bit dry, especially if you don't frost and serve right away, but it's my fav choc cake. I will continue to do the press and seal with all my cakes...just a hobby baker also.
Oooh....foam rollers... I love it! Hadn't heard that one before! Are we talk about for bows!?!
First thought were those little pink sponge curlers for my hair when I was little! 
(Me bad) Yes, the High-Density roller works great for the cake!
I've been using plastic wrap on my cakes for over 20 years. However, my method is slightly different. My Wilton instructor taught me this in the first class of Course I. When I am ready to flip the cake out of the pan, after about 10 min cooling time on a rack, I lay paper towels on the rack and flip the cake onto the papertowels. The paper towel keeps the cake from sticking to the rack, which makes one less thing for me to wash. I buy the 18" wide restaurant-service box of plastic clingfilm from Sam's. Over the top and sides I lay one thickness of clingfilm. I smooth it and make sure every area is covered well. Then I set the pan back over the plastic-covered cake and leave it on the kitchen counter to cool completely, about 2 hours. The paper towel allows some steam to escape to avoid sogginess, but the cake stays amazingly moist. Then I set the whole thing including the rack, in a covered Rubbermaid storage box until I am ready to work on the cake. I usually bake the night before I need the cake and decorate it about 12 hours after it's baked.
When I was young, and on the rare occasion she ever baked a cake, my mother would flip the cake out onto a rack and just leave it steaming on the counter till it was cool. I always needed a big glass of milk when I ate her cakes because they were so dry. I understand now that she didn't realize she was just allowing all the moisture to evaporate into the air. We live and we learn. No one can ever accuse me of making a dry cake.
I have a question. Wouldn't leaving the cake out in the open on the counter to cool give the cake a greater chance for bacteria growth? What I mean is because its sitting out in the open for longer.
Is it the wrapping or the putting in the freezer while warm that causes it to grow bacteria?
I have a question. Wouldn't leaving the cake out in the open on the counter to cool give the cake a greater chance for bacteria growth? What I mean is because its sitting out in the open for longer.
Is it the wrapping or the putting in the freezer while warm that causes it to grow bacteria?
Warmth & moisture aid in bacterial growth, but the baking process kills any bacteria and there will be so minimal amount on the wrapping that flash freezing will protect from any growth. All restaurants at times have to cool hot foods quickly, putting in freezer or walkin and monitoring at set intervals to bring to a 40 degree or lower temp quickly is a common and necessary practice, if you have a good refrigerator/freezer it won't bring your temp down enough to be an issue to the other foods. If you plan on using the freezing method I spoke of in my thread "My tips for most moist cake ever" make sure your freezer is set to a colder setting to accommodate the maybe 10 minutes your freezer temp will lower.
Your cake will be so moist & flavorful and won't last long enough to worry about bacterial growth.
I have a question. Wouldn't leaving the cake out in the open on the counter to cool give the cake a greater chance for bacteria growth? What I mean is because its sitting out in the open for longer.
Is it the wrapping or the putting in the freezer while warm that causes it to grow bacteria?
Warmth & moisture aid in bacterial growth, but the baking process kills any bacteria and there will be so minimal amount on the wrapping that flash freezing will protect from any growth. All restaurants at times have to cool hot foods quickly, putting in freezer or walkin and monitoring at set intervals to bring to a 40 degree or lower temp quickly is a common and necessary practice, if you have a good refrigerator/freezer it won't bring your temp down enough to be an issue to the other foods. If you plan on using the freezing method I spoke of in my thread "My tips for most moist cake ever" make sure your freezer is set to a colder setting to accommodate the maybe 10 minutes your freezer temp will lower.
Your cake will be so moist & flavorful and won't last long enough to worry about bacterial growth.
OH, I have two cakes in the freezer right now, that I used your method on! Ill let you know Friday how they turned out
ok, let me get this right, take the hot cake out of the oven let it cool for 2 mins, while still hot wrap it in saran wrap.
Is this correct?
My original post and newbie surprise method was:
Bake cake at 325, take out cake, lay out LONG pieces of saran wrap in and "X" pattern, flip cake out in center of wrap (about 2 minutes out of oven as I prepared wraps, and still hot and steaming), wrap hot cake in wrap covering completely, left on counter to cool. Overnight... it just sat there (again, chocolate fix cake- nothing more). And ooooohhhh how moist.
Originally I was concerned wrap would melt onto cake because it was hot. I was careful to not let the pan touch the wrap as I flipped it out.
I was amazed how great......
I've read articles recently about hot food and plastic wrap . . . it wasn't the bacteria that was the concern, it was the toxins that were emitted from the plastic into the food. it was a major health concern.
This article talked more about using plastic wrap and plastic containers to heat your food in the microwave. Apparently the heat causes the plastic to break down and emit toxins into the food, about to be consumed. I don't know if a hot cake would do the same thing, but . . .
They also said in the same article that plastic waterbottles also emit toxins over time -- even without the heating. Anyone else hear of this?
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