Nothing compares to a cake that has just been baked. Most home bakers enjoy making a cake and watching it rise in the oven, whether it’s a vanilla sponge or chocolate fudge. What happens, though, if you make too much cake batter?
Can cake batter be frozen? Yes, that is the answer. Cake batter can be stored in the freezer for three months and the refrigerator for up to two days. But if you wait too long, the cake might not be able to rise as it should. Continue reading to learn why that is the case as well as our best advice for utilizing every last drop of batter.
Cake Mix Vs Cake Batter From Scratch
Let’s talk about the distinction between cake mix and homemade cake batter. Because the various ingredients may differ, the results of refrigerating and freezing may differ.
Cake Mix
The simplest way to make cakes at home is from cake mix, and using only cake mix, water, oil, and egg will always result in a delicious cake. Cake mixes frequently contain additives that extend the shelf life of the dry ingredients, allowing you to store them in the refrigerator or freezer for longer periods of time without compromising the cake’s freshness.
Cake Batter From Scratch
Cake batter made with fresh ingredients such as eggs or milk may not keep in the fridge or freezer for long. Furthermore, cake recipes frequently call for the use of baking soda, baking powder, or both. Baking soda begins to react as soon as it comes into contact with liquid, so once the cake batter is mixed, you must bake it right away to reap the benefits of baking soda.
If you leave the batter for too long, the baking soda may not be able to react, resulting in a cake that does not rise properly. Baking powder, on the other hand, is double-acting, which means it will react with both the liquid and the heat. When you bake a cake batter with baking powder, it will still rise.
How Long Does Cake Batter Last?
When cake batter is fresh, it is always the best. This is when you will get the most consistent rise, and the flavor will be exactly as described in the recipe. The longer you wait, the lower the rise of the cake. After mixing, cake batter can be refrigerated for up to 48 hours. If you leave it for more than 48 hours, the fresh ingredients (such as eggs and milk) will spoil and you will be unable to bake it.
Cake batter can be frozen for up to three months, but the longer it is frozen, the less the cake will rise. It is preferable to bake the cake batter into a cake to ensure proper rising, and then freeze the cake for later use.
How To Save Cake Batter In The Fridge
Cake batter can be stored in the refrigerator for up to 48 hours using an airtight container. Your cake batter will remain fresh and prepared to bake because the airtight container will keep moisture and refrigerator odor at bay. You might notice some ingredient separation if you keep the cake batter in the refrigerator for an extended period of time. This is simply a sign that the cake batter needs to be whipped again to ensure that all the ingredients are thoroughly combined.
Remember that if the cake isn’t fresh, it might not rise properly, particularly if the recipe only calls for baking soda. You can skip incorporating the baking soda and baking powder when preparing cake batter if you plan to freeze it for later use. You can include these ingredients when it’s time to bake to make sure your cake will rise properly.
The best way to bake a cake that has been refrigerated is to first let it sit at room temperature for about 30 minutes. In this manner, you can prepare the cake as directed in the recipe without having to wait for the oven to heat up the batter.
How To Save Cake Batter In The Freezer
If you want to keep your cake batter longer than two days, place it in the freezer. However, as previously stated, if you wait too long, the cake may not rise properly when baked. We recommend freezing cake batters containing a lot of fat, such as oil or butter, because the fat helps preserve the cake’s texture. Cake batters made by whipping eggs (such as sponge cakes) may not freeze well because the air bubbles may deflate once removed from the freezer.
If you are making cake batter with the intention of freezing it, you can omit the baking soda and baking powder as well. When you’re ready to bake the cake, simply combine these ingredients before baking to allow the cake to rise properly.
Using an airtight container or Ziploc bag is the best way to freeze cake batter. The sealed container will keep contaminants and moisture out of the cake batter, allowing it to stay fresher for longer. Because cake batter can only be kept fresh for up to three months, we recommend that you date the container so that you can use it before it goes bad.
When you’re ready to bake, place the container in the refrigerator to thaw overnight. If there are signs of separation in the batter, simply mix it again once it has thawed. The cake batter can then be transferred to a baking pan and baked as usual.
How To Tell If Cake Batter Has Gone Bad
Even when food is kept in the refrigerator or freezer, it is still possible for it to spoil if it is left out for too long or comes into contact with moisture. If your cake batter has gone bad, you can easily tell. It is undoubtedly no longer safe to eat if it smells strange or appears to be moldy or spotty. You can taste the raw batter if you can’t tell by looking at the cake batter alone. You must throw it away right away if it doesn’t taste like sugar.