How to Freeze Cooked Cupcakes

You can freeze cupcakes for several months without affecting taste.

You can freeze baked goods, including cooked cupcakes, for several months. As long as you wrap the cupcakes properly, they will stay free of freezer burn and any bad taste or discoloration for up to three months. Some frostings, such as buttercream, freeze well. Many other frostings lose their consistency during freezing and smear during wrapping. For this reason, it is more effective to freeze just the cake itself and then frost cupcakes when you are ready to use them.

Things You'll Need

• Indelible marker
• Paper tape

Instructions

1. Allow cupcakes to cool completely. Remove cupcakes from baking pans, being careful not to break them. Leave the cupcakes unfrosted.

2. Wrap cupcakes in aluminum foil. You can wrap each cupcake individually or wrap them in groups of four. Make sure the aluminum foil completely covers the cupcakes to protect them from any bad freezer taste or discoloration.

3. Seal foil-covered cupcakes in plastic bags. Do not overfill the bags -- if the bags open in the freezer, the cupcakes may get freezer burn.

4. Stick a piece of paper tape on each plastic bag. Using indelible marker, write the month and the date on the tape.

5. Defrost and consume the cupcakes within two to three months. After that amount of time, the quality and consistency of the cupcake may deteriorate, although they usually will not be harmful.

Tips & Warnings

• Frozen cupcakes are easier to frost than fresh cupcakes.

• Do not substitute paper-based wrapping materials for the aluminum foil. Paper alone will not protect the cupcakes from freezer burn.

References

• University of Georgia Cooperative Extension Service: Freezing Prepared Foods
• North Dakota State University Extension Service: Freezing Baked Goods

Resources

• University of Florida: All About Cupcakes: History of the Cupcake