Easy, make-ahead desserts for any holiday gathering
What’s that rushing sound? It’s the roar of the oncoming holidays.
Parties, drop-in guests, family dinners – so many people to feed, so little time, it seems. But stock your freezer and pantry with a few things and you can be ready even if a dozen carolers show up at your door.
Most cookie doughs and baked goods can be made ahead and frozen, too. You can even freeze cakes in portions sized to handle any crowd.
When freezing, air is the enemy of cakes, coffeecakes, cookies and other baked goods. Specially labeled heavy freezer bags help keep air out better than storage bags. Squeeze out as much air as possible when storing items. Wrapping cakes in heavy plastic wrap before placing in the bag adds extra insurance against the drying effects of air.
Air leads to freezer burn, and freezer burn means dried-out goodies that even Santa’s reindeer might not want. According to the University of Minnesota extension service, air left inside the container forces out moisture in the food as it freezes, which causes the food to dry out and have off-flavors, odors or poor texture. If you see ice crystals inside the bag, it is likely suffering from freezer burn.
Always be sure that any baked goods are completely cool before attempting to freeze them. Otherwise, condensation may form inside the bag and leave a mushy cake.
Label the bags with the name of the item and the date before putting them in the freezer. For best quality, use frozen cakes and other baked goods within four weeks.
Thaw baked goods in the refrigerator overnight, still in the packaging. If it’s a small item, such as a quarter of a cake, you could thaw it on the counter, but open the packaging a bit to allow any condensation that might form as it thaws to escape. Use immediately.
Freezing cakes, quick breads and coffeecakes
Moist baked goods such as pound cakes, butter cakes and gingerbreads freeze well after baking. Make sure they are completely cooled to room temperature and removed from the pans. Wrap in heavy-duty plastic wrap, then seal in freezer bags. Thaw in the refrigerator. You can freeze cakes in halves or quarters, ready for the size crowd you need to feed, but be sure to wrap the exposed cut ends well with plastic wrap to prevent them from drying out.
If you have a favorite layer cake recipe, bake, cool and freeze the layers in the same way, making sure to store them in a way that the layers won’t get torn.
Some frostings may freeze well, but in general it’s best to freeze cakes unfrosted. You can frost them after they thaw.
Cheesecakes can also be frozen, but for best results, don’t put on any topping first. Cool the cake completely and remove it from the pan. Place full-sized cheesecakes on foil-wrapped cardboard cake rounds, wrap in several layers of plastic wrap, then wrap in foil and place in freezer bags. You can also freeze them in halves. Thaw in the refrigerator, then add a topping, if you want.
Sweet yeasted coffeecakes are also freezable, and are great to have on hand for hostess gifts or Christmas morning breakfast. Unless the recipe you use specifically says that it has been developed for freezing unbaked, bake the coffeecake first and cool completely to room temperature. Use disposable foil pans and they can go into the freezer still in the pans. Seal in freezer bags.
Freezing cookies
You can freeze baked cookies. You can use freezer bags if you stack and store the bags carefully to prevent the cookies from breaking. Place a piece of white freezer paper or wax paper between the cookies as you stack them to keep them from sticking together. Make sure the bag seals airtight.
Unbaked cookie dough can be frozen, too. Wrap in plastic wrap to prevent it from drying out. Thaw at room temperature until you can handle it and proceed with baking the cookies.
Quick dessert ideas
If you get caught with an empty freezer, you can still offer elegant sweets in minutes if you keep a few things on hand during the holidays.
▪ Fill mini-fillo shells or puff pastry shells with lemon curd, Nutella or full-fat vanilla yogurt. Top with fresh berries, jam or a dollop of whipped cream.
▪ Make mini-cheesecakes in muffin tins. Line the tins with paper baking cups and place one vanilla wafer in the bottom of each cup, then pour in your favorite cheesecake recipe (even one from a mix). Bake according to the directions for the cheesecake for 20 minutes or so, or until solid. Garnish with berries or jam. If you have Thin Mint cookies on hand, use those and a chocolate cheesecake recipe to make chocolate mini-cheesecakes. (You can freeze the mini-cheesecakes, too.)
▪ For a lighter dessert, use purchased angel food cake as the base for an ambrosia parfait. Place chunks of the cake in the bottoms of tall glasses, then alternate layers of cake with crushed pineapple (fresh or drained canned), shredded coconut (dried or frozen and thawed) and chopped oranges (fresh or drained canned mandarin oranges). Pour a few tablespoons of orange juice or Grand Marnier over the parfait, just enough to moisten the layers. Top with chopped pecans and a maraschino cherry. Heck, it’s the holidays; hit it with some whipped cream, too.
▪ You can rarely go wrong with chocolate. Dip pieces of dried fruit or candied peel in melted dark chocolate, place on wax paper and refrigerate for 10 or 15 minutes, until the chocolate is solid.
