How To Reheat Cake
I have been making cakes for years and I always use the same method. After cooling, I put them in an airtight container with plastic wrap on top of them to keep moisture from escaping. Then when ready to serve, I remove the plastic wrap and cut it into slices or squares. I place it on a baking sheet and bam – into the microwave – but I get dry cake!
Maybe you have some leftover cake from a party or mini cupcakes from a wedding? We will show you how to warm them up so they are warm, moist, and delicious and do not go to waste.
Well, I spent quite a bit of time working with a whole lot of variables like a preheated oven, cold oven, even looking at a baking pan – what if any are better for getting that nice warm cake.
I then look at what are some other ways that people warm and moisten their baked goods, even pancakes, and the paper towel method to see if it would work on cakes.
Read on for the best recipe to reheat a cake.
How to Properly Reheat Baked Caked
Whether you purposefully baked to freeze or have unplanned leftovers, reheating baked cake properly is a skill worth mastering. The best way to do this is by using your oven’s convection or forced air function. Also, baking at a lower temperature than usual will ensure that as much as possible of the moisture stays in the cake, rather than being baked.
How long does cake stored in the fridge last?
The first step when re-heating any type of cake is to make sure they are at ambient room temperature and then place them on an ungreased cookie sheet. If you don’t use parchment paper, grease the pan with butter or oil so that the cakes won’t stick together while reheating.
Simple Steps To Reheating Homemade Cake
Let’s talk about warming your cake if you haven’t already done so. There will be slightly different methods depending on your cake. For example, a pound cake will take slightly less time than a chocolate lava cake. If you have frosting on a cake then the frosting will melt very quickly in the microwave. For a lava cake, I would recommend using an oven, or toaster oven and for crab cakes then a microwave will be fine.
There’s something about a warm cake that makes you feel decadent, and it’s not quite the same as a room-temperature cake. So getting the right method is important, but it will take some practice for you to get it just right. With the right techniques and patience, you can use your microwave or oven.
How to Reheat A Cake In The Oven
Warming up your cake will help restore some of the moistness and light or fluffy texture. If it feels too firm then you can try wrapping the cake in aluminum foil to keep the moisture in. It needs to be done correctly or it will dry out.
Of course, each cake will be slightly different and we will cover some specific cake types soon.
- To start the warming process place your cake in a cold oven.
- This lets the cake warm up gently.
- Then turn the oven to 250 F Bake
- Place the Cake in the oven for 10-15 minutes
This is a great method for chocolate cake, chocolate lava cake, ice cream cake, or any cake with a ganache. You may get a small running of the toppings, but I find the microwave worse.
If your cake is already a bit dry then you wrap it in tin foil to keep the moisture in.
I use a foil-lined baking tray.
How to Reheat A Dominos Lava Cake
I find the oven produces a more even result when heating a dominos lava cake – after they use a pizza oven.
- Preheat the Oven To 275F
- Plave the lava cake in the oven for 10 minutes
- Check the lava temperature with a skewer or probe themometer – around 100F or 40 C is fine
- If not hot enough put bake for a further 5 minutes.
What is the best way to Reheat a Dominos Lava Cake?
The oven method lets you warm up lots of Dominos Lava Cakes at the same time, evenly all heated. The microwave gives an uneven heat distribution. So the best method is the oven it makes the chocolate lava nice and warm.
Of course, this cake heating recipe also works for How to reheat molten lava cake – not only dominos.
How to Reheat Cake in the Microwave
If you’re careful, using a microwave to cook your cake can be a great idea. Microwaves can make things wet and dry. You’re going to want to be careful with timing since a perfect cake depends on the right amount of moisture being retained in the cake during the heating process. A cooked molten lava cake can actually explode from the middle if heated too long in the microwave. Whipped cream is best scooped off and replaced after the cake comes out of the oven.
If you are unsure I would recommend using a thermometer to check its temperature after microwaving the cake, especially the first time – because if you leave it in even a few seconds too long it can be “super hot” – and you do not want to burn your self.
At the least use an oven mitt to handle the cake while in the microwave. This will help prevent burns from occurring if something happens to go wrong, or a pocket of steam escapes.
So what’s the secret to heating a cake correctly in the microwave?
Simply put less time is better.
