How To Cool A Cake: 7 Common Cake Tips to Expedite Cooling

Baking a cake is as close as you can get to feeling like a god. Whacking together a bunch of random ingredients, sticking it in a fire until it cooks together and creates heaven in a sponge… you don't get more divine than that.

But baking has problems too. For every beautiful sponge, there's a cake tin with burned sponge stuck to its edges.

Or worse, half the sponge rips because the cake didn't cool enough. Cooling is one of the trickiest issues in baking. It requires patience more than anything else. But who has patience in an economy like this?

No, forget waiting 10 years. We've found some great solutions to the cooling waiting game. By using any of these 7 commonly known tips, you'll be able to hurry along the boring cooling process and get to the fun decorating stage.

Then before you know it, you're at the stick your whole face in the cake and scoff it until you realize you're 34, lonely, that's your entire Saturday evening plan, and your mom was right about life, stage.

So if you can't wait to get to the fun part, follow these cool tips!

7 Ways To Quickly Cool Cakes

Use A Cooling Rack

This is probably the most common way people try to speed up the cooling process. The problem is, they use them wrong.

You see racks are designed for cakes that have been baked on top of them. They have holes in them so air can circulate around the sides of the cake.

If you put a cooled cake directly on a rack, you will bake the bottom of the cake again. So what should you do instead? Place the cake pan upside down over a bowl or something similar. Make sure the bowl doesn't touch the bottom of the cake.

Now place the rack over the bowl. That way the cake won't cook from the bottom and the heat will stay trapped in the bowl.

Once the cake is completely cool, remove the bowl and carefully slide the cake off the rack onto the counter. This method works best when you want to keep the shape of the cake intact.

Freeze Or Refrigerate Your Cake Once It's Out Of The Oven

Once your cake has been baked, transfer it (in the cooking tins) to your fridge or freezer for cooling.

This will help prevent the cake from drying out. Just make sure to take the cake out of the oven immediately before placing it in the fridge or freezer.

Let Your Cake Rest After Cooking

After you've finished baking your cake, let it rest in the pan for 5-10 minutes. During this time, the cake will continue to rise slightly. This allows the cake to settle back into the pan without cracking.

After resting, gently tap the side of the pan against the countertop to release any excess air bubbles.

Remove The Cake From The Tins

If you want the cake to cool quickly, then once it's rested for a few minutes is the perfect time to remove it from the baking dish. Removing it from the hot baking tins will dramatically cool the cake. Don't worry about cutting it yet.

Simply lift the cake out of the pan by lifting the edge closest to you or turning it upside down. Careful not to break the cake apart when taking it out of the tins.

Cut The Cake Open

If you're not too fussed over eating a whole cake, one of the quickest ways to cool down a cake is to cut it open or into smaller pieces. When I say "cut", I don't mean slice. I'm talking about opening the cake like a book.

Take a sharp knife and start slicing away from you. The idea here is to create an even surface for the cake to sit on as it cools. As long as you're careful with the knife, there shouldn't be any problems.

Wrap Your Cake In Cling Film

Cling film is great because it creates a barrier between the cake and the air. This helps the cake retain its moisture while it cools. Plus, it makes it easier to handle when you're trying to move the cake around.

All you need to do is wrap the cake in cling film. Start at the base of the cake and roll it towards the tip. Then cover the entire cake in cling film. Be careful not to stretch the cling film as you go.

Loosen The Cake From The Pan

The last step in cooling your cake is to loosen it from the pan. To do this, simply run a butter knife along the edges of the cake. This will allow the cake to become more flexible and less likely to crack.

This also allows more room for the cake to breathe and cool down quicker.

Final Thoughts & Tips!

Any of these tips are great at cooling a cake quickly. Remember to take into consideration the type of cake you're making, as this will affect the cooling.

For example, cheesecakes usually need to cool overnight, whereas angel food cakes only need to cool for a couple of hours. You could try placing the cake in the refrigerator. The cold temperature will slow down the rate of cooling.

Typically it's recommended to get your cake out of the tin as soon as possible to avoid a soggy bottom.

But if you have a really moist cake, you may find that leaving it in the tin for longer can actually improve the texture. It all depends on how much moisture you have in the cake.

If you bake something that needs to be cooled overnight, you should put it in the fridge right after it comes out of the oven. That way it won't dry out before you're ready to eat it.

By using the right cooling tips and tricks for your cake, you're sure to have a delicious dessert in no time!