Q. Recipes rarely get to the point on how to store a finished recipe, but I always wonder about cakes that have cream cheese frosting or buttercream frosting. Should they be stored in the refrigerator? Also, I have a recipe that uses a ganache (chocolate and whipping cream) between cookies as a filling. Do they have to be refrigerated, since they have cream in them?
A. You’re right, most recipes don’t tell you how to store a frosted cake. Here are some general guidelines for storing cakes with various frostings from Rose Levy Beranbaum, author of The Cake Bible (William Morrow, 1988).
Whipped cream frosted cakes: Store in refrigerator up to 3 days.
Ganache frosted cakes (boiling whipping cream poured over bittersweet chocolate): Store at room temperature about 3 days or up to 1 week in refrigerator.
Simple buttercream frosted cakes (mixture of confectioners’ sugar and butter): Store at room temperature about 3 days or up to 1 week in refrigerator.
Cream cheese frosted cakes. Store in refrigerator up to 1 week.
French buttercream frosted cakes (mixture of a boiling sugar syrup is beaten into egg yolks, then butter is beaten in): Store in refrigerator up to 1 week.
Meringue-type buttercream frosted cakes (mixture of beaten egg whites and sugar with butter): Store in refrigerator up to 1 week.
Cakes, whether kept at room temperature or in the refrigerator, should be stored airtight to keep them fresh and moist. If storing in the refrigerator, it’s best to chill the cake uncovered for about 20 minutes in the freezer or refrigerator to let the frosting harden. Then wrap the cake in plastic wrap, followed by a layer of heavy-duty aluminum foil.
Alternatively, place plastic wrap over the cut edge and put a large bowl or cake dome over the entire cake. (Beranbaum prefers Saran Wrap because it doesn’t have microscopic holes like other plastic wraps.) And for maximum flavor before serving, always bring refrigerated cakes to room temperature.
If you’re interested in elegance and function, use a cake platter with a fitted dome. Covering cakes properly helps prevent them from losing moisture and absorbing odors. Cake domes are sold at most kitchenware stores; Williams-Sonoma sells a glass-domed cake plate for $28. In addition to preserving the cake’s freshness, they also make an attractive dessert presentation.
