How long can you keep a frosted cake in the fridge?
In this article, we will answer the question “How long can you keep a frosted cake in the fridge?”, and how to refrigerate and freeze a frosted cake?
How long can you keep a frosted cake in the fridge?
An uncut cake with buttercream, fondant, or ganache frosting will stay fresh for up to 5 days at stable room temperature. To protect the cake, it must be surrounded by a cake keeper or a bowl.
On the other hand, a cut cake will keep for 4 days at a stable room temperature. It, too, should be covered by a cake keeper or a bowl.
This is true only when the exposed parts of the cut sponge are wrapped with plastic or covered in frosting. This will block the air from entering and moisture from leaving the cake, thus, keeping it fresh for longer.
If your cake goes steak despite all the hustle to safely store it. You do not need to panic. You can crumble the cake and combine it with some frosting. Shape this mixture into balls and dip them into melted chocolate for a coating. Chill and enjoy!
How to refrigerate frosted cakes?
Room temperature storage is only recommended during cold months when the temperature is cool all the time. This makes refrigeration a must during the summer months.
This is also important if you have a small kitchen and the cake cannot be protected from the heat that escapes during all the cooking.
A cake with a fruit topping or whipped and buttercream frosting must be refrigerated. Chill the frosted cake in the fridge, with its cover removed, for at least 15 minutes.
When the frosting sets and hardens, wrap the cake with plastic and cover with a cake keeper. Let the cake come to room temperature before serving by letting it sit on the counter for 30 minutes.
How to freeze a cake?
The shelf-life and how well a cake freezes largely depend upon its type of frosting. Read below to find out how to successfully freeze cakes with different icings.
Fondant and buttercream icing
Fondant and buttercream are great ways to reduce the air exposure of the cake sponge. This leads to a prolonged shelf-life even at a stable room temperature. All you need to do is to keep the cake covered in a cool place. So that no dust gets to it.
Cream cheese frosting
Cream cheese and whipped cream frosting will not tolerate warm temperatures. Their structural integrity will be lost and you will be left with something that only looks like a cake.
Your best bet is to store the sponge and the frosting separately. This way you can decorate the cake with fresh frosting whenever you are ready to devour it.
Ganache
Ganache, like fondant-style frosting, is quite stable. It will keep its fresh in the fridge for up to a week. The plus point is that it also freezes well which means cakes decorated with ganache can be frozen for months.
However, this does not apply to water-based ganache, which will expand and form ice crystals when frozen. It will ruin the texture of the sponge upon thawing.
How to defrost your cake?
Stick the wrapped cakes in the fridge and let them thaw for at least 8 hours. Thawing on the counter is fast but it is not recommended. Take the frozen frosting out and add some milk to it. Whip the frosting at high speed to redeem its fluffiness.
How to frost a layer cake?
- Garb a plate on which you will be placing your cake layers. The late should be larger than the cake.
- Cut parchment paper into 4 strips. The strips should be large enough to sit across the edges of the plate with their edges sticking out as flanges.
- Set the strips on the plate such that all of them are perpendicular to each other. Then place the first sponge layer.
- Top the first layer with 1/3 to 1/2 cup frosting, leaving ¼ inch of the cake edges.
- Then comes the second layer of sponge on top of the first, with its rounded side facing you. Spread a thin layer of frosting on the sides of these two layers. This shall seal the cake crumbs.
- Add more frosting so that the top rim is about ¼ inch thick. Make swirls of the frosting using your knife. Carefully slide off the paper strips by grabbing their flanged edges.
Conclusion
In this article, we answered the question “How long can you keep a frosted cake in the fridge?”, and how to refrigerate and freeze a frosted cake?
