How to Store & Display Cake

Physically completing the baking may seem like the challenging part of making a cake but in fact, ensuring your cake is properly stored is the real test of skill. 

To encourage footfall, it is important to showcase your cakes in an outstanding manner to entice buyers into the shop. Alongside this, the original freshness, flavour and moisture must be preserved to satisfy hungry customers to the point of return. 

So, to find out the best way to store cake and discover how to display cakes in a shop, keep reading for our insider tips. 

Dealing with freshly baked cakes

When rushing in a commercial bakery, it can seem tempting to place a freshly baked cake straight into a refrigerator or cake display fridge, but this would be a rooky mistake. Cakes must be properly cooled before being chilled to allow the moisture to escape. So when you take it out of the oven, use a wire rack to cool your cake to room temperature. This will avoid any steam being created when the cake is placed into a display fridge or refrigerator.

Storing and displaying cake in a fridge

Bakeries, restaurants and cafes can reach high temperatures with the combination of customers, staff and a warm day. We recommend both storing and displaying cake in a chilled fridge or area on any warm day to ensure your product will not spoil. This is especially crucial if the cake will not be served for more than 3 days or if it includes fresh fruit or topping, whipped cream or cream cheese. 

When displaying cake, it should always be in a separate display fridge to other food. We recommend a display fridge, such as the ISA Millennium Display fridge, with glass-fronted and multiple shelf layouts which ensure there is space to showcase the products. If your cake is stored or displayed in the same fridge as other food (e.g onions, cheese, fish) it will absorb this smell even if you cannot notice it externally. This makes it crucial that when a cake is stored with other food, it must be wrapped properly to avoid contamination.

How to wrap your cake

If you choose to store your cake at room temperature, it must be covered at all times. This is to prevent dust and any insects from getting to the product. A simple cake cover can be used or large bowl, on the condition that the cover touches the surface to ensure nothing can slip underneath. 

When storing your cake in the fridge, ensure it is wrapped well in cling film. This creates a protective barrier and prevents the product from drying out. Cling film also ensures the sponge does not pick up any odours from inside the refrigerator. 

When a Cake Display Fridge is Crucial

Fondant and buttercream have the ability to seal moisture, meaning these cakes will not easily dry out. They can be stored in a freezer or fridge, with a fridge being a crucial part of the thawing process after freezing. Fondant and buttercream cakes can be stored in a refrigerated cake display cabinet, however, users should be careful of any colour change from condensation. 

For whipped cream, cheese cream or fresh fruit cakes, refrigeration is crucial. They must be chilled and should only be stored for up to 2 days. Cakes with ganache frosting can also be stored in the fridge; we recommend leaving the cake uncovered for 10-15 minutes to harden the frosting before placing it under a cake cover. These cakes should always be in a display fridge when presented to customers and should not be left on the counter or shelves without being chilled. 

Best-by dates of cakes

Buttercream or ganache cakes which have been presented in cake display fridges can be kept for 3-4 days before they must be disposed of. Those with custard, cream, fresh fruit or cream cheese will only last for 1-2 days, even in the fridge. Cream-based icing cannot be frozen, whereas fruitcake in marzipan and icing can be. However, this cake can only be frozen for up to 4 months before it too must be disposed of. 

If you want to store and display your cake in a high vision glass display cabinet, visit the Fridgesmart site to find a practical and aesthetic way to show off your produce.