How to store a cake: Best ways to keep cakes fresh

At Cake Owls we make a wide variety of cakes from unicorn cakes to vegan chocolate cakes and classic vanilla cakes, and many people want to know how to store our cakes.

If you store a cake properly, it will stay fresher for longer. Regardless of whether your cake is frosted, covered with icing sugar sheet, filled with cream or just a plain sponge, the majority of cakes can be stored at room temperature for a few days in an airtight container.

To help keep your cake fresher for longer, we’ve outlined some tips and tricks below.

## How long do most cakes last?

The shelf life of a cake depends on a few different factors. When stored properly, cakes with buttercream frosting tend to last for up to a week, whereas cakes containing cream or fruit, like our strawberries and cream cake, will only remain fresh for a couple of days.

When you visit a bakery, you want to make sure the cake you’re buying is fresh. Some things to look out for include:

Some common traits are a hard and dry texture as the moisture evaporates. But don’t mistake a cold cake for a stale one – once a cake has been removed from the refrigerator it will soften if it’s fresh.
Sometimes mould can appear, so always be on the lookout for that. Fruit fillings may also become mouldy or slimy which indicate that the cake has gone bad
Observe if the frosting on your cake for changes in colour, smell, and texture because cream-based frosting may curdle and separate, spoiling the entire cake.

Here at Cake Owls, we are passionate about the quality of our cakes and all our sponges are made fresh daily and most of our cakes have a shelf life of three to five days.

## Can you store cake in a fridge?

Most cakes will remain fresh for several days when stored in a container at room temperature. So, when should you store a cake in the fridge?

If your kitchen is hot and humid during summer months
If your cake contains a fresh fruit filling or topping
If you have a fresh cream cake

Before refrigerating your cake, you should either wrap it in clingfilm or put it in a cake container to stop it drying out.

Make sure to take your cake out of the fridge 30-60 minutes before you want to serve it.

## Can you freeze cake?

If you’re buying one of our cakes, there shouldn’t be any need to freeze it. You can either collect your cake on the day or have it delivered and our cakes don’t usually have any leftovers!

If you are making a cake at home and want to prepare ahead of time, you can freeze your cake. The best way to freeze a cake is without any icing or filling – after you have baked the cake, wait for it to cool down before wrapping it in clingfilm and putting it in the freezer. If the cake has two layers, wrap them separately so the layers don’t stick together.

You can freeze a cake for up to three months and when you’re ready to eat it simply unwrap them and place them on a wire rack at room temperature. They should thaw out in about two to three hours. However, if you ask us, there is absolutely nothing that beats a freshly baked and iced cake. You would know from the smell!

## When not to store your cake in the fridge

While some of our cakes can be refrigerated there are certain cakes you shouldn’t put in the fridge:

When edible prints are being used on the cake, for example our Duo Colour Cakes
When sugar icing is being used
When hand moulded fondant figures are used

This is because refrigeration causes sugar icing to sweat, become weak and eventually lose its shape. In these instances, it is best to store the cake away from direct sunlight and in a cool and dry place.

## What to do if your cake has gone stale

If you’re cake has gone stale and dried out, don’t panic! There are a few things you can do to salvage it. Firstly, you can try drizzling a little sugar syrup on your cake to add moisture – make sure the syrup soaks all the way through the sponge. Another option is repurposing the stale cake. Stale cake sponge can work as a layer of trifle or you can crumble the cake down and mix it with frosting to make cake pops.

When properly stored, cakes should stay fresh for up to a week in the kitchen or fridge and for a few months in the freezer. But how well they keep depends on a number of factors.

For a delicious cake that will last, it’s always best to spend a little more on a fresh and lovely handmade cake for you and your family. At Cake Owls we have a wide variety of cakes for every occasion and we are committed to #BakingYouHappy!

Check out our Instagram page page to see even more of our delicious and stylish cakes.