I'm planning my chocolate cakes for the Christmas party, and would like to
spread out the work. So the idea is to make them one by one over the next
few weeks and freeze them as I go along.

Now, I've had complete success with freezing the cakes themselves in the
past, but I haven't actually tried to freeze a completely finished cake.
Even though I think it'll probably go well, I thought I'd better ask.

So, there are two cakes in particular I wonder about freezing:

- a Sacher Torte. As I said, I'm completely sure that the cake itself would
freeze fine, but will it also go well with the glaze and the "Sacher"
written on it, the whole thing? Will the glaze unfreeze just fine, etc.?

- a torte with ganache on top. Once again, it's not the cake I'm worried
about, but the ganache, which I've never tried freezing.

My idea would be to take the cakes out of the freezer maybe the day before
and put them in the refrigerator. Or maybe just take them out of the freezer
on the morning and just put them on the kitchen table?

In general, do finished cakes (e.g. with the frosting and the filling, etc.)
freeze well, too?

thanks for any experience and advice,

John

JMF wrote:
> I'm planning my chocolate cakes for the Christmas party, and would
> like to spread out the work. So the idea is to make them one by one
> over the next few weeks and freeze them as I go along.
>
> Now, I've had complete success with freezing the cakes themselves in
> the past, but I haven't actually tried to freeze a completely
> finished cake. Even though I think it'll probably go well, I thought
> I'd better ask.
>
> So, there are two cakes in particular I wonder about freezing:
>
> - a Sacher Torte. As I said, I'm completely sure that the cake itself
> would freeze fine, but will it also go well with the glaze and the
> "Sacher" written on it, the whole thing? Will the glaze unfreeze just
> fine, etc.?
>
> - a torte with ganache on top. Once again, it's not the cake I'm
> worried about, but the ganache, which I've never tried freezing.
>
> My idea would be to take the cakes out of the freezer maybe the day
> before and put them in the refrigerator. Or maybe just take them out
> of the freezer on the morning and just put them on the kitchen table?
>
> In general, do finished cakes (e.g. with the frosting and the
> filling, etc.) freeze well, too?
>
> thanks for any experience and advice,
>
> John

I've never tried freezing a frosted cake, but all the authorities say you
can. I believe that a key point is to thaw it in the container, so that
condensation does not cling to the cake surface. I don't know how well the
shiny finish of a glaze will survive.

On all matters to do with cakes, I advise seeing what Rose Levy Beranbaum
has to say about it in her book The Cake Bible. (I know she gives
instructions on freezing and thawing cakes.) She is a genuine pro, unlike
most people who write cake cookbooks, and her book reflects that.
--
Janet

Dear Artemesia! Poetry's a Sna/Bedlam has many Mansions:have a
ca/ Your Muse diverts you, makes the Reader sad:/ You think your
self inspir'd; He thinks you mad.


---
Outgoing mail is certified Virus Free.
Checked by AVG anti-virus system (http://www.grisoft.com).
Version: 6.0.786 / Virus Database: 532 - Release Date: 10/29/04

On Thu, 25 Nov 2004 14:45:51 GMT, "JMF" > wrote:

>I'm planning my chocolate cakes for the Christmas party, and would like to
>spread out the work. So the idea is to make them one by one over the next
>few weeks and freeze them as I go along.
>
>Now, I've had complete success with freezing the cakes themselves in the
>past, but I haven't actually tried to freeze a completely finished cake.
>Even though I think it'll probably go well, I thought I'd better ask.
>
>So, there are two cakes in particular I wonder about freezing:
>
>- a Sacher Torte. As I said, I'm completely sure that the cake itself would
>freeze fine, but will it also go well with the glaze and the "Sacher"
>written on it, the whole thing? Will the glaze unfreeze just fine, etc.?
>
>- a torte with ganache on top. Once again, it's not the cake I'm worried
>about, but the ganache, which I've never tried freezing.
>
>My idea would be to take the cakes out of the freezer maybe the day before
>and put them in the refrigerator. Or maybe just take them out of the freezer
>on the morning and just put them on the kitchen table?
>
>In general, do finished cakes (e.g. with the frosting and the filling, etc.)
>freeze well, too?
>
>thanks for any experience and advice,
>
>John
>


I've been freezing finished cakes for 4 years now, as a matter of fact
i just froze 3 german chocolate cakes, and i always frost the sides.
I frosted these with varlhona cafe noir chocolate frosting and the
other 2 with a white chocolate coconut cream cheese frosting. I have
a three step process where i partially freeze the cake to set the
frosting , then i wrap several layers of plastic wrap, next i use
heavy duty aluminum foil and lastly i wrap with freezer paper.
I have frozen cakes for up to 6 months and no one has been able to
tell the difference(most of the time it's only for two to four months
max).

