How do all of CC'ers handle this if it does happen to you? I make a version of WASC, take out of oven, press air out with clean dish towel, flip onto plastic wrap, wrap up, and freeze. I defrost over night. When I I go to remove the plastic wrap, what was the top of the cake in the pan is sticky and hard to handle. Do you need to wrap the cakes immediately to have a moist cake or can you let them cool? What do you find works best for you. TIA for any suggestions.
I don't mind it like that....I just use it like that. If its too wet I just shave it off.
I never wrap a cake to freeze until it has cooled to room temp.
Not understanding the bit about pressing on the cake to remove air. I've never heard of doing that before and I don't understand why you'd press on a cake in the first place.
The problem is you are letting it defrost first. I pull them from the freezer and unwrap them let them defrost about 10 or 15 minutes tops then level them. When you level the cake it cuts off the sticky part. Ice them while slightly frozen then allow to fully defrost. The icing will keep the cakes moist. If covering with fondant do so after you crumbcoat. No need to recool to set the crumbcoat because the cakes will do that for you.
Steams is going to escape the cake when it is cooling. When you wrap the cake while it is still warm that steam still has to go somewhere so it forms in the plastic, and the moisture from that is making the cake really gooey.
TexasSugar - Do you wrap your cakes while still warm or do you let cool completely first? As for pressing the air out, it's supposed to remove the need to level the cake. You compress the cake and take the dome off of the top. I have read that many people here on CC follow this practice.
Steams is going to escape the cake when it is cooling. When you wrap the cake while it is still warm that steam still has to go somewhere so it forms in the plastic, and the moisture from that is making the cake really gooey.
Exactly. (Unfortunately so!)
The process of freezing a cooled cake layer will make it more moist but eliminate the possibility of a gummy surface and/or changing the texture of the baked item that can occur when freezing a hot cake layer.
But try you own side by side technique comparison when you have left over cake batter by making two cupcakes and freezing one hot and other cooled.
HTH
JanH - THANKS. Why didn't I think of that. If I can still have a moist cake, I'll let it cool before freezing.
I usually bake one day and then ice and decorate the next... I ALWAYS let my cakes cool completely and then wrap in plastic wrap just to sit on the counter overnight. Most of my cakes get this "gooey"/gross/disgusting ick on top as well... WASC is worse than my scratch cakes, but they all seem to get it to some extent. I'm guessing it has something to do with the surface texture naturally being more moist than the other cake surfaces since it wasn't touching hot metal while it was baking... I just level it off and move on.
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