How to Store a Decorated Cake: Buttercream vs. Fondant

In This Guide

• Storing a Buttercream Cake
• Storing a Fondant Cake
• Storing Cakes with Sugar Flowers
• Transporting a Decorated Cake
• Sugar Flower Storage Hack: Pre-Made Flowers Last Even Longer

Storing a decorated cake properly is one of the most underrated skills in cake decorating. An improperly stored cake can ruin days of work. Here's the complete guide.

Storing a Buttercream Cake

Uncut Buttercream Cake

• Room temperature (up to 2 days): A buttercream cake can sit at room temperature in a cool space (below 22°C / 72°F) for up to 2 days if the filling is stable (buttercream, jam, or ganache). Cover loosely with a cake dome to protect from dust without smudging.
• Refrigerator (up to 5 days): Place in an airtight cake box or cover the entire cake in cling film. The buttercream will firm in the fridge but will soften again at room temperature. Allow 1–2 hours to come to room temperature before serving.
• Avoid: Storing near strong-smelling foods in the refrigerator. Buttercream absorbs odors.

Cut Buttercream Cake

Press a piece of cling film directly against any cut surfaces to prevent them from drying out. Refrigerate and use within 3–4 days.

Storing a Fondant Cake

Fondant and refrigeration have a complicated relationship. In most cases, do not refrigerate a fondant-covered cake.

Here's why: when a cold fondant cake is brought to room temperature, condensation forms on the surface. This moisture can make the fondant tacky, cause colors to bleed, and create unsightly water spots that permanently mark the surface.

Exceptions

• If the filling is perishable (fresh cream, mousse, custard), the cake must be refrigerated. In this case: place in a cake box, refrigerate, and then allow to come to room temperature slowly in the box before opening. Do not uncover until fully at room temperature.

Room Temperature Storage for Fondant

• Store at cool room temperature (below 22°C / 72°F) in a cake box for up to 3–4 days.
• Keep away from direct sunlight, which can fade colors.
• Keep away from humidity, which will make the surface sticky.

Storing Cakes with Sugar Flowers

• Gumpaste sugar flowers: The most storage-friendly. Once fully dry, they're stable at room temperature for months before being placed on the cake. On the finished cake, store as per the cake type and consume within 3–5 days.
• Fresh flowers: Not recommended for extended storage. Fresh flowers are food-unsafe for long direct contact with cake surfaces and wilt quickly.
• Wafer paper flowers: Like gumpaste, wafer paper is stable at room temperature but dissolves if it contacts moisture. Keep away from humid conditions and any wet surface.

Transporting a Decorated Cake

• Always transport on the base board, inside a cake box, on a non-slip mat in a flat car boot or on the car floor (never on a seat where it can slide).
• Turn on the air conditioning to keep the car cool.
• Add sugar flowers and tall decorations after arriving at the venue whenever possible – they're the most vulnerable element during transport.
• For tiered cakes: consider transporting each tier separately and stacking on-site.
• For long distances: use extra dowels and a central support dowel through all tiers for maximum stability.

Watch our free tutorial: Decorating with Buttercream

Sugar Flower Storage Hack: Pre-Made Flowers Last Even Longer

If you're decorating with sugar flowers, gumpaste blooms are the most storage-friendly option – they can be made weeks in advance and stored in a dry box. Global Sugar Art's pre-made gumpaste sugar flowers arrive ready to use and can be stored for months before your event. 🌸 Shop pre-made sugar flowers →