How to Store and Freeze Cake Layers
Building a layer cake can be a daunting task, so I often break it up over the course of a few days. And if I have a big project like a wedding cake, I’ll work on it over a few weeks. So how do I store my baked cake layers so they stay fresh and taste their best? Read on!
At room temperature
I keep my cakes at room temperature only long enough for them to cool down after baking. Since I find it is easier to frost a cake when the cake layers are cold and sturdier, I never store them at room temperature.
If you choose to store cake layers at room temperature, make sure they are covered in plastic wrap and used within 1-2 days.
In the fridge
The fridge is a great place to store individual cake layers short term. Once they’ve completely come to room temperature after baking, cover with plastic wrap and place them in the fridge. If you have several cake layers, or if your cake is very delicate, you may want to place them side by side instead of stacking them, to avoid squishing the layers on the bottom.
Properly wrapped, cake layers will stay fresh in the fridge for 3-5 days.
In the freezer
If it’s going to be 3 or more days before I build my cake, I will opt to store my cake layers in the freezer. After they’ve cooled to room temperature, wrap each cake layer with plastic wrap twice. You can also wrap once in plastic wrap and then seal inside a freezer ziploc bag. I have never had an issue with freezer burn or freshness after storing them this way.
For extra sturdiness during storage, you can place a cardboard cake round in between each layer before stacking them.
Properly wrapped, cake layers will stay fresh in the freezer for at least 1 month. To thaw, let them sit at room temperature side-by-side in their wrappings for several hours and up to overnight.
Do you have any additional storing tips for cakes? If so, please leave a comment!
This post is so useful! When it comes to layer cakes I prefer to break up the passages so that I don’t have to face tons of work at once. This is a great way to make the whole process even easier!
xo, Elisa
great tips! 🙂
Super Duper Smarty Pants!! I love this – these are invaluable tips for baking!!
Great tips, Annalise!
Great advice! That is the same process I use when freezing cake. I always bake my cakes in advance when its going to take me a long time to decorate them. I find they don’t have as many crumbs either.
Yes! I love how easy cold cakes are to work with and frost. No crumbs!
How very useful! Excellent post!
Can I frost the cake while it is still frozen or do I have to wait until it has thawed out?
Hi Sandra! You’ll need to let the cake defrost completely in the plastic wrap before proceeding. Otherwise it will weep moisture as it thaws. Frost it after it’s defrosted. Hope this helps!
Thanks for this. I tended to frost the cakes still somewhat frozen. Now I will change that. I do all the baking and storing ahead of time. It makes it so much easier. I’ll make my frosting on another day and freeze that too. Then on cake day, it’s easy.
This is great information! Thanks!
When we r putting our cake in freeze.what is the procedure for frosting? If we r taking out the cake from the fridge after how much time we should do frosting on cake?
You are awesome! Thanks for this article. Great tips. Will definitely do this.
I will be baking a cake soon that has ground walnuts and whipped heavy cream in the recipe. I am hoping to follow your directions for freezing the layers for a few days before I need to frost them. What do you think? Will these ingredient freeze well?
Yes! These instructions should apply to your cake just fine.
Hi! Can I use this same process of storing my cakes in the freezer if I started with a box mix or will the cake become gummy during or after it defrosts?
Yes, absolutely!
Hi! Can I use the same process of freezing the cakes if I am using a box cake mix or will the cake become gummy during or after defrosting it?
Iam getting ready for my grandson rehearsal dinner and need to make severe cakes. Carrot, German chocolate and even a apple pie. Can I freeze all of them
Yes, all of those cake layers can be frozen for up to 2 months.
Last week I decided to test a frozen cake layer that had been an extra from a cake made almost a year ago. It was either that or throw it out, and I had fresh leftover frosting to use. It had been tightly sealed in plastic wrap and then placed in a Ziploc bag. I cut it in half and made a half-2 layer cake. Surprisingly, it tasted absolutely fine. Though I wouldn’t necessarily recommend waiting that long to use a frozen layer, I definitely would not hesitate to freeze cake layers for 2-3 months.
Awesome! Thanks so much for the feedback Cheryl!
How do you pick the cake up to wrap for storing without it breaking or crumbling?
Place the plastic on top of cold cake. Use a cake lifter, or a stiff thin cutting board under cake to lift and flip to finish the wrapping process
I’m so late to this party. :). Do you trim the cakes before or after you freeze them?
I trim cakes before assembly, so after they’ve been chilled or frozen/defrosted.
Hi! I baked 4 cakes for my upcoming wedding ahead of time and froze. However, where I live is ~8 hours away from where the wedding is, so the cakes will obviously thaw during the drive from point A to point B. And we’ll be making the drive on Wednesday afternoon, but the wedding isn’t until Saturday. I was planning to put the cakes in a cooler to keep them cool as they thaw, but wasn’t planning on decorating the cakes until Friday evening. My question is, will the cakes stay fresh if I leave them wrapped in their plastic wrap and aluminum foil until I’m ready to decorate?
I have 3 very old cake pans with removable bottoms. I grease the bottom then add parchment which is then greased and floured plus up the sides of pan. Once cooked I would remove the metal bottom and parchment if I was ready to build the cake. What would you recommend if I wanted to freeze the layers…remove the bottoms and parchment or leave til thawing? Thank you!
Can I freeze a red velvet cake dices with Crean Cheese frosting?
I’m not sure I understand the question. You can freeze both red velvet cake using these instructions and you might be able to freeze cream cheese frosting. Not sure about it because I haven’t tried it myself and I know sometimes the texture of cream cheese changes when frozen and defrosted, but frosting might be different!
Does it make a difference if you freeze a cake with fresh fruit or should you avoid freezing a cake with fruit in the first place?
Not sure what you mean by a cake with fresh fruit? Is it a cake with pieces of fruit baked in? If so, you should be able to follow these instructions with the same results. If the pieces of fruit are very large the texture may be a bit mushy once thawed, though I haven’t tested this.
Im out of plastic wrap. Can i use foil or a ziploc bag??
Do you remove the parchment rounds before freezing?
I do not, I remove them once cake layers are thawed and I’m assembling the cake.
This is so helpful. I heard some rumors that refrigerators dry out the cake layers, have you noticed this at all? Also, is it okay to frost straight out of the refrigerator cold? Or should I set it out for some time?
I have heard that too, but I haven’t experienced that with a 1-2 day refrigeration. If I’m making cake layers more than 1-2 days ahead I always freeze.
I would love to know of we should wait to decorate a cake age removing it from the fridge or if we can frost it right away to take advantage of the firmness from chilling it!
I like to assemble and decorate cake layers when they are chilled! This makes the whole process easier.
This was so helpful. Thank you. I do have 1 question. If you use simple syrup, do you put it on the cake before freezing or after it thaws?
I would do it after it thaws.
Love your tips very useful
I like posts like these that are straight to the point. No stories, just information we are looking for. Thanks for this!
When putting these layers being wrapped in the fridge don’t we kneed them to put into air tight box?
I always just wrap well in plastic wrap. If I’m freezing, I’ll double wrap.
Why do you choose to defrost cakes from the freezer at room temperature overnight, but not defrost them in a refrigerator overnight.
I’ve noticed some cake decorators choose to defrost cakes in the refrigerator overnight, yet others like yourself recommend room temperature.
What’s the theory behind both?
Is the result not the same?
You can do either! It kind of depends on how soon you’re going to use them. They’ll defrost at room temp in just a few hours, or longer (like overnight) in the fridge. No difference in result, just time. Hope this helps! 🙂
Thanks for the advice.