I have not done this with a ganache, but if you want a little
insurance maybe you should make a little extra ganache and freeze that
so that you can thaw it out for any repairs if necessary.

I also agree with Janet about thawing out cakes. I use my cake domes
to defrost my cakes
Howard

Many thanks to both Janet and Howard for this information. It's perfect,
just the kind of info I needed.

John

"Howard Lee" > wrote in message
...
> On Thu, 25 Nov 2004 14:45:51 GMT, "JMF" > wrote:
>
> >I'm planning my chocolate cakes for the Christmas party, and would like
to
> >spread out the work. So the idea is to make them one by one over the next
> >few weeks and freeze them as I go along.
> >
> >Now, I've had complete success with freezing the cakes themselves in the
> >past, but I haven't actually tried to freeze a completely finished cake.
> >Even though I think it'll probably go well, I thought I'd better ask.
> >
> >So, there are two cakes in particular I wonder about freezing:
> >
> >- a Sacher Torte. As I said, I'm completely sure that the cake itself
would
> >freeze fine, but will it also go well with the glaze and the "Sacher"
> >written on it, the whole thing? Will the glaze unfreeze just fine, etc.?
> >
> >- a torte with ganache on top. Once again, it's not the cake I'm worried
> >about, but the ganache, which I've never tried freezing.
> >
> >My idea would be to take the cakes out of the freezer maybe the day
before
> >and put them in the refrigerator. Or maybe just take them out of the
freezer
> >on the morning and just put them on the kitchen table?
> >
> >In general, do finished cakes (e.g. with the frosting and the filling,
etc.)
> >freeze well, too?
> >
> >thanks for any experience and advice,
> >
> >John
> >
>
>
> I've been freezing finished cakes for 4 years now, as a matter of fact
> i just froze 3 german chocolate cakes, and i always frost the sides.
> I frosted these with varlhona cafe noir chocolate frosting and the
> other 2 with a white chocolate coconut cream cheese frosting. I have
> a three step process where i partially freeze the cake to set the
> frosting , then i wrap several layers of plastic wrap, next i use
> heavy duty aluminum foil and lastly i wrap with freezer paper.
> I have frozen cakes for up to 6 months and no one has been able to
> tell the difference(most of the time it's only for two to four months
> max).
>
> I have not done this with a ganache, but if you want a little
> insurance maybe you should make a little extra ganache and freeze that
> so that you can thaw it out for any repairs if necessary.
>
> I also agree with Janet about thawing out cakes. I use my cake domes
> to defrost my cakes
> Howard

Sounds from this message below that it would be better to try to avoid
freezing if at all possible. In any case, it seems clear from all replies
that the main enemy in freezing is moisture/condensation, and if you want to
have any hope at all of a good result, you have to find a way of eliminating
it as far as possible.

John

----- Original Message -----
From: >
To: "JMF" >
Sent: Sunday, November 28, 2004 11:38 PM
Subject: Can these chocolate cakes be frozen?


> finished cakes (e.g. with the frosting (chocolate, ganache ) do not
freeze,
> or thaw well. The moisture retained, and added in the freezing will make
> the chocolate , or ganache soft, runny and sticky when thawed.
> Chef R. W. Miller
> Marriott Resorts & Hotels
>
> ----- Original Message -----
> From: "JMF" >
> Newsgroups: rec.food.chocolate
> Sent: Thursday, November 25, 2004 8:45 AM
> Subject: Can these chocolate cakes be frozen?
>
>
> > I'm planning my chocolate cakes for the Christmas party, and would like
to
> > spread out the work. So the idea is to make them one by one over the
next
> > few weeks and freeze them as I go along.
> >
> > Now, I've had complete success with freezing the cakes themselves in the
> > past, but I haven't actually tried to freeze a completely finished cake.
> > Even though I think it'll probably go well, I thought I'd better ask.
> >
> > So, there are two cakes in particular I wonder about freezing:
> >
> > - a Sacher Torte. As I said, I'm completely sure that the cake itself
> would
> > freeze fine, but will it also go well with the glaze and the "Sacher"
> > written on it, the whole thing? Will the glaze unfreeze just fine, etc.?
> >
> > - a torte with ganache on top. Once again, it's not the cake I'm worried
> > about, but the ganache, which I've never tried freezing.
> >
> > My idea would be to take the cakes out of the freezer maybe the day
before
> > and put them in the refrigerator. Or maybe just take them out of the
> freezer
> > on the morning and just put them on the kitchen table?
> >
> > In general, do finished cakes (e.g. with the frosting and the filling,
> etc.)
> > freeze well, too?
> >
> > thanks for any experience and advice,
> >
> > John
> >
> >
>
>

