Need quick answer: do cupcakes need to be refrigerated?

[wencit]

I would post this in What's Cookin', but I need an answer ASAP. If I bake chocolate cupcakes tonight to take to a party tomorrow night, do they need to be refrigerated? Or can I leave them out on my counter tonight? I plan to frost and decorate them tomorrow.

Thanks!

[bubbaray]

They would probably be easier to decorate if you froze them, actually.

[JTsMom]

They don't have to be, but I usually refrigerate them.

[DietCokeLover]

They would be fine sitting out. If you freeze them, they are much easier to frost.

[Wife_and_mommy]

They would probably be easier to decorate if you froze them, actually.

Does this apply if they're really cold from the fridge? I wouldn't want to freeze them but maybe they'd be thawed by the evening?

[bubbaray]

IMO, if you freeze them overnight until about noon then frost them, they will definitely be thawed by night.

[wencit]

Wow, I never knew about the whole freezing thing! Can I just pop them in the freezer as is? I don't have a lot of room in there to hold a big plastic container. I need to start frosting them in the morning (like 9AM); will they be thawed by the start of the party at 6PM? Also, will the texture of the cupcakes suffer? Will they get watery and soggy as they defrost?

[Fairy]

This might be why I've never once had successful cupcakes. Cool.

[egoldber]

Cupcakes will defrost in a little over an hour at room temp. By two hours they would be fully thawed. The texture is completely unaffected. Learning to freeze cupcakes and cakes has revolutionized cake decorating for me. :)

[mamaoftwins]

This might be why I've never once had successful cupcakes. Cool.

:yeahthat: So, let me get this straight, in the freezer overnight, then take them out and immediately frost them? Or wait to frost them until they thaw a little first?

[bubbaray]

:yeahthat: So, let me get this straight, in the freezer overnight, then take them out and immediately frost them? Or wait to frost them until they thaw a little first?

Frost right away, so that the top of the cupcake d/n come off when you smooth the icing on....

BTW, I can't make jello to save my life. If its any consolation.

[SnuggleBuggles]

I haven't had good luck freezing cupcakes at all. Some of my recipes frost just fine off the counter.

If you want perfect do a crumb coat and pop them in the fridge for a bit (an hour or so) then do your next layer of frosting. That's my strategy.

Beth

[mamaoftwins]

Frost right away, so that the top of the cupcake d/n come off when you smooth the icing on....

BTW, I can't make jello to save my life. If its any consolation.

Wow - thanks!! And I can make jello, so maybe we need to set up a trade once in awhile. ;)

[swrc00]

Thanks to this thread I was able to make an awesome Halloween cake for our neighborhood Fall Festival. I had just finished baking the cake when I read this thread. Little did I know it would rescue me.

I noticed well I was upstairs getting ready for bed last night that one of the dogs was not upstairs. I ran downstairs to find him eating the cake. Ugh! I figured I would get up early this morning to have the cake ready at 1:00 for the festival. I got up in the morning and ran to the store to get another box of cake mix. In my rush of making the cake when I got home, I dropped the egg carton and had to go back to the store to buy eggs. At this point it is about 10:45 and the cake hasn't even made it to the oven yet. Anyways after baking the cake I put it into the refridgerator to cool and the icing went on beautifully. It was after I iced the cake, that I realized the festival was Sunday not today. I swear things like this never happened to me until I became pregnant.

Thanks for the chilling tip!

Oh, the eggs were a breeze to clean up after spreading salt over them.

[elektra]

I know this is an old thread but just wanted to thank all the PP's for their insight here! I just finished frosting the cupcakes I made for DD's birthday today. I baked, cooled, and then froze them last night and then frosted them just now. It was a piece of cake! ;)
DH said, "Don't freeze them!" and I told him that I did my research and all should be good. :thumbsup:
I ate one and it was still pretty good even though it was a bit frozen still. Can't wait to eat more later.
Thanks for the tip! Hope my little leprechaun likes her cupcakes too.