No birthday celebration is complete without a scrumptious celebration cake! Birthday cakes come in a variety of shapes, sizes, and flavours and are topped with delicious icing, frosting, and various other indulgences.
Even after handing out birthday cake to your friends, family, and neighbours, you will almost certainly find that you have some slices left over that you’re not entirely sure what to do with.
But is freezing birthday cake an option? Let’s take a look now.
Birthday cake can be frozen for up to 3 months. Whether whole or sliced, it will freeze perfectly well for a few months. Birthday cakes made with a sponge base and topped with frosting should encounter absolutely no issues in the freezer.
Do Does Birthday Cake freeze well? Sometimes
Can you refreeze Birthday Cake? No
How to Freeze Birthday Cake
It doesn’t matter if your birthday cake is homemade or shop-bought; you will be able to freeze any leftovers for up to three months.
Unless you’re freezing a whole birthday cake for a future celebration, we advise you to slice your birthday cake before freezing it, as this makes life easier when you come to defrost it. Here’s how to freeze your birthday cake:
- Allow to Cool
If your birthday cake is fresh out of the oven, you will need to allow each layer to cool to room temperature before you freeze it. If your cake is warm when you put it in the freezer, it’s likely to go soggy. - Slice
While it’s possible to freeze a birthday cake whole if you need to, doing so means you will need to defrost the cake all at once. If you slice the cake into portions before you freeze it, it’s much easier to take a slice at a time out of the freezer and enjoy your birthday cake whenever you fancy it. - Wrap
Wrap each slice of birthday cake in cling film. Double wrap your cake if possible, or use thick cling film that won’t unravel. - Place in a Container
Place your individually wrapped slices of birthday cake in a freezer-safe container. It’s best to lie them side by side, as opposed to stacking them on top of one another. - Label, Seal and Freeze
Write the date that you prepared your birthday cake, as well as its use-by date, on the lid of the box before sealing and transferring to the freezer. Remember, you can freeze birthday cake for around three months.
3 Tips for Freezing Birthday Cake
Now you know how to freeze it, we’ve got our 3 top tips which we strongly recommend following when freezing birthday cake to have the best results:
Check Frosting
Before freezing a birthday cake, you should ensure that the cake’s frosting is suitable for freezing. Meringue-based frostings aren’t suitable for freezing, but cream cheese and buttercream frostings freeze exceptionally well.
Avoid Decorations
While it’s okay to freeze a birthday cake that has been frosted, leave off any elaborate decorations when you put your cake in the freezer. This is particularly important if you’re freezing a birthday cake whole, as your decorations are likely to be ruined in the freezer.
You can add any finishing touches to your birthday cake after it has been defrosted.
Keep Apart
If you’re worried about the texture of your whole birthday cake in the freezer, you can always freeze a deconstructed version of the cake instead. For instance, you could freeze the sponges separately and add your buttercream frosting to a separate freezer-safe bag.
Then, after thawing, you can build and decorate your cake as you please.
How Long Can You Freeze Birthday Cake?
You can freeze birthday cake for around three months.
Leftover birthday cake will stay fresh in the fridge for a couple of days if you think you will use it up. But if you have plans to freeze birthday cake in advance, it’s best to get it in the freezer as quickly as you can to guarantee its freshness when you come to defrost it.
You Can Freeze Birthday Cake for up to 3 Months
How Do You Defrost Birthday Cake?
When you’re ready to enjoy a slice of birthday cake, take it out of the freezer and place it in the fridge. If you remember, it’s best to do this the night before you plan to enjoy it, as it can take several hours for your birthday cake to thaw.
If you’re defrosting a whole birthday cake, you should definitely remove it from the freezer the night before.
Can You Refreeze Birthday Cake?
While it’s technically fine to refreeze birthday cake that has been defrosted in the fridge, you risk ruining the texture of your cake if you refreeze it too many times.
Your birthday cake will begin to dry out the more it is transferred in and out of the freezer, so it’s best to avoid doing so if you can. It’s for this reason that we recommend slicing your birthday cake before freezing, so you can access your desired portion as and when you need it.
Does Birthday Cake Freeze Well?
Sponge-based birthday cakes freeze extremely well. And providing you don’t opt for a meringue-based frosting, you shouldn’t encounter any issues when freezing the topping, either.
So, whether you have leftover cake from your recent birthday celebration, or if you’ve added a whole birthday cake to the freezer for an upcoming special day, your birthday cake will be fine in the freezer for around three months.
Related FAQs
If you’ve still got questions about freezing birthday cake or cake in general, then these may help:
