I want to make a six inch diameter round cake for my friend's b-day, but...?!
I want to make a six inch diameter round cake for my friend's b-day, but...?
how do I keep the buttercream frosting chilled throughout the day? She doesn't have access to a fridge, and I will give her the cake as a present in a small cake box, most likely a clear plastic box.
Is there a creative and inexpensive way to keep the cake chilled, assuming she doesn't eat the cake immediately?
I was thinking make an ice pack with a plastic baggie and fill it with ice and salt, and then surround the enclosed box with the ice baggy.
Answers:
Freeze your cake the night before. You can then take it out in the AM and put it in the box..It will thaw within 2 hours. The buttercream will remain stable thru the day. If you have a craft store near you, like Michael's, you can pick up a cake box there, or the Target has some Wilton cupcake boxes that are just large enough for your 6 inch cake on clearance.
Source(s):
Personal experience doing wedding cakes
Buttercream icing should be fine for the day. Just tell her to eat the cake up quickly...you could help!!Yummmmm!
The ice baggy sounds like a good idea. Maybe set one of those jelly freezer packs in there too.
If you make margarine-cream frosting (sorry, being silly -- just use margarine and water in your recipe instead of butter and milk) it will do fine without refrigeration. At home, we left cake with frosting at room temperature all the time and thought nothing of it. Sometimes it went a bit stale after 2-3 days, as we lived in the low desert with very dry air, but it never went "off."
maybe you can get a foam box and add ice to it . this will keep it cool for about 12 hours
standard buttercream frosting doesn't need to be chilled..it will stand a day with no problems.
Um...salt melts ice.
I would add an extra layer in there - after you've put the ice/salt in a bag and sealed it, wrap that in a paper towel or kitchen towel, then place those in another bag and seal that one. You should be able to set that in a box and then set the cake on top of it, and it should keep cold enough.
Adding the towel absorbs some of the moisture from the condensation that'll be produced on the inner bag. No one wants a wet cake! :-)
Buttercream won't go bad during the course of a day, but a warm climate might be a concern. The icing could start running. If you anticipate a warm environment, you might want to use another frosting - one which is less likely to break down. Maybe cream cheese base, or a thick chocolate ganache.
Try to keep things simple and avoid packing with ice or anything that can condense. Have the cake cold when you leave the house, have a firm frosting, and you should be okay.
Sounds like a cute gift, and the clear plastic box will be a nice presentation.