Baking a cake on a random weeknight , especially when living in a small household, is a rare occasion. However, craving a slice of cake on a Wednesday night is not that uncommon. What to do? Freeze slices of cake, of course. Then you're only a few minutes away from a slice any night of the week.

A few cautionary items before throwing that birthday cake in the freezer: frosting can get weird when thawed out. Not all frosting will weep and separate, but steer clear of those made with egg whites and cream. Basically, the more butter, the better. If you're determined to give the frosting a shot, freeze it in small portions before adding to the cake. When defrosting, give it a good stir before topping your cake slice. Some frostings like cream cheese and buttercream will hold up just fine. Be sure to allow the cake to freeze before packaging to keep the frosting intact — just place the slices on a sheet pan in your freezer until solid, then wrap with plastic wrap as usual.

I love freezing my almond buttermilk cake. I wrap each slice tightly in plastic wrap and then either place in a heavy freezer bag or wrap with aluminum foil. When I'm ready for a slice, I pull one out of the freezer and either let it thaw on the countertop or pop it in the toaster oven wrapped in foil to speed up the process. Dusted with a little powdered sugar it's as good as fresh baked!

Choose sturdy, moist cakes for freezing so they'll hold up through the process. Pound cake, carrot cake and dense chocolate cake all freeze well.

Related: Can I Freeze a Fully-Decorated Birthday Cake?

(Images: Stephanie Barlow)