Keeping cupcakes fresh

Faith

I'm making batches of different cupcakes for people for Christmas - everybody is getting a selection. The trouble is, one person won't be getting theirs until 2 or 3 days after they've been baked. Is there a way to keep them fresh? If I freeze them, will they defrost properly?

olaola

Ohh errr - are you icing them?

rebelmomma

I imagine if they are gifts they will be iced? Buy yourself a lunchbox from tesco or the like only a few euro and place cakes in their make sure it seals tight and tie a nice bit of ribbon around it. the only way to keep them super fresh is to place them in an airtight container and don't let anyone open them. saying that they won't taste as if they are first made but they shouldn't dry out /hardened in the lunchbox.

olaola

If they are iced, depending on the type of icing, you'll need to put them in the fridge. But if they're kept cold, the cake bit will go hard.

Faith

I'm icing them, but not until the last minute. Google seems to suggest that they'll be okay if I freeze them once they're cool, and unfrosted?

huskerdu

I would also suggest using a bit more butter than the recipe suggests.

That helps to keep them moist.

Dinkie

Faith wrote: »

I'm icing them, but not until the last minute. Google seems to suggest that they'll be okay if I freeze them once they're cool, and unfrosted?

I was going to suggest freezing them. And then icing them at the very end. Also as suggested add extra butter to keep moist.

Could you use a muffin batter instead of a cupcake batter? You could still ice them, but in my head muffins stay fresher then cupcakes (more liquid in them)... and often taste nicer.

anothernight

If you use vegetable oil in place of some of the butter, they will also keep moister for longer.

Acoshla

Buttercream freezes perfectly, I often freeze cupcakes with icing on them and they genuinely thaw out so well that you would never know they have been frozen. What decorations are you putting on them? Decorations made from sugarpaste will not do too well in the freezer, they melt a bit when they thaw, but if left alone will eventually harden up again, but say you had a little christmas tree on a cupcake, it will go limp when thawing, when a little flower would thaw out fine eventually.

Also with regards to keeping them in a sealed container, the build up of moisture in the box can cause cases to pop off and has the same effect on sugarpaste decorations as the thawing process. If keeping decorated cupcakes overnight (or 2 nights) the best thing to keep them in is a box with the lid placed loosely on top.

I baked cupcakes on Saturday and had a few left over until yesterday, due to the cold weather they were kept in a very cold state in a card box in a cool room for the last few days, still tasted perfect yesterday. Just found another box of them frozen in my car a few minutes ago, gonna let them thaw and see how they are

Faith

Thanks everyone. I froze them unfrosted in the end. I've just taken them back out of the freezer and will be giving them to my friend this evening, so hopefully they'll still taste as good!