Freezing cake and other foods?

[Chicago526]

It's just DH and I, but we both love homemade cake (you know, Duncan Hines?). A whole cake is too much for the two of us, it would go bad before we ate it all (or if we did eat it all, you'd have to roll us out of the house!). So I was thinking of spliting the batter in to two round cake pans, freezing one, and eating the other right away. Then once we want more cake, I thaw out the frozen one, frost it, and we're all set. This will also save money as bakery cakes are more expensive (and I don't like them anyway).

Anyway, does cake freeze well? And how should I do it? How long does it keep?

Also, I'm looking for other foods that we can freeze. We have a huge freezer and I'm looking for foods to freeze other than meats so I can stock up on sales. I've heard you can freeze milk, but won't it burst the bottle when it expands? Can you freeze cheese? I know (and already do) freeze butter and bread. Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated!

 

[bonkos6]

I know you can freeze cream cheese.

 

[mrsbornkuntry]

I learned from experience that yes, milk will expand and burst the carton But you can do it if you pour a little bit out of it first.

I'm interested in this also, what about fruits and veggies? I tried baby carrots when I had an excess of them, but they were nasty when I tried to thaw them. Do you have to cook them first?

 

[ziggystardust]

My DBF's parents freeze everything. The other day they came home from Costco and just put everything in the freezer. This included bagels, rolls, chicken, meat and a whole bunch of things I can't remember. They also freeze leftover pizza, where in my family we just put it in the fridge.

I would think that you would be better off freezing the batter, and then in like a week cook that part. Defrosted cake can't taste as good.

 

[lovewdwdvc]

Yes, you can freeze cake. You need to put it in an airtight container like a plastic bag. I would not freeze it for more that 6 months though. You can freeze most breads. To freeze veggies, you need to blanch (boil for a short time) and put in ice cold water to stop from cooking (important). Then with most veggies, I freeze them on a tray and transferafter they have frozen . That way, I can take out as much as I need at a time.


Goolge freezing whatever you need/want to freeze and you shoul get directions.

 

[Servants of Evan]

At one of the last food shows we had in here, one of the sales guys said to freeze the cake without wrapping it up first, then after it's frozen put it into a ziplock. When you want the cake, pull it out of the freezer and let it defrost in the bag, then frost and serve.

Servants of Evan

 

[pearlieq]

Cheese freezes very well--we always buy cheese in bulk and freeze it. Egg beaters also freeze well, as do tortillas. If fresh fruits and vegetables are on sale you can buy and freeze those as well. I still have some summer blueberries that will be great for smoothies, pancakes, or muffins.

Regarding the cake, you should be able to freeze a frozen baked cake. I would not freeze batter if I were you. Part of the way a cake rises is through a chemical reaction that causes it to bubble. If you make up batter and let it sit too long or freeze it, it will wind up kind of like flat soda and your cake won't rise correctly.

The other option for cakes is to just make half of the recipe at once. That's what I do for DH and I. I just pour out half of the mix, make it with one egg and half of the oil/water and then tie the rest of the mix up with a twist tie until next time. It's so easy!

 

[AlaskaMOM]

lovewdwdvc is absolutely right!
I make special ocassion cakes (wedding, bday, team banquet, etc) as a paid hobby. (ie I charge slightly more than it actually costs) and there are many times where I have a odd size cake and will have leftover or need to make so many layers that they would not be fresh if I did not freeze.
To freeze a cake: cool completely (any steam will freeze as ice and when melting cause real problems with quality)
wrap tightly w/ plastic wrap then put in large freezer bag, or if too large wrap carefully in foil. I only freeze up to 60 days, but I'm sure it could go as long as 6 months if it is stored in the coldest part of the freezer where the door opening won't affect it. For 2 people I would recommend baking a mix cake in loaf pans , freeze one (unfrosted), slice in half lengthwise, fill, and ice. It would give you more of the look and taste of a regular cake instead of 1 8-9" round layer would. (use a good filling, even if it's just adding a dash or 2 of flavoring -vanilla, orange, cherry, lemon, mint, cocoa, cinnamon, endless - to your store bought frosting)
I also freeze meals. Like tonight I'm making chicken enchiladas I will make 1 pan for tonite and a 2nd pan for the freezer for next month (I just add olives before cooking)
I also freeze meatloaf/meatballs. This trick is a time saver, I make the mixture for meatloaf in my big mixer (less messy fingers) but doubling or tripling the ingredients. Make 1 loaf for that nights dinner, make a 2nd and freeze in plastic and foil wrap. and also roll out meatballs, freeze them on a tray then when frozen place them in a zippy freezer bag.
I do the same w/ lasagne, broccoli rice casserole, quiche.
I also freeze leftover taco meat, spaghetti sauce, chili, etc.

