We all love cakes that are fresh, delicious, and moist. We all especially love saving slices of cake from sentimental events such as weddings, first birthday’s, graduations, and etc. Depending on the way you store that cake can determine whether it keeps it freshness or not.

I absolutely hate the freezer taste on anything I eat such as meats and especially cakes. It just ruins your food. However, if you properly wrap your cakes, you will not have to worry about that taste ruining your food. At the same time, properly freezing your cakes will cause it to be more moist, which is part of the reason why I freeze cakes as well.

I can remember a time when I placed a small slice of cake from my daughter’s first birthday into the freezer, to save for later and it only 3 days for that freezer taste to set into that cake. So I had to throw it out and I was very sad because I wanted to save it for her to eat later.

Storing cakes without Icing:

Freezing bare cakes is a must when it comes to carving a cake. A frozen cake will help you to achieve the exact shape that you’re going for with your cakes. I’ve made several types of cakes that had very difficult shapes and freezing them made that whole process all the more easier. You can also just freeze them in advance so that way when it comes to decorating your cake, you will not have to wait for it to cool down.

So first, after your cakes have completely cooled down, place the bare cake on to either press and seal wrap or plastic wrap. It’s best to wrap it tightly to keep out any air that can’t get through the press and seal wrap or plastic wrap. But at the same time, its best to make sure that you’re not wrapping it too tight because it cake cause the shape of the cake to change from round to square, which is REALLY bad!

I will wrap my cakes three times with plastic wrap just to make sure that it’s securely wrapped. While I’m wrapping the cake layer, its best to turn it to the opposite side (to the side that has been folded) and wrap the second layer of plastic wrap over that side so that no air will enter the cake. You can also wrap it a third time as well.

With press and seal wrap, I will wrap it twice and then add another layer of foil over it just to make sure that no air is getting into the cake. Once the cake has been wrapped I will place a piece of duct tape on the cake with the flavor name and date that the cake was made.

If you want to go a little overboard, like I do at times, you can place it inside of a ziplock bag. The only cake layer sizes that will fit are anything from a 4 inch cake layer to a 9 inch cake layer in diameter. For those cake layers that are larger, you can just add a fourth layer of plastic wrap or press and seal wrap to the cake. Cakes can be stored in the freezer for up to three months which is great for those times when you have so many orders in one week.

Storing cakes with icing:

When it comes to storing a cake covered in buttercream, fondant, ganache and etc, it’s best to let the frosting freeze before wrapping it. This will help to avoid the icing from getting smashed. It’s best to let it sit in the freezer for at least 4 hours until it’s fully hardened. After the icing has hardened, you can either use press and seal wrap or cling wrap to wrap the cake.

If you’re using press and seal wrap, its best to make sure that you seal it tightly around the edges to keep out any air. If you will be using cling wrap, its best to wrap it tightly 3 times, just to keep out any air as well. I will usually go over board with wrapping these cakes because I absolutely can’t stand a freezer tasting cake.

Just like you’d label the cake with the date and flavor, you can do the same for that iced cake that you’re trying to store. Its best to use that date that the cake was originally cut and it will last for up to 3 months as well.

Defrosting a bare cake:

Defrosting a cake is very simple. I will usually level, carve, and ice the cake while it’s still frozen. I do this because once it has thawed out, all of that moisture will stay within in the cake giving it a very moist texture.  This also helps me to get a defined shape for my cakes, while making the crumb coating process easier.

After you’ve taken the cake out of the freezer, layered or carved it, and then crumb coated it, you can then place it into the the refrigerator to thaw out completely. Keep in mind that it will thaw out a little as you’re carving and crumb coating it, so its best to work quickly so that it doesn’t become too soft for you to work with.

If you will not be carving the cake, you can still level and crumb coat it while its frozen or place it into the refrigerator to thaw out and then level it once it has completely thawed out. Its completely your preference for how you want to work with your cake, but I love working with it while it’s frozen because it’s easier. Usually it takes 4 hours for your cake to completely thaw out in the refrigerator.

Defrosting a iced cake:

Just like defrosting a bare cake, you can place your frozen iced cake into the refrigerator to defrost for 4 hours before eating. After it has fully defrosted, you can then place it on the counter to warm up to room temperature for at least 30 minutes. Now you will have that same warm, moist, and fresh slice of cake exactly the way it was when you first tried it.

Let’s store some cake!

Now you can prepare cake months in advance and when the time comes for you to use those cake, it will make the process more faster and easier, with that same fresh taste just like the first day that it was made.