Can pineapple upside down cake be frozen?

Enjoying a cake is always a pleasure, but a beautiful cake makes any occasion very special. A pineapple upside down tart has so many things going for it, it’s hard not to like it.

Covered in sweet, tropical fruit, this novelty cake is surprisingly easy to make, so while you’re at it, you might decide to make two.

If you have leftover cake, or have leftover cake, or are making a cake before a special event, you may be wondering if pineapple upside-down cake can be frozen . Yes, you can freeze pineapple upside down cake for up to 3 months, as long as it is cooled to room temperature before freezing and wrapped properly to prevent freezer burn.

In this article, we’ll outline the steps to carefully freeze your pineapple upside down cake so it stays fresh and delicious for up to 3 months.

Pineapple Upside Down Cake

A pineapple upside down cake is one of the prettiest cakes out there, especially when it comes out perfectly out of the pan.

This tropical dessert is essentially a cake that is baked with pineapple rings in the bottom of the dish so that they caramelize perfectly during the baking process. Most people further decorate the cake by adding maraschino cherries to the center of each pineapple ring.

Once it has cooked and cooled, the cake is removed from the plate so that the pineapple is visible on top.

Pineapple Upside Down Tart Ingredients - Can be frozen

Whenever you think about freezing something, you have to keep in mind the individual ingredients of the item you are freezing. A basic cake freezes perfectly well, so you have to take into account the special ingredients, specifically the pineapple.

Luckily, pineapple freezes well, especially when sliced, and cherries also stand up to freezing, so pineapple upside-down cake is a great candidate for freezing.

If you don’t like the syrupy sweetness of maraschino cherries, you can always swap them out for something else that freezes well, like pecans, date slices, or coconut chunks.

If you want to further decorate your cake with icing or frosting, you’ll need to decide if the type of frosting you’ve used is appropriate for freezing.

In most cases, freezing a cake after it’s been frosted creates better insulation and keeps the cake’s moisture levels perfectly balanced.

How to Freeze Pineapple Upside Down Cake

The first step in freezing pineapple upside down cake is the chilling process. You want the cake to have as little moisture as possible before you put it in the freezer, so you want to make sure you don’t accidentally cause any condensation when rapidly cooling a hot cake.

When you put the cake in the freezer, the moisture will turn into little ice crystals. These crystals will break the structure of your cake.

This will happen on a minuscule scale, so if only a few crystals form, you won’t notice the difference. But if your cake creates moisture from condensation inside its wrapper, lots of ice crystals will form.

Not only will they break down the structure of your cake, but when you thaw it, they will melt and leave your cake soggy.

To prevent this, allow your cake to cool to room temperature after baking, then store it in the fridge overnight. The cold of the fridge before freezing will be an optimal transition.

Wrap the cake twice to keep it fresh

Next, you should wrap the cake well to protect it from exposure to freezer air.

The best way to ensure that no air comes into contact with your cake is to double wrap it with two layers of plastic wrap.

• Place one of the plastic layers on a clean, flat surface and carefully place the cake on top.
• Seal the plastic wrap around the cake, pressing down as much as possible without crushing the cake to eliminate any air pockets.
• Lay out the second layer of plastic wrap, but face it in the opposite direction. Repeat the process.

Bonus tip: You can swap out the second layer of plastic for a layer of aluminum foil for added protection.

If you are worried about your cake, you can wrap it twice in plastic wrap and twice in aluminum foil.  You won’t be the only person to do it, we promise.

Protect your cake in the freezer

For even more protection, once the cake is wrapped in plastic wrap and/or aluminum foil, you can place it inside a freezer-safe Tupperware container.

This will not only further protect your cake from air and moisture, but also adds physical protection so that your cake doesn’t get crushed in the freezer before it’s fully frozen.

This last step will depend on the size of your cake. If it doesn’t fit in any of the Tupperware containers you have, what you can do instead is place it on a baking sheet and leave it on top of everything else in the freezer until well frozen (at least 6 hours).

By now it should be rock hard and more or less immune to damage, so you can remove the baking sheet and place your frozen pineapple upside down tart where it’s relatively untouched until you’re ready to eat it.

This may seem like a lot of work and wrapping , but it will protect your pineapple upside down cake from freezer burn and mush, so we think it’s worth it.

Can you freeze mini pineapple upside down cakes?

You can also freeze small or mini pineapple upside down cakes and pineapple upside down muffins. You will have to follow the same steps as described above, which may take a little more time for cupcakes.

Wrapping the cake two or three times is just as important for the small versions . We’ve heard that pastry chefs chill their cupcakes in the fridge and then freeze them before wrapping.

This is one option, but you’ll need to be very careful to make sure the muffins are cold before freezing them, and that you leave the freezer door closed tightly until you’re absolutely sure they’re completely frozen.

When your muffins have been frozen for at least an hour , take them out one by one and wrap them with plastic wrap and then aluminum foil, placing them back in the freezer as soon as possible to prevent them from starting to thaw.

Once they’re all wrapped up, you can transfer them to a freezer-safe Tupperware container for added safety.

How long can pineapple upside down cake be frozen?

Before putting the cake in the freezer, always remember to write the date to know how long it has been frozen.

For the most reliable results , aim to eat the cake within 2-3 weeks of freezing. Leave it in the freezer for 3 months at the most, as the quality will rapidly decline after that.

How to defrost a pineapple upside down cake

To defrost the cake when you’re ready to eat it, simply take it out of the freezer and put it on the counter at room temperature, but don’t unwrap it. Leave it tightly closed until it is completely thawed.

It will take about an hour to thaw. If you prefer, you can place it on a plate in the fridge and let it thaw there overnight.

Once you take it out of the freezer, the temperature difference will cause condensation to form.

This is why you want to make sure that the cake remains tightly closed until the temperature of the cake equilibrates with that of the air and no more moisture accumulates on the surface.

After an hour or so, you can unwrap the cake, cut it, and serve it.

How to Store Pineapple Upside Down Cake (Instead of Freezing)

If you think you are going to eat the cake within 3 days of baking, you can store the leftovers in the fridge. Transfer it to an appropriately sized serving plate or platter and place a few chopsticks on the surface.

Place some plastic wrap over the toothpicks so that it protects the cake from the air in the fridge, but does not bother or stick to the pineapple topping.

If you really don’t like pineapple upside down cake cold or just don’t have space in the fridge, you can store it, covered, on the counter, but only for 1-2 days max.

If your kitchen is too hot or humid, this is not a good solution. Put it in the fridge and take it out an hour before eating it so that it is back to room temperature.

Bottom Line: Can Pineapple Upside Down Cake Be Freezed?

In short, you can freeze pineapple upside down cake pretty well, especially if you take a little extra time to make sure it’s as close to perfect as possible.

If you’ve put the effort into making such a pretty cake, you don’t want your effort to go to waste by accidentally turning it to mush in the freezer simply because you haven’t had the patience to wrap it two or even three times.

With the right technique, pineapple upside-down tart freezes so well that you may want to double your batch when baking it for the express purpose of freezing an entire tart to eat next month.