Can You Freeze Cake?

Have you ever wondered if you can freeze cake? If so, you would be far from the first. Baked goods are notorious for going stale faster than you can eat them — there’s a reason so many bakeries discount their day-old products. And cake is no exception. 

If you find yourself with leftover cake on your hands and you know you won’t be able to eat it before it’s not so delicious anymore, you may find yourself asking, “Can you freeze cake?” And you’re in luck: you absolutely can! That said, freezing cake is not a one-size-fits-all process, so read on to find out how best to extend the life of your leftover cake in the freezer. 

Jump to Section

• How Long Does Cake Last?
• Can You Freeze a Cake?
• What Are the Best Cakes To Freeze?
• How To Freeze Cake
• How To Thaw a Frozen Cake

How Long Does Cake Last?

While it’s nice to know that you can freeze cake that won’t get eaten quickly, you might first be wondering when you should freeze it — in other words, how long you can leave a cake sitting out before it’s not safe to eat anymore. According to most experts, cake starts to go bad after three to five days if left out, and this will be faster if the cake is left in a warm or humid place. 

That said, a cool, dry environment will help a cake last a little longer, so you also have the option of refrigerating your leftover cake to get a few more days out of it. So, how long does cake last in the fridge? An unfrosted cake can last up to a week, but a frosted cake might only last up to four days since dairy-based frosting goes bad much faster than the cake itself would. 

However, a word of warning about refrigerating cake: while it can keep the cake safe to eat for longer, it won’t preserve the texture. Because cooler temperatures cause baked goods to become stale faster, a cake stored in the fridge won’t retain its moisture very long.

Unless your cake has cream cheese frosting, fruit-based filling or another ingredient that would go bad quickly if left out at room temperature, refrigerating is not a great way to save leftover cake. Luckily, since you can freeze cake, a simple solution is at hand.

Can You Freeze a Cake?

If you want to save cake while preserving its taste and texture, the freezer is your best bet. Not only can you freeze cake, but doing so can make a cake last up to three months! That’ll give you plenty of time to enjoy your leftovers at leisure.

You can freeze cake whole, or, if you’re baking a layer cake, in individual layers to be assembled later. However, there are certain steps you should follow when you freeze cake to ensure that its flavor and texture are preserved, such as wrapping in cling wrap and foil and storing it in an airtight container. 

Does Freezing Cake Affect Taste?

Can you freeze cake without changing the flavor? Not quite — but that’s actually because freezing is said to change the flavor of cake for the better. If you follow the steps above to make sure your cake doesn’t go stale, freezing cake may give the flavors of the cake more time to interact with one another and diffuse throughout the cake, which can improve its flavor profile. 

However, it is a little bit trickier to preserve the texture of the cake after you freeze it. While a frozen cake won’t go stale, it may have the opposite issue, becoming dense and rubbery if it absorbs too much moisture.

Cakes tend to become dense and rubbery when you don’t wrap them well before freezing, if you wrap them up while they're still hot or defrost them while they're still wrapped — all common mistakes that cause the cake to absorb any moisture that gets into the wrapping in the freezer. Be sure to follow the freezing and thawing instructions below if you want your cake to stay moist and fluffy after you defrost it.

Can You Freeze a Frosted Cake?

Can you freeze cake if it’s already been frosted? Yes, but you have to be both cautious in your methods and aware of how the type of frosting on your cake interacts with the freezer. Some frostings, like whipped cream, are simply too delicate to freeze well, and if you try, it will probably ruin their texture and flavor. 

Sturdier frostings like buttercream and cream cheese will react fairly well to freezing and thawing, and they’ll taste no different. So you’d probably have more success freezing, say, a carrot cake with cream cheese frosting than a delicate strawberry shortcake. 

If you have a cake with delicate frosting or you just think the extra steps that go into freezing it would be too big a hassle, there’s another way to save it: cake pops. Sure, you can freeze frosted cake, but you can also learn how to make cake pops as a nifty way to give leftovers a new lease on life.

Making cake pops is a good option if your cake has a delicate frosting that wouldn’t hold up well in the freezer or if you don’t want to waste food but can’t see yourself eating huge slabs of defrosted cake before they go bad. 

Can You Freeze Cake Batter?

If you’re an avid home baker, this might lead you to another question: can you freeze cake batter? Although it may sound improbable, the answer is yes! Not only can you freeze a cake that’s been baked to decorate later, but you can also get a head start on that cake you have to bake in the middle of a busy week by preparing cake batter and freezing it for later use. There are a few methods you can use to freeze prepared cake batter.

