Vegan cakes should be stored in the same way as non-vegan cakes. They should be stored at room temperature and wrapped in cling film. If the cake is cut, the sides should also be covered with cling film.
How to store your freshly bakedvegan cake is a question that gets asked a tremendous amount. At room temperature, you can simply wrap your cake in cling film and leave it out. If the ambient temperature is higher, you will need to correctly store your cake. If you are looking to just store the sponges, you may want to freeze them in advance of using them. Here we will explain how to store vegan sponges, uncut and cut. We will also explain when you should refrigerate your vegan cake.
Storing Frosted, Buttercreamed, and Uncut Vegan Cake
Storing a frosted cake is actually easier than storing an unfrosted cake. The buttercream coating acts as a protective layer keeping out a cake’s enemies—moisture and air.
To help preserve your cake, the simplest thing to do is to cover it with a large cover. Alternatively, you can put the cake in a box and wrap the box in cling film. This will help keep the air and moisture out, thus preserving your cake. It's worth mentioning that you have to take care when touching the sides of the box. If you don't have a box, then the next best option is to find a protected space like a cupboard to store the cake.
Stored using cling film, a vegan cake will last for approximately five days. This can change depending on the humidity and the temperature. Both extremes are cake enemies, and you have to do your best to avoid them.
Storing Unfrosted and Uncut Vegan Cakes
If you've baked a vegan sponge and want to store it for under five days, tightly wrap it up after it has cooled in cling film. Store it in a sealed food-safe bag (using two is best) and leave it in a cool, dark place at room temperature.
If you have made your sponge with vegan butter, it will keep in good tasting condition for about five days. We recommend only keeping it like this for three days to be on the safe side. If you have used oil in your baking, this will add about two days to the shelf life.
For sponges you want to store for longer than five days, we recommend wrapping them in cling film first. Then put them in a plastic sealed bag before putting them in the freezer once completely cooled. It's often easier to decorate chilled sponges than fresh from the oven. Frozen sponges will last for up to a month, although you should aim for no more than two weeks. When taking the sponges out of the freezer, allow them to come to room temperature in a cool, dark place before serving. Generally, this takes about two to four hours in normal conditions.
Storing Cut Vegan Cake
Storing a cut vegan cake or non-vegan cake is risky business. Once cut, the cake is open to attack from the elements it hates the most: air and moisture. If you're planning to store cut cake, we recommend making some extra frosting to cover the cut sides during storage. If this isn’t possible, you will need to carefully cover the cut sides in cling film, making sure it is tightly sealed. You can also find pre-cut plastic sheets, but these don’t always fit. They're also designed for bakeries that need to quickly seal and unseal cakes. You can use a flat spatula to press the cling film into the cake for a good seal.
It’s tricky business but worth the extra effort. Once covered, follow the same instructions for a frosted cake. A cut cake, no matter how well you protect it, should be eaten in three to four days. Finally, when serving the cake, shave a thin layer off the cake where it was cut to get rid of any dry or stale crumbs.
Freezing a Vegan Cake
Refrigerating cake is to be avoided unless absolutely necessary. The fridge more often than not does more harm than good. Vegan cakes are particularly good at being stored at room temperature for up to five days. That said, on a baking hot summer’s day (no pun intended), you don’t want your cake melting, so the fridge is your only option.
Before refrigerating, we recommend carefully wrapping the cake box in cling film. Give it a good number of wraps in all directions to keep out fridge nasties and to prevent drying out. If you have freshly baked and decorated your cake, you will need to put it into the fridge for about 15 minutes to firm up the icing. Before serving, unwrap the cake and allow it to come to room temperature. This will take anywhere between 15 and 45 minutes depending on its size.
