How Long You Should Really Cool A Cake Before Frosting It

Cake decorating is not for the impatient. Even if you don't plan anything more than a simple coating of store-bought frosting, you not only need to bake the cake first but also wait until it's completely cool. Just how long is that going to take, though?

Sandy Folsom, who works as school director for the collection of online baking and cake decorating classes known as Wilton Sweet Studio, says that cooling a cake thoroughly is likely to take over an hour. She admits that the size and density of the cake may cause this to vary; however, she notes, "Cupcakes will cool down much faster than a fluted tube cake." For this reason, she advises that you follow any cooling instructions in the recipe. As to why you need the cake to be cool before you can decorate it, Folsom explains, "Frosting a cake before it's completely cool can tear your cake." She also notes that if the cake isn't cooled enough, you might wind up with crumbs in the frosting.

So how do you tell if your cake is cool enough to decorate? "A completely cool cake," says Sandy Folsom, "will not feel warm to the touch or have any heat coming from it when you hover your hand over it." More importantly, though, how do you get it to that stage? Folsom feels it's generally best to allow the cake to remain in the pan for 10 to 15 minutes, although she warns, "Do not cool longer than 15 minutes; otherwise, the cake will be difficult to remove."

After the cake has had its initial in-pan cool-down period, you can put a wire rack over it and flip it. You'll then need another rack to flip it once more since, as Folsom advises, "Make sure the cake continues cooling on the rack in the same position it baked in the pan — use a 2nd cooling grid to flip back over if needed. If your cake is having trouble releasing, you will want to run a paring knife around the edge to release [it]."

Once your cake is free of the pan and ensconced on a wire rack, leave it alone for an hour or so at room temperature. "To speed up the process, you can put your cake in the fridge or freezer for 30 minutes to 1 hour before frosting," Folsom advised.

When your cake is completely cool, it's all ready to be frosted, iced, or glazed. Whichever type of sugar coating you prefer, you can decorate like a pro using your microwave turntable.