How long can a wedding cake stand at room temperature?

by Rachael
(Shoreview, MN, USA)

Hi Lorelie,

I am going to be making a wedding cake for a friend and she is pretty much open to any type of frosting or buttercream. The only request she has is that the cake should be white/ivory in color.

I was planning on the filling the cake with cream cheese frosting but I am not sure if I should do this because the cake will be standing at room temperature for about half a day. Will the cream cheese frosting go bad? I was also looking at your cake fillings recipes and the pastry cream sounds really good but once again, how long can it last at room temperature?

Thanks, your website is very, very helpful!
Rachael C.

Hi Rachel, Your cake will be fine standing out for a half a day as long as you keep it very, very cold before you set it up. I freeze my cakes and then keep them very cold if I know they will be out for a long time. It takes quite a long time for the insides to come to room temperature.

In fact sometimes the buttercream in the center is still not soft by the time they cut the cake as the cakes on top of each other act as insulators.

If you do use a pastry cream filling make sure that you make a dam of buttercream icing around the edges of the layers before filling. The butter will stay hard longer acting as a glue and as leak prevention.

Good luck, and please update us and post a picture of your cake with a story.

Thanks for asking a great question.

Wedding Cake Preservative

by Kakayi
(Port-Harcourt)

Aside from alcohol, what other preservative can I use when baking wedding cake

Kakayi

Hi Kayaki,

I don't use any kind of preservative, maybe one of my readers can help you with this question. I freeze my cakes after I bake them to keep them fresh.
Depending on the cake, I sometimes use a simple syrup with flavoring to brush over the cakes to give them a little more moisture and flavor.

For example with my lemon cakes I use straight granulated sugar and lemon juice, dissolving the sugar in the juice and then brush it over the cakes after I poke lots of tiny holes into the surface. This way some of the syrup soaks in and the sugar gives it a slight crunch, which I think adds a nice texture.

But if you prefer you can use sugar and water (2 cups to 1 cup of water) which has been heated and stirred until the sugar dissolves and then add a bit of flavoring.

Comments

As per adding liqueurs to preserve
by: Robin Covey

Any cake can spoil or go stale cakes generally should be out the door no later than 2 days after finished. but one thing you can do to help it along is add a box of instant pudding and a 1/2 cup of Bacardi Gold rum in yellow or butter cakes and there are other populars such as Kahlua or Grand Marnier. try a simple syrup of 1/4 cup water and a cup of sugar, and a half stick of butter...boil a minute or two, remove and add 1/2 cup of liqueur and soak your cake halves. I get good reviews on the rum soaks

How long can strawberry buttercream filling stay at room temperature

by Beth
(Illinois)

Hello,

I am making a wedding cake for my daughter and she has requested a strawberry puree (made from frozen strawberries, lemon juice, and sugar cooked together) to be added to the mousseline buttercream filling.

Is the cake safe to serve if kept at room temperature when it is assembled the day before?

Hi Beth,

The buttercream itself can be kept for 2 days out of the refrigerator in a cool spot and covered with plastic wrap. So if you must leave the cake out overnight it should be safe. If possible keep it refrigerated until the day of. It will be easier to handle when delivering if the cakes are a little on the harder side.

Second question- Do I need to add flour to the white velvet butter cake batter recipe that we will use for a 3 tier cake to make it denser? If so, how much? Thanks!!!

I am not sure what your recipe consists of, but if you are using my white butter cake recipe you will not need to add additional flour. If you do decide to use your recipe. experiment first with a small cake to see if it is the density that you are looking for.