What can be even better than a delicious piece of cake? The leftovers!
If you are fortunate enough to have leftovers of a cake and are thinking about how long the cake lasts in the fridge? You can store an unfrosted cake at room temperature for up to five days.
You can also keep a frosted cake in the refrigerator for up to five days. You can store most cakes in the freezer for up to six months. However, several variables affect a cake’s shelf life, including how it is stored and the ingredients used.
Are you wondering how to identify spoiled cake or the aftereffects of eating bad cake? Then keep on reading, as we have got you covered.
How Long Does Cake Last In The Fridge?
It is best to consume the cake within 24 hours of being baked, as anyone who has tried it knows. With time, its moisture content decreases, and its texture becomes drier.
Fruitcake is the only exception; it can last several months in the refrigerator and up to a year in the freezer. This is because it has dried fruit and a lot of alcohol.
Cakes with icings or wet ingredients like cream, custard fillings, fresh fruit, or fruit compotes should be consumed as soon as possible.
This kind of cake will spoil more quickly because of the icing, so it needs to be stored in the refrigerator or frozen to last longer.
You may keep cakes topped with buttercream or ganache frosting in the refrigerator for up to a week. Just baked Chocolate cake can remain good for up to a week in the fridge.
Preservative-laden store-bought cakes last slightly longer than homemade ones. These cakes typically last between 5 and 7 days and will stale rather than spoil or rot.
Does Cake Go Bad In The Refrigerator?
You should store the cake in the refrigerator if you’re making a cake that will be served for up to three days or if your kitchen gets hot during the day. Also, store it in the refrigerator if the cake has whipped cream frosting, a fresh fruit filling, or both.
Yes, cake spoils over time when stored in the fridge. This is because the cake loses water at lower temperatures, leading to unpleasant dryness. Is this a sign that the cake is unpalatable? Not exactly, but it is not fun.
Your cake will taste better at room temperature unless it contains perishable ingredients like cream frosting, fresh fruit, ice cream, mascarpone, or whipped cream. Cakes lose their characteristic softness when exposed to the humidity of refrigerators.
How Long Do Different Kinds Of Cake Last
At room temperature, an unfrosted cake typically lasts up to five days. You can generally keep a frosted cake in the refrigerator for up to five days.
Most cakes can be kept for up to six months in airtight packaging and the freezer. However, several factors influence a cake’s shelf life.
#1- Chocolate Cake
Chocolate cake is best stored at room temperature as it tastes fresh and retains moisture. In the fridge, you can keep the chocolate cake at room temperature for three days or seven days. You can also store the covered chocolate cake in the freezer for almost six months.
Make sure the cake is covered to prevent a hard and unpleasant slice. How long the cake keeps fresh depends on how well it is covered. You can either use your cake holder to cover it or wrap it in plastic, foil, or any other airtight container.
#2- Pound Cake
As advised, it would be best if you kept the cake at room temperature. When kept correctly at room temperature, pound cake typically lasts four to five days.
Only about seven days in the refrigerator will the pound cake remain edible. Placing the cake in the fridge can change both its texture and flavor. Pound cake can be frozen if desired, but it will only keep well without losing quality for four to six months.
#3- Angel Food Cake
Plain angel food cake can be kept at room temperature for one to two days when properly stored.
You should keep your angel food cake in the refrigerator for up to a week if it is iced or has fruit decorations. You can extend Angel food cake’s shelf life by freezing it. You may store this in the freezer for four to six months.
#4- Walnut Cake
You can store these walnut cakes for about three days. They should be kept cool and stored in airtight containers.
Ensure the walnut cake buttercream lasts one to two days before storing the cake. The sponge will lose its moisture if you keep it longer than three days, affecting its flavor.
But you can freeze the walnut cake; The sponges freeze up quite nicely. Before sandwiching the sponges with buttercream, let them completely defrost.
The united sponges should be double-wrapped in tin foil and cling film before freezing for up to three months.
#5- Banana Cake
If you store the banana cake correctly and at room temperature, it lasts two to three days before turning sour on the counter. If you maintain the condition in the refrigerator, the banana cake lasts about 1 to 2 weeks before going stale.
