The Cake Top and Your 1st Year Anniversary

Most brides and grooms know this tradition. You take the top of the cake and put it in your freezer and eat it together on your one year anniversary.

There are always stories of couples enjoying their cake top on their first anniversary and a few about couple pulling a piece of delicious cake out of deep freeze on their fifth anniversary, but these stories are few and greatly outnumbered by the stories of couples disappointed by their cake when they pull it out of the freezer after a year.

Unfortunately, a year in the freezer doesn’t normally improve the taste or texture of a cake. In addition, power outages or other unforeseen problems can keep you from completing the tradition.

Unless you absolutely don’t care what the cake tastes like or are determined to observe this tradition, you might wish to consider forgoing this old tradition and instead start a new one.

When it comes time for your first year anniversary, call your baker and order the same top that you had on your wedding cake. Some married couples, select a different wedding cake each year to celebrate their wedding anniversary.

Another alternative is to carefully wrap your cake top and place it in a plastic, airtight container and then put it in the freezer and eat when you get back from your honeymoon. Maybe during an intimate one-month anniversary celebration.

If you decide to freeze your cake and wait a full year before pulling it out of the freezer, there are a few things you can do to preserve its taste and texture.

• Wrap your cake well. Plastic wrap around the cake itself followed by placing the cake inside a zippered freezer bag will help ensure that the cake is well insulated from the outside air. This will help to prevent freezer burn and ensure moisture retention.
• Adding an air-tight plastic container outside of the zippered bag will not only add an extra layer of protection, it will also add support to the cake and keep it from being crushed while in the freezer.
• Avoid keeping the cake in the freezer portion of your refrigerator. A chest or upright freezer stays much colder than a small kitchen freezer. Chest or upright freezers are also opened less often than your refrigerator, contributing to a more constant temperature.
• Do not leave your cake sitting on a cardboard support. The cardboard can steal moisture from the cake and transfer its own flavor to your cake. If you can, transfer the cake to a plastic, glass or stoneware plate for freezing. You can always remove the plate one the cake is frozen solid.