Welcome to the Cake Decorators Q&A

Hi, can I put a sponge cake in the fridge to cool it quickly? I have had to make an extra one unexpectedly and need to decorate it as soon as possible. thanks

CakeFlix Guidance

How to cool a cake quickly

Yes, you can use the fridge to help cool a sponge cake, but Paul suggests letting the initial heat escape first. If you’re wondering how to cool a cake quickly because you’ve had to bake an unexpected extra layer, start with a wire rack (as shown below). Getting air around the cake makes a real difference.

It’s tempting to get straight on with decorating when time is tight. Unfortunately, warm sponge and buttercream or ganache rarely make a happy combination. A little patience here can save you scraping off a sliding layer of icing later.

Start by cooling the cake in its tin

Place the tin on a wire rack and allow the cake to settle before turning it out. Around 10–15 minutes is a useful starting point for many ordinary sponge cakes, but follow your recipe if it gives different instructions.

Turning it out straight away can cause a delicate sponge to break. Leaving it in the hot tin for too long, however, slows down cooling.

Once the cake is firm enough to handle, carefully remove it from the tin and place it on the rack. Leave space underneath and around it, and keep it away from the oven or other warm appliances.

Can you put a cake in the fridge to cool?

You can, once it has stopped steaming and is no longer hot. Avoid putting a piping-hot cake and tin into the fridge, as they can warm the surrounding food.

For a plain, unfilled sponge, a short spell in the fridge can help finish the cooling process. Place it on a clean tray or rack, away from raw food and strong-smelling ingredients, and check it regularly.

Avoid tightly wrapping a steaming cake just to speed things up. Trapped steam can leave the surface damp. Once it has cooled, wrap or cover it if you are storing it for later.

How long before you can decorate it?

That depends on the cake’s size, depth, recipe and the temperature of your kitchen. Thin layers cool much faster than a deep celebration cake, so there isn’t one reliable time for every sponge.

Check the centre as well as the edges. A cake can feel cool on the outside while still holding warmth inside. Wait until it is cool throughout before adding buttercream, ganache or a perishable filling.

If the sponge is already cool but feels too soft to trim or stack neatly, a brief chill can help firm it up.

For more advice on storing your cake after cooling, read our guide to keeping cake in the fridge.

Need more Important Information on Baking and Cake Decorating?

Learning about how to make and store ganache is just one of 39 lessons covered in the CakeFlix Diploma, which, along with 1,800+ tutorials from 100+ of the world’s top cake artists, comes as part of your CakeFlix membership from only £5.17 a month (billed annually).

Storing Cakes | CakeFlix Diploma

Hi ruthmac

Yes you can cool cake down quickly but it will still take an hour or so. Here’s what to do.
In the cake tin cool the cake down on the counter for approx 5 minutes and then for another 5 in the fridge to cool the tin down. Remove from fridge and wrap both in several layers of cling film to keep the moisture in. Try and cover the surface of the cake with the cling for maximum moisture retention. Now you can either pop it back in the fridge to cool down, or for rapid cooling pop it in the freezer until cold enough for decorating. How quickly it cools depends on how big the cake is.

many thanks