If you keep the banana cake carefully and in the ideal freezer settings, it will remain fresh and high-quality for two to three months before going stale.
#6- Carrot Cake
You can store most plain cakes at room temperature, but carrot cake needs to be refrigerated since mold can form on it readily. Cake layers without frosting will last for about a week in the fridge.
Your cake will last for about a week in the refrigerator if it is uncut, iced, and adorned. If cut, keep it in the fridge for approximately two to three days. Cake layers can be frozen and kept there for two to three months.
#7- Naked Cake
Due to the absence of any icing to prevent them from drying out, naked and semi-naked cakes should be consumed within two to three days of your wedding.
After being cut, cakes covered in sugar paste icing and white chocolate ganache should be kept for approximately eight days.
Naked cakes should be kept for six days. Make sure the buttercream on the naked cake hasn’t been used for more than two to three days.
#8- Sheet Cake
Cream, cream cheese, or custard-filled sheet cakes have a shorter shelf life and refrigerator life. A dry cake with a crunchy outer layer will be produced after only one to two days of storage at room temperature.
The majority of sheet cakes can be kept at room temperature for about two days; however, tiered cakes and cakes that are stuffed or filled may only keep for one day.
#9- Coconut Cake
You can store coconut Cakes for up to four months. Using the same technique, you can also wrap and freeze unfrosted layers of Coconut Cake, then frost them as needed.
Place the cake in the refrigerator for one hour to firm up. After removing the cake from the refrigerator, frost the cake’s exterior with seven-minute frosting.
While the frosting is still soft, sprinkle the remaining coconut flakes over the cake. Don’t refrigerate. Cake can be stored for several days at room temperature.
#10- Red Velvet Cake
If you store red velvet cake properly in the appropriate condition of the refrigerator, it will keep for one to two weeks before going bad.
When I was growing up, my mother usually set aside a few days just to make a homemade flame cake because velvet cake was expensive to buy at the grocery store.
One of the best places to store red velvet cake is in the freezer, where you’ll always want a piece to keep you cool.
#11- Flourless Orange Cake
You can store Flourless orange cake at room temperature in a sealed container for up to four days. The cake will dry out and last longer if stored in the fridge.
One of the best places to store flourless orange cake is in the freezer, where you’ll always want a piece to keep you cool, and the cream will try to avoid fungus.
How To Tell If Cake Has Gone Bad?
Cake has a reasonably high resistance to most forms of spoilage. A plain cake will usually become dry and stale if left out, but eating it won’t make you sick. The world’s bakers can create new, equally delicious desserts from an old cake in various ways.
However, you should refrain from consuming those leftovers. Mold has the potential to develop in any area of the cake where moisture is trapped, such as between the cake and its plate or even between the cake’s icing and the cake.
Fresh fruit, whipped cream, egg-based custards, meringues, and other perishable ingredients can also be found in cake fillings and toppings. Eggs are the riskiest of these because they can cause issues with food safety.
What Happens If You Eat Old Cake?
Relax first if you’ve had the unfortunate experience of eating a piece of old cake. It is indeed gross. However, you won’t be able to tell if the old cake is to blame for your illness if you get sick just thinking about eating it.
You will experience symptoms that resemble food poisoning within the next day (or possibly two days) if you react to the old cake.
Among these symptoms are: Diarrhea, Nausea, and Vomiting Some people may also discover that they are allergic to a particular old strain on the cake.
People with asthma or other issues related to the respiratory system are particularly susceptible to this. These issues can be made worse by allergic reactions.
It is essential to seek treatment immediately if you react to the moldy cake by throwing up or having an allergy.
Final Verdict:
Don’t worry if your storage methods go wrong; you can salvage a cake that has gone bad. Dripping sugar syrup over a dry, stale sponge is one of the effortless ways to save it. To ensure that all moisture is retained, ensure that the syrup soaks into the sponge thoroughly.
Relax first if you have been unfortunate enough to consume a cake that has gone moldy. It is indeed gross. However, you won’t know if the cake is to blame for your illness just thinking about eating it if you get sick.
