Who could say no to a delectable slice of cream pie? A freshly baked cream pie makes any occasion so much special. But what if you have a lot of leftover cream pies? Can you freeze cream pies? The thing with cream pies is that the filling doesn’t keep in the fridge or freezer well. You simply cannot chuck leftover cream pies in the freezer and expect the dessert to maintain its original texture and flavor.
Most bakers do not recommend freezing cream pies. We feel the same way simply because the ingredients will not hold up well in freezing temperature. The cream filling isn’t firm because it’s mostly made of liquid ingredients and there lies the problem. Once the cream filling comes in contact with the crust, the pie will go soft and soggy. This can be problematic once you’re thawing the frozen cream pie.
If you must, it’s possible to freeze cream pies for later use. However, there will be significant texture changes no matter how carefully you prep the pie for freezing.
Cream pies have a short shelf life because of the delicate ingredients. When kept in the freezer, cream pies will keep fresh for 3 to 4 days. But when kept in the freezer, cream pies will last for at least 6 months. For leftovers, here is a step by step guide on how can you freeze cream pies:
How to Freeze Cream Pies?
If you’re making cream pies from scratch and you’re anticipating a lot of leftovers, we highly suggest holding off the cream filling until you’re ready to serve the pie. This way, you can freeze the cream filling and piecrust separately. And whenever you need to make a cream pie, just thaw the cream filling and crust then assemble. Assembling and baking the pie will only take minutes so it’s still convenient to do it this way.
To do this, you have to pre-bake the crust and leave it to cool completely on a wire rack. Whip up the cream filling and then divide it into manageable portions. Using a large, heavy-duty resealable plastic bag, spoon the cream filling into the bag. Squeeze as much air as you can then seal the bag. Mark with the storage date and stick the bag in the freezer. Cover the cooled pie crust with tin foil then place it in a resealable plastic bag before sticking in the freezer.
When it comes to leftover cream pies, those that have been served for a while, they’re probably soggy by the time they hit the freezer. Don’t transfer the pie to a smaller container because this could cause the already-soggy crust to break apart. Use the serving container the pie came with unless you don’t mind the filling and crust getting all mixed up as you transfer the pie to a different container.
Cover the pie with aluminum foil, making sure no part of the pie is exposed to freezing temps. The cream filling has high water content so it is quite sensitive to freezer burns. Once the pie is covered completely in aluminum foil, you can simply stick the whole pie in the freezer. You could also place the container inside a resealable plastic bag before freezing for added protection.
How to Defrost Frozen Cream Pies?
If you’ve frozen the cream filling and pie crust separately, just take them out of the freezer, remove the aluminum foil if there’s any and transfer to the fridge. Leave the pie components to thaw for a few hours.
If you’d like to speed up the frozen cream’s thawing process, go ahead and immerse the sealed bag in a bowl of tap water. It should soften up in a couple of hours. Never thaw the pie components ahead of time. Bake them into a pie as soon as they are thawed to maintain the integrity of the ingredients.
Once the pie components have been thawed, cut the corner of the bag and pipe the cream filling into the piecrust. Then, bake in the preheated oven for 40-50 minutes at 350 to 375 degree Fahrenheit and serve.
As for frozen leftover cream pie, there’s no need to thaw the pie because it can be eaten as is. But if you’d like to soften the filling and crust a bit, just transfer the pie from the freezer to the fridge and give it at least 2 hours to partially thaw. Once thawed, it’s ready to be eaten.
Summary
Some experts would straight up say cream pies should never be frozen at all. But if you have too many leftovers in your hands, there’s not much choice but to freeze the pie to prevent waste. Now that you know how can you freeze cream pies, there’s no need to worry about spoilage when you’ve got more pies than you can handle!