Cheese and milk do freeze, but the milk is off a little in taste (probably from freshness) cheese is ok, but I would only use the cheese for cooked things, like for casseroles or pizza topping, It's not very good for sandwhiches or on crackers.
Actually I have a recipe book (got it many years ago about 18) called "Once a Month Cooking" by Mimi Wilson and Mary Beth Langerborg. It is wonderful for teaching you to use your freezer for easy meal prep and food storage. I don't actually follow their plan and cook 30 meals in 1 day (enough for an entire month in your freezer ), but have used many of their ideas. It can save you time and money. (I mean how many times do you "run" into the store for a couple of things for dinner and end up with 4 bags and a $75 dollar grocery bill)

 

[Scurvy]

I freeze cakes often, and I have one warning. If you freeze a cake sealed in a plastic bag, DO NOT let it thaw still sealed in the bag - it gets soggy and slimey. We unwrap ours and leave them open on a plate or rack in the microwave and they turn out great. It would probably work just as well out on the counter, but our cats would get to eat the cake and we'd miss out!

 

[pamlet]

Google "Once a month cooking" or OAMC lots and lots of tips...

They have TONS of tips - I buy the huge bags of shredded cheese at Costco - and the long "logs" of sliced american - and break it up into smaller quantities in freezer bags... We've never noticed a problem w/the sliced american - but then my family members aren't exactly fussy ( 2 teen boys and a husband.. laugh. I don't eat cheese on my sandwiches.. )

I also watch for the HUGE bags of frozen veggies on sale and stick those in!

 

[Grumpy's Gal]

bake it into cupcakes and just take 2 out of the freezer when you want. It will go farther that way.

 

[CajunDixie]

I have an ooooooollllllllllld book here about freezing foods. For batter they suggest you freeze it for only 2 weeks. To then bake it let it thaw 1 1/2 hours at room temp. in the package then transfer to a greased pan and bake according to the recipe.

For the baked cake they suggest cooling completely. Then wrap unfrosted layers or loaves in freezer paper and freeze. They then suggest thawing the cake in the sealed package for 10 minutes in a slow oven (300º) or 3 hours at room temp. These can be frozen for 6 months.

Frosted cakes should be frozen before packaging. Uncooked frostings freeze best.

 

[kpm76]

I only have one thing to add about freezing cake....DH and I just celebrated our first anniversary....we traveled to WDW with the top of our wedding cake, defrosted it and had a bite before going out to dinner on our actual anniversary....it was terrible.....oh well, we tried..I guess my point is don't freeze it frosted or for more than a few months and expect it to taste good.....I like the idea one poster had about making cupcakes and freezing those...I frequently make muffins and freeze them, pop them in the microwave and they taste yummy...I imagine the same would be true for cupcakes......

 

[C.Ann]

I have a friend who works full-time, very long hours.. Once a month she spends an entire weekend cooking meals and making baked goods - all of which she freezes..

It's so quick and convenient for her to "cook" a meal and have a dessert to go with it when all it entails is re-heating!

 

[Chicago526]

Thanks for all the tips! The cupcake idea won't work for us, I make my own frosting and it'd be a pain to have to whip up frosting every time I wantd a cupcake! But otherwise these are great ideas! Between this and my Food Saver thread, I think I might join Costco this weekend! It's a bit of a drive, but then I won't be going every week, either. I do have a plan of making a couple pans of brownies, cutting them up, and freezing them so I can have a brownie whenever the craving strikes (which is about once a month, if you know what I meen! ) and also to make pans of lasagna and batches of chili and pasta sauce ahead of time and freezing those, too.

And next year, when I finally have my vegetable garden, I'll have lots of veggies to freeze!

