Cake Decorating

Newbie confused!! Xxx

I’ve only baked 2 cakes before and after completing my Food Hygiene course and being approved by my LA I now have 6 cakes to do and was just wondering if its possible to freeze a cake, how long after a crumb coat can I put the final buttercream on and cover and how on earth do I do a giant cupcake lol Sorry for all the questions, I have tried google but I just get anything else but an answer TIA xxx

10 Replies

Yes, you can freeze a cake w/ or w/out crumb coating. It would have to be plastic wrapped and them placed in a tightly sealed bag. It can remain fresh up to 2 weeks…but I think I would prefer to take it out sooner.

I never freeze cake. and cook no earlier than 3 days before the occasion x

Sandra's Cakes http://www.facebook.com/pages/Sandras-cakes/147672558640042

Doesn’t mean you can’t and that it won’t stay fresh. She can also refrigerate if it’s easier and do it 3 days before the day it’s due. I think her concern is that she’s doing it alone and it may be, becoming overwhelming.

I have experimented with freezing cake. I find the heavier cakes freeze better than light sponges but it can be done with good results. I usually do all my sponge cakes fresh two days before I need them because they are better fresh but I often do extras and freeze them in case of a last minute job or equipment breakdown. Don’t ever freeze cake with fondant on – fondant doesn’t like the cold! When you crumb coat make sure that the cake is chilled long enough for the icing to harden. If you can do them the day before you are going to decorate them and put them in the fridge overnight that is ideal but a couple of hours is adequate. I have never done a giant cupcake but I imagine the easiest way is to use a giant cupcake mould – there are plenty of recipes on the internet for them. Hope this helps and good luck.

Tracey, Leeds, https//facebook.com/FireandIceCakeCo

According to the USDA a cake can be safely frozen for up to 12 months if wrapped properly (and airtight) and it follows the non-potentially hazardous food rules (also a good thing to keep in mind if you have a bride and groom who want to save their cake top for the 1st anniversary). Food cannot be safely re-frozen once it is thawed. That said, however, I would never do that for a paying customer, just in case the integrity of the cake becomes compromised or it were to absorb freezer flavors – (a few days may be okay, especially if you are doing a carved cake) but there are no guarantees there. I have frozen crumb coated cakes 1-2 weeks before for my children’s birthdays without a problem at all. I just let them thaw in the fridge overnight (still wrapped in 2 layers of plastic wrap) and then ice them with a final coat of buttercream the next morning (and fondant if I am using it). To make a giant cupcake I use a 6" round (2-layers) (for the bottom of the cupcake) and an oven safe pyrex or the Pampered Chef glass mixing bowl is the perfect size for the top, and it is already rounded, so no carving involved.

Happy Baking!

Alisa Seidling - http://www.facebook.com/CakeWorksBakery

Wow thank you all so much, your advice is invaluable I was feeling rather scared today! Xxx

If you do freeze, as stated above, place on board, cover entirely in Saran wrap (I like press n seal), sometimes I’ll also place in freezer bag, then wrap in foil. Most importantly, after you’ve pulled out of freezer let cake sit for a while at room temp STILL wrapped, this way any condensation forms on the foil, instead of the cake!

I love these sites, Cakes Decor & Cake Central-however it sounds like your starting your business very quickly congrats! When I first started decorating I joined ‘My Cake School’ dot com (I have no affiliation with them whatsoever) however its one of the best tools you can have, many video and blog tutorials, message boards, and forums like this site. The tip from above I learned from Melissa who runs the school with her mom BeBe-best $30/year I ever spent!!! Good luck

PS: If you ever carve a cake I recommend doing it partially frozen, sometimes I even torte that way (less crumb).

Thank You! I finished my 3rd cake this morning, I started the business due to the volume of response, I have 17 boxes of cupcakes for Easter, another 5 cakes this month and I already have orders for the months until September, I currently left my day job due to having another child and finding childcare costs too expensive for us, at first I thought my business would be ideal because of working from home however I know now its impossible to work with a 7 month and a 6 year old in the house so I can only work on my cakes after 8pm and I had 4hrs sleep Thursday and worked all through the night last night but I throughly enjoyed it, I cant wait to cram my mind full of everything I need to know ,, Thank You soo much I really appreciate your replys
Jodie xxx

This information is very helpful. Thanks everyone!