Make Ahead/Frozen Desserts

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Gingerbug

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Make Ahead/Frozen Desserts – Recipes & Strategies

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Many desserts lend themselves to being made at least a day ahead of a party. But if you are super busy that day, it is nice to be aware of other options when it comes to having dessert on hand.

Freezing Cakes

I've frozen baked cakes, un-iced, before and it worked well! I know that some even ice their cakes, flash freeze, then wrap and store. Has anyone done this?

Here are a couple of fun links. One with general tips and tricks for freezing cakes and one recipe from BHG for cute little pecan cakes...

http://www.cakebaker.co.uk/howtofreeze.html

http://www.bhg.com/recipe/cupcakes/pecan-cakes/

Freezing Cheesecakes

Found this site...

http://www.dianasdesserts.com/index....heesecakes.cfm

...with lots of great info about cheese cakes in general including the following on freezing them:

"Cheesecakes can be frozen. Careful wrapping is very important. To freeze, place a fully cooled cheesecake in the freezer, uncovered, for 1 hour. If it's in a springform pan, remove sides of pan and freeze with the pan bottom in place. After 1 hour, use a knife to separate the cheesecake from the pan bottom. Slide it onto a foil-wrapped piece of heavy cardboard. Wrap in plastic wrap, then carefully place it inside a large freezer bag or wrap it in heavy duty aluminum foil. Label and date. Freezing for more than a month is not recommended to retain the best quality.

For a cheesecake with topping, such as fruit, always freeze cheesecake WITHOUT the topping and add the topping before serving.

Always thaw a cheesecake overnight in the refrigerator. When partially thawed, transfer it from the cardboard bottom to a serving plate."

I've never frozen a cheesecake before, so obviously my real name is not Sara Lee -

Has anyone else tried it? I mean, no one does it like Sara, but still ...we can try...lol

Freezing Pies

I found this site which has lots of great info and tips.

http://missourifamilies.org/quick/fo...qa/qafs298.htm

I have my first frozen (unbaked) pie in my freezer right now so we'll see how it does when I bake it.

Which may be a while, because after processing/canning/baking and eating our way through a TON of apples after our trip to the orchard in October, I have officially OD'd on apple. I'm sick of it!!! Give me time, but for right now, no thank you!

Here is a link to a Black & White Brownie pie I have been dying to try! The instructions I had say "Cool this pie completely after baking, wrap it well in freezer wrap, label, and freeze up to 3 months. To thaw and serve, let the pie sit on the kitchen counter for 2-3 hours until thawed. Drizzle with melted white chocolate before serving."

http://busycooks.about.com/od/sweetp...browniepie.htm

Ice Cream Pies

Even though they might seem to lie in the realm of summertime get-togethers, ice cream style pies can actually be a welcome addition to your holiday dessert table.

When you think about it, holiday parties often involve:

- Wearing a sweater
- Crackling fireplaces
- Rooms full of people
- Alcoholic beverages

All of this can add up to being a bit more warm and toasty than you might prefer. A cool, sweet dessert can really hit the spot if you are suffering from a combination of those factors.

How about a frozen pumpkin pie? Butter pecan ice cream and a gingersnap cookie crust are a couple of key ingredients here...

http://busycooks.about.com/od/sweetp...npumpkipie.htm

What kinds of frozen or make ahead desserts have you tried? Or do you want to try?
 
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AuntJamelle

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I have a whole Pinterest board devoted to "icebox" type treats - really want to start making more of them! I think it would be good to have certain ones for popping in the RV freezer for summer camping trips for sure - or maybe I want to make them just because they look so GOOD!

I've mostly pinned ice cream cakes, "lasagnas", some no bake pies, frozen chocolate pudding cake, and a mish mash of things...

https://www.pinterest.com/klinkj0806/feed-the-freezer-icebox-treats/?eq=icebox&etslf=3440

I'm getting ready to finalize plans for super massive baking marathon for DS's school fundraiser in May - planning to do cheesecakes and thinking I'm going to make them a week or two ahead and freeze!
 
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MinnieCo

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I have made the one made with ice cream sandwiches before. It was layered somehow, but I don't remember with what. I made it for our Hawaiian Themed CIJ and it was a hit.
 

AuntJamelle

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I've done the ice cream sandwich type thing before too - I think it was layered with cool whip and both hot fudge and caramel ice cream sauces. It was a great hit!

Another thing I'm going to be doing soon is making and freezing cheesecakes - I have a school fund raiser I'm donating several too and that will be the only way I can get them all done at same time.
 
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MinnieCo

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That's exactly what it was..yummy!!
 
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Minta

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I've done the ice cream sandwich type thing before too - I think it was layered with cool whip and both hot fudge and caramel ice cream sauces. It was a great hit!

Another thing I'm going to be doing soon is making and freezing cheesecakes - I have a school fund raiser I'm donating several too and that will be the only way I can get them all done at same time.

I have never made and froze a cheesecake .. any tricks to it? Thinking about making cheesecake for Christmas Eve dessert but want to make it a head of time.
 

AuntJamelle

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I've not done it before but from everything I see online cheesecakes are supposed to freeze incredibly well.

To freeze, you just place the cooled cheesecake on a baking pan and freeze, uncovered, until firm. Remove the cheesecake from the freezer, wrap it in heavy duty aluminum foil and place in a freezer bag. Seal and return to freezer. I was going to make sure I have a good supply of 2 gallon ziplock freezer bags.

I plan to thaw 24 hours ahead in the fridge - I'll probably unwrap it from the foil and put it on platter straight out of the freezer - then just cover in plastic wrap spritzed lightly with cooking spray.

Some of the ones I plan to make call for a topping - ganache or pie filling - I just plan to add those after thawing. :)

I've frozen unfrosted cake layers before too and that works great!
 
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Minta

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I've not done it before but from everything I see online cheesecakes are supposed to freeze incredibly well.

To freeze, you just place the cooled cheesecake on a baking pan and freeze, uncovered, until firm. Remove the cheesecake from the freezer, wrap it in heavy duty aluminum foil and place in a freezer bag. Seal and return to freezer. I was going to make sure I have a good supply of 2 gallon ziplock freezer bags.

I plan to thaw 24 hours ahead in the fridge - I'll probably unwrap it from the foil and put it on platter straight out of the freezer - then just cover in plastic wrap spritzed lightly with cooking spray.

Some of the ones I plan to make call for a topping - ganache or pie filling - I just plan to add those after thawing. :)

I've frozen unfrosted cake layers before too and that works great!

Thanks ... I think I will make 2 cheesecakes for Easter and freeze one to test with :)
 

MinnieCo

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I might try this in the future as well. Wouldn't having the dessert made in advance be such a help.
 
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AuntJamelle

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Just to report back - freezing the cheesecake worked GREAT!!!

I froze it on a cookie sheet for a while first - then when it was nice and hard I wrapped in plastic wrap - then in foil. I was only freezing for a couple weeks so I didn't bother slipping it into a large ziplock bag for longer storage.

To thaw I just let sit in fridge overnight then unwrapped it and put it on the platter! Added my ganache or other toppings as desired and they were good to go!

I think I will be making my cheesecakes at least a week ahead for all future family gatherings - it will save SO much time!
 

missjane

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Need to check out this thread when I have more time!
 
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