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Freezing Pastries & Baked Goods


McDuff

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I will definately do whipped cream, as that is what is in BF cake. The reason for the butter cream is to insulate the tranfer picture from the whipping cream. The picture will not hold up on whipping cream.

Maybe a thin layer of chocolate icing would be better and butter cream?

Life is short, eat dessert first

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How big is the image? Would it fit on a bar (a large bar) of white chocolate? Or do you have any white candy melts?

I use this edible image stuff periodically, and for message plaques, I print something with a fancy font and appropriate graphics, print it out and then wave a torch in the vicinity of the back of a bar of white ghiradhelli (usually because the dipping chocolate I use I keep in a bowl and never remember to spread it out on a piece of acetate when it's fluid), peel off the backing from the image and put it on the chocolate. Then when the cake gets to it's destination, the client can position it (this helps guard against breakage in transit).

Do you have any fondant? You could do the same with a piece of fondant. Dampen it ever so slightly and then apply the image to the fondant.

By doing this, you can put the image on when you get to your destination and not worry about it on buttercream or whipped cream (the bakery is correct, the image will start to break down on whipped cream overnight.)

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The cake will be 9 x 13 - the image will be covering most of the cake.

I was thinking that I would apply the image to the top of the cake just before serving, not the night before. However, I think the image will break down on whipping cream as soon as it starts to get a bit warm. For that reason I need a sturdier surface to attach the image.

I have no experience working with fondant - I am an experienced home baker, but far from a pro.

Am I trying to do the impossible?

Life is short, eat dessert first

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How important is having the image on the cake vs having a good black forest cake?

If the type of cake is very important, then find another way to incorporate the picture into the celebration, but don't put it on the cake. For example, make a giant cookie (in addition to having the cake) and put the picture on the cookie. Or make a huge poster or banner with the picture.

Or make the cake, then build some kind of tiered stand so the giant cookie can have its own place above the cake, but not touching the cake.

If having the picture on the cake is more important than the cake, itself, then change your cake, or just don't use whipped cream. Fondant and/or buttercream on a black forest cake is a bad idea, imo, since as others have said, then it's not really a black forest cake anymore. However, if the picture is really that important, then change the cake.

Or do the whole "black forest" cake in buttercream, but then serve it with whipped cream on the side.

Edited by prasantrin (log)
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I wouldn't freeze the whipped cream either. What would work is using a thin layer of marzipan to put the picture on (so whipped cream, marzipan, picture). I've done that succesfully before. It's no different than using fondant, just a different flavor. I do think marzipan goes well with black forest. If you want to go the fondant route, just buy a package, roll it out until it's not too thick, then put it on the cake. It's really not hard if you buy the fondant :o).

Another thing you could do is make a chocolate plaque the size of the picture. Melt/temper the chocolate, pour it into the desired size, let harden, put picture on, and you're set !

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The image is the important thing...............

The birthday boy loves chocolate, so I must do something chocolate.  I chose BF cake because it is fairly light after a big meal.

If a black forest cake is "light", then a plain chocolate cake with very simple icing (and filling) would still be light. Then you'd solve your image on whipped cream problem. Or just make a chocolate cake with cherry filling, and cover it with a thin-ish buttercream, and don't call it black forest cake. He'll still love it.

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Another thing you could do is make a chocolate plaque the size of the picture. Melt/temper the chocolate, pour it into the desired size, let harden, put picture on, and you're set !

This would be my recommendation, too, and seemingly the least fragile of your options. The chocolate is also in keeping with the typical elements of a black forest cake (sponge cake, cherries, syrup, whipped cream and [shaved] chocolate).

Baker of "impaired" cakes...
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Another thing you could do is make a chocolate plaque the size of the picture. Melt/temper the chocolate, pour it into the desired size, let harden, put picture on, and you're set !

Great idea! That is what I will do. It should work a treat. Thank you for the suggestion. :biggrin:

Life is short, eat dessert first

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hi,

in fall and winter we usually have a foret noir in our repertoire. and of course we freeze it. most if not all french patisserie is usually frozen. the trick is to not to use plain whipped cream but a very light mousse, stabilized by a little bit of gelatin, you should be able to find a decent recipe anywhere. if you use just a small enough amount of gelatin you can not taste the difference between a whipped cream. and get yourself some DECENT kirsch, from alsace if possible ;-)

cheers

t.

toertchen toertchen

patissier chocolatier cafe

cologne, germany

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I too was planning on preparing a Pierre Herme Black Forest cake and freezing it. I am planning to use a white chocolate whipped cream (3.5 oz High Sierra white chocolate per 8 oz whipping cream. Let sit overnight in the refrigerator before whipping) with vanilla and Kirsch instead of the gelatin stabilized whipped cream. Since I'll be serving the cake during an afternoon party in June I was hoping that the white chocolate whipped ganache would hold up better to the expected heat. Would this also be a better surface for the transfer picture? Comments please.

BertM

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Soooo... if you want to do the cake and want to do whipped cream and need to freeze it why not just assemble the cake, freeze it, then coat it with the whipped cream when you're ready to use it? It doesn't take long to coat a cake in cream even if you're doing some piping. I'm the second worst cake decorator (icing/piping) in the world (possibly the worst but I'm hoping there's someone out there somewhere that struggles more with it) and it doesn't take me long to coat/pipe a cake with cream so it should be a breeze for most people. :biggrin:

It's kinda like wrestling a gorilla... you don't stop when you're tired, you stop when the gorilla is tired.

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I assemble PH's Black Forest cake in a ring: cocoa cake layer followed by Kirsch flavored cream into which kirsch soaked sour cherries are embedded followed by chocolate whipped cream. I'm planning to substitute Kirsch flavored white chocolate whipped cream for the Kirsch flavored whipped cream as I am planning to freeze the cake. I am hoping that the white chocolate whipped creams will not weep as much as the gelatin enhanced Kirsch whipped cream. Any experience with these ingredients? After thawing I'll dress the edge with a thin layer of whipped cream and the top is covered with shaved chocolate as in Dorie Greenspan's book.

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I am not a big white chocolate fan, so I think I will stick with the whipped cream.

I have a friend who freezes BF cake all the time, with the whipped cream in place. Before serving she skim coats the outside to make the whipped cream look fresh. It is a lovely cake, so I think I will take a chance. PH's whipped chocolate layer has gelatin in it as a stabilizer.

I am going to go with a chocolate slab as a foundation for the picture and incorporate it onto the top of the cake as part of the decoration.

Life is short, eat dessert first

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I'm making a two-layer chocolate mousse-filled cake for a party on Sunday. My life would be so much easier if I could actually fill this cake and freeze it. The mousse filling contains gelatin for stability - would freezing be ok? I'll thaw slowly and glaze on the day it will be served.

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  • 1 month later...

Anyone have any experience baking a pecan pie from frozen? Or how about freezing a made pineapple upside down cake for defrosting and serving later?

I've had a lot of success baking fruit pies from frozen - in fact I would say it is my preferred way to bake fruit pie. I also loving making & baking cakes & cookies in advance and then defrosting to serve - it's the only way to get through the holidays.

BUT...

- I worry about the eggs in the pecan pie filling, and whether the filling would set properly before the crust is done.

- I worry about the pineapple in the upside-down cake doing some weird crystallization thing.

Help. I have a lot of desserts to make for 4th of July... the more I can do in advance, the happier I'll be...

Edited by viva (log)

...wine can of their wits the wise beguile, make the sage frolic, and the serious smile. --Alexander Pope

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