Sounds from this message below that it would be better to try to avoid
freezing if at all possible. In any case, it seems clear from all replies
that the main enemy in freezing is moisture/condensation, and if you want to
have any hope at all of a good result, you have to find a way of eliminating
it as far as possible.

John

----- Original Message -----
From: >
To: "JMF" >
Sent: Sunday, November 28, 2004 11:38 PM
Subject: Can these chocolate cakes be frozen?


> finished cakes (e.g. with the frosting (chocolate, ganache ) do not
freeze,
> or thaw well. The moisture retained, and added in the freezing will make
> the chocolate , or ganache soft, runny and sticky when thawed.
> Chef R. W. Miller
> Marriott Resorts & Hotels
>
> ----- Original Message -----
> From: "JMF" >
> Newsgroups: rec.food.chocolate
> Sent: Thursday, November 25, 2004 8:45 AM
> Subject: Can these chocolate cakes be frozen?
>
>
> > I'm planning my chocolate cakes for the Christmas party, and would like
to
> > spread out the work. So the idea is to make them one by one over the
next
> > few weeks and freeze them as I go along.
> >
> > Now, I've had complete success with freezing the cakes themselves in the
> > past, but I haven't actually tried to freeze a completely finished cake.
> > Even though I think it'll probably go well, I thought I'd better ask.
> >
> > So, there are two cakes in particular I wonder about freezing:
> >
> > - a Sacher Torte. As I said, I'm completely sure that the cake itself
> would
> > freeze fine, but will it also go well with the glaze and the "Sacher"
> > written on it, the whole thing? Will the glaze unfreeze just fine, etc.?
> >
> > - a torte with ganache on top. Once again, it's not the cake I'm worried
> > about, but the ganache, which I've never tried freezing.
> >
> > My idea would be to take the cakes out of the freezer maybe the day
before
> > and put them in the refrigerator. Or maybe just take them out of the
> freezer
> > on the morning and just put them on the kitchen table?
> >
> > In general, do finished cakes (e.g. with the frosting and the filling,
> etc.)
> > freeze well, too?
> >
> > thanks for any experience and advice,
> >
> > John
> >
> >
>
>

Many thanks to both Janet and Howard for this information. It's perfect,
just the kind of info I needed.

John

"Howard Lee" > wrote in message
...
> On Thu, 25 Nov 2004 14:45:51 GMT, "JMF" > wrote:
>
> >I'm planning my chocolate cakes for the Christmas party, and would like
to
> >spread out the work. So the idea is to make them one by one over the next
> >few weeks and freeze them as I go along.
> >
> >Now, I've had complete success with freezing the cakes themselves in the
> >past, but I haven't actually tried to freeze a completely finished cake.
> >Even though I think it'll probably go well, I thought I'd better ask.
> >
> >So, there are two cakes in particular I wonder about freezing:
> >
> >- a Sacher Torte. As I said, I'm completely sure that the cake itself
would
> >freeze fine, but will it also go well with the glaze and the "Sacher"
> >written on it, the whole thing? Will the glaze unfreeze just fine, etc.?
> >
> >- a torte with ganache on top. Once again, it's not the cake I'm worried
> >about, but the ganache, which I've never tried freezing.
> >
> >My idea would be to take the cakes out of the freezer maybe the day
before
> >and put them in the refrigerator. Or maybe just take them out of the
freezer
> >on the morning and just put them on the kitchen table?
> >
> >In general, do finished cakes (e.g. with the frosting and the filling,
etc.)
> >freeze well, too?
> >
> >thanks for any experience and advice,
> >
> >John
> >
>
>
> I've been freezing finished cakes for 4 years now, as a matter of fact
> i just froze 3 german chocolate cakes, and i always frost the sides.
> I frosted these with varlhona cafe noir chocolate frosting and the
> other 2 with a white chocolate coconut cream cheese frosting. I have
> a three step process where i partially freeze the cake to set the
> frosting , then i wrap several layers of plastic wrap, next i use
> heavy duty aluminum foil and lastly i wrap with freezer paper.
> I have frozen cakes for up to 6 months and no one has been able to
> tell the difference(most of the time it's only for two to four months
> max).
>
> I have not done this with a ganache, but if you want a little
> insurance maybe you should make a little extra ganache and freeze that
> so that you can thaw it out for any repairs if necessary.
>
> I also agree with Janet about thawing out cakes. I use my cake domes
> to defrost my cakes
> Howard

