I'm a little confused on a few receipes I have for fillings and when/if they need to be refrigerated or not? Is there a general rule to follow? I am starting to get into using fondant and I beleive most of the fillings I can find require refrigeration.

There a quite a few receipes that have eggs and/or milk or a whipping cream. Should these always be refrigerated?

Thanks,
Christine

I have not done a lot of different fillings but I think the fillings made with jams/jellys or buttercream would not need to be refrigerated.

I would think you would want to refrigerate anything made with eggs or cream. I am sure there are more experienced people here on the site that can help.

Cindy

I have just made a cake filled with whipped cream and covered in fondant. I didnt want to take any chances and have kept it in the fridge. I did make a cake ages ago with whipped cream and i decided to leave it out to "see what happened". After 2 days of normal weather it smelled funny and the next day it was a bit mouldy. This may help, but i'd keep it in the fridge.

Whipped cream fillings that are not cooked, will separate and sour and absolutely must be refridgerated until serving time and shortly thereafter. Ganache, because it is cooked, can keep at room temperature for 2-3 days.
Generally any pudding filling that contains milk should be refridgerated. Cooked puddings keep longer than instant ones, but generally should all be refridgerated. Pudding cups even though they do not have to be refridgerated before opening, must be after. Custard fillings should be refridgerated. Mousse fillings absolutely must be refridgerated and like most puddings, should only be used to fill a cake, the day before.
Some of the commercial sleeve filling don't have to be refridgerated but can get pretty skunky in 2 days or so, the bavarian cream filling being one of the ones that does this.
Fresh fruit fillings should be refridgerated and not used way ahead of time either as the juice can bleed out and make for a soggy cake.
You are very limited in the kinds of fillings you can use that do not require refridgeration. This is why buttercream is most often used. To kick up the flavour, use a simple syrup mixed with a favourite liquer, brushed on the cakes before icing. Or use a oil flavouring in your buttercream. Most jams are safe at room temperature.
Some better pie fillings hold up well as cake fillings.
Wilton has a lemon filling on the site that doesn't require refridgeration. Most lemon curds do not require refridgeration and can be frozen also.
Hugs Squirrelly Cakes

I was always told anything with alot of real milk should be refridgerated, but most cakes made with a small amount of milk will be ok because of the sugar acting as a preservative..but if the milk out "weighs/measures" the sugar it should be refridgerated.... I.E. Tres Leches cakes.

Yes that does cover a lot of things, that is true. Still anything with milk or cream in it, no matter how small the amount, will eventually turn so 2-3 days for most things is pretty much the limit. Ganache is made of usually about half cream to half chocolate and yet it is best kept at room temperature, but again , for 2-3 days max.
The rules are a lot more stringent with commercial bakers.
And room temperature is generally around 70F, no higher than 75F.
Hugs Squirrely Cakes

I needed this post yesterday, LOL!!!! Great advice Squirrelly!! I'm gonna start calling you "Da Momma" of cakes!!!! That was very informative! Thanks!!!

Hi there Turtlelady,
Haha, some of the younger ladies I have met on the sites call me Ma! It was pretty funny because newer members thought I was actually related to a lot of people, haha!
Hugs Ma Squirrelly

Ok - I'm freaking out - I made some "Twinkie" filling on Tuesday night and filled cupcakes that I left out till the next day. Seemed fine. I put the remaining filling in the fridge. Used it last night to fill a cake. Which I left out till today. I was afraid that my icing colors would run if I refreigerated it and then took it out. Am I okay. I noticed that there was some oozing on my cake, but it was a total disaster - one layer fell apart and I just pieced it back together. It was just a practice cake. Just wanted to make sure before I let people eat it. The recipe for the filling is equal on parts sugar to milk. there is also flour in it. and butter. HELP!

Anyone out there that can help?

I take it this is a cooked filling? It sounds like is has separated if it is oozing out.
Generally the rule of thumb is that if an icing is an uncooked icing like buttercream, and the milk or cream is only a couple of tbsp. or so, a minute amount, it will be fine. With ganache, even though it is about equal parts of chocolate and cream, it is heated and actually fine on the counter, 2-3 days at room temperature below 75F. Puddings are about half milk and half sugar with flour, usually an egg etc. and they should be refridgerated in most cases.
I am not familiar with the recipe for "Twinkie filling". I will check the recipes on this site for it.
Hugs Squirrelly Cakes
Edited:
Just looked at the recipe on the site. Ok, it is not a cooked filling. The problem is that the recipe sounds like it separated because you didn't keep it refridgerated. Some recipes because of the combination of ingredients, need to be kept refridgerated or they will separate. Basically anything that has more than a few tablespoons of milk. Since this is almost half milk, the flour is in the recipe to keep the ingredients from separating. But milk is one of the major ingredients - similar to making whipping cream. These recipes must be kept refridgerated. Things like mousse and pudding must be kept refridgerated.
I would say that it is possible that folks could get sick on this one. Anything like this will a main ingredient of milk or cream is best served the next day, after being refrigerated.
Hugs Squirrelly Cakes

Thanks for the help!

