090110-cupcake1.jpgMost of us know you can freeze a cake or cupcakes, but did you know you can freeze the batter before baking? Here are three ways to make it happen!

We first discovered you could freeze cupcake batter after we made a triple recipe for a bake sale and then had to run out the door for a family emergency. Not wanting to waste all the ingredients that went into it, we tossed the batter into gallon zip top bags and were on our way.

We were sure that when we thawed things back out we'd have flat little hockey pucks and our ingredients would be ruined anyway. The results were about as far from that as possible and we had beautifully domed cupcakes that were light and fluffy and had no freezer aftertaste. Since that day, we've been perfecting our cupcake freezing method.

So whether you don't want an entire batch of cupcakes lurking around your kitchen, or you simply don't have time to bake off, store or decorate an entire recipe of batter, there's an easy solution — your freezer. Also, it'ss nice to have a dessert on hand for when unexpected company drops by or the times you just don't feel like making anything.

Here are three ways to freeze your batter to make sure you have rave results three days, three weeks, or three months down the road:

1. Freeze the Batter In the Wrapper: Line your muffin trays like normal and fill the cups. Cover with plastic wrap tightly (so it doesn't drag on the surface) and freeze. Once frozen, remove tray and toss the cupcakes into a zip top bag and remove as much air as possible. You can either allow them to come to room temperature before baking or leave them in the oven for an extra 5 to 7 minutes. How simple is that?

2. Freeze the Batter In Zip Top Bags: This one requires a little bit of leg work, but it can be well worth it. You can freeze your batter into larger bags, therefore having fewer roaming around in your freezer, but we actually prefer smaller quart size bags instead. Using a 1/4 cup scoop, place 6 scoops of batter inside each bag (roll the zip edge back before starting so it stays clean). Remove the air, seal and freeze. Thaw in the refrigerator and snip the tip to pipe the batter back into the cups. Add 2 minutes additional baking time (unless batter is at room temperature).

3. Freeze the Batter Disposable Muffin Pans: Although this isn't our most frequently used option by any means, when we're catering for large groups, this method has come in handy on more than one occasion. Line cups and freeze batter in the pan in the cups and then the trays can literally go straight from the freezer to the oven without any extra steps in between. Plus, the pans give a little structure to the chaos of your deep freezer and keep things in line and neatly stacked.

We've tried this method with all sorts of cupcakes and although we've never had a problem with butter based recipes, we have had an occasional hiccup with vegan or recipes where white vinegar and baking soda create the lift in the batter. When there's no other add-ins, things turn out just fine, but say you've added chocolate chips or ginger chunks to your batter, they kill the lift in the batter while things are freezing up and aren't as sponge-y as we hope (though they are still tasty and edible).

Have you ever tried freezing cupcake batter? How'd it turn out for you? Let us know below!

Related: Chocolate and Vanilla: Two New Favorite Cupcake Recipes

(Image: Flickr member ms.Tea licensed for use by Creative Commons)