Can You Freeze Carrot Cake?

Of all the desserts available, carrot cake is definitely one of the best. It seems strange to include a vegetable within a sweet treat, but carrot cake just makes it work.

This blend of flavors, from carrots to walnuts, and a huge variety of spaces, makes a classic dessert and an extremely yummy snack. You may not immediately consider ways to extend the shelf life of carrot cake.

Whether it be because of its already relatively long shelf life, or because it’s so yummy there’s nothing left. Should you wish to, carrot cake can be frozen. 

Surprisingly, carrot cake freezes extremely well. Some people even say they prefer the taste of it after it has been frozen as it gives the cake more moisture.

You can even freeze carrot cake with its cream cheese frosting included, making it an easy way to get a sweet snack when you want one.  So while freezing leftovers may not be viable because there are no leftovers, you can prepare a carrot cake with the intention to freeze for future use. 

This process is actually really easy, just follow this guide, and freezing this delicious treat will be a piece of cake!

How to freeze carrot cake

As we’ve already stated, freezing carrot cake is surprisingly easy. Whether you want to prepare a homemade carrot cake to freeze or want to prolong the life of your store-bought carrot cake, the process is simple. 

The most important thing to ensure the freezing process goes smoothly is that the cake is thoroughly cool before you do anything. This will be more important if you are freezing homemade carrot cake, as store-bought will likely already be cool.

Once the cake is cool, you can then decide whether to add the cream cheese topping or not. This is completely down to personal preference, but the benefits of leaving the sauce out will be covered later in this guide. 

After you have added your topping, or not if that is your preference, you should then decide whether you want to freeze the cake as a whole or freeze it in individual slices. Should you decide to freeze in slices, the next step is to place the whole cake in an airtight container and freeze for 2 hours.

You should then take the cake back out of the freezer and cut it into slices. If you chose to include the cream cheese topping, this period of freezing will ensure the topping has hardened. 

Whether you choose to freeze in slices or as a whole, the next steps will be the same. You should first wrap the cake tightly with saran wrap. If you want to freeze the cake whole you will simply cover the entire cake with saran wrap.

Whereas if you want to freeze in slices, you should wrap each slice up individually. The saran wrap must be tight around your cake as this will prevent any moisture from entering the cake and damaging the consistency. 

Once all your cake has been packaged in saran wrap, you should then cover it with aluminum foil. Again, you should do this for every individual slice of cake if you have chosen to freeze in slices.

The foil provides extra security to the cake and preserves the consistency even more than the saran wrap alone.  

Once you have completed this process for each piece of cake you should place the foil parcels into a freezer-safe bag. This provides extra security to the cake and gives you another layer which you can label with the storage date.

After all, this is done, simply place the cake in the freezer and leave until you fancy a piece of cake.

How to defrost carrot cake

As is the case with most things that you freeze, the defrosting process is a lot more simple than the freezing process.

Freezing can increase the shelf life of carrot cake up to 4-6 months giving you plenty of time to enjoy this scrumptious dessert. To extend the shelf life by even longer, you should keep the cake frozen at a steady 0 degrees Fahrenheit. 

When you decide you want to eat your carrot cake, all you have to do is transfer the freezer bag containing the cake from the freezer to the fridge. Leave it to defrost overnight and you will have a yummy treat ready to eat the next day.

However, if this is not quick enough, you could leave the carrot cake to defrost on the countertop. This will reduce the defrosting time down to a few hours. But you should check that the cake is thoroughly defrosted before you decide to eat it.

Factors to consider

Before you decide to freeze your carrot cake, there are some things you should consider which can help extend the shelf life of the cake. 

The first is to freeze the carrot cake without its cream cheese topping. Compared to carrot cake, the cream cheese topping has a significantly shorter shelf life and will break down in the freezer over time.

This breakdown can have an impact on the taste and texture of the carrot cake as well as reduce its shelf life. Instead of freezing with the cream cheese topping, you could prepare this sauce after you have defrosted the cake and add before serving for a nice, fresh taste. 

You could also improve the taste of frozen carrot cake by switching out some ingredients for ones that will freeze better. This includes replacing the vegetable oil with an unflavored apple sauce or carrot puree as this will reduce the chance of the cake drying out during the freezing process. 

If you are preparing a carrot cake exclusively to freeze, the most important thing to do is freeze the cake as soon as possible. This will reduce the risk of contamination and bacteria growth and extend the shelf life significantly.

Summary

So the answer is yes, carrot cake can be frozen.

In fact, some people may insist on freezing carrot cake because of the positive impact it has on the texture of the cake.

Whether it be freezing leftovers or preparing for a birthday cake in the future, freezing carrot cake can be a great way to prolong shelf life and enhance flavor simultaneously.

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Hi there! My name is Caroline Stevens, and I am an American mom of three wonderful children. I started this blog to help everyday families be more sustainable and save money by preventing food waste. I currently live in Wisconsin, and enjoy crafting, cooking at home, and traveling. I have a degree in art and previously worked in the restaurant business.