18 Freezer-Friendly Cakes That You Should Bake Now (And Eat Later)
Whether you like to eat your cake straight from the freezer or prefer to thaw it first, there are plenty of cakes that freeze well. However, knowing which ones you can freeze which ones don't can be a challenge.
It turns out that the more moisture and fat a cake naturally has, the better it holds up in the freezer. While moist, dense cakes hold up well, the more delicate, fragile, and dry a cake is, the less likely it's going to come out of the freezer at the same quality level as it went in. The same goes for frosting. Frostings full of fat like buttercream hold up better in the freezer than lighter meringue-based frostings. In general, we suggest wrapping cooled cakes in two layers to keep out unwanted moisture and prevent freezer burn: a plastic wrap layer followed by a foil layer. Once you learn which cakes are freezer-friendly and how to properly freeze and thaw them, you can always have a cake waiting for you.
1. Unfrosted cakes that you can frost later
Sometimes, you may want to freeze a cake portion and then frost and eat it later. The nice thing is that frozen cakes stay fresh for several months in the freezer. Plus, as long as you keep them well-wrapped, the quality should remain good.
To freeze an unfrosted cake, all you have to do is bake it, let it cool, and then wrap it in a layer of plastic wrap (like Freeze-Tite Premium Plastic Freezer Wrap), followed by a layer of foil. If you're not making it to eat soon, it's helpful to use a Sharpie to label it with a reminder of what it is and when you made it. You can also make buttercream frosting ahead of time to freeze in a freezer-safe plastic bag alongside the cake. Then, just thaw everything in the fridge 2-3 hours before frosting.
2. A fully-decorated birthday cake
Whether you want to save part of a fully-decorated birthday cake for later or want to make a birthday cake ahead of time for a future celebration, you absolutely can. One bonus about freezing a cake with the frosting on, the frosting provides an extra layer of protection for the cake to help keep it nice and moist inside. However, when choosing a cake recipe, you'll want to choose one with plenty of oil and butter to add moisture, like a classic white cake recipe with a buttercream frosting.
The trick to freezing a fully-decorated cake is that you need to pre-freeze the whole cake or slices for an hour, unwrapped. Once hardened, you can wrap the whole cake or slices first in plastic wrap and then in foil. While it sounds counterintuitive, you'll want to leave the plastic wrap on while the cake thaws in the fridge. Thawing in the fridge overnight rather than a countertop prevents excess condensation.
3. Carrot cake
Carrot cake is an excellent candidate for the freezer. Not only is the cake itself moist (all those carrot pieces help), but the frosting is full of fat-laden cream cheese and freezes just fine. Choose a carrot cake recipe that's full of oil and a frosting that has both butter and cream cheese, and it should be just as delightful before you freeze it as after.
To keep the frosting intact, you'll want to pre-freeze slices or the whole cake for an hour first on a platter without wrapping it to get the frosting nice and hard. Then, you can wrap it in a layer of plastic wrap and foil. Once you try frozen carrot cake, you may never want it any other way. However, if you'd prefer it thawed, you can place it in the fridge for 5-8 hours still wrapped in the plastic wrap to help it keep its moisture.
4. Loaf cakes
Loaf cakes work well for freezing, especially buttery ones like this vanilla loaf cake. They're in a convenient shape and size for stacking in your freezer to save for later. So, if you end up making a lot of loaf cakes, you don't have to worry about eating them all at once. Since most loaf cakes use sugary icing rather than fat-laden frostings, it's better to wait to top them until after you thaw them.
Whether you freeze them by the loaf or by the slice is up to you. However, you'll definitely want to double wrap them in an inner layer of plastic wrap and an external layer of foil to prevent a gummy cake exterior. Then, thaw it for a few hours in the fridge before serving.
5. Pound cakes
All the eggs in pound cakes make them dense, and butter adds fat. Plus, if you're adding ingredients like sour cream or yogurt, you get even more fat and moisture. So, they're definitely freezer-friendly cakes.
You can freeze your pound cake whole or by the slice. Classic pound cake recipes don't tend to have frosting, but if the type you make has a sugary icing, it's best to add after thawing. While the normal method of wrapping the cake in plastic wrap and then foil works for pound cakes, if you're making small ones in baby bundt cake pans, you can also turn the concept around by wrapping the cooled cake first in foil and then sticking it in a large freezer-friendly airtight plastic bag, like a Ziploc Gallon Food Storage Freezer Bag. You can thaw it on the countertop for an hour or in the fridge overnight.
6. Chocolate mousse cake
Chocolate mousse cakes are kind of amazing frozen. There are several companies that make and ship out frozen chocolate mousse cakes through the mail. Fat and creamy ingredients like plenty of butter and heavy whipping cream help make them great candidates for freezing before eating. Both regular and flourless chocolate mousse cakes are good for freezing.
