What’s the Best Way to Store Cake Overnight

It feels terrible to waste good cake, especially wedding or custom-made cakes. On average, you can expect cakes to last a few days. However, some frostings and cakes require special storage to prevent them from quickly spoiling. For example, cream cheese frosting will go bad overnight if not refrigerated.

Thankfully, there are easy ways to keep every cake delicious for days. Our team has been baking and storing cakes for over 30 years, and we know every trick for maintaining fresh cakes. Below, we’ll review some of the best ways to store cake overnight so you don’t waste a single crumb!

Should You Refrigerate Cake?

We don’t recommend storing cakes overnight in a refrigerator if you can help it. Most fridges dry out cakes quickly, ruining them by the next day. Additionally, other items in the refrigerator can produce smells that can leach into your cake (we’re looking at you, onions). 

You only need to refrigerate a cake if its icing or filling contains quickly spoiling ingredients like eggs, milk, cream cheese, fresh berries, or custard. Here’s a list of all the most common pastries and cakes you’ll need to keep refrigerated: 

• Anything with cream cheese, buttercream, or whipped cream frosting 
• Cheesecakes 
• Anything with fresh fruit (inside or out) 
• Cakes with curds, custards, ricotta, or mascarpone 

What are the Best Ways to Store Frosted Cake? 

Frosting is more than just a tasty topping; it keeps your cake moist! Frosting acts as a protective barrier, holding the moisture inside the cake. The best way to store a frosted cake depends on the type of frosting it has. Most buttercream frostings can be left out of the fridge for two days before going bad.

However, Cakes with cream cheese, mascarpone, or high dairy or egg content will spoil overnight without refrigeration. 

Any section of the cake not covered by icing (like where a slice has been removed) will quickly dry out. To prevent this, you can cover these sections with plastic wrap. Airtight baking dishes and coverable baking pans work too, but not as well as direct coverage. 

One neat trick we like is placing white bread slices on the cut-facing part of your cake. The bread will act as a barrier, transferring moisture to the cake and keeping it fresh. This hack works surprisingly well, but only for a few days, since the bread tends to dry out and get funky.

What are the Best Ways to Store Unfrosted Cake?

The biggest challenge with unfrosted cakes is losing moisture. Cover individual cake layers or sheets tightly with plastic wrap and store them in a cool area. For traditionally unfrosted cakes, such as sponge or angel food cakes, use an airtight container or pastry dish. Most unfrosted cakes can be stored at room temperature for a couple of days—anything longer, and you’ll need to refrigerate or freeze them.

Any More Cake Storing Tips? 

Storing cakes overnight or long-term is a great way to get the most out of your favorite dessert. While a next-day slice can make an excellent treat, keep an eye out for some of these warning signs that you’re cake has gone bad:

• Mold growth: If any mold is present, you should throw out the entire cake. Mold spores spread quickly into porous foods like cake, so any signs of fungus mean you must toss the whole thing. 
• Change in texture: If your cake has dried out, the frosting has crumbled, or it has become spongy, it’s past its shelf life and should be discarded. 
• Bad smells: Always trust your nose when it comes to food. If it smells off, throw it out!