Can You Freeze And Store Cake Batter?

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Making a bakery-worthy cake at home can be a time-consuming effort, but there may just be a limit to how much you can prepare in advance. Chowhound spoke with Kat Buckley, a United Kingdom-based blogger of The Baking Explorer (@thebakingexplorer on Instagram) and author of "Bakes That Break The Internet," to determine whether freezing cake batter is a clever workaround or a complete flop. Unfortunately, it seems that the latter is true.

"I would not recommend freezing unbaked cake batter," says Buckley. "The freezing process will reduce the impact the raising agents in the batter have, leading to a dense cake that does not rise very well. Freezing cake after it has been baked and cooled is the much better option. You can wrap slices in cling film or foil and place them in Tupperware boxes or Ziploc bags."

The mark of a good cake is often a rich and fluffy texture that you can cut with a spoon. This is due to the leavening agents in the batter that cause the cake to rise and swell with air in the oven. Freezing and thawing cake batter makes it more difficult for it to absorb air and achieve a rich texture. However, once the batter has turned into cake through a chemical reaction, the cake itself may be frozen and enjoyed later.

It's possible to mix the batter ahead of time and refrigerate it rather than freezing, but keep in mind that it spoils much quicker in this state. This could be helpful for overnight preparation, but you may need to whisk it again if the ingredients settle. Instead, one component you can prepare in advance is the frosting. Homemade buttercream frosting lasts for around a week in the fridge, and chocolate ganache can be frozen for a couple of months (with the condition of needing to be thawed, rewarmed, and cooled for use).

Aside from mixing the batter and frosting, there are other steps bakers can take to set up a more efficient cake-baking process. You can prepare mise en place (meaning "everything in its place;" essentially, gathering and pre-measuring ingredients) and leave it in the fridge until you're ready to bake. Place the pre-measured cups, spoonfuls of ingredients, and the utensils you plan to use inside a cake pan. Cutting and measuring are half the battle, so having ingredients, such as fruit, milk, chocolate chips, and vanilla extract, ready to add to a mixing bowl takes the hassle out of doing it later. Just remember to date and cover the ingredients with airtight plastic wrap, or put a lid over the containers, until they're ready for mixing.