Here are my favourite 10 freezer hacks for cake decorating! They'll make your cakes neater from the frosting to piping, stencils, wraps, carving and more!
When you're piping with any kind or shape of piping tip, the warmth of your hands will soften the buttercream. Your piping will have less definition and more blobby-ness! Fix it with the first of my freezer hacks for cake decorating. Put the piping bag in the freezer and set a timer for 1 minute. Don't leave it any longer or the buttercream will freeze hard against the metal piping tip. After a minute the buttercream will be firmer and your piping will be neat again.
When you've assembled your cake, layering fillings with the cake layers, don't frost it yet. It will be crumbly and wobbly and slide around on the turntable. Instead, put it into the freezer for 15 minutes or you can use the fridge for 30 minutes. When the cake layers are cold they'll be firm and less crumbly. The filling will set and hold the layers in place so they don't slide around when you frost them. This first layer of frosting is called a crumb coat and it will trap crumbs that come off the cake. Before spreading on the final layer of frosting, read number 3 of these freezer hacks for cake decorating!
After smoothing the crumb coat, chill the cake in the freezer for another 15 minutes. If you don't have space in your freezer, put it into the fridge for 30 minutes. This will set the crumb coat so it's firm instead of soft and sticky. When you spread another layer of buttercream on top, this layer will sit on top of the firm crumb coat. It won't mix with the crumby buttercream and your final layer of frosting will be crumb free.
This next one is really cool. Pipe flowers onto parchment or wax paper or a silicon mat on a tray. This is a 2D star tip but you can pipe more elaborate flowers like roses or whatever you like. Then put the tray into the freezer for 5 minutes. When the flowers are frozen just lift them up and press them onto the frosting on a cake!
This also works for metallic decorations. Pipe your buttercream details and then freeze them for 5 minutes. Now paint them with edible metallic paint, which you can buy or make your own using any clear alcohol or clear vanilla extract mixed with edible gold or silver luster dust. Lift the frozen metallic buttercream details up and press them onto your cake. If they don't stick, use a dot of fresh buttercream as glue to stick them on. Metallic cake decorations are so eye-catching and fancy!
Freezer hacks are essential for cake stencils. Any cake has to be cold with firm frosting before you wrap a stencil around it. You'll know the cake is ready when you can poke it gently without leaving texture or an imprint behind. Now the frosting won't be damaged by the pressure of your hands, the stencil, or the buttercream you spread over it. When you peel the stencil away the frosting will be immaculate!
This works for character cakes made with layered stencils too, a technique I teach on my cake school. Start a 7-Day FREE trial of my All You Can Cake membership for access to EVERYTHING on my cake school!
The freezer makes it possible to create a wrapped buttercream design on parchment or wax paper or acetate. Pipe onto the paper or acetate and then pick it up and wrap it tightly around a chilled cake. The piped buttercream then needs to go into the freezer for 15 minutes. When you peel the paper or acetate away, that cold and firm buttercream will stay behind. It will surround the cake with a neat, flat design. You can create such unique cake designs with this technique like this mosaic, making edible art on your cakes!
Use the freezer in the same way with chocolate. Melt it and put it into a piping bag or a Ziploc bag with a whole cut off one corner. Drizzle the chocolate over parchment or wax paper or acetate to make whatever design you like. Wrap it around a cake and then put the cake into the freezer for about 15 minutes. Peel the paper or acetate off, leaving a gravity defying chocolate design on the cake. Yum!
If you've ever carved a cake, you'll know how difficult it is when the cake is crumbly and wobbly. By chilling cakes in the freezer for 15 minutes before carving, the cake gets firm and much easier to shape. If you don't have space in your freezer you can use the fridge instead. You'll need to leave it in there for about twice as long. This is my carved Bulbasaur cake, before frosting it and adding all of the details:
The freezer will save you if an event is postponed after you've already made the cake. First, put the cake into the freezer for an hour to set the frosting and decorations. Then wrap it in two layers of cling film or Saran Wrap and put it back into the freezer. Freeze for a few days or even weeks and then move it to the fridge to thaw for 24 hours. Take it out two hours before serving and unwrap it straight away. If you wait for the frosting to warm up and soft, the plastic will damage it. Previously frozen cake tastes just as good as on the day it was baked - I did a blind taste test to confirm!
After serving a cake, if there are any slices left over you can store those in the freezer too. Wrap each slice individually in cling film or Saran Wrap. Freeze until you have a craving for cake or need a last minute dessert for a guest! A frozen slice will thaw after about an hour at room temperature.
I hope these 10 freezer hacks for cake decorating have been helpful! Visit my cake school to learn hundred of cake decorating techniques and designs with my online courses and memberships. See you there!
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