In the cake world, the word 'freeze' causes just about as much conflict as Marmite, Brexit and whether or not Willow is butter* - trust me, it's not!
But I'm all for it. If it's good enough for Captain Birdseye, it's good enough for me.
And here's why.
Because freezing preserves stuff in the best-possible state. True, not everything freezes and defrosts well - particularly if you're doing it at home. But for cake, it's a completely valid option.
Many professional decorators freeze their cakes because they say it helps the cakes hold their shape and if you're covering, you're less likely to get a crumby mess in your buttercream or ganache.
It is also rumoured to improve the softness of the crumb based on the way the water crystals melt back into the cake when it's defrosted.
And nobody should be harmed by a cake that has been frozen. Sure, you might do some damage to them if you throw a frozen cake and have great (or poor!) aim. But if the cake is properly brought back to room temperature, it's perfectly safe to eat - and can be far fresher than a cake that's been hanging around for a few days.
It can buy you a few days of time if you are a busy bee and need to bake your cakes in advance. Just pop them in the freezer and then pull out 12 hours before they need decorating. Or if you've got a cake that's too large to finish, most cakes can be frozen in slices. Just double wrap in cling film (or saran wrap if you're elsewhere in the world) and pop them in the freezer.
And a top tip for those of you who pipe - piping onto a frozen cupcake can help the icing set up more quickly so you can reduce incidents where you might scuff a beautifully piped bit where the buttercream is still super-soft.
For more top-tips, why not join the Practically Perfect Piping Facebook group?
Caking regards
Rebecca xo
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