What's the best way to keep a cake from going stale?

April 5, 2006 1:22 PM

What's the best way to keep a cake from going stale?

I just spent several hours making a cake for a friend's unbirthday. Unfortunately, it turns out that we won't be able to meet until this weekend. Will the cake stay fresh and edible until then, or should I remake it? What's the best way to keep it fresh and moist?

posted by bpt to Food & Drink (14 answers total)

People store pieces from their wedding cakes in their freezers for years. Just wrap it good in a tight tupperware container.
posted by JJ86 at 1:23 PM on April 5, 2006

A well frosted, uncut cake will stay moist about 3-4 days. Refrigeration will make it last longer. Just make sure it's not warm when you refrigerate it, or at least wipe away any condensation that may form on the sides or top of the container you store it in.
posted by Roger Dodger at 1:26 PM on April 5, 2006

Eat it all now & make another one.
posted by dame at 1:31 PM on April 5, 2006

freezer.
posted by delmoi at 1:35 PM on April 5, 2006

A piece of fresh bread in with freshly baked cookies keeps them moist for days.... maybe the same thing can work with cake?
posted by maxpower at 1:54 PM on April 5, 2006

Yep, you should be fine. Was the cake from scratch or a box? Box mixes have added preservatives, but either will be OK.

I'd suggest putting some kind of cover on it (is it a 9 x 13 pan or a layer?) and storing it in some place like an unused microwave until the weekend.
posted by GaelFC at 1:58 PM on April 5, 2006

We have wonderful success with our cake plate (link goes to an approximate picture). Freshly baked cake goes in, outgasses moisture, which overnight results in a deliciously moist layer of glaze on the surface.

At that point, it lasts somewhere between a week and two weeks. In your emergency situation I'm sure a tupperware will get you to the weekend.
posted by Aknaton at 1:59 PM on April 5, 2006

You people are all INSANE! How can anyone keep a cake for days or even weeks! I know that any cake anywhere will simply disappear if left on the counter for more than one day. Keeping cakes? That's crazy talk.
posted by Gungho at 2:10 PM on April 5, 2006

Another vote for freeze it. My neighbor's a baker. Once when we visited his bakery, he showed us his freezer full of cakes that he can bring out to sell later, without any bad effect.

Note that you can only do this *once*. Multiple freezings will kill your cake.
posted by kingjoeshmoe at 3:50 PM on April 5, 2006

Definitely freezer.
The fridge is the best way to give your cake that kind of gross, stale-butter taste.
posted by Bella Sebastian at 4:15 PM on April 5, 2006

NO to the fridge. Refrigeration will make bread and cake get stale faster.
posted by clh at 4:54 PM on April 5, 2006

The freezer is your friend. I've found the fridge doesn't help, and in fact might make it go stale faster.
posted by lemur at 8:33 PM on April 5, 2006

If the fridege/freezer suggestions don't work this time and you have to just eat it and make another one.....next time make a cake that contains a fair amount of fat (eg: butter) Fat-less cakes like sponges will go stale in one day no matter what you do, but fats help to trap moisture, prolonging their shelf-life.
posted by azuma at 9:18 PM on April 5, 2006

We use square and rectangular glass Pyrex baking dishes with snap-on plastic covers. Various sets of these can be found at Target, Wal-Mart, etc.

Bake the cake in the pan, spread on frosting (the sole reason for cake is to merely support the frosting), put on the plastic cover, and refrigerate. The molded cover is slightly domed to stay off the frosting, it seals better than plastic wrap or foil, and you can set lightweight items on top of the covered pan when it's in the fridge. The glass pan is pretty easy to clean, especially if you coat the inside with a little Pam cooking spray before pouring in the cake batter.

Ditto what Gungho said... What cake?
posted by cenoxo at 9:57 PM on April 6, 2006