JMF wrote:
> I'm planning my chocolate cakes for the Christmas party, and would
> like to spread out the work. So the idea is to make them one by one
> over the next few weeks and freeze them as I go along.
>
> Now, I've had complete success with freezing the cakes themselves in
> the past, but I haven't actually tried to freeze a completely
> finished cake. Even though I think it'll probably go well, I thought
> I'd better ask.
>
> So, there are two cakes in particular I wonder about freezing:
>
> - a Sacher Torte. As I said, I'm completely sure that the cake itself
> would freeze fine, but will it also go well with the glaze and the
> "Sacher" written on it, the whole thing? Will the glaze unfreeze just
> fine, etc.?
>
> - a torte with ganache on top. Once again, it's not the cake I'm
> worried about, but the ganache, which I've never tried freezing.
>
> My idea would be to take the cakes out of the freezer maybe the day
> before and put them in the refrigerator. Or maybe just take them out
> of the freezer on the morning and just put them on the kitchen table?
>
> In general, do finished cakes (e.g. with the frosting and the
> filling, etc.) freeze well, too?
>
> thanks for any experience and advice,
>
> John

I've never tried freezing a frosted cake, but all the authorities say you
can. I believe that a key point is to thaw it in the container, so that
condensation does not cling to the cake surface. I don't know how well the
shiny finish of a glaze will survive.

On all matters to do with cakes, I advise seeing what Rose Levy Beranbaum
has to say about it in her book The Cake Bible. (I know she gives
instructions on freezing and thawing cakes.) She is a genuine pro, unlike
most people who write cake cookbooks, and her book reflects that.
--
Janet

Dear Artemesia! Poetry's a Sna/Bedlam has many Mansions:have a
ca/ Your Muse diverts you, makes the Reader sad:/ You think your
self inspir'd; He thinks you mad.


---
Outgoing mail is certified Virus Free.
Checked by AVG anti-virus system (http://www.grisoft.com).
Version: 6.0.786 / Virus Database: 532 - Release Date: 10/29/04

On Thu, 25 Nov 2004 14:45:51 GMT, "JMF" > wrote:

>I'm planning my chocolate cakes for the Christmas party, and would like to
>spread out the work. So the idea is to make them one by one over the next
>few weeks and freeze them as I go along.
>
>Now, I've had complete success with freezing the cakes themselves in the
>past, but I haven't actually tried to freeze a completely finished cake.
>Even though I think it'll probably go well, I thought I'd better ask.
>
>So, there are two cakes in particular I wonder about freezing:
>
>- a Sacher Torte. As I said, I'm completely sure that the cake itself would
>freeze fine, but will it also go well with the glaze and the "Sacher"
>written on it, the whole thing? Will the glaze unfreeze just fine, etc.?
>
>- a torte with ganache on top. Once again, it's not the cake I'm worried
>about, but the ganache, which I've never tried freezing.
>
>My idea would be to take the cakes out of the freezer maybe the day before
>and put them in the refrigerator. Or maybe just take them out of the freezer
>on the morning and just put them on the kitchen table?
>
>In general, do finished cakes (e.g. with the frosting and the filling, etc.)
>freeze well, too?
>
>thanks for any experience and advice,
>
>John
>


I've been freezing finished cakes for 4 years now, as a matter of fact
i just froze 3 german chocolate cakes, and i always frost the sides.
I frosted these with varlhona cafe noir chocolate frosting and the
other 2 with a white chocolate coconut cream cheese frosting. I have
a three step process where i partially freeze the cake to set the
frosting , then i wrap several layers of plastic wrap, next i use
heavy duty aluminum foil and lastly i wrap with freezer paper.
I have frozen cakes for up to 6 months and no one has been able to
tell the difference(most of the time it's only for two to four months
max).

I have not done this with a ganache, but if you want a little
insurance maybe you should make a little extra ganache and freeze that
so that you can thaw it out for any repairs if necessary.

I also agree with Janet about thawing out cakes. I use my cake domes
to defrost my cakes
Howard