Bundt cakes are a wonderful addition to celebratory occasions such as birthdays or dinner parties, and it can be very helpful to make them ahead so you aren’t dealing with the worry of a cake not turning out perfectly on the day of your party.
It’s useful to know that bundt cakes are suitable for freezing, so you can make them up to two months in advance, and then defrost them in time for eating. Freezing a bundt cake will keep it fresh, and free up your time for preparing other elements of the party.
How to Freeze a Bundt Cake
Cool the cake
Before you can freeze a baked bundt cake, you first need to make sure it has completely cooled. If you are in a hurry and you skip this step, you will come to regret it later. If the cake is still warm, then condensation will form on the outside of the cake after it has been wrapped and put into the freezer.
The condensation will turn to ice, and your bundt cake will suffer from freezer burn. When defrosting, the frozen condensation will melt, causing the cake to become soggy and have an unpleasant texture. To avoid this, you simply need to allow the cake to cool to room temperature before you wrap it.
This will typically take around 3 to 4 hours, so factor this time into your plans for baking and freezing a bundt cake.
Wrap the cake
After the bundt cake has fully cooled, it can be wrapped. Wrapping is essential to protect the cake from becoming contaminated in the freezer, and it will also protect it from any external damage. Plastic wrap is the best type of covering to use for a bundt cake because it will mold better to the crevices of the cake compared with aluminum foil.
Use two layers of plastic wrap to ensure the cake is fully covered, pressing it gently against the surface of the cake to remove as much air as possible. The removal of air from around the cake will mean it is preserved better and will have a fresh taste after it is defrosted.
Once the two layers of plastic wrap are completed, use a final layer of aluminum foil to protect the bundt cake, or place the wrapped cake into a freezer-safe container. It can now be stored in the freezer until you are ready to use it.
Can You Freeze an Iced Bundt Cake?
An iced bundt cake can be frozen in the same way as a naked bundt cake, with one additional step. Freezing an iced bundt cake is a great time-saving method that will allow you to have a beautifully decorated, homemade cake at your event, without the hassle of making it on the day of the party.
To freeze an iced bundt cake, put it into the freezer after you have iced it to set the icing. This should only take around an hour or two, freezing the icing just enough so that it is firm and not tacky. At this point, the cake is then ready to be wrapped following the same instructions as above before it can then be put into the freezer for up to two months.
Cake You Freeze a Glazed Bundt Cake?
A glazed bundt cake can also be frozen very effectively, by following the same guidelines as an iced bundt cake. Glazing will stick to plastic wrap if it has not been flash-frozen beforehand, so be sure not to skip this step.
Best Icing for Freezing on Bundt Cakes
If you plan to freeze your iced bundt cake, you may wish to choose your icing according to which type will freeze best. Some icings will fare far better in the freezer than others. The best icing to use on a bundt cake that will be frozen is one that has a cream cheese base. This is because cream cheese expands and contracts according to different temperatures at the same rate as the sponge cake, and this will help to prevent any cracking.
Buttercream icing also works well when frozen for the same reason, and in fact, it offers a more robust option than cream cheese because it will freeze more solidly and therefore be less likely to sustain damage in the freezer. If these types of frosting do sustain any damage in the freezer, they can be cleaned up once they have defrosted with a hot knife.
Types of icing which don’t do as well in the freezer are royal icing and fondant. These are more prone to cracking, and they are much harder to repair after defrosting. Chocolate ganache should be avoided as icing if you are freezing your bundt cake because the soft consistency and glossy texture will not return once the cake has been defrosted.
How to Defrost a Frozen Bundt Cake
Your frozen bundt cake should be taken out of the freezer around 24 hours before you intend to serve it. If your bundt cake is naked (free from icing or a glaze) then do not unwrap it. Remove it from the container if you used one, but leave the plastic wrapping in plac, and move it to the refrigerator to thaw.
If the cake has been frozen with icing or glaze, then removing the wrapping before you defrost the cake will give the icing a better chance of staying intact. Do this carefully, and then set the cake on a dish in the refrigerator. Ideally, the cake should be allowed to thaw for between 12 and 24 hours, though for smaller cakes 8 hours may suffice. After this time, move the cake to the kitchen counter so that it can reach room temperature before being served to guests.
How Long Will a Frozen Bundt Cake Keep For?
A frozen bundt cake can be kept in the freezer for several weeks, retaining its fresh taste and texture. The cake will be in its best condition if you freeze it for a maximum of 2 months, but this can be extended to up to 5 months at a push, though you may experience some loss of flavor or dryness after this time.
Can You Freeze Slices of Bundt Cake?
Freezing a whole bundt cake is a good way to prepare for a party in advance, however, freezing bundt cake is also a great way to preserve cake after it has been served. If you have cake left over from a party that won’t be eaten that day, then you can freeze a portion of cake or even individual bundt cake slices to save them for eating at a later date.
A portion of bundt cake can be frozen in the same way as a whole bundt cake, or you can freeze slices together by separating them with a layer of baking parchment between each slice. This will prevent the slices from sticking to each other, and help to prevent the cake from drying out. Frozen slices or portions of bundt cake can be defrosted in the refrigerator, and these will of course take less time to thaw compared with a whole bundt cake.
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