The truth is that you may prefer to eat chocolate mousse cakes frozen rather than thaw them since all the creamy layers are quite delightful in their frozen state. You can use the normal double-wrapping method (plastic wrap plus foil) for long-term cake storage. Then, thaw in the fridge a few hours before eating. However, if you are making it specifically to consume frozen, you can keep it in the pan you made it in, and cover it with foil to freeze. If you plan to take it out of the pan to consume it, you might start with an overhanging foil layer at the bottom of the pan before baking so that the cake is easy to pull out when you're ready to eat it.
7. Fruit upside down cakes
Making fruit upside down cakes like a salted caramel apple upside-down cake is an excellent way to use up extra fruit. So, the fact that fruit upside down cakes freeze well makes it even easier to use up extra fruit or fruit from a big harvest or fruit about to go bad on your countertop. Just be sure to choose a recipe with plenty of fat from ingredients like butter and oil.
Fruit upside down cakes will remain at a good quality level for around three months in the freezer. You'll want to protect them with a layer of plastic and a layer of foil. Since they tend to be on the smaller side, you could add an extra layer against freezer burn by placing the wrapped cake in a plastic container. Thaw it out in the fridge, still wrapped, for a few hours.
8. Depression cake (wacky cake)
Depression cake's claim to fame was that it was created during the Great Depression to be able to make a cake without many of the traditional cake ingredients that were out of reach during that time for many people. Because this cake contains baking soda and vinegar, it still manages to still have plenty of moisture without including some common cake ingredients like eggs, butter, or milk. So, it's great for freezing.
This is a type of cake that's good to freeze for up to three months without frosting. If you make it sheet-cake style, you can flip the cooled cake onto a piece of plastic wrap for wrapping. Then, add a layer of foil. Thaw it in the fridge for a few hours inside the wrap. Then, unwrap to frost.
9. Baked Alaska and other ice cream cake
Some cakes, like baked Alaska and other types of ice cream cakes are made to be frozen. So, if you like the idea of freezer-friendly cakes you're not supposed to thaw before eating, maybe that's the route you should go. Not only do they have plenty of tasty ice cream layers, but they sometimes even regular frosting or whipped topping on top, too. Although, it seems like an actual cake layer is optional, despite the name.
You'll want to layer your ice cream, cake, whipped toppings, and other ingredients in a pan or mold before freezing. You can either start with an overhanging layer of plastic at the bottom of the pan to help you remove the cake once it's frozen, flip the cake out of a mold, or just eat it straight from the pan when it's frozen. Of course, baked Alaska requires an extra couple of steps of adding meringue on top, adding alcohol, and torching it until it's golden brown.
10. Cheesecake
Cheesecake is extremely freezer friendly. In fact, if you're looking for pre-made cheesecake at the grocery store, the best place to look is in often in the frozen food section.
While it's tempting to just bake your cheesecake and stick it straight into the freezer, it won't set up right. Instead, you'll want to let it cool completely and then refrigerate it to set it. Then, you can either freeze the whole cheesecake or individual slices. Like other cakes, it's best to wrap it first in plastic and then in foil. It will stay at its best frozen for about a month, but it should still taste okay for six to eight months. In our experience, cheesecake is even better served frozen. So, there's really no need to thaw it if you don't want to. However, you can thaw it in the fridge overnight if you'd prefer it just cold.
11. Sponge cakes
Light and fluffy sponge cake gets its softness from whipped egg whites. Although sponge cake doesn't have as much fat content as most of the cakes on our list, it still seems to freeze well. So, that's good news if you want to make them to freeze ahead. In fact, some people always freeze their sponge cakes at least overnight to give them more moisture and make them easier to level or carve.
Keep in mind that it's better to freeze sponge cake without any filling or frosting. Wrap each layer separately first in plastic and then in foil and freeze them for up to three months. If they're small enough, you could also place the wrapped cakes in an airless large plastic bag for extra protection. Thawing the cake in the refrigerator overnight while still wrapped will prevent unwanted condensation.
12. Olive oil cakes
Knowing that cakes with plenty of fat content are good to freeze, it's probably not a big surprise that olive oil cakes are freezer-friendly cakes. Whether it's a fairly plain olive oil cake or a fancier one with nuts like a saffron olive oil cake it should be fine if you freeze it.
Once you make olive oil cakes, you can keep them unfrosted in the freezer for around three months without compromising quality. Simply wrap each layer individually and tightly in plastic wrap after it has fully cooled, and then cover it in foil to keep it fresh. If it will fit into an air-free large plastic bag, you'll give it even more protection. An overnight thaw in the fridge is all you need when you're ready to eat it. However, you'll want to take the cake out of the fridge and let it sit out for 3-4 hours on a wire rack to get to room temperature before adding any frosting or glaze.
