My team and I have frozen our fair share of cakes and have made enough mistakes to know what really works. Let’s learn how to freeze cakes so that they taste the freshest and that you’re the only one who knows the cake was previously frozen!
I originally published this tutorial in 2019 and have since added new photos, a video tutorial, and additional success tips.
Making cakes in advance and freezing them is a great way to get ahead and have less to do on the day of a party or celebration. Today I’m sharing my tried and true method for freezing cakes.
I’ve tried many techniques over the years, and the way I’m showing you today is the best way to ensure the cake tastes fresh and delicious after freezing and thawing. Before we get into the nitty-gritty, let me tell you…
My #1 Tip for Freezing Cakes
My number-one tip for the best-tasting results is to freeze the cake layers before frosting, and make the frosting fresh the day you plan to assemble and serve the cake.
You can freeze a cake with frosting, but the texture is just never quite the same after thawing. Plus, a completely decorated cake will contract and expand during the freezing/thawing process, ruining some of your hard work. That’s why I recommend freezing the cake on its own, and then making frosting (fresh frosting really does taste best!) and assembling the cake after it’s been thawed.
That said, it’s fine to freeze leftover frosted cake. It’s just left over and doesn’t need to impress anyone! And obviously, ice cream cake is an exception to this rule as well.
How to Freeze Cakes
First, here’s a complete video tutorial so you can understand the method:
The cake pictured here is my vanilla cake, but you can also freeze something with add-ins, such as carrot cake, or this dark chocolate peanut butter cake (which has chocolate chips in the cake batter).
STEP 1: Bake and cool your cake(s). It’s important to make sure the cakes are completely cool before you wrap them to freeze. Otherwise, the steam from the cooling cake will condense on the inside of the wrapping, leaving you with a very soggy cake after thawing. Let’s avoid that!
If you’re making a layer cake and the layers require leveling, level them off now before you freeze them. (Learn more about how to level cakes in this tutorial on How to Assemble a Layer Cake.)
STEP 2: Wrap each cake layer individually in a layer of plastic wrap. I like to use Glad Press & Seal to wrap cakes for freezing. I’m not working with this brand, but this is truly the best product I’ve tried for wrapping cakes.
STEP 3: Write the type of cake and use-by date on a large piece of aluminum foil. For best taste and texture, don’t freeze cakes for longer than 3 months. You could stretch it to 4 or 5 months, but the sooner you serve it, the fresher it tastes. I write on the aluminum foil before wrapping the cake just in case the ink seeps through. (It has before!)
STEP 4: Wrap each cake layer in a layer of aluminum foil.
The double layer of wrapping is key to preserving flavor and texture.
The first layer keeps the cake tight and fresh and the aluminum foil ensures no condensation will seep in. This is also how I wrap banana bread and other quick breads, too. Double layer = maximum freshness and no freezer burn.
You can place your labeled, double-wrapped cakes in the freezer now, but for even more protection, place them inside an airtight freezer-safe container.
STEP 5: Place the cake(s) in a freezer-safe container. Or if you don’t have a big enough container, wrap in another layer of aluminum foil. Of course make sure the foil with the date on it is what’s on the outside.
Feel free to stack the individually wrapped cake layers on top of one another if that works best for your freezer space:
STEP 6: Freeze for up to 3 months. Again, I recommend writing the “use by” date on top of the foil, 3 months from now.
Remember, the sooner you thaw and enjoy the cake, the fresher it will taste.
You can use this same freezing method for round or sheet cakes, any size or shape. Bundt cakes and loaf cakes, too! For cheesecake instructions, see “How to Freeze Cheesecake” in my classic cheesecake recipe.
How to Thaw Frozen Cake
To thaw the cakes, transfer them from the freezer to the refrigerator a day in advance to give them time to thaw. Or you can thaw them at room temperature for several hours.
Either way, leave them in their wrappings to thaw, to prevent condensation from forming and making the cakes soggy.
The amount of time it takes to thaw depends on the size of your cake, but be sure to allow at least 8 hours to thaw in the refrigerator.
Once they’ve thawed, you can simply unwrap the layers and proceed with your cake recipe‘s directions for frosting, assembling, and decorating.
For best taste and texture, don’t freeze cakes for longer than 3 months. You could stretch it to 4 or 5 months, but the sooner you serve it, the fresher it tastes.
