I am making a 3 Tier wedding cake for my aunt and would like to know how long can I leave the cake out after it is iced with buttercream and can I leave it at room temperature ? also do I have to cover it with something or does it have to be refrigerated? I am wanting to have it iced the night before to leave time for any mistakes I may make!! Thanks!!

It will be fine out on the counter at room temp for several days as long as you are not using a perishable filling (i.e. fresh fruit or mousse). You should have it in a box (you can order boxes large enough to contain a 3 tier stacked cake from www.countrykitchensa.com) just to keep dust off of it and will make easier for transport.

Can I ask what your recipe is? Some buttercreams should be refrigerated.

Well, my bc recipe says it's good for 3 months, not that it ever lasts that long.

American BC, IMBC, and SMBC are all fine at room temp.

Butter, crisco, and PS are all basically non-perishable. Combining them together doesn't suddenlty make them perishable. The high sugar contact acts as a preservative for any liquid you add (such as milk etc). I leave my on the counter for days and days (covered). If I need it longer than that I will refrigerate or freeze it. HTH!

as far as im concerned, the mbc, should not be left out at room temp, a few hours is ok, but after that in the frige they go!!

But eggs don't require refrigeration. In many countries they are sold on the shelf, not in the refrigerated case.

what about recipes with heavy cream in them?

butter, 10x sugar, vanilla, shortning, heavy cream.

and what about that recipe under MMF? have my first competition next sunday and would like to have it completed by friday.

l80bug79

your recipe is fine being stored at room temp for well over a month

exactly, i mean butter, milk, eggs are considered to be perishable, you dont see ppl donating these items to food banks, it just irks me leaving it out for soo long, jmo

When I make a cake with buttercream, I leave it out until we eat it all (about 4 days) and we never get sick

well are you using a recipie calling for all shortening?? then thats fine, but if there is butter in there, idk...........

what's the difference between MBC and american bc? and what does mbc stand for??? i just use a recipe i found on here when i started, liked it and it was easy to make so i've just stuck with that one.

Overnight I think is fine but after that I always refridgerate.

MBC is short for Meringue ButterCream. There is Swiss, Italian, and French versions (SMBC, IMBC, and FMBC). They are basically made using granulated sugar and egg whites (yolks in the case of FMBC), cooked according to directions, cooled, then whipped along with butter and flavouring. Very buttery, silky smooth icings - they do not crust. I use Martha Stewart's recipe, but I reduce the sugar slightly.

American buttercreams (made with tons of powdered sugar, fat and a small amount of liquid/any liquid) are shelf stable (no refrigeration required) because the sugar (which is hygroscopic or water absorbing) controls the water activity in the liquid, be it water, milk, cream or non-dairy coffee creamer, etc..

Here's the science.

Water activity & microbial growth:
(Prolonging Bakery Product Life.)

http://tinyurl.com/ya8po4z

WJ Scott in 1953 first established that it was water activity, not water content that correlated with bacterial growth:

http://tinyurl.com/bmsato

Formulating for increased shelf life:
(Decreasing water activity results in hostile environment for bacteria.)

http://tinyurl.com/csu2b9

Cream cheese frosting & sugar as a "preservative":
(Includes shelf stable cream cheese recipe.)

http://cakecentral.com/cake-decorating-ftopict-621145-.html

HTH

Sugar acts as a natural preservative. http://www.globalgourmet.com/food/special/2001/comforts/preservation.html

My grandfather is a butcher and would preserve meat with salt.... never needed refrigeration.

Butter is not perishable (okay, it WILL go rancid...eventually). You can keep it out on the counter for days and days and it's still fine to use.

"For all perishable foods, including eggs and egg containing dishes, allow no more than 2 hours at room temperature for preparation and serving, 30 minutes to 1 hour when it's 85°F or hotter without refrigeration."

From Egg Safety Center

Okay, I wave the white flag on this thread. I will say this and argue no more. I believe that a meringue buttercream should be refrigerated after no more than a couple of hours out for decorating. It just makes sense. Eggs ARE perishable and there are warnings everywhere that any recipe containing eggs should be refrigerated promptly. My recipe for SMBC states that it is "safe at room temp if using withing a couple of hours, any longer refrigerate". I follow that without fail.

If I ordered a cake for my young child's birthday party, I would need to believe that the baker would follow the safety standards in place for recipes containing eggs. There is a lot of research out there that says this recipe can develop bacteria that is dangerous for both the very young and the very elderly.

If my baker put both my children and grandparents at risk for food poisoning, how is that okay? I just want everyone, especially the new bakers out there, to understand that it's not all black and white. While some believe it's okay and no one that they've baked for have ever gotten sick, there is much evidence to the contrary out there. Personally, I'm not taking chances with anyone's health.

if i use milk in my buttercream instead of water will it be fluffier ..or should i just leave that up to the meringue??

I leave my basic buttercream ( made with butter and powdered sugar with water) on