How to Freeze a Baked Gluten Free Crumb Coffee Cake
When I make my Grandma's Gluten Free Cinnamon Coffee Cake, I make sure every last piece is saved, so I freeze the leftover slices.Keep reading as I will show you how to freeze a baked gluten free crumb coffee cake whether it is whole or in individual pieces.Having a moist coffee cake available to enjoy with a cup of coffee is a wonderful convenience when you have guests arrive or you want to treat your family to an unforgettable coffee cake anytime.
Yield: 1 frozen cake or slices
Cost: 12
Equipment
- plastic wrap or aluminum foil
- Freezer Zip Top Bags
- Parchment Paper or Freezer Paper
- baking sheet
- Permanent Marker
Materials
- Cake you are freezing (whole or sliced)
Instructions
Freezing Your Gluten Free Coffee Cake Whole
- To freeze the whole thing make sure you use parchment paper when baking the cake. This allows you to lift the entire cake out of the prepared pan without disturbing the streusel topping.
- If you have made the coffee cake in a pan that is unable to be lined with parchment like a bundt pan, then make sure you grease the pan well and coat with some cake flour before adding the cake batter.
- Once the cake has baked and set for a short time, lift it out of the pan and let the cake cool on a wire rack until it has reached room temperature. Now wrap the cake tightly in a layer of plastic wrap, followed by a layer of aluminum foil or heavy-duty freezer wrap to prevent freezer burn.
- Using two layers of plastic wrap is a good idea as well, then place the wrapped cake into a heavy-duty freezer bag or freezer safe airtight container. Zip-top freezer bags work best as they are meant to store food in the freezer with and prevent freezer burn which dries out and ruins food.
- Make sure to write the date you froze it, as well as the best by date so you can identify it later once frozen.
Freezing Your Gluten Free Coffee Cake in Slices
- Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and place the cut slices on the sheet tray with a few inches in-between each.
- Freeze this way for 1 hour then remove from the freezer and wrap each piece of leftover cake in plastic wrap or heavy duty foil.
- As with the whole cake, place the wrapped slices into a freezer plastic bag and label the outside with the date it was frozen and a date 3 months out that it is best by.
Thawing and Serving the Frozen Coffee Cake
- If you froze the whole cake, the best thawing method is to transfer the cake from the freezer to the refrigerator and allow it to thaw overnight.
- If in individual slices, I still recommend thawing in the refrigerator overnight or on the countertop at room temperature for a few hours.
- Once thawed, reheat the cake slices in the oven or toaster oven until warmed. I place the slice or entire cake on a baking sheet and heat oven to 350F.
- Bake the thawed cake 10-12 minutes or individual slices for 5-6 minutes.
Notes
Should I go ahead and top my coffee cake with the drizzle or wait until serving?
The drizzle is easy to make right before serving your coffee cake versus topping before freezing. You can of course put the drizzle on before freezing like I did and it will still taste fantastic. The drizzle is not as visible but the flavor is there soaked into the top crumble. To make the drizzle easily, in a small bowl whisk unsalted butter, pure vanilla extract, stevia drops, heavy cream and confectioners erythritol. It will seem like there are not enough wet ingredients to dry ingredients, but just trust the process and continue whisking. You could also put it in a large bowl and mix with an electric mixer if you don't want to use elbow grease!
- I chose to make My Grandma's Gluten Free Coffee Cake Recipe in an 8x8 pan since it was easier to line the pan with parchment and lift out for cutting and preserving. You can of course use this same technique with loaf pans. If you are using a recipe that normally goes in an 8x8 pan, use two parchment paper lined loaf pans and follow the directions for the cake layers.
- Good news is that this technique of freezing cake also works with layer cakes, sheet cakes and even a whole frozen pie. Many pro bakers use this idea with wedding cake, angel food cake, cookie dough and even popular chocolate cake.
- Ensure your cake stays fresh in the freezer by layering the plastic freezer wrap and combining with a freezer bag for best results.
- If the cake you are wanting to freeze includes cream cheese chunks or a cream cheese swirl, keep in mind that the cream cheese layer may separate if it is not blended with a little bit of the flour mixture and an egg. Blending some of the batter with the cream cheese and an egg helps to stabilize the cream cheese so it does not separate in baking and storage.