You can freeze just about any cake after they’ve cooled completely. Mega-flavorful cakes such as banana cake, chocolate cake, carrot cake, and pumpkin cake freeze and thaw beautifully when wrapped in a couple layers, as detailed above. I find their flavor is even better after the freezing/thawing process! Bundt cakes and pound cake freeze wonderfully as well, just make sure they’re completely cooled and wrapped tightly before freezing.
Delicate cakes like angel food cake, vertical cake, and pavlova don’t hold up well in the freezer because their texture tends to suffer. It’s best to enjoy these fresh.
The amount of time it takes to thaw depends on the size of your cake, but be sure to allow at least 8 hours to thaw in the refrigerator. Or you can thaw cake at room temperature for several hours.
How about cookies? See my post on How to Freeze Cookie Dough for more. Because you should ALWAYS have chocolate chip cookies at the ready 🙂
Print
How to Freeze Cakes
- Prep Time: 5 minutes
- Cook Time: 0 minutes
- Total Time: 5 minutes
- Yield: 1 cake
- Category: Dessert
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: American
Description
Use this video tutorial and step-by-step guide to freeze your cakes so they taste as fresh as possible.
Ingredients
- baked & cooled cake(s)
- Press & Seal wrap or plastic wrap
- aluminum foil
Instructions
- Bake and completely cool a cake/cake layers. These step-by-step photos show round cakes, but you can freeze square, rectangle, Bundt cakes, etc. See my 10 best Cake Baking Tips for best practices on baking and cooling cakes.
- Once the cake(s) cools completely, wrap it in Press & Seal. This is the best product for wrapping cakes. Thin plastic/saran wrap is incredibly clingy and frustrating. Regular plastic wrap definitely works, but Press & Seal is so much easier to use and I’ve honestly found that it keeps my food fresher. (Not working with this brand, just really love it.)
- Write the type of cake and use-by date on a large piece of aluminum foil. I write on the aluminum foil before wrapping the cake just in case the ink seeps through. It has before!
- Wrap the cake in the aluminum foil.
- Place the cake(s) in a freezer-safe container. Or if you don’t have a big enough container, wrap in another layer of aluminum foil. (Make sure the foil with the date on it is what’s on the outside.)
- Freeze for up to 3 months. For best taste and texture, don’t freeze cakes for longer than 3 months. You could stretch it to 4 or 5 months, but the sooner you serve it, the fresher it tastes.
- When ready to thaw: Transfer the wrapped cakes from the freezer to the refrigerator one day before decorating/serving. Take them out of the freezer container to thaw, but leave them wrapped in Press & Seal/aluminum foil. The cakes take at least 8 hours to thaw completely in the refrigerator. Make sure you’re thawing the cakes while they’re still in the wrapping. Condensation forms as foods thaw. This way the condensation will form on the wrapping, not the cake.
- Assemble, decorate, and serve cake.
Notes
- Special Tools (affiliate links): Press & Seal | Aluminum Foil | Freezer-Safe Container
- Don’t Freeze Decorated Cake: For best taste and texture, assemble and decorate the cake as close to serving as possible. A completely decorated cake will contract and expand during the freezing/thawing process, ruining some of your hard work. You can make the frosting ahead of time and refrigerate it for 1 day, but fresh frosting really does taste best.
Reader Comments and Reviews
Can you frost a frozen cake?
Hi Connie, we prefer to let the layers thaw completely first. You certainly can assemble the frozen layers (some bakers swear by it), but you may find the buttercream/frosting hardens and can even separate when it sits on the cold cake – so try to decorate quickly if you can!
I love the recipes and I hope of being the best cake baker.
this has been so helpful to me as i practice making my sister’s wedding cake, thank you! i do need to drive with the frozen cake layers and i’m wondering how much you think it would affect them if they thaw out a bit in the car and then i put them back in the freezer for a couple days?
Hi Elliot! It would be best to keep them frozen, could you transport them in a cooler with some ice packs?
I am making a cake for a party, however I can’t make or decorate it the day of or the day before. Can I freeze it for about 1 1/2 days while decorated?
Hi Melia, we recommend just freezing the cake layers and not freezing a completely decorated cake. The number-one tip for the best-tasting results in this post is to freeze the cake layers before frosting, and make the frosting fresh the day you plan to assemble and serve the cake. You can freeze a cake with frosting, but the texture is just never quite the same after thawing. Plus, a completely decorated cake will contract and expand during the freezing/thawing process, ruining some of your hard work. Hope this helps! Let us know what you decide to try.
