Can you freeze angel food cake? This delicate cake is easy to make but sometimes you won’t have time to make it the same day you have an event. This happens to me all the time: when my family has an event and I was to bring a dessert using angel food cake, I either mess up the cake or end up going to the party without brushing my hair. I’m not a really planner when it comes to my time.
If you are the same way, you might want to make the cake ahead of time and then freeze it so that it stays fresh.
The good news is that you can freeze angel food cake and defrost it. You can also store it for a few days so that it doesn’t go bad. Which method works for you will depend on your needs.
How To Store Angel Food Cake So It Stays Fresh
No matter how you want to store angel food cake, you should wrap it up. This will help to keep the moisture in and any other odors out. As angel food cake is so light, it will pick up the tastes of the foods that you store around it. It will also quickly become soggy or too dry. While angel may be in the name of this cake, it is actually a devil to take care of unless you are going to eat it right away.
Do not top your cake until you are going to eat it (this is a tip that goes for all cakes). The longer icing or fruit toppings sit on cake, the quicker it will go bad.
If your cake has a filling or something other than the actual cake, you should put it into the refrigerator and keep it refrigerated until you are going to use it.
It Freezing Angel Food Cake Possible?
If you are careful and freeze your angel food cake in a good way, you can freeze it and get the same taste once it has been defrosted.
To successfully freeze your angel food cake, follow these steps:
- Slice the cake into pieces that are about the size you’d like to eat. For me, this helps the cake to go further in a family that slices pieces way too big.
- Wrap each slice of cake in two layers of plastic wrap (preferable) or aluminum foil. By double wrapping, you won’t get that freezer burn that tastes awful and will completely ruin the delicate taste of angel food cake.
- Place the wrapped slices into a freezer-safe bag. Squeeze out as much air as you possibly can and seal the bags. If you are going to store the cake for some time, you should label the bags with the current date. If you wrap them properly, you can store angel food cake for up to 6 months in the freezer.
- Place the bags into a plastic container, suck as a Lock and Lock, and freeze them. The more protection you can have against the freezer, the better. The plastic containers will prevent squishing as well as more contact from the foods around the angel food cake since it will absorb flavors.
The good thing is that this method will work for cakes that you baked and cakes that you have purchased as well. You can even refreeze cakes that have already been thawed. One caveat is that you should freeze it without the icing.
If you have icing or another type of topping on the cake, it can weigh it down, which will cause the cake to crumble in the freezer. Topping also tend to get watery when they are thawed.
If you do not want to cut your cake into pieces, you can wrap the entire thing. It will take much longer for the cake to thaw this way and it probably won’t be as easy to work with-the cutting process will take some time. However, the approach is the same. You should double wrap the entire cake with aluminum foil or plastic wrap and then protect it in some sort of Tupperware.
How Do You Defrost Angel Food Cake?
In order to defrost an angel food cake, you will need to put it into the refrigerator for a few hours. You can also set it on a plate on your counter, but certain cakes will end up a little watery or fall apart. You should eat your angel food cake right away. If you allow it to sit a few days after it has thawed, it will dry out and will not have any flavor.
If your cake is too dry, you can top it with sauce, fruit, or icing. This will add some moisture. You can also try microwaving your cake for a few seconds. Once you have gone through this process, do not try to refreeze the cake.
At the end of the day, your angel food cake will keep in the refrigerator for a few days or even up to a week, as long as you wrap it in foil or in plastic wrap. The goal is to keep the moisture in and prevent it from drying out. Do not ice or top it until you are ready to serve it. You can keep angel food cake at room temperature for 24 to 48 hours, no longer.
When you do go to eat your angel food cake, you should do a visual appraisal. While your cake may have tasted fine a few months ago, there could have been some problems with the ingredients that you used. Check for any mold or discoloration that could signify decay. You may also want to give it a good sniff, as angel food cake will give off a weird odor when it starts to go bad.
How To Make The Best Angel Food Cake To Freeze
If you know that you are going to freeze your angel food cake, there are some steps that you can take when you are making it so that you will have a better result. If you eat your cake first and then only freeze a few slices, you will still get the same taste. It may just take you a little bit longer to make your cake.
If you know that you are going to freeze your cake, try to do this while you are making it:
- Use freshly separated egg whites instead of buying them already separated.
- Pulse granulated sugar into superfine sugar so that it is smoother.
- Whip egg whites into soft peaks, not stiff peaks (you should do this anyway).
- Do not grease your tube pan or it could cause separation of the wrappings.
- Sift and gently fold in dry ingredients; taking some extra time could help you.
- Cool the cake upside-down on a wire rack before you wrap it.
- Make sure that you wrap the inside of the cake if you use a bundt cake pan.
- Use a serrated knife to slice your pieces before you wrap them.
Angel food cake is the perfect dessert to freeze and keep around. It is a light, easy dessert that can be personalized and adjusted to fit anyone’s needs. You can use it with fresh berries or put the icing on it for a sweeter dessert. You only need a few hour’s notice to defrost it, and it will taste like you have been working away in your kitchen all day.
In fact, this is one of my favorite recipes to make every so often so that I can use it if I don’t have a lot of notice. Just make sure that you follow the bullet points outlined above and that you give it enough time to defrost. Even if it is still a bit chilly when you serve it, it will taste good. If that is the case, I will try to find a warm fruit topping.
