Is It Okay To Freeze Coffee Cake?

Crumbly, delicious coffee cake is perfect for so many occasions, not just with a cup of coffee. But if you live alone, are thinking of making extra to save for later, or plan to scoop up an additional one when your favorite brand is on sale, then you may be wondering if it's okay to freeze. Luckily, coffee cake freezes amazingly well, even if it happens to be frosted. Just be sure to take the right steps to ensure that it won't dry out or take on any funky freezer odors.

The most important step to take when freezing coffee cake — or any cake really — is protecting it from direct contact with the air. If you allow the frigid air to blow directly on the cake it will dry out and come out tasting stale. So be sure to cover it well, and that coffee cake will taste just as good after being frozen for a few months as it did when it was first made. Although it will still be safe to eat after the three-month mark, the flavor might start to degrade if it's left in there much longer than that.

The ideal way to save a coffee cake from drying out or getting freezer burn is to cover it with a double layer of protection. So be sure to swaddle it up in either foil or plastic wrap first before sliding it into a heavy-duty freezer bag or airtight freezer-safe container. It's perfectly fine to do this while the cake is still whole, but you can also cut and wrap individual pieces. Doing so will make it easy to defrost a serving at a time, keeping the remainder fresh for later.

It's also super important to be sure that the coffee cake has completely cooled down before preparing it for the freezer — otherwise, you could end up with a soggy mess. While this isn't something to worry about with store-bought cakes, if it's one you've made yourself you'll want to let it hang out on the counter for a little while until you're sure it has reached room temperature all the way through.

On the off chance that your coffee cake is frosted then you'll actually want to stick it directly in the freezer for a few hours first. This will allow the frosting to harden so that it can be safely wrapped up. If you don't, you'll end up peeling much of the frosting off later when you remove the plastic wrap or foil.

It's a good idea to defrost frozen coffee cake in the refrigerator — especially if it's a whole cake. That's because the sudden temperature change can cause it to get a little soggy when defrosted at room temperature. Defrosting in the fridge will take longer, of course, so you may want to take it out the night before you are planning to eat it. If you've frozen it in individual pieces it will defrost much quicker and won't be at as big of a risk of losing its perfect texture if you defrost it on the counter. While you technically could defrost a single serving in the microwave it's just not going to taste as good as it will if you let it take its time on the counter or in the fridge.

Now that you know how to properly freeze and defrost a coffee cake there's no reason not to stock up on the sweet treat. You might as well grab an extra one when they go on sale. Or bake a second while you've got all the ingredients out already.