Thanks for all the help w/this! I've been all over my town looking for those pre-bagged fillings and didn't find any.....would like to give them a try and simplfy if I can. I'll have to just order them online.

Thanks.

When serving a cake that has a filling that would need refrigerating how long can the cake sit out at the party/wedding without having to worry about it?
If I set up a wedding cake at noon for a 2:00 p.m. reception that lasts until 4:00 or 5:00 is that ok?

C

Crp7, well that depends on the filling. For example, a whipped cream filling, no, that is too long for it. Mainly because it takes about an hour to cut up say, a large wedding cake, and it will get mushy and start to separate. I would say the same thing with a mousse filling for the most part. Now a cooked pudding filling would likely hold up fine as would a fruit filling. The juice from strawberries may start to run somewhat.
Most of these really unstable fillings should be refridgerated up until serving time, which would be about an hour until serving time, to be safe.
Whipping cream can handle about an hour at room temperature. So in this case, the cakes are returned to the fridge as they await their turn to be cut.
If you cannot get sleeve fillings, better pie fillings hold up well, they should be refridgerated but you can let them sit at room temperature for a couple of hours with no problems. Go sparingly on these and make sure you use a good stiff buttercream dam and that the filling is always lower than the height of the dam.
Hugs Squirrelly

Thanks, I think that helps. I am planning to use a lemon curd filling in one cake and will probably go with cherry in the other.

Cindy

Lemon curd doesn't require refridgeration. Cherry filling should be fine for a good length of time at room temperature, just be sure to use a good quality one where the gelled juice part doesn't separate. It should be fine for a several hours at room temperature.
Ganache is also good at room temperature for 2-3 days likely because the whipping cream is heated and mixed with chocolate.
Hugs Squirrelly Cakes

Hi Madame Squirelly....knower of all good things....

You are quite the authority on refrigeration so I'll direct my question to you, oh wise one...

I'm pretty new at this stuff but I have figured out that good planning is the key to a good outcome, so I've been baking and freezing waaaaay ahead of a due date and then covering with fondant (my covering of choice and my new found love)and taking my time (24-48 hrs.) to decorate....it's been working so far.....but I've only used different variations of buttercream inside.....

so now that I want to try some new filling that requires the fridge.....how do you suggest I work it? I think everything I ever read on fondant says do not refrigerate due to sweating. Is this true? Please enlighten me...

With great admiration....

Hi Madame Squirelly....knower of all good things....

You are quite the authority on refrigeration so I'll direct my question to you, oh wise one...

I'm pretty new at this stuff but I have figured out that good planning is the key to a good outcome, so I've been baking and freezing waaaaay ahead of a due date and then covering with fondant (my covering of choice and my new found love)and taking my time (24-48 hrs.) to decorate....it's been working so far.....but I've only used different variations of buttercream inside.....

so now that I want to try some new filling that requires the fridge.....how do you suggest I work it? I think everything I ever read on fondant says do not refrigerate due to sweating. Is this true? Please enlighten me...

With great admiration....

I'm seeing double...

Well, when you use a filling that requires refridgeration, you have to refridgerate the fondant covered cake. Yes it will cause sweating and cause the fondant to lose its sheen, it will have some shiny and some dull spots. If you refridgerate it, it is best to do so for the shortest possible period of time, like a few hours, overnight at the most. If you refridgerated it too long, it will get slimey, rather gross.
If you can, stick with the fillings like a chocolate ganache, a lemon curd, those sleeves of fillings that do not require refridgeration, those kinds of fillings. If you use other fillings that have to be refridgerated, then refridgerate overnight at the longest. You might want to switch to making your designs with fondant or go for simpler designs on your fondant covered cakes.
Chocolate fondant can be refridgerated, the chocolate solves the issue.
Haha, yes I was seeing double too! I think I like the "Madame Squirrelly" title, haha!
Hugs Squirrelly Cakes

Thanks so much!!! You are worthy of the title!

Take care...speak to you again....

I baked a cake today for my 3 year old's birthday party and used instant pudding as a filling. I left the cake out for about 14 hours without thinking about it. Is the whole thing spoiled?

thank you SquirrellyCakes for the advice. So to sum it up, if I want to use dairy based filling and cover my cake with fondant, I can refrigerate it for under 12 hours?