- For smaller cakes, like a mini cupcake, or muffin set the time for 15 seconds and check the temperature. Repeat after that in 10-second bursts. Also, use this method for a cut single piece of cake.
- If you have a larger cake start with a time of 45 seconds. It is worth noting microwaves deliver uneven heat. So after each time period alter the position of the cake it will give you a more even reheating cake result.
- After you take it out of the microwave let it sit for 30-60 seconds.
How do I know when my cake is done reheating? Check with a probe thermometer of around 40F for a warm cake.
Microwaves are convenient because they heat food quickly without having to turn the stove on high. They also save energy by using less electricity compared to conventional cooking methods like baking and grilling. However, microwaving isn’t always ideal since it doesn’t allow foods to cook evenly. For example, cake tends to dry out if left in too long them.
Reheating Cakes With Filling
The reheating process will be similar if your cake has a filling such as creams, fruits, or molten chocolate. However the big difference is the cake filling will heat up at a different – often faster rate than your cake.
The best advice is to take small steps and experiment. See our table below for the exact methods and times we used for different cakes.
Reheating cakes is something that everyone does every now and again. Whether it’s because you want to eat it later, or just because you like eating warm food, there are plenty of reasons why you might choose to reheat a cake. However, if you aren’t careful, you may end up ruining your cake by overheating it. So take the cake heating in small steps.
How do you moisten a cake after baking it?
If your cake comes out of the baking oven just a little dry what do you do?
Or maybe your cake is a little dry before you start the reheating process.
Top tip is to use simple syrup to add back some moisture and texture.
- To make the syrup – bring the saucepan to a boil with equal parts sugar and water.
- Now to get the syrup inside the cake – poke holes in the top of your cake with a skewer.
- Once all the syrup is absorbed into the cake, remove the pan from the heat and serve immediately.
You can add a dash of vanilla extract if you want a little flavor to your syrup.
To decorate your cake after cooking you can certainly use powdered sugar or chocolate chips, or a spoon of whipped cream.
How long does Homemade cake last?
I have a question about how to store cakes. I make my own from scratch and it’s always moist, but after 2-3 days the top starts getting crusty and dry. Is there anything that can be done or is this just part of baking?
You could also try adding a little more butter or yogurt to the batter- and that will help keep the cake moist longer.
We used to add yogurt to our cake batter in our commercial factory and they stayed moist for a week which was their shelf life in the store.
Generally speaking, a basic cake will stay fresh on your countertop for 2 – days but you must place it in an air-tight container or wrap it on plastic wrap. This also assumes your kitchen is not too hot.
However, with cream or custard-based filling, I find it better to keep it in the fridge.
In the fridge, it will keep fresh for about 6 days. Again cover it with plastic wrap, or keep it in an air-tight container.
Cakes can be frozen for between 4-6 months
Defrosting A Cake From Frozen
Working with a frozen cake isn’t much different from a fridge-cooled cake.
The key thing to remember is to defrost your cake slowly so that it won’t become soggy.
To defrost a cake – simply pop it straight onto a plate and leave it covered overnight. Just let nature do its work!
Once you thaw your cake, you can either serve it at room temperature or use one of the previous methods. Just like the day it was baked, it should taste fresh.
How to Reheat Funnel Cake
Funnel cakes are often served at fairs, carnivals, and crowd many people. So if you have leftover funnel cake how do I reheat it
How to Reheat Funnel Cake in Oven?
How do I reheat my funnel cake but prevent it from drying out? the best method is the oven because it heats all parts of the cake evenly.
Follow these steps to reheat funnel cake in the oven.
- Preheat your oven to 300 F or 150 C.
- Line a baking pan with parchment paper.
- Space out the fried dough so they are not touching on the baking tray
- Put them in the oven for about eight to ten minutes or until you see they are crisp again.
- Check after six minutes that they are not already hot enough and continue.
How to Reheat Funnel Cake in Microwave?
Can you reheat a funnel cake in the microwave? Yes, but there are some challenges. Microwaves give uneven heat and this type of cake will often just collapse into a bit of a mess. But if you can not wait here is how you do it
- Place the funnel cake on a microwave safe plate
- Cover the cake with a paper towel or microwave warming dome
- Heat for 20 seconds and check
- Repeat with 15 second bursts until ready