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Let's talk about one of the most frustrating things when you're decorating cakes
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Condensation. I'm going to show you two reasons why it happens, and then how to prevent it with two different methods
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Then, in case it happens to you, how to fix it. Condensation is not pretty. It makes these ugly droplets on the outside of a cake
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and what's worse is that it can make the colours in the frosting run. So you'll see pools of coloured liquid on the cakeboard around the base of your cake
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and the colours of the decorations can run down the side. of the cake too. So, why does condensation happen? Reason number one is a change or difference in
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temperature. So when the temperature of the cake within the frosting is colder than the air outside the
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frosting, I always recommend chilling cake layers before frosting because they get much firmer and less crumbly
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So your cake won't wobble around on the turntable as you spread the frosting on and while you smooth it
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But if it's hot in the room you're in, after about 15 minutes, you'll start to see droplets of condensation
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forming on the outside of the frosting. My first studios didn't have air conditioning
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and in the summers, this was a real struggle. I'll show you how to prevent this from happening
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and how to fix it in a moment. Condensation or sweating will happen with any big change in temperature so moving a cake or cake layers from the fridge to a hot room or from the freezer to a room even if the room is cool
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Or in a hot summer you'll also get condensation if you take a cake from air conditioning outside
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Let's talk about the other reason condensation happens. As I mentioned, I'm a big fan of chilling cakes before frosting them
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And also, after decorating, to keep the frosting and decoration stable. It makes them more stable for transfer
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sporting too. I also love being able to freeze cakes so that I can make them in advance and then
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defrost them for an event or occasion, which gives me the flexibility I need since I have three
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little ones. The challenge with fridges and freezers is that there's a lot of moisture in that
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cold air inside them, which is caused in part by opening and closing the fridge or freezer door
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which lets warm a hair in and causes condensation. So, condensation is caused by one, a difference in
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the temperature of the cake and the air around it. And two, moisture in the air in the fridge or freezer
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Here's how to avoid both types of condensation. First, minimize changes in temperature
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So if you've chilled your cake layers, frost them in a cool room
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If you freeze an entire cake put it in the fridge for 24 hours to defrost before moving it to a cool room You notice that this cake is covered with plastic wrap and that the second method to prevent condensation If you put a cake in the fridge or freezer for 30 minutes or an hour
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it won't pick up the moisture in the fridge or freezer. But if you're leaving it in there for several hours
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or overnight or even longer, you should wrap it in plastic, so that the moisture can't get to it
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You'll need a few layers of plastic wrap so that the cake is sealed and protected
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Yes, these are buttercream cakes, and if you're wondering how to wrap them without damaging the frosting, here's the trick
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After frosting the cake, put it in the freezer for an hour, and then take it out and wrap it
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An hour isn't long enough to develop condensation from the moisture in the freezer
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but it is long enough to set the frosting so that it's cold and firm
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and it will hold its shape even when plastic wrap brushes against it or rests on it
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When the cake goes back into the fridge or freezer, it will be sealed and protected from any moisture
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When you take the cake out of the fridge, unwrap it before the frosting on the cake warms up and softens so that the plastic wrap doesn't damage it
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What if the cake is being served outside? Great question. Ideally, the cake will be at room temperature and the temperature outside will be the same as the temperature inside, but that's hardly ever the case
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Take the cake outside at the last possible moment Find a spot for it in the shade and ideally have a fan blowing onto it These will all limit the amount of condensation caused by the change
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in temperature. If you do end up with condensation on your cake, maybe because you live in a hot
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country and you don't have air conditioning, or maybe you forgot to wrap a cake in plastic
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before putting it into the fridge or freezer. Don't panic, here's how to fix it. After the cake
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comes out of the fridge, it will take a few minutes before condensation droplets start to appear. The
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hotter the room, the sooner you'll see the droplets. Take a paper towel and gently press it against the
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cake and it will absorb the condensation. This works because the frosting sets in the fridge
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meaning it gets firm, and you won't indent it or leave texture or pull it away with your paper towel
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You might have to do this a few times as you're decorating, as the temperature of the cake
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slowly warms up to match the temperature of the room. I hope this has been helpful. I share everything
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I know about cakes and buttercream in my online courses, the basics of cake and the basics of
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buttercream, and you'll get access to these and every other master course and mini course on my
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cake school if you join my club plus. Just visit Britishgirlbakes.com or click the links at the top of the
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screen and in the video description. Thanks for watching