The simplest is simply storing it in a zip-lock freezer bag, preventing freezer burn and saving space in your freezer. Another method, which may be easier when it comes to baking the batter, is to store it in the tin you plan to bake it in. Simply line the pan with parchment or cupcake liners, then fill it with batter as if you're going to bake it. Place the tin in a large, sealable plastic freezer bag before placing it in the freezer.

To thaw frozen batter, move it to the fridge and leave to defrost overnight. If you used the pan method, you may want to move your frozen cake back into the pan before you do this so it’ll retain its shape. Frozen cake batter can last up to three months. 

One word of warning: while you can freeze cake batter, not all cake batter freezes well. Only do this if your cake is made with oil or butter — fat is important for retaining structure, so cakes like sponge cake and chiffon cake that are made primarily with low-fat egg whites won’t stand up to freezing. 

What Are the Best Cakes To Freeze?

As hinted above, whether you can freeze cake should not be the only consideration. You should also think about the type of cakes you can freeze and ensure you reserve space for those that freeze well. To decide whether or not your cake will stand up to freezing, there are some things to consider.

As a rule of thumb, the sturdier the cake is, the better it freezes. This means that denser cakes, like carrot cake, cheesecake, pound cake and bundt cake, see the best results when frozen and thawed. This is because they have stable structures, strong flavors and enough fat in them to hold their texture and flavor in extreme temperatures. 

If you’re wondering whether you can freeze a cake that is not fat-based, you can, but not without adversely affecting the taste and texture. Sensitive cakes with weaker structures include angel food cake, sponge cake and chiffon cake, and while you technically can freeze these cakes, you’re better off enjoying them fresh.

How To Freeze Cake

Now that we know you can freeze cake, how do we go about doing it? Depending on the type of cake you want to freeze, there are a few methods you can use. If it isn’t frosted, you can freeze cake with the following steps.

1. Wrap the cake in cling wrap first. 

2. Wrap in an additional layer of aluminum foil, which will prevent freezer burn. 

3. Store the wrapped cake in the airtight container of your choice. You can also choose an additional layer of aluminum foil instead, but if you have one, an airtight container is best.

How To Freeze Cake With Frosting

You can freeze cake even if it’s already frosted, but you have to be careful because cake frosting is very pliable and tends to get stuck to things. You don’t want to end up peeling off all of the frosting when you remove the plastic! To avoid this, follow these steps:

1. Place it on a baking sheet in your freezer for several hours, until it’s frozen all the way through. 

2. Wrap the frozen cake in plastic wrap.

3. Wrap a second time in a layer of aluminum foil, then place it back in the freezer.

Allowing the cake and frosting to freeze solid before you wrap it up will keep the decorations intact; if you don’t wait long enough, the plastic wrap may smudge any designs in the frosting. 

This method would also apply to cupcakes or slices of frosted cake, although if you want to freeze cake slices, you may want to combine this method with the one for unfrosted cake by storing the wrapped slices in an airtight container. 

How Long Can You Freeze Cake?

Okay, so you can freeze cake with great results (provided it’s a stable recipe) and we know how best to store it. The next question is, how long can you freeze cake? Usually, up to three months. It will freeze for longer and still be safe to eat, but if frozen for any longer than three months, your cake’s taste and texture will begin to deteriorate.

How To Thaw a Frozen Cake

Finally, if you freeze cake, how do you then get it ready to eat? There are two lines of thinking about this. Some bakers vehemently believe that it’s best to move cakes from the freezer to the refrigerator and let them defrost overnight, which is undoubtedly a gentler method of defrosting. To do this, follow these steps: 

1. Remove the wrapped cake from the freezer and leave it in its wrapping.

2. Leave in the refrigerator to thaw overnight or at least eight hours. 

3. Serve cold when fully thawed. 

Other bakers, citing the tediously long wait and the fridge’s tendency to dry things out, prefer to bring the cake out to defrost at room temperature. If you prefer this method, here’s what you should do: 

1. Remove your cake from the freezer and unwrap it.

2. Set out for several hours in a safe, dry place to defrost at room temperature. 

3. Serve at room temperature. 

If you’ve ever looked anxiously at the half-eaten birthday cake left over after a party and wondered how you were going to keep it from going to waste, let this article reassure you that you can freeze cake, and with great results. So long as you wrap it up and store it carefully, you can freeze cake to enjoy long after it would’ve gone bad if you left it sitting out. 

For even more ways to explore your favorite foods, check out other experiences happening on Cozymeal.