For An Incredibly Moist Cake, Reach For Your Freezer

Cake has a universal appeal that transcends cultures and cuisines. From chocolate and banana cake, to pound cake and Bundt cake, there's a flavor for every palate and occasion. No matter the variety you prefer, the secret to a mouthwatering cake is not only its sweetness, but also a perfectly moist texture. No one likes dry cake, so if you want your dessert to remain nice and moist long after the bake, the trick is in freezing the cake.

Cakes usually start losing moisture soon after they come out of the oven. Have you noticed the steam that rises from the surface of a freshly baked cake? That is actually moisture escaping into the atmosphere, leaving the cake drier with every passing minute. So be mindful that when you leave your baked goods out in the open, you may likely end up with a sad and dry dessert. This is where the freezer comes to the rescue.

When you wrap the cake and stash it in the freezer not too long after it leaves the oven (without waiting for it to cool down completely), all that steam is prevented from escaping and is retained within the cake. So when you later thaw it, you'll have a perfectly moist creation. This works for almost all types of cakes. Plus, thanks to the plastic wrapping, you don't even have to worry about ending up with some funky freezer smell.

To perfectly freeze cake for moisture retention, you need to get the timing and setup right. When you remove the cake from the oven, give it 10 to 15 minutes to cool slightly (so you can safely touch the surface). Now, cover the cake with plastic wrap either in two layers or one layer of plastic wrap and another layer of aluminum foil. You can stack a few layers together but not too many that can smash the bottom piece. Now put the wrapped cake layers in the freezer and leave them to chill for 30 to 40 minutes — or even overnight depending on the size.

Once you take out the frozen cake from the freezer, ensure you frost it immediately or allow it to thaw in the fridge overnight before applying the frosting and pretty decorations the next day. This layer of icing also acts as another defense from drying as it serves as a barrier all around this desert so no more moisture is lost into the surrounding atmosphere. Besides maintaining moistness, freezing makes the frosting process much easier. A solid frozen cake is usually firm with no loose crumbs on the surface, which makes applying the crumb coat especially effortless. Lastly, freezing is also a preservation method. So if you'd like to store the cake to use later, you have up to about two months leeway.