Can I freeze chocolate cake?

[MarionCole]

Advance planning on DS's birthday cake.

Can I freeze homemade chocolate cake?
Is there anything special I need to do to it?
I assume I can't freeze it frozen?
Can I ice it while it's still frozen or will it make a mess of the icing when it defrosts?

Ta :)

I meant:

I assume I can't freeze it iced.

Duh.

Surely you'll eat it and count it as a trial run

Sorry couldn't resist and I don't even know the answer!

If it is a chocolate sponge cake then it will freeze beautifully. Buttercream icing also freezes well. I often freeze sponge cakes iced with buttercream and when they have been defrosted you can't tell that they have been frozen.

Funnily enough iggly...

That's very useful thanks bun. I have popped it in the freezer.

Freeze cake? Dont be silly eat the bloody thing!

I think he might be upset if he doesn't get his Ben 10 cake on Sunday.

yes you can freeze cake. As long as its well wrapped as they get frostburn easily. And you can make the buttercream in advance and freeze that too. Again, well wrapped, so it doesn't get ice crystals. Take both out 24 hours before you are planning on making the cake, and beat the buttercream well to ensure its smooth before using it

You must never freeze chocolate cake. It needs eating straight away...

I find that buttercream doesn't need freezing separately. You can ice the cake and freeze it as one entity.

MarionCole If you haven't already iced the cake, I would suggest you ice it in two thin layers. That way you don't get cake crumbs in the top coat.

I'm putting sugar paste on the top. I'm toying with doing this:

1. making cake
2. freezing cake
3. 'carving' the frozen cake into shape
4. putting buttercream on the frozen cake
5. putting it back in the freezer to make the buttercream solid
6. putting the sugar paste over the top.

Any thoughts?

(I can't believe I am putting so much thought into a sodding birthday cake)

How on earth do you know if you ahve got the recipe right?

Hmm?

What you need to do, speaking from vast experience is, eat the cake all up, every crumb....ask your self "did that taste perfectly nice?", if it did then you have the recipe just right and you should set about baking a new cake.
Then come back and ask about the freezing aspect again, but only when you know you have the perfect cake.

Please consider the feelings of your poor child here, none of us want a disapointed child on their birthday, thus, bake & taste, then bake again...
hth

I have the perfect cake - Nigella's coca cola chocolate cake. It's ridiculously easy, very moist and lasts forever (presumably because of all the additives in the Coke). I have successfully defrosted a cupcake I froze yesterday and can report that it tastes just as fine after freezing.