Lardy cake, also known as lardy bread, lardy Johns, dough cake and fourses cake is a traditional rich spiced form of bread found in several southern counties of England, each claiming to provide the original recipe.
It is a delicious, rich cake that can be served warm with butter and will elevate any afternoon tea or party. If you want to make your lardy cake ahead of time or you want to find a way to preserve any leftovers, how should you store it?
Can You Freeze Lardy Cake?
Yes, you can freeze lardy cake for up to 6 months. It is a fantastic cake to freeze which can be frozen in pieces or as a whole, making it perfect if you want to stop yourself from eating it all at once!
Do Does Lardy Cake freeze well? Yes
Can you refreeze Lardy Cake? No
How to Freeze Lardy Cake
Whether you are freezing lardy cake ahead of time or freezing leftovers, the main thing is that the lardy cake has to have already been baked. You cannot freeze the batter.
It is really simple to freeze the lardy cake and by following the steps below, you can ensure you keep your cake as fresh as possible when frozen.
- Bake: Bake your lardy cake according to your favourite recipe.
- Allow to Cool: It is essential that you allow your lardy cake to cool fully before you freeze it. Placing anything warm into a freezer will cause the temperature to drop and could affect other foods.
- Cut if Desired: If you are going to freeze your cake in slices, cut the cake now into equal slices.
- Wrap: Wrap the cake or the slices of cake in cling film or tin foil, ensuring that all the surfaces are covered so they are not exposed to the freezer
- Contain: You can then place the wrapped cake or slices of cake into a freezer-safe container for extra protection.
- Freeze: Place the container or wrapped bits of cake into the freezer and then store for up to 6 months.
3 Tips for Freezing Lardy Cake
Now you know how to freeze it, we’ve got our 3 top tips which we strongly recommend following when freezing lardy cake to have the best results:
Label Carefully and Clearly
Always label your items with what they are, when they were made and when they were frozen so you can refer to this at a later date.
Freeze as Fresh as Possible
Although you can freeze lardy cake 2-3 days after it has been baked, it is best to freeze it as fresh as possible to maintain its highest quality.
Double Wrap
If you do not have any freezer-safe containers, you can double wrap your cake or slices of cake in both cling film and tin foil.
How Long Can You Freeze Lardy Cake?
Lardy cake is a great baked good to freeze and it will last for up to 6 months in the freezer. Freezing it will make it last considerably longer than it would at room temperature or if it is in the fridge.
How Do You Defrost Lardy Cake?
For the best results, lardy cake should be defrosted in the fridge overnight. Take the cake out of the freezer, unwrap it and place it on a plate. Then leave this plate in the fridge overnight to thaw thoroughly.
If the cake is slightly wet or damp after thawing, you can gently sponge this off with a dry piece of kitchen towel.
Lardy cake is best served warm, so to reheat your cake place it in a microwave-safe bowl and cook for one minute on high. Repeat in thirty-second increments until the cake is steaming hot all the way through.
To check if the centre is hot you can either use a food probe or a knife – push the knife into the centre of the cake for a few seconds and then place it on the back of your hand, if the knife is burning hot then the cake is reheated enough.
You can also reheat the cake in the oven, but just be sure to cover the top of the cake with foil so that you don’t burn the top.
Can You Refreeze Lardy Cake?
Ideally not as any baked good is likely to lose its soft, fluffy texture when refrozen. Slicing the lardy cake and freezing in individual slices does mean that you can simply thaw as many slices as you need at any one time.
Does Lardy Cake Freeze Well?
Yes, lardy cake will freeze really well and will last for a long time in the freezer without losing any flavour to texture.
This means that you could make a lardy cake ahead of time before a party and freeze it so that you have plenty of time on the day for other things. When thawed and reheated properly, you will not be able to tell the difference!
Related FAQs
If you’ve still got questions about freezing lardy cake or lardy cake in general, then these may help:
Unfortunately, if you keep the lardy cake at room temperature it will not last for long. It will keep in an airtight container or wrapped in foil for just a few days before it begins to dry out.
Although it’s possible to freeze a whole slab of lardy cake, it’s better to freeze it in portions. This way, you can grab a portion at a time without having to worry about it going to waste.
