Back to Wedding Basics Blog #17: Preserving Your Cake Top

It’s exactly one year after your wedding day and after that much-deserved anniversary trip or dinner, it’s time to traipse towards your freezer to pull out that tiny box that has been sitting there patiently for the last year.  You wait with bated breath as you open the container and you find that it is more frozen than an iceberg, with no hope of salvaging it.  It’s normal to get irrational and think putting it in the oven would help, but sadly, this won’t save it either.

But thankfully, newlyweds-to-be, there is definitely hope and ways to maintain your cake’s identity and deliciousness until your first anniversary.  And, if you are one of those couples who found a frozen mass in your cake box, there IS a way to remedy this!

1. Go Simple

It’s not often that a bride and groom pick a cake and think, “Will this freeze well?” But, if you intend on having your top tier on your anniversary, it’s ideal to consider which cake flavors will do best and which won’t.  For example, more classic flavors, such as chocolate or carrot cake, will hold up much better than cakes with delicate ingredients such as cakes with fruit in the layers or a regular white cake.

Tip: Another bonus of going simple with your cake?  The more basic a cake is, in terms of flavors and ingredients, the more inexpensive it is.

2. Tell Your Baker

Many couples think that a cake will automatically be preserved once you put it in the freezer.  Unfortunately, this is not always the case.  Let your cake baker know that you want to preserve it and eat it on your anniversary.  This will benefit two areas: one, your cake may get thrown away if it isn’t eaten; two, they can help you pick out which cake flavors, icings, and fillings will last longer and taste better after preservation.

3. Plastic Wrap is Your Best Friend

Once the wedding is over, ensure that your venue staff or your catering staff know that the top tier will be preserved. Appoint a friend or family member to take it with them and inform them of these important steps:

1. Remove any adornments that are not edible such as the cake topper, fresh or gum paste flowers, etc.
2. Leave the cake in the fridge or freezer overnight or until the icing hardens.
3. Once the icing solidifies, wrap the cake well in plastic wrap.  The best way to do this is to first place a layer of plastic wrap over the top of the cake.  With the second layer, put it underneath the bottom of the cake and wrap upwards.  Next, with the third layer, repeat the process of placing it over the top of the cake and then another layer on the bottom of the cake going upward.  Repeat this step until you have about five to six layers of plastic wrap.  Remember, it’s your friend!

Tip: Do NOT use aluminum foil–this can cause freezer burn.

4. Place it in a zip-top plastic bag and confirm that all of the air has been pressed out. Another helpful tip is to place it in a “hot and cold” thermal bag.  This will help to keep the cold things cold and can be found at your local grocery store for a very cheap price.  Clearly write on the bag what its contents are to prevent tossing it away.

4. A New Twist

If you’ve had the freezer burn mishap, or you and your husband or wife can’t bear to eat a year-old cake that’s been sitting in the freezer, simply call the cake baker who baked your wedding cake and ask them to recreate it.  To save on cost, it doesn’t have to have all of the regalia and decor; just the cake flavor, any fillings, and the icing.  For size, mimic the size of your top tier, or you can go as large as you want.  In the end, it’s about reliving those emotions and that unexpected cake smash that left you both in happy tears.

Make sure to check out the other blogs in the Back to Wedding Basics cake series!

Back to Wedding Basics Blog #14: Choosing Your Cake Baker
Back to Wedding Basics Blog #15: Cake Prices
Back to Wedding Basics Blog #16: Cake Tasting Tips