How Long Does It Take For A Cake To Cool Before Frosting?

Mary and Brenda Maher

By Brenda & Mary

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Popping the cake out of the oven, we bakers are eager to adorn it with our favorite toppings. But wait! The lingering heat can melt the creamy frosting, turning it into a soggy mess. Patience is key to a picture-perfect cake. Keep scrolling down to find out how long to cool a cake before frosting!

Cooking a cake

How Long Does A Cake Take To Cool?

After coming out of the oven, most cakes need to sit in the pan for 10 to 20 minutes, allowing them to settle. Once free from the pan, they should cool for up to 2 hours on the counter or 1 hour if partly chilled in the fridge before frosting. 

Carrot cake baking

Freshly baked cakes are still quite soft. If you rush to remove them from the pan, you risk breaking their delicate texture. Piping frosting on such a fragile, warm surface even leads to more damage. The heat can also cause runny icing, leading to an unsightly finish. 

That said, the exact waiting time depends on the shape and size of the cake. Larger ones, of course, take longer to cool. For example, my chocolate chip loaf cake took more than 2 hours to cool due to its thick texture. But when I whipped up a coffee cake in a large square pan, I only had to wait for about 20 minutes thanks to its wider air exposure. My friends, there’s still room for some guesswork!

How To Cool A Cake

On A Rack

Step 1

Cool A Cake step 1 2

Choose a wire rack at least 10 inches in diameter to fit even large bundt cakes. Remove the cake from the oven and let it sit in its pan for 10 to 20 minutes.

Step 2

Cool A Cake step 2

Use a sharp knife (like a butter knife) and slide it along the pan rim to loosen the cake a bit. Remember to hold the knife upright at 90 degrees. Trust me, I learned it the hard way. I once tilted it too much and accidentally cut the pound cake. No one wants an “injured” cake, right?

Step 3

This is optional, but I always spray some cooking spray on the rack. This prevents the hot cake from sticking to the wire rack. Then, put the rack on top of the pan and turn it upside down. 

Cool A Cake step 3

Tap on the pan’s bottom to help the cake fall out effortlessly. Gently take the pan off and let the unfrosted cake chill out.

In The Fridge

Are you in a rush? No sweat! Stashing the cake in the fridge can half the cooling time. If you’re whipping up cheesecakes, they need to be refrigerated within a couple of hours of baking.

Step 1

Let the cake rest for around 10 minutes on the counter. Then, into the fridge, it goes for another 10 minutes. This time allows the cake to cool without drying out. 

Pound cakes are a bit fussy when cooling, though. When I let it chill out in the pan in the fridge, it became so damp that it stuck to the pan. So, I recommend transferring it to a wire rack before putting it in the refrigerator.

Step 2

Pop the pan out of the fridge and cover the surface with double layers of plastic wrap. This helps lock in moisture, giving you a perfectly moist cake. If you’ve freed the cake from the pan, place it upside down in the fridge without wrapping it.

You will be ready to serve after about 1 hour.

Cut Into Layers

Are you in the mood for a layer cake? You’re in for a quick cooling method! 

First, allow it to rest for around 10 minutes before removing it from the pan. Then, cut the cake into layers and let them cool on the rack. Just as easy as that! And this way saves you a lot of time, too.

Extra Tips To Shorten The Cooling Time

Here are some of my hard-earned lessons I’d like to share:

  • The fan is my sidekick that helps cool my cake real quick! Once I transfer the entire cake to the cooling rack, I turn on the fan to circulate the cool air, helping the cake cool faster.
  • Place sponge or angel food cakes upside down while they are chilling out. Trust me, their notoriously light texture can shrink once cooling. By the way, remember to remove the pan so that the moisture from condensation won’t turn the beautiful cake soggy.
  • Check the cake’s doneness before cooling. You don’t want to wait for it to cool, only to pop it into the oven once again. What a waste of time!
  • Freezing isn’t a magical cooling method, at least not for me. I’ve done my research and heard some people say tossing a cake in the freezer speeds up the cooling process. Yeah, sure, but the result? A dry, crumbly cake with an uneven texture. Cakes can be “shocked” by sudden temperature changes, just like anything else!

FAQs

My Cake Dries Out As It Cools. How To Fix?

Let’s be real: A dry cake mostly stems from the baking process or the ingredients. So, there’s not much to do in this case. My advice is to not overbake and not expose the delicate cake to sudden temperature changes. Also, don’t let it chill out for too long.

Why Does My Cake Fall When Cooling?

A cake will lose some trapped air as it cools, so it will more or less sink afterward. However, the main culprit lies in the cake batter from the get-go. It might contain too much moisture, fat, or sugar. Also, if the cake is not fully cooked or the temperature is not on point, it can shrink while cooling.

Conclusion

The cooling time of a cake varies depending on its shape and size. In most cases, it falls somewhere between 1-2 hours, with larger cakes requiring longer time. Remember to let it sit in the pan for around 10 to 20 minutes before transferring it to the cooling rack!


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Mary and Brenda Maher

Mary & Brenda Maher

Mary & Brenda Maher, are the founders of Cake Girls, a Chicago-based online baking shop specializing in cake supplies, party decor, and DIY cake tutorials. They are known for their elaborate and artistic cake creations, which have been featured on the Food Network Challenge and in a reality show, Amazing Wedding Cakes.

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