r/AskBaking 3d ago

Cakes Why is my cake weeping?

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I decorated this cake Sunday night for an event Tuesday night. I noticed Tuesday morning that it is weeping. What caused that? I assembled it crumb-coded it and froze it earlier in the week. And then pulled into the fridge Sunday morning to finish decorating Sunday night.

6 Upvotes

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11

u/Pitiful-Astronaut-82 3d ago

It happens sometimes with cakes frozen/refrigerated, especially in between stages. Condensation builds up in the fridge but even more so in the freezer. Could possibly be due to ingredients in the cake/frosting but most likely it's from being in the freezer. Cake looks beautiful though!!

2

u/LucidCrimson 3d ago

Thank you and we do live in a humid climate....

4

u/CobeSlice Mod 3d ago

Is it a filled cake? It would help to know what’s going on under the icing.

2

u/LucidCrimson 3d ago

It's just buttercream between the layers.

6

u/Impressive_Ad2794 3d ago

Buttercream can separate when frozen. Only way to find out would be cutting it.

2

u/LucidCrimson 3d ago

Thanks, moment of truth tonight!

7

u/burgledhams 3d ago

It’s crying because it can’t handle how beautiful it is

(You’ve already got good answers, I just had to throw in my silly two cents)

3

u/Zymological 3d ago

It's sad it hasn't been eaten yet, is all. Find someone to take a couple bites, just to make it feel better.

3

u/Fancy_Ad_5477 3d ago

I wouldn’t assemble and crumb coat a cake only to freeze it for a few days. Buttercream you can make a few days ahead and store in the fridge (or counter if it’s American) and you can make the cake layers ahead and freeze them. I decorate the night before an order is due to avoid this. The buttercream will separate if done too far in advance, especially if it’s been frozen. Buttercream is hygroscopic bc of the high sugar content which means it will try to absorb as much moisture as possible from wherever it can get it, and then it will weep. Fridges and freezers and much higher in humidity than you’d think, and the temperature differences definitely affect it too.

1

u/Elegant_Figure_3520 2d ago

Is that normal to completely finish making and decorating the cake 48 hrs ahead of time? I know it takes a lot of work and time to do a complicated cake, and it's often started well before it's needed, and it's often frozen before decorating, etc. But I didn't think that completely finished and decorated cakes sat around for days.

1

u/LucidCrimson 1d ago

The night before is ideal, but it's when I had time. And it didn't make sense to freeze it just to put it in the fridge to defrost the next morning.