We all love cake right? It’s the perfect sweet treat for a special celebration, or even for no celebration at all! Here are five fun facts that you might not have known about cake.
#1 You CAN freeze cake
Sometimes life gets in the way and you need to freeze a cake. Whether it’s a fully frosted cake, a slice of cake, cupcakes or cake layers waiting to be decorated, it is 100% possible to freeze a cake. You can learn exactly how to freeze a cake by reading my other post, “How To Freeze A Cake The Right Way”.
#2 Cold Cake can taste dry
We refrigerate cakes to keep them for longer and to stop them from going stale, but eating a cake straight out of the fridge can leave the cake tasting a bit on the dry side. Once the cake is brought back to room temperature though, it should be just as moist and delicious as it was when it was freshly baked. If you’re in a pinch and in desperate need of a slice of cake or a cupcake immediately, (sugar cravings anyone?) You can pop your slice of cake or cupcake into the microwave for a FEW seconds to speed up the warming process. Keep in mind though, that if you microwave it for too long, the icing will get runny if it’s a frosted slice of cake.. and it probably won’t be very satisfying then. So microwave in 5-10 second intervals checking the cake as you go. The cake itself should start to get back springy and the frosting should still be holding firm. Keep in mind this is NOT recommended for whole cakes or cakes with delicate frostings such as meringue based frostings.
#3 Fondant Should not be refrigerated
It’s not a good idea to put a fondant cake or fondant decorations in the fridge or freezer because once you take them out to room temperature, the condensation from the fridge will cause your decorations to wilt or sag and/or your covered cake to melt, bulge or run. Leave fondant cakes in a cool, dry place in order to preserve the pretty fondant. It’s also a good idea to note that highly humid environments, such as heavy rainfall can have similar effects on fondant cakes and decorations. In order to prevent this, you can store fondant cakes in an air conditioned room, as this air is dry and will prevent your cake from wilting.
#4 Cake should always be transported on a flat surface
When transporting a cake, the number one rule is to make sure that you have a level surface for your cake. This will help prevent most cake-tastrophes while driving with your cake. What is a good, level surface? Not your friend’s lap for one! Nor the seat of your car. The best place to put a cake is on the clean floorboard of your car, or for a larger cake, in your flat trunk.
#5 Never leave cake in a car
For those of us that live in warmer climates. Do not, I repeat, do NOT leave your cake in your car. Even if you are making “just one really ‘quick’ stop”. Do NOT do it. It will not end well. If you’re collecting a cake while running errands, make sure your cake is the absolute last stop on your list. Trust me. Otherwise it can end very badly… for you and especially the cake.
Even if it’s not hot outside a car still gets really warm. The internal temperature of a car is generally 20 degrees celsius WARMER than the outside temperature. So even if it’s 25 degrees outside, inside your car (with no AC on of course) the temperature is closer to 30 degrees! That is death for a cake. Even a frozen cake will defrost much faster inside a car parked in the shade on a relatively cool day than it would sitting on the counter inside your home. By the way, having your cake slowly defrost on your kitchen counter, away from direct heat is absolutely the way to go.
Slowly bringing your cake to room temperature will result in both the cake and the frosting holding up, being easy to cut and tasty to enjoy. A cake that was rushed to warm, or worse, left in a hot car or next to a heat source, will result in a cake where the frosting is melting off, the layers of cake are sliding away and one overall sticky, runny, lopsided and bulging big mess.
Instead, be kind to your cakes. Frozen cakes should be placed in the fridge to begin defrosting overnight. Thirty minutes to an hour before you’re ready to serve it (depending on where you live… this advice is for a tropical climate) take the cake out of the fridge and place it on a table or kitchen counter away from direct heat. This includes the oven, a sunny window, an open flame, hot food cooling etc. Of course if you live in a cooler climate your might need to take your cake out longer than the suggested time.
There you have it, five things that you might not have known about cake. Now go forth and enjoy some cake!