▪ The flavor of peppermint turns everyday recipes into festive treats. Add a few drops of peppermint extract to the dough for basic sugar cookies, tea cakes or brownies – maybe some crushed candy canes on the top, too. Top with the crushed candy near the end of baking, just to let it melt slightly.
Moose is a Raleigh cookbook author and former News & Observer food editor. Reach her at debbiemoose.com
Jan’s Buttermilk Pound Cake
This cake freezes like a dream, whether you leave it whole or cut it into halves or quarters. You can glaze it before freezing or after thawing; either way works fine. Or serve it without any glaze at all; the balance of the tangy buttermilk and sweet cake is great as-is. From “Buttermilk: A Savor the South Cookbook,” by Debbie Moose (UNC Press, 2012).
Cooking spray or vegetable oil plus flour
1 cup unsalted butter, at room temperature
3 cups sugar
5 extra-large eggs or 6 large eggs
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
3 cups all-purpose flour
1 cup buttermilk
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
For the glaze (optional):
1 1/2 cups powdered sugar
Juice of 1 lemon or lime
Grated lemon or lime zest
Prepare a 10-inch tube pan by coating the inner surface with nonstick cooking spray or vegetable oil and dusting it with flour. Set aside. Preheat the oven to 325 degrees.
Place the butter and sugar in the bowl of a stand mixer. Beat on high speed until creamy and pale, about 5 minutes. Break the eggs into a small bowl and whisk gently to break the yolks. Add the eggs to the butter mixture in two additions, beating well after each and scraping the sides of the bowl between beatings.
In a medium bowl, whisk together the baking soda, salt and flour. On medium speed, beat one-third of the flour mixture into the creamed butter mixture. Stop the mixer and add half of the buttermilk. Turn the mixer on low to prevent spatters and beat for 30 seconds, then switch to high speed and beat for 1 minute. Add another third of the flour mixture, the rest of the buttermilk, the vanilla, and then the rest of the flour mixture, beating well after each addition and scraping the bowl periodically to incorporate all the ingredients. The batter will be thick.
Scrape the batter into the prepared tube pan and rap the bottom of the pan on the counter to release any air bubbles. Bake in the lower third of the oven for about 1 hour, or until a toothpick or cake tester comes out clean. The cake may crack on top, but this is OK.
Cool the cake in the pan on a wire rack for 5 to 10 minutes, then turn it out onto the rack to continue cooling.
To make the glaze, combine the powdered sugar and lemon or lime juice until smooth, then stir in some grated zest for color. Brush it on the cooled cake.
Yield: 1 cake, about 20 servings.
Cherry Chocolate Chippers
Cherry and chocolate – another classic holiday flavor pairing. You can freeze the dough for up to four weeks. And the cookies will keep for nearly two weeks on the counter in an airtight container – if they last that long. From “Cook & Freeze: 150 Delicious Dishes to Serve Now and Later,” by Dana Jacobi (Rodale, 2010).
2 cups unbleached all-purpose flour
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
Pinch of salt
3/4 cup unsalted butter, softened
1/2 cup packed light brown sugar
6 tablespoons granulated sugar
1 large egg
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 (16-ounce) bag dark chocolate chunks (62 percent cacao) or 1 1/4 cups semisweet chocolate chips
1 cup chopped pecans
3/4 cup dried tart cherries
In a small bowl, combine the flour, baking soda and salt. Set aside.
In a large bowl, use a handheld mixer on medium-high to beat the butter until it is fluffy, 3 minutes. Add the sugars and beat until well combined, 2 minutes. Mix in the egg and vanilla. Add the dry ingredients and mix on medium speed until just combined. By hand, fold in the chocolate, pecans and cherries until they are evenly distributed in the batter.
To shape the cookies, roll walnut-size pieces of dough between your palms into balls.
For baking now: Place racks in the upper and lower thirds of the oven. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees.
Flatten the dough balls slightly and place them 2 inches apart on ungreased light colored baking sheets.
Bake the cookies for 8 minutes. Rotate the pans, reverse their position in the oven, and bake 3 to 4 minutes longer for chewy cookies, or 6 to 7 minutes longer, or until the cookies are golden on top and just starting to brown around the edges, for crisp ones. Transfer the cookies to a wire rack to cool.
These cookies keep in an airtight container for up to 10 days.
To freeze the dough: Place the balls of dough on a cookie sheet and freeze until hard, about 1 hour. Transfer the balls of dough to a resealable 1-quart plastic freezer bag. To bake, thaw the dough in the refrigerator for 24 hours. Bring the dough to room temperature, then proceed with the baking instructions above.
Yield: 4 1/2 dozen cookies.
This story was originally published December 12, 2015 at 7:00 AM with the headline "Easy, make-ahead desserts for any holiday gathering."