Who could say no to a delicious slice of cream cake? A freshly baked cream cake makes every occasion so special. But what if you have a lot of leftover cream cakes? Can you freeze cream cakes? The thing about cream cakes is that the filling doesn’t keep well in the fridge or freezer. You just can’t throw the cream cakes in the freezer and expect the dessert to retain its original texture and flavor.
Most bakers do not recommend freezing cream cakes. We feel this way simply because the ingredients don’t keep well at freezing temperatures. The cream filling isn’t solid because it’s mostly made up of liquid ingredients, and that’s where the problem lies. Once the cream filling makes contact with the crust, the cake will become soft and mushy. This can be a problem once you have thawed the frozen cream cake.
If need be, it is possible to freeze cream cakes for later use. However, there will be significant texture changes no matter how carefully you prepare the cake for freezing.
Cream cakes have a short shelf life because of the sensitive ingredients. When stored in the freezer, cream cakes will stay fresh for 3 to 4 days. However, cream cakes can be stored in the freezer for at least 6 months. For leftovers, here is a step-by-step guide on how to freeze cream cakes:
How do you freeze cream cakes?
If you’re making cream cakes from scratch and anticipate lots of leftovers, we strongly advise saving the cream filling until you’re ready to serve the cake. This allows you to freeze the cream filling and pie crust separately. And whenever you need to bake a cream cake, simply defrost the cream filling and crust, then assemble. The cake only takes a few minutes to assemble and bake, so it’s still convenient to do it this way.
To do this, you have to pre-bake the crust and let it cool completely on a wire rack. Whip the cream filling and then divide into manageable portions. Using a large, resealable plastic bag, spoon the cream filling into the bag. Squeeze out as much air as you can, then seal the bag. Mark the storage date and put the bag in the freezer. Cover the cooled pie crust with aluminum foil, then place in a resealable plastic bag before popping in the freezer.
If they’re leftover cream cakes, ie ones that have been served for a while, they’ll probably be soggy by the time they get into the freezer. Do not transfer the cake to a smaller container as this could break the already soggy crust. Use the serving container the pie was served in unless you don’t mind the filling and crust getting mixed up when transferring the pie to a different container.
Read Also: Can you freeze sponge cake?
Cover the cake with aluminum foil, being careful not to expose any part of the cake to freezing temperatures. The cream filling has a high water content, making it quite sensitive to freezer burn. Once the cake is completely covered with aluminum foil, you can simply stick the whole cake in the freezer. You can also place the container in a resealable plastic bag before freezing for extra protection.
How do you defrost frozen cream cakes?
If you froze the cream filling and pie crust separately, simply take them out of the freezer, remove the aluminum foil if you have them, and place them in the fridge. Let the pie components thaw for a few hours.
If you want to speed up the frozen cream thawing process, submerge the sealed bag in a bowl of tap water. It should soften up in a few hours. Never thaw the cake components prematurely. Bake them into a cake as soon as they are thawed to preserve the integrity of the ingredients.
After the pie ingredients have thawed, cut off the corner of the bag and pipe the cream filling into the pie crust. Then bake in the preheated oven at 350 to 375 degrees Fahrenheit for 40-50 minutes and serve.
As for frozen cream cake leftovers, there is no need to defrost the cake as it can be eaten as is. However, if you want to soften the filling and crust a bit, simply transfer the pie from the freezer to the fridge and allow at least 2 hours to partially thaw. Once thawed, it’s ready to eat.
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Some experts would say outright that cream cakes should not be frozen at all. But when you get your hands on too many leftovers, you have no choice but to freeze the cake to avoid wasting it. Now that you know how to freeze cream cakes, if you end up with more cakes than you can handle, you no longer need to worry about spoilage!