We’ve all been there. Out and about and somebody had the brilliant idea of a cuppa and a slice of cake. I’m sure I’m speaking for the majority of us when I say that the cake that comes to mind is almost certainly, homemade! I know it is for me. I want something a bit special. Well crafted and worthy of the money I’m going to spend on it.
A cake and a cuppa is a real treat. It doesn’t really matter what the average spend is. There are many places that you can go to for this decadent treat – cafes, garden centres, tea rooms. Sometimes you can make a meal out of it and indulge in afternoon tea (sometimes with bubbles). Whichever you decide to have as your treat, it should be priced to reflect the quality of the product/venue/etc and leave you feeling as though you really have treated yourself.
Something came to light recently. I’d never thought of it before now, but a scenario presented itself where I was asked to provide cake that was buttercream filled and decorated and then frozen for use at a later date. I explained that I have NEVER supplied a frozen cake or cake that had been previously frozen and, that I didn’t intend to start now. For me, I want my cakes to be eaten in the best possible condition. I believe that for the cakes I make, the best possible condition is fresh, not frozen.
Others have built successful businesses based on frozen products and that is testament to their production methods and marketing. I’m sure we’ve all seen large lorries transporting frozen food items to various catering establishments. There are also smaller business producing frozen craft products. Different markets require different suppliers.
How would you feel if you went out for your tea and cake treat and discovered it had previously been frozen? Some customers wouldn’t mind either way. I think, so long as you know what you are eating and whether it is fresh or previously frozen, that’s OK. So long as you know!
You might have got to this point in this blog post and think – ‘what does it matter anyway?’ There is a massive difference in the texture and overall look of a homemade cake that is fresh and, one that has been frozen.
Frozen food producers use blast chillers and blast freezers to cool their products down and freeze them, in the quickest time possible. These are commercial pieces of equipment that home bakers don’t usually have available to use. You and I probably have similar domestic freezers. What’s the significance? Well, the quicker you can chill and freeze something, the smaller the ice crystals are that form within the product (cake). Therefore, when the cake is defrosted, and the ice crystals thaw, they do not cause so much damage to the structure of the cake. When you place something in your freezer at home, it takes quite a long time (hours) for it to freeze thoroughly (even with a fast freeze facility). The ice crystals have a long time to form and grow in size. Ice crystals grow and expand – that’s just what they do. They create their own space by rupturing the form and structure of the item they are forming in. Obviously, we won’t see this damage happening because as the crystals are forming and rupturing the structure of the cake, they are simultaneously providing strength and structure themselves. This is all well and good whilst the cake stays frozen. The problem occurs as the cake defrosts. As the ice crystals thaw, they expand, causing more damage to the integrity of the cake. The moisture within the ice is released and this causes sogginess to the cake. Flavour can be compromised and the look of the cake can be affected. A beautiful fresh cake can, once frozen, become dull, grainy and unappealing. Buttercream becomes a heavier texture and the attraction of the homemade cake is reduced. Which would you rather have? An additional effect is that the thawed cake will become really dry over the next couple of days because the moisture that was locked into the cake at baking, has evaporated out of the cake as the ice crystals have thawed.
It’s not complicated stuff but it certainly explains why there is a lot of sub-standard cake out there that was originally made with love and trashed by the freezer!
If you go out for tea and cake, I firmly believe that the vendor should be transparent and make clear if the cake that you are going to buy has previously been frozen. Seems only reasonable to me!