I have enjoy how I have been baking more and more every time it comes out good don’t bake when tried I have mass up a lot no more baking when I am tried thank u so so much I am just Learning a lot and injoy eat fresh good baking
Hi, I am making a digger cake for my son. Can I cut out the cake then freeze? or is it best to leave cake whole for freezing then when defrosted to shape and ice. Thank you
Hi Alysha, we’d recommend freezing the cake as a whole/layers rather than freezing the sculpted cake.
I totally agree with you that Press N Seal is far better and easier to use than cling plastic wrap. Thought I was the only one who thought that.
If I am using a soak for the cake, should I add the soak before freezing? or should I add the soak to the thawed cake?
Hi Monica, we recommend adding the soak/simple syrup after the frozen layers have thawed.
Sally, if you could help I’d be most indebted. I am on a business similar to UberEats and they can’t allow the merchant schedule the order for later which the customers can. You know it’s not possible to finish a cake even in 4 hours. So I wanted to freeze cakes and could sell whole cakes this way with instructions to thaw in the refrigerator. But I risk freezer burn when selling slices. Would I have to use a fresh plastic wrap each time? And would recommend freezer-safe containers for cakes? Decorated cakes face the same problem if sold by slice. It would be better to freeze decorated cakes considering my situation but is it alright to freeze the frosting if it’s the latter? I have maximum 2 hours.
Slices take much less time to thaw in the fridge. How do I prevent condensation for slices?
Sorry for bombarding the questions. Hope you can help me!
Hi lo, you can freeze individual sizes laid out on a sheet pan until frozen, and then wrap each one with plastic wrap, etc. For extra protection, we’d store the wrapped slices in a freezer-safe container, too. Hope this helps!
I am going to make my granddaughters wedding cake.
She asked me to make a white chocolate mud cake, two tiers. I have never made this before and am baking two different sizes today to see what they taste like. I want to cut them in half and put butter cream in between each one of them and freeze them. Then decorate them with white chocolate ganache as my granddaughter wants to place her own flowers on the day of the wedding.
My question is can I put butter cream in the layers and freeze the two cakes and at a later date cover with chocolate mache. Do I need to place a layer of butter cream before the chocolate ganache?
Hi Giselle, that should work just fine to freeze with the buttercream between the layers. You may want to add a thin crumb coat around the outside as well, then you can add the ganache at a later date.
Hi! I’m curious your thoughts about freezing a glazed cake? Specifically, I’m making grandma cakes with a lemon glaze for an event and I’d love to make them ahead of time and freeze them. Ideally I’d glaze them while they are still warm from the oven, but then should I freeze them already glazed? Or freeze them unglazed and try to warm them and glaze them later?
Hi Maureen, we think it’s always best to have a fresh icing or glaze, so would recommend freezing without the glaze, then thawing, warming, and glazing before serving.
Thank you for this great tip.
I am about to bake a white cake with raspberries but would like to bake and freeze it ahead of time. How should I thaw the cake? I have only frozen plain cakes, none with fruit baked in. Thank you.
Hi Mel, You’ll still want to follow the same directions in the section “How to Thaw Cakes” and thaw it for at least 8 hour in the refrigerator.
Are you still doing the monthly contest? I loved doing that, stopped. And I can’t seem to find how to get the emails for this.
Hi Jana! Yes, I am. See the Sally’s Baking Challenge page. There is a spot to sign up for the Challenge email list on there, too! This month (Jan 2025), the challenge recipe is Ciabatta Bread.
thanks so much!! Now I can bake cakes at least 3 weeks ahead of time and still get the amazing taste.
Can you thaw German cho cake layers at rm temp? I have to frost on the same day I thaw them so can’t thaw them in the fridge overnight
We do recommend thawing in the fridge, but you should be able to thaw at room temperature if needed.
Thanks for these tips. Would you cut the cake layers to level them before freezing or after they have thawed?
Hi Adele, either way works!
Thank you. It’s not cake, but I am planning to make several shortbread cookies. Can I freeze shortbread dough and then thaw it in the frig before I shape and bake it?
Hi Emily, here’s everything you need to know about how to freeze cookie dough and baked cookies.
Is it best for the cake to completely thaw before icing?
Hi Emily, we prefer to let the layers thaw completely first. You certainly can assemble the frozen layers (some bakers swear by it), but you may find the buttercream/frosting hardens and can even separate when it sits on the cold cake – so try to decorate quickly if you can!
