Can You Freeze Carrot Cake? Methods to Freeze Carrot Cake
Homemade carrot cake with cream cheese frosting is a perfect treat to enjoy on warm and cozy evenings. However, if you have leftovers then you might be wondering how to store them. We suggest you freeze carrot cake and eat it later on.
There are multiple ways for storing carrot cake in the freezer. You can either freeze the cake along with the frosting or you can freeze the sponge and the cream separately. Also, you can whip fresh cream and use it with frozen cake. Opt for a method that suits you the best.
By the end of this article, you will have some essential tips for freezing cakes and ways to freeze carrot cake. Also, you will find answers to your queries on the duration of freezing cakes and ways to thaw cake slices.
Do Cakes Freeze Well? Tips for Freezing
Yes, cakes do freeze well! Surprisingly, when you freeze them along with the frosting cream or icings, they retain their texture better. However, you can’t completely deny the chances of freezer burn while freezing carrot cake or any other cake you bake.
Here are some tips that you can imply while you freeze carrot cake at home.
- Try to freeze your carrot cake into portions or slices instead of whole. It helps in the thawing process so that you don’t waste any portion of the cake. Moreover, freezing it in slices will also help you to retain the flavors of icing or frosting as well.
- When you drop your carrot cake into the freezer, make sure you have added some nuts and raisins to it. Increasing the inner density of the cake will help you to prevent and reduce the chances of drying out the cake sponge. You can also add carrot chunks to the cake.
- Though, it is safe and feasible to freeze your carrot cake with icing, we would still advise you to make it fresh. Fresh icings have a rich taste and will help mask any texture or flavor changes in the cake post-freezing.
Steps to Freeze Carrot Cake
You can freeze carrot cake in different ways as suggested above. Here’s a quick summary of different ways that you can use for freeze cakes. First of all, you can freeze carrot cake as a whole in the freezer. To do so, bake a cake as per your recipe and allow it to cool down completely. You don’t want to spoil the temperature of your freezer or other ingredients in it by placing a hot cake into it.
Thus, once the cake cools down completely, wrap it with a plastic film tightly. Make sure you leave no room for any air molecules; this way your cake can remain moist and fluffy. Then, place the cake in an airtight container and close the lid of the same.
Add a label to the container with the date of freezing and drop it in the freezer. When you wish to eat the cake you can follow the defrosting steps given in the further sections. This method is best for freezing cake when you wish to use it directly on certain occasions. However, if you are going to eat it individually then, this next method might help you.
Freeze Slices of Carrot Cake
The method for freezing slices of carrot cake isn’t any different from the previous one. A slight change in the process is that you will have to cut your cake into slices and wrap them individually. You can make equal slices of your dessert and wrap them with plastic film.
Make sure the cake isn’t hot as mentioned earlier and store the wrapped slices in a freezer-safe bag or container. Seal the container and store it in the freezer for later use. Also, add labels to the bags before freezing them. The method of freezing individual slices will help you retain the flavors of carrots and cream cheese spectacularly.
Can you freeze carrot cake in the fridge?
If you are willing to know whether carrot cake freezes well in the fridge, then let me answer your doubt. Without a second thought, you can surely freeze your cake in the fridge for a couple of days, but not longer than that. It is because eventually due to poor wrapping and an unstable environment the cake sponge will dry out and the flavors will go bland.
How to Defrost Carrot Cake?
Frozen carrot cake is not something that you would love to eat directly. Thus, you must know how to defrost carrot cake with or without cream cheese frosting. If you need carrot cake the next day, then remove it from the freezer and discard the plastic wrap. Place it in the fridge for 8 hours.
After 8 hours or overnight of thawing carrot cake, you can use it for eating. For better taste, you can heat it up in the microwave for 30 seconds. Do not heat it for more than 30 seconds. However, avoid heating if you have frozen your cake with icing in it. Similarly, when you heat the frozen cake, allow it to cool completely before adding any toppings.
Does frozen carrot cake taste well?
Frozen carrot cakes taste well when you thaw them carefully. There are chances that frozen cakes will show some powdery flavors, but topping them with fresh cream icings would rectify this issue.
Should you refreeze carrot cake?
Carrot cake can go bad if you constantly change its surrounding temperature. Thus, we are strictly against any method to refreeze carrot cake. It is because it won’t work at all and you will end up with a crumbled mixture of nuts and dried cake.
Does carrot cake freeze properly in the freezer?
Carrot cakes freeze very well in th freezer. Therefore, do not panic or take a second thought before dropping your carrot cake in the freezer. If you follow the above methods strictly, then you won’t notice any freezer burns or texture changes in the cake.
For What Duration Carrot Cake can be Frozen?
You can freeze carrot cake slices in airtight containers for several months, i.e., around four months at the most. However, we are talking about freezing slices and not the cake as a whole. If you freeze the entire cake then, there are chances that it will dry out after two months.
Thus, it is better to freeze slices individually, this way they can retain their flavors better. Also, if you are directly placing cake slices in the fridge then they will last for 3 days. Thus, if you are willing to prepare carrot cake for any occasion, then you can prepare and store it for up to four months effectively.
Is it okay to freeze carrot cake with icing or cheese frosting on it?
Cream cheese topping or cream cheese frosting is the best part of a carrot cake. But, I would recommend you freeze carrot cake without cream cheese frosting. It is because you can prepare the topping fresh and use it accordingly. Cream cheese frosting will taste 10x better when you prepare and use it fresh.
You can refer to multiple recipes for preparing a nutty and spongy carrot cake at home. But, when it comes to shifting your cake in the freezer, it can be a tricky task to achieve. Yes, it might become a complex task to freeze your cake in a good condition, but these tips will help you in the long run.