The First Thing You Should Do Before Putting Your Cake In The Fridge

What do you do with a delicious leftover cake that you want to relish even after the day you baked it? A great idea is to store it in the refrigerator. Depending on the type of cake, they can remain delicious and visually pleasing for as long as a week when stored properly.

However, when it comes to the actual refrigeration, many people are unaware that the humidity dries and hardens cake, and even makes it go stale. Sealing or covering a cake is one way to delay or prevent this from happening. In addition, placing a covered cake in the fridge is crucial to keep it from absorbing unpleasant smells. 

But as easy and convenient as it seems, just stashing your cake away in the fridge is not enough if you want it to remain fresh, presentable, and mouthwatering. There is one crucial step that needs to happen first.

While there are a number of simple hacks for storing cake, it all starts with the first step, which begins as soon as the cake comes out of the oven!

The secret to properly keeping a cake in the fridge starts with cooling it completely. This helps to evaporate all the moisture and stops the cake from developing a soggy base or becoming mushy when placed in a container. Once baked and removed from the oven, the cake should rest uncovered in the pan on a cooling rack for 10 to 20 minutes. This will allow it to set and unmold easily. After taking the cake out of the pan, it is important to bring the cake to room temperature, which is approximately 70 F. Ideally, this step takes two to three hours for a standard-size cake, but different kinds of cakes have various cooling times.

Unfrosted cakes or hard icing cakes can be securely placed in plastic wrap before putting in the refrigerator. This tip works for entire cakes, layers, and individual slices but not for cakes with fresh fruit or cream toppings and fillings.

However, frosted cakes do not need to be wrapped in plastic wrap because the frosting already acts as a moisture and air barrier. All you really need to do is place the cake in an airtight container or cake keeper. Alternatively, you can chill cakes with icing or frosting for around 15 minutes to harden the outside and loosely cover them in plastic wrap before storing them in the fridge.

If you want to avoid plastic wrap altogether, one TikToker offered a pro tip: flip the container! To maintain the shape of your refrigerated cake, lay it on the lid of the container and cover it with the bottom half of the container. This will also help you slice or dish it out aesthetically. Just remember to write a note on the container to remind yourself and others not to turn it right side up and ruin your labor of love.