How long does cream cake keep, and does it need the fridge?

Sunday afternoon, a birthday in a garden near Ede. The cream cake has been on the table since half past two, the tompouces are still in their box and the fruit tart is only half cut. Around six, someone asks whether the rest will still be fine tomorrow. That depends on what is on and in it, and on how long it has already been out.

Cake belongs in the fridge

The Voedingscentrum, the Netherlands Nutrition Centre, keeps it short: store cakes and pastries in the fridge. Pastry is prone to spoiling, says its storage guide for cream cake. That goes for cream cake and tompouces, and just as much for a cake with crème au beurre.

Set the fridge to 4°C, the centre advises on its page about safe chilling and storage, and cover the cake when it goes in.

How long each cake keeps

The centre's storage guide, the Bewaarwijzer, gives a time for each type of cake once the pack has been opened. If it is still sealed in its packaging, follow what the label says.

• Cream cake, 1 day in the fridge and 1 month in the freezer
• Fruit tart with whipped cream, 1 day in the fridge and 1 month in the freezer
• Tompouce, the Dutch custard slice, 1 day in the fridge and 1 month in the freezer
• Cake with crème au beurre, a rich buttercream, 3 days in the fridge and 3 months in the freezer

Once that time is up, the advice is to look, smell and taste before you cut another slice. For a birthday, it mostly means Sunday's cream cake should be finished by Monday.

How long cake can sit on the party table

At a birthday, the cake often stays out all afternoon. That is too long. Never leave food that spoils quickly out of the fridge for more than 2 hours, says the Voedingscentrum. Pastry is prone to spoiling, so that includes your cream cake.

Count those 2 hours from the moment the cake leaves the fridge, not from the first slice. If it comes out at half past two, it goes back by half past four at the latest. Set an alarm on your phone if you need to, because time flies at a good party.

So don't cut everything at once. Bring the cake out with the coffee, serve the slices and put the rest back in the fridge. At a big party, keep a second cake cold until the first one is gone. For the rest of the buffet, see how long food can sit out.

Fresh fruit and cream

A fruit tart with whipped cream looks light and summery, but the storage guide gives it the same short time as a plain cream cake, 1 day in the fridge. The fruit does not make it keep any longer. A tompouce, with its layer of custard cream between the puff pastry, is also 1 day.

At 3 days, a cake with crème au beurre keeps the longest of this group. So plan cakes with whipped cream and fresh fruit for the day itself, and choose a buttercream cake when you want to work ahead.

Freezing and thawing

Leftover cake can go in the freezer. For cream cake, fruit tart with whipped cream and tompouces, the guide gives 1 month in the freezer, and 3 months for a cake with crème au beurre. After that, the quality may decline. Set the freezer to minus 18°C or colder. Write the date on the box or bag, so you know when that month is up.

Thaw it slowly. Take the cake out of the freezer 24 hours ahead and put it in the fridge, covered, the centre advises in its thawing guide. That way it keeps more of its quality.

If you order a cake for a party, agree on the time it should arrive, so it spends as little time out of the fridge as possible. Maximus Catering, chef David Nagib's kitchen in Ede and the surrounding area, makes cakes and desserts exactly to your wishes, for a birthday in the garden or a dinner at home.