If you’ve just spent the time making a delicious homemade cake, whether it’s something like a frosted cake or a freshly baked chocolate cake, you want it to keep fresh and not be spoiled by any warm weather.
After all, nobody wants a stale cake! The same goes for any store bought cakes.
The way to do this is to put them in the fridge where they can keep cool. But how long does cake last in the fridge?
In the following article you will find out all about how leftover cake can be stored in the refrigerator, improving their shelf life and keeping the cake moist.
How Long Does Cake Last In The Fridge?
The general answer can vary, depending on the type of cake that you have. For homemade cakes, like one with cream cheese frosting, then it will usually last up to five days if stored properly in the fridge.
With that being said, a whipped cream frosting will only last you three days. A store bought cake, on the other hand, will stay fresh for about one or two weeks in the fridge.
How Can You Keep A Cake Fresh?
If you want your cake fresh and lasting a bit longer, then it’s a good idea to have it wrapped tightly in plastic wrap or cling film.
After that, put it in an airtight container and leave it in a cool and dry place. Alternatively, you can start refrigerating cakes.
How Can I Freeze A Cake?
If you want it to last even longer, then you can freeze cakes, storing the slices in a freezer bag or two.
Before you put it in the freezer bag, you need to make sure it has cooled completely, before wrapping it tightly in plastic wrap.
Put the wrap in the bag, getting rid of all the extra air, and freeze it. A frozen wrap cake will last three months.
Thawing Cake
A frozen cake needs to thaw in the refrigerator first for you to eat it, exchanging the wrap for foil and waiting 12 hours before you eat it.
Alternatively, place the cake on a cooling rack in the oven and bake it for 20 minutes around 175 degrees Fahrenheit.
Do Frosted Cakes Go In The Fridge?
A frosted cake will usually go in the fridge, though the whole cake must be stored properly and tightly wrapped.
Cream Cheese Frosting
If the frosting is cream cheese, then it will last in the fridge even better. You can put them on a cake stand in the fridge for extra care.
Whipped Cream Frosting
A whipped cream cake will last about three days when stored properly in the refrigerator.
Unfrosted Cake
An unfrosted cake, on the other hand, can be kept wrapped at room temperature for a day. In a fridge, it will last up to three days.
To use an example, a cake with buttercream will last in the refrigerator for 3-4 days.
Leftover Cake
If you store a cake in the fridge properly, wrapped tightly, then it will keep for a while – two weeks for store bought and up to five days for homemade.
If you don’t store it properly, then it will probably not be safe to eat. Cakes need the cold conditions of a fridge or freezer to not spoil.
If they are kept at room temperature, they will only last so long, as well as go stale faster.
You can get food poisoning from eating a gone off cake, such as one that’s kept left at room temperature for too long.
Homemade cakes go off even quicker, because they are especially made from fresh ingredients, so be careful.
Type Of Cake
The shelf of life of cakes varies with each type of cake.
Chocolate Cake
A chocolate cake can be kept for up to two days at room temperature – when stored in an airtight container.
A baked chocolate cake will keep in the fridge for a week, as long as it’s covered tightly with plastic wrap.
Some chocolate cakes might use ganache, a topping which lasts only 3-4 days in the refrigerator. Ganache includes cream, which goes off easily.
Pound Cakes
These are full of fresh ingredients, especially fresh fruit, and a baked one will last about a week in the fridge if it is wrapped properly.
Fruit Cakes
Fruit cakes are quite similar to pound cakes, in the case of their fruit filling, but they last even longer.
A fresh fruit cake lasts in the refrigerator for up to three months, and can last a year if stored in the freezer properly.
Carrot Cakes
These delicious cakes involve carrots, as well as often having cream cheese frosting. If wrapped in the refrigerator, it will last a week.
Angel Food Cake
These are a variety of sponge cakes that are very tasty. To ensure this sponge cake lasts, wrap it and put it in the fridge. It should last a week.
Wedding Cake
A wedding cake will usually have a topping made out of ganache or buttercream, which means that it will last about 3-4 days if wrapped properly and put in the fridge.
Sheet Cakes
These are like regular cake but are made in a different type of pan instead.
Lemon Cakes
Made from lemons and frosting, usually, these can be wrapped up and put in your fridge. They should last about a week.
Final Thoughts
You need to put your cake in the fridge if you want it to last. Most cakes will go off quickly if they are left out at room temperature, and it is never worth risking your health eating one.
Always make sure that you wrap the cake tightly and properly before you put it away.