13. Coconut cake
If you've ever had a frozen Pepperidge Farm Classic Coconut Layer Cake, you know just how delicious a coconut cake can be straight out of the freezer, frosting and all. Everything about a coconut cake makes it perfect for the freezer. Choosing a coconut cake recipe with ingredients like oil and coconut milk in the cake portion ensures plenty of fat content to keep it moist.
While you could freeze the cake unfrosted, plenty of coconut cake frostings — like buttercream frosting — freeze well, too. If you want to freeze it fully frosted, you'll need to pre-freeze it for at least four hours to allow it to harden before wrapping. Whether freezing it frosted or unfrosted, the wrapping process is the same as usual, with a layer of plastic wrap followed by a layer of foil. Once wrapped, you can keep it in the freezer for up to five months to enjoy at top quality.
14. Tres leches cake
Tres leches cake gets three types of milk: regular, condensed, and evaporated milk. And all those milks make it especially moist with the fat it needs to freeze well. With Trader Joe's selling a frozen tres leches cake to thaw and eat, you know it's not an odd concept.
Tres leches cake is one that you'll probably want to freeze alone without the whipped topping. Like most other cakes, you'll want to wrap tres leches cake in a tight layer of plastic wrap, followed by a layer of foil. Then, simply thaw it in the fridge when you're ready to eat it. Once it's thawed, it's time to add the whipped topping.
15. Fruitcake
The best fruitcakes are full of moisture from all the fruit and also sometimes from being soaked in booze. While a boozy fruitcake has the potential to last longer than your average cake on the countertop, you can freeze them to keep them even longer (whether they're booze-soaked or not).
Fruitcake can maintain a good level of quality for around six months in the freezer. You'll just want to keep it airtight, wrapped in a layer of plastic wrap and foil. You can keep it even safer from unwanted flavors or freezer burn by placing the wrapped cake in an airtight container in the freezer. You should thaw the fruitcake in the fridge or another cool place for 24 hours, still wrapped. If you don't plan to eat it right away, be sure to keep it well wrapped in parchment paper and foil. Frosting can be tricky if you want to add extra alcohol to the cake. In that case, you'll need to wait at least an extra 24 hours for the booze to soak in before frosting.
16. Red velvet cake
All the butter and cream cheese that goes into the cake and frosting of a classic red velvet cake make it a good candidate for freezing. So, don't think you have to eat all of this rich cake at once since you can freeze it.
Different home cooks approach the red velvet cake freezing process differently. So, choose the option that works best for you. Some people opt to freeze the unfrosted cake layers and frost after defrosting. In that case, the normal practice of wrapping with plastic wrap and then foil works great. Others freeze the whole frosted cake. The best practice for freezing a whole frosted cake is to pre-freeze it at least an hour first before wrapping in plastic wrap and foil. Still others cut the frosted cake into slices before freezing, opting to simply wrap the pieces in plastic wrap and placing them in a plastic bag or airtight container to keep them together. Although, an extra layer of foil couldn't hurt to add, too. You can thaw any of these out in a fridge for a few hours or overnight (depending on the size) before serving.
17. Chiffon cake
All the oil in egg-rich chiffon cakes helps to keep them moist in the freezer. So, you can easily make one of these light and fluffy cakes (like an orange chiffon cake) ahead of time and enjoy it at a later date.
You can keep a chiffon cake at a good quality level in the freezer for a couple of months. However, you'll want to freeze it without any toppings. Once it's cool, simply wrap it with plastic wrap and a layer of foil for best results. Some cooks skip the foil and place it in an airtight container or plastic bag instead. Although, we'd suggest it as a third protective layer. Then, you'll want to thaw the cake overnight in the fridge before frosting.
18. Hummingbird cake
With so many wet ingredients like yogurt, crushed pineapple, and mashed bananas as well as fat from oil, nuts, and coconut flakes, it's no wonder that hummingbird cake comes out of the oven super moist and freezer friendly. Plus, it has a buttery cream cheese frosting like carrot cake and red velvet cake does. So, it's an excellent choice if you're looking for a cake to freeze ahead and enjoy later.
You can either freeze hummingbird cake frosted or unfrosted. Unfrosted and wrapped in a layer of plastic wrap and foil, it will last for up to four months. Simply thaw overnight in the fridge. Then, allow the cake to come to room temperature before frosting. If you decide to freeze it pre-frosted, you'll want to pre-freeze it for an hour or so to firm it up before wrapping tightly in a layer of plastic wrap and foil. Keep individual frozen slices together in an air-free freezer bag. When ready to eat, you can thaw it overnight in the fridge.