 

[Mac and Us]

I am a bargin shopper so when I find a deal I buy in bulk and freeze it. We have a large freezer in the basement that is full of meats, breads, ice cream, etc. We live 20 miles from the nearest grocery store. I also commute 22 miles each way to work so by the time I get home I want to make something quick.

I cook a lot of things in bulk and freeze. Last weekend I made a very large batch of spagetti sauce and froze it in gallon ziplock bags. Now when my husband asks for lasagna I can make it up in a jiffy. I also made a large batch of taco filling and froze 2 meals worth in quart ziplocks. I will bring them to Disney in Dec. for a couple of quick meals.

Thanksgiving is coming up and I can only tolerate eating Turkey for a couple of days after. I always cook a large turkey and freeze some of it. The day after Thanksgiving I make 2-4 batches of Turkey pie filling and freeze in gallon ziplock bags. Then when we want a quick meal I thaw and plop biscuit dumplings (see recipe on side of box) on the top and bake. We usually get 2 meals out of one bag. I also chop up some turkey, dump some swanson chicken broth in and freeze in quart sized bags for soups and stews. By the way, in case you hadn't guessed....ziplock is my friend. I also freeze chili.

As for the cake question. We (3 of us) like cake too but don't want to eat it for days. I make the whole cake, frost and cut into slices. I wrap each slice in plastic wrap and put them in a ziplock bag. Then when one or all of us want cake I pull out the number of slices needed, unwrap and let thaw on a plate. If you don't unwrap it before thawing, the frosting sticks to the plastic wrap. We have found that it tastes good for up to 3 months. After that it doesn't taste good.

 

[molly2004]

You can freeze just about anything butter based before baking (cookies). Cakes freeze better after they're baked. As for cheese, note that the freezing may change the texture. I buy Cracker Barrel brand sliced cheddar and have frozen it. It become extremely brittle once thawed. But you'd never know it was previously frozen from the taste.

 

[PaulaSue]

I am another who makes cupcakes and freezes them. They are better portion sized and easy to defrost, IMO. I only keep them for a few weeks though, they are too good.

I freeze them with frosting and in tupperware.

 

[flagdaytwins]

I have a Food Vac vacuum -- I love it. I cook meals and food vac them -- then when I want, I drop the entire bag into boiling water and that is how the meal gets warmed up.

Shrimp scampi is awesome this way -- tho I cook the pasta separate on the day we eat it. And....shrimp costs less per pound than meat where I live.

 

[mickeyluv'r]

I'm not so big on freezing things. One reason is power failures. l hate loosing $100 worth of food! Another thing is taste. I really don't like most thawed foods/freezer burn. I really like the taste of fresh foods, especially fruits and veggies (some notable exceptions are blueberries, corn, peas, and sometimes spinach) A third reason is that freezing damages the nutritional content of all foods. I always find that thawing (i.e. in the fridge) requires more planning than a trip to the grocery store, and I tend not to use the microwave, because things taste really nasty if the thaw unevenly in the microwave. I do keep some things in my freezer (besides the obvious): meat, because storing meat in the fridge for more than three days before cooking it is a problem; fresh bread, wrap it in foil before you freeze it and heat it up in the microwave; herbs over the winter (I grow my onw herbs, and freeze them for use in the winter months. Basil has to be chopped and mixed with olive oil, parsley, oregano, thyme can be frozen just fine); coffee, it keeps better, juice, we're not big juice drinkers so when I do buy certain kinds, I make juice cubes to use in recipes, and butter, because frozen butter is better for some recipes.
Probably the best idea out of those is freezing loaves of Italian/french bread. You know, the kind that goes stale in just few hours if left out. We only eat half a loaf usually, so I wrap the other half in foil and freeze it. When I'm baking chicken or something, I stick a loaf in the oven, and it comes out tasting great! Like it was just baked! it's nice and warm, like you get in a restaurant. There is a bakery that's a drive from my house, so I don't get there too often, but they have the most amazing whole wheat french bread. I can actually buy it in bulk when I'm there.
I think you have to keep in mind that large freezers use quite a bit of power. So those bargain foods aren't such a bargain, when you consider the cost of running a freezer.
I used to get frozen shrimp, butI haven't found a great place to buy it locally. Around here, retailers using freezing shrimp as a way to disguise old seafood - nasty!