Thanks so much for the detailed instructions. Could I freeze a lemon drizzle loaf with the “drizzle”? It’s not really the same as decorating, and it will be going to where there is no kitchen access. I will make something different if you don’t think it will work.
Hi Robyn, you could try it, but keep in mind that any icing may become a bit messy during the thawing process. For best results, it might be best to ice a dessert like that right before serving (so freeze it without the icing) like we suggest for this Iced Lemon Pound Cake. You could bake it, cool it, then wrap it in a layer of plastic wrap and then a layer of aluminum foil before freezing. Allow the cake to thaw overnight in the refrigerator (or cooler!) then bring to room temperature before topping with icing and serving. If you give it a try, we’d love to know how it turns out!
Thanks for these tips. How long would you say a cake is good to eat after thawing it out? Just trying to plan out how early I can thaw and decorate some birthday cakes.
Hi Chelsea, after thawing, it’s best to follow the directions from the specific recipe for how long the cake should be stored for. It’s usually just a few days in order to maintain freshness.
I have prepped a 3 layered spring bed cake with fresh cream but the party has been postponed due to illness. Can I freeze this cake & re-use in 2 weeks?
Hi Roshini, you can freeze the assembled cake, but keep in mind that any decoration may become a bit messy during the thawing process.
Should you torte the cake before you freeze it?
Hi Carolyn, either before or after works just fine!
What would you say is the minimum amount of time to freeze? I’d like to make a cake for a party in 3 days. Is it worth it to freeze it?
Hi KM, there isn’t an exact minimum, but rather consider the recipe and how much the cakes would dry out in the amount of time needed to make ahead. We’d recommend freezing the cake layers, just so that they can be as fresh as possible!
Have you ever made and frozen cakes, transferred them to a cooler, and let them defrost over the course of two days? I’m doing the cakes for my sisters wedding and it would save me so much time to be able to bake the cake in advance and transport it frozen. Then I just stack and fill them the week of the wedding. But it’s a two day trip by car from where I live to where she is. That’s the reason for my question. Thanks in advance!
Hi Rebekah, we haven’t tried thawing cakes over that amount of time, so it’s hard to say. The cakes may take on a bit of moisture during that time, so if you do decide to try it, make sure they are well wrapped and once they have thawed, remove them from the cooler. Hope it works well for you!
Would this method work for your wedding cake recipe? I’m hoping to make the cake layers ahead of time and freeze, so I’d only have to make the frosting and decorate closer to the date. Thank you!
Hi Val, yes, absolutely! You can freeze the individual layers of our wedding cake.
I absolutely love all your recipes and tips! I was wondering if this works for cupcakes? I’ve never frozen cakes or cupcakes, but I wondered if they would need to be individually wrapped in the Press & Seal, and could then be wrapped in foils in packs of , let’s say, 12?
Hi Jazmine, cupcakes are a bit easier to freeze as they don’t dry out as quickly. Bake and cool cupcakes completely, then place in a freezer-friendly bag or container. Once they are relatively frozen, you can remove them and then layer them between sheets of parchment paper if your container is large enough. You can individually wrap them too, if desired, but we usually don’t. Allow them to thaw overnight in the refrigerator before frosting. Hope this helps!
Hi! I’m sorry if this has already been asked, but can you freeze sponge cake? Does it thaw well? Appreciate it’s more delicate than other cakes!
Hi Kelly, for absolute best taste and texture, we recommend to avoid freezing delicate cakes.
Your tips are always so helpful! Could you please tell me if you know of any freezer-safe containers to freeze a whole pound cake in? I’m trying to ship some pound cakes out of town very soon. Thanks in advance.
Hi Mika, we usually prefer to use glass containers when freezing other food. Perhaps you can find one large enough for a pound cake?
I’m making 140 mason jar cakes and was wondering about freezing little cake circles (roughly 2.75 inches in diameter) that I cut out from a larger sheet cake? Thanks in advance!
Hi Sue! We’ve never tested it, but would try layering them between parchment in an air-tight container to freeze. If you could freeze the whole sheet cakes, or larger portions of them, then thaw and cut out the circles, that could help prevent the cake from drying out too much.
Hi, is your Lemon & Blueberry cake ok to freeze? Many thanks
Hi Marie, sure is! See recipe Notes in the lemon blueberry cake post.