Can You Freeze A Wedding Cake?
This is often a question people have in mind when ordering a wedding cake – can you freeze a wedding cake? This is a good question and it is good to know the answer to it.
Freezing according to Britannica is a method of food preservation by reducing the temperature to inhibit microorganism growth.
The short answer is yes, you can! But there are things to consider when freezing your wedding cake to get the best results which we discuss below.
Freezing As A Convenient Wedding Cake Preservation Method
Early History Of Food Freezing At Home
Let’s first explore when did freezing become our favourite food preservation method. Library of Congress explains that food preservation method by freezing existed in cold areas long before patents were created in other parts of the world.
And many people are credited with innovating freezing methods however, the one that most stands out is Clarence Birdseye in 1924.
Clarence Birdseye – Inventor Of Food Freezing Processes
Clarence Birdseye discovered that fish froze very quickly after being pulled from the water
and that even after being frozen for month fish retained it’s texture and flavour after being thawed and cooked.
He took from this that in order to retain quality of the food, it must be frozen quickly. He invented several ways to make the freezing process faster using packing which led to 168 patents.
Taste Difference Between Frozen and Fresh Wedding Cake
Before the quick freezing methods, freezing was a lengthy process which caused large ice crystals to form which break the cell members of the food at hand.
Once the food is defrosted the ice crystals would melt and leak out of the food, making the food soggy and lose it’s texture and flavour.
StopFoodWaste.Ie further explains that water expands by 10% when it becomes ice, and the ice crystals burst the food cells, thus making the food mushier than before. That is the main difference between eating fresh and defrosted wedding cake.
For these reasons, it is best to cut your wedding cake into single portions to ensure it freezes fast.
And make sure you freeze it as soon as possible. And once you know how many portions you need, you can take them out accordingly and allow them to defrost overnight in the fridge.
Defrosted cake can be more moist because of the ice crystals. So you can end up with a delicious pieces of cake even after freezing.
Why Would You Want To Freeze A Wedding Cake Anyway?
A Tall Cake For A Small Ceremony
Well there might be many reasons a couple may choose to freeze their wedding cake. And I think the main reason is that there is a lot of cake, and not all can be eaten during the wedding.
And I agree, I also don’t like to waste food, and what better way to preserve a delicious cake for later then freezing it!
Some couples want to have a big showstopper wedding cake, even if their wedding party is not that big. And that is completely understandable.
It’s probably the only day when you can have a big multi layered cake.
Another reason is that you want to cherish the memory of your wedding day by saving some of the wedding cake.
And one day when you have a special occasion or a date night, you might choose to unfreeze some of your special wedding cake and enjoy it with your newly wed partner.
What could make a date night more special that a piece of memory of your very special wedding day.
How Long To Keep A Wedding Cake Frozen?
HSE has a useful guideline on freezing food at home. They state that all freezers should be kept at -18°C or less, and that freezers come with a star rating indicating how long food (a wedding cake) can be frozen for. Below is an image of this start rating.
HSE Guideline for Freezing Food At Home
This start rating indicates that you can’t really keep your wedding cake frozen for ever, and for the best quality, you should only freeze it for couple of months.
How to Freeze A Wedding Cake?
Wedding Cake Slices
Best practise for freezing any food is to do is as soon as possible when the food is still fresh and safe to eat.
For the wedding cake we recommend that straight after the wedding or early next day decide how much cake you wish to freeze.
Cut the cake into serving size portions and store them in food containers. Use several food containers so that you can remove them from the freezer one at a time as needed.
Smaller portion size cake pieces defrost quicker than defrosting a large piece of cake.
Let the wedding cake defrost overnight in the fridge before eating it the next day. This ensures that the cake is at its best quality and safe to eat.
Other Precautions When Freezing A Wedding Cake?
Freezer burn is a big one! Make sure that you wrap your cake well before putting it in the freezer. If you just place a piece of cake in the freezer on a plate then it will surely be affected by Freezer Burn.
Food Ireland says that Freezer Burn does not make food unsafe to eat but makes it dry in some places.
Freezer Burn happens when air reaches the surfaces of the frozen food and causes oxidation and dehydration.
You may have noticed this on frozen bread when some areas are white and dry. Whilst this is not dangerous, it does really affect the quality of the food.
So my advice is to use good quality food containers to make sure your wedding cake freezes well and retains it’s flavour and quality.
Final Recommendation on Freezing Wedding Cake
This is my personal view on freezing wedding cake. Yes, freeze it but only enough for you and your family. It is nice to take out a pice of delicious cake and enjoy it with your family.
But don’t forget about it and leave in the freezer for years. In that case you might as well not freeze it at all!
After the wedding if you have a lot of cake left over, give some to your neighbours or take some to the office. And freeze whatever you think you can eat in the next few months.
Voila! I hope you have enjoyed this article.
All my love,
Eve
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