As a baker, I’m often asked if it’s okay to freeze cakes—not just cake layers, but stacked, filled, frosted, and finished creations. The answer is yes!
Today, I’ll share the method and my favorite tips to properly freeze a buttercream cake so that you can save time, effort, and resources—all while delivering absolutely delicious desserts.
Can You Freeze a Buttercream Cake?
Many people are surprised when they learn that you can, indeed, freeze a crumb-coated or fully decorated buttercream cake without any loss in quality. They’re even more surprised by the fact that many gourmet bakeries freeze their cakes for that very reason!
As long as you’ve prepared and frozen the cake properly, it’ll taste just as good—if not better. The freezer prevents the cake from losing any moisture, so even after thawing, it’ll taste fresh out of the oven! It’s as if you’ve “frozen” the cake in time—pun intended!
What Kinds of Cakes, Fillings, and Buttercreams Freeze Well?
Here’s the common rule of thumb: you can freeze a full cake as long as the cake layers, filling, and buttercream are all freezer-safe. So, what exactly does that mean?
Here is a list of components that freeze and thaw well:
- Butter cakes, pound cakes, sponge cakes, and cakes from a box mix
- American buttercream; Swiss and Italian meringue buttercream
- Jams, jellies, preserves, ganache, caramel, and raw/salted nuts
A cake that includes or combines any of the above components is perfectly fine to freeze and will taste great after thawing.
However, there are a few ingredients to avoid, as they don’t thaw well:
- Fillings thickened with cornstarch
- Cream cheese-based filling, frosting, or cake (like cheesecake)
- Fresh fruit (it gets quite soggy once thawed)
- Fondant (generally—though some bakers have found ways around this rule)
- Tempered chocolate decorations (don’t confuse this with chocolate cake, chocolate buttercream, or ganache, which are all fine to freeze)
- Any unbaked, whipped ingredients (whipped cream, mousse filling, etc.)
Reasons to Freeze a Buttercream Cake
Reason #1: Save Prep Time
Freezing a crumb-coated or fully decorated cake is a great way to gain valuable time if you have a lot of prep work to do for a big party or order. I know some bakers who will crumb-coat their cake and freeze it well in advance of a due date.
Then, as the deadline approaches, they can pull out the almost-finished cake, add the final touches, and still have time left to complete other tasks.
Reason #2: Reduce Rescheduled Order Waste
Plus, if you do a lot of baking, it’s inevitable that, at some point or another, you’ll receive the dreaded “our party/shower/wedding needs to be postponed” message.
If the new event date happens to be within a month or two, you don’t have to toss your hard work away! Freeze it and pat yourself on the back for reducing food waste in a resourceful, smart way!
Reason #3: Practice Decorating
On the other hand, if you’re just learning to decorate cakes, you might want to practice—that’s great! However, baking multiple cakes each week and finding friends to share them with is not always easy.
In that case, you can keep a “practice cake” in the freezer! Pull it out when you want to play around with new icing techniques or try out some new piping tips. Scrape off the icing and start again the next time!
One note about this: while freezing and thawing a cake once or twice doesn’t change its taste, doing so multiple times can reduce its quality and flavor. So, I don’t recommend giving away the practice cake if you’ve worked on it multiple times over the course of many months! Eating it is fine, but it likely won’t taste like your best work at that point.
This application is primarily to cut back on food waste while mastering skills. Also, practice cakes are awesome, but, on principle, never give a client a practice cake!
Reason #4: Save Leftovers
Finally, and my favorite reason: sometimes you just want to eat a little bit of cake. You can cut and wrap individual slices of cake using the method mentioned in the following subheading.
Then, anytime you get a craving for something sweet, take out a single piece (or two.) This is great, especially when you have a small family, don’t have lots of friends to share with, or just happen to have loads of leftovers from an event or party.
How to Freeze a Buttercream Cake
Freezing a cake is simple. Follow these steps, and your cake will taste perfect—every time! If you’re more of a visual learner, watch the process here!
1. “Flash freeze” your cake until it is firm to the touch. Don’t wrap it or anything—simply set the cake in the freezer and let it harden.
2. Slide an offset spatula carefully around the bottom of the edge of the cake, releasing it from the cake board (if applicable.)
3. Once you can handle the cake without denting the buttercream, wrap it in a layer of plastic wrap—from bottom to top. Press the plastic onto the cake as best as possible so that no air is trapped inside. Use two pieces of plastic if your cake is too large for one to cover it.
4. In the opposite direction of the first wrap, cover the cake with a second layer of plastic (around the sides.) Make sure to seal the entire cake tightly, using additional plastic if needed.
5. Wrap the cake in a final layer of aluminum foil (or two if your cake is large.)
6. Label your cake with the flavor, filling, order name (if applicable), and date. Use tape to secure the label to the foil. Place back in the freezer.
Frequently Asked Questions
Not at all! This method has been thoroughly tested by amateur and professional bakers—the quality and taste are just as good as a freshly baked cake!
Yes, you definitely can. However, I recommend using a very delicate hand when pressing the plastic onto piped buttercream since, even though it’s frozen, it will remain quite fragile. Still, try your best to ensure the plastic seals against the buttercream, pressing out as much trapped air as possible—this is key!
Don’t allow trapped air to remain in between the cake and the plastic. It’s essential to tightly cover the surface of the buttercream, pressing the plastic onto the frozen buttercream. Piped/textured design makes this more tricky, but it’s still doable.
I believe honesty is the best policy, so if someone asks, it’s best to be up-front about your decorating process. However, when you eat at a restaurant or walk into a bakery, does the menu list all of the previously frozen ingredients? No—at least not usually. So, as long as your cake tastes good, if freezing is part of your process, you don’t necessarily have to disclose it. Of course, follow any cottage-food regulations if you’re selling your baked goods.
Most buttercream cakes will last for up to three months in the freezer. When in doubt, do a quick Google search for your individual components, like, “how long can I keep strawberry jam frozen?”
If you’re selling your cakes, follow the cottage food laws for your region. If you’re just baking for fun for family and friends, you might want to consider a separate freezer, but it’s not necessary. Keep meat and fragrant foods away from the cake, especially while flash-freezing it. Butter (your main component of buttercream) absorbs odors very easily. I highly recommend using baking soda (and changing it regularly!) for fridge and freezer odor absorption.
Most refrigerators are quite dry—even drier than room-temperature air. So, by storing the cake in the fridge, you’ll dry out the sponge. Of course, some cakes can withstand a few hours or even days in the refrigerator. However, for optimal storage, whenever possible, choose either room temperature or the freezer.
Have (Freeze) Your Cake and Eat It, Too
Once you know how easy it is to freeze a cake, you’ll love how it impacts your baking process for the better!
Now, the only thing left to do is thaw and enjoy your cake. I’m working on a post with detailed instructions regarding thawing a frozen cake—the proper way, of course! Subscribe to my email list below to get an alert when I publish it.
This Doesn’t Have to Be Good-Bye
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