Welcome to the Cake Decorators Q&A

Hi …
I have been wondering how to store a cake with a french/German style filling (egg, milk, icing sugar, flour and butter) that has been covered in fondant? I have placed a finished fondant cake in fridge before, but EVERYWHERE says not to put in fridge, I had no problem and it was a basic cover for family so was not the end of world if something happened but when its being sold???
Many thanks for any advise.. Xx

Hello JCakeMad

The type of fillings you describe are usually recommended for refrigeration because of the higher spoilage risk which they present. Not all sugarpaste performs well when refrigerated. The moisture in the fridge can make the icing sweat and become very wet and melt. For this reason the general rule is not to refrigerate iced cakes unless you’ve tried successfully or if using sugarpaste which has been developed for refrigeration. There are other members on the site who have no problems with placing enrobed cakes in the fridge.
If your enrobed cakes look perfect after refrigeration you can still sell them, that’s what other people do. The only thing you must be certain of is the shelf life of the fillings even when refrigerated. Some fillings are only good for a couple of days. Others are good at room temperature for a day, half a day or only for a few hours.
You would need to advise your customer accordingly so the cake is stored correctly after it leaves your care.
From your own experience of family cakes you will have some idea of the shelf life of those fillings and from the recipes recommendations.
A lot does depend on which fillings you are using.

Thank you so much for your advice.. If you don’t mind me asking, what fillings do you recommend using that do not need refrigerating, taste good, are light and have a good shelf life ? The only other one I can think of would be whipped ganache?
The German/ French style buttercream i use everyone loves but I am not sure on storage/ shelf life.
Thank you again for all your help. x.

The fillings which you use are really yummy, I used to make lots for pastries and plated desserts. I know just how much people love them. However if you’re making big cakes which need to be kept out at room temperature you would be better off using ganache, buttercream, chocolate buttercream or Italian buttercream. Some people just use plain jam, particularly on chocolate mud cakes!
Be careful of over whipping ganache. Over aerating will shorten it’s shelf life and make the texture grainy. I treat whipped ganache like fresh cream and keep it refrigerated, however I know decorators do use it without problems. Ganache is best whipped with an immersion stick to prevent excessive aeration.. Adding a little alcohol to ganache will extended shelf life by a few days. For a normal 10″ cake I use approximately 40 – 60mls, 40% spirit. Add a small amount of softened butter, approx 40g and stir gently into made ganache until fully emulsified. Cover the surface with cling film expelling out the air and leave to set overnight at room temperature until required. Works good for me.
Italian buttercream has a shelf life of approximately 3 – 5 days at room temperature. Because the egg whites are cooked by the hot sugar syrup it is more stable than French or Swiss buttercream. It is much lighter in texture and less sweet than butter cream made with icing sugar and butter. Cooked fudge fillings can also be kept at room temperature for a good few days.
Fresh fruit fillings should be avoided as they can be kept only for a few hours at room temperature. Fresh fruit releases juices which can cause fillings to separate and are also high risk for mould growth.
It helps to keep fillings as cool as possible. A good room temperature is approx 19 – 20 c. Air con is even better.
All the above is just from my own experiences and not necessarily that of others. Shelf life is dependent on how cakes and fillings are stored and also the conditions in which they are made.

There’s a ganache chart here which you may find useful http://www.cakeflix.com/blog/how-to-ganache-cakes-without-gnashing-your-teeth
For filling only, reduce the quanities by 25% Hope the information is of some help.