Tea cakes are a classic of any British cafe, and theyāre slowly making their way out into the rest of the world too. Theyāre soft, light, and wonderfully buttery; what better to have during brunch? But, how do you store them?
Can You Freeze Tea Cakes?
Yes, you can freeze tea cakes for up to 3 months. The best way to freeze tea cakes is to keep them in an airtight bag, pressing out as much of the air before sealing. Double-wrap the bag in foil before freezing and storing for up to 3 months.
Do Do Tea Cakes freeze well? Yes
Can you refreeze Tea Cakes? No
How to Freeze Tea Cakes
To freeze tea cakes, you must make sure that thereās as little air in the package with the tea cakes as possible – they can go stale in the freezer, though more slowly than on the counter.
- Bag Up: Place the tea cakes into a sealable bag, and then press out as much of the air as possible from the bag. If possible, make sure to use a vacuum sealer – thatās sure to eliminate any air from the bag.
- Wrap: When the bag is sealed, double-wrap it in foil before labelling and placing it into the freezer. From that point onward, the tea cakes should keep perfectly well for up to three months.
We insist on double-wrapping tea cakes with foil because theyāre sure to get some form of freezer burn if they come into any contact with ice in your freezer.
The reason for this is that theyāre very light, so thereās a lot of air within the cakes’ structure. To prevent freezer burn as much as possible, double-wrap the bag with foil, and the contact with ice should be minimal.
3 Tips for Freezing Tea Cakes
Now you know how to freeze them, we’ve got our 3 top tips which we strongly recommend following when freezing tea cakes to have the best results:
Try Flash Freezing
If youāve got the luxury of time when freezing tea cakes, you could flash freeze a layer of tea cakes on a baking sheet before transferring them to a bag when frozen solid. This way, youāre likely to keep more of the general tea cake shape than otherwise.
Be Careful With Raisins
Tea cakes containing dried fruit are likely to have a slightly altered texture when frozen and thawed. This is because raisins and other dried fruit can become very dense and chewy once frozen and thawed.
Remove Air!
Weāve said it before in this article, but itās vitally important. Tea cakes can go stale in the freezer and get freezer burn, too, if they get a little too much air in the bag. This means that weād recommend eliminating as much air as possible from the bag.
How Long Can You Freeze Tea Cakes?
You can freeze tea cakes for up to three months before prolonged storage at that temperature will likely lead to the tea cakes getting freezer burned and a little stale.
The reason that freezing tea cakes is a little tricky is that theyāre quite a delicate thing to be dealing with in your kitchen. For the best, weād recommend vacuum-sealing them and double-wrapping the bag in foil – this will prevent freezer burn as much as possible, though your tea cakes might get squashed.
How Do You Defrost Tea Cakes?
The best way to defrost tea cakes is to leave the tea cakes that youād like to thaw on the counter overnight.
This is a great way to do it as the tea cakes will be able to drip any condensation away quickly and easily, and by the time you get up in the morning, the tea cake will be at the perfect temperature and consistency for toasting.
You could defrost tea cakes overnight in the fridge, but since thatās such a wet environment, theyāll likely be negatively affected over time.
Can You Refreeze Tea Cakes?
Technically, yes, you can refreeze tea cakes. In reality, though, we wouldnāt recommend doing this any more than once since the moisture of the freezing process will start to damage the tea cakes and their structure over time.
Weād suggest only thawing out the tea cakes youād like to use at any one time, so perhaps freeze and thaw them in increments of four – that is a great number that can be used fairly quickly.
Do Tea Cakes Freeze Well?
Yes, tea cakes freeze well if you take good care of them. Provided the tea cakes can be kept in a relatively moisture-free freezer bag and wrapped well enough to prevent freezer burn, thereās no reason they shouldnāt be hard to distinguish from fresh tea cakes.
To ensure that theyāre almost impossible to distinguish from fresh tea cakes, weād suggest cutting and toasting them before serving. This will remove any excess moisture, leading to a fresh-seeming tea cake in no time.
Related FAQs
If youāve still got questions about freezing tea cakes or cakes in general, then these may help:
Southern tea cakes are nothing like British tea cakes. They are more like biscuits. If you want to freeze them, spread them on a baking tray before popping them into the freezer. Once frozen solid, you can bag them up.
Yes, tea loaf is another Afternoon Tea snack that can be frozen. Wrap individual slices of tea loaf in clingfilm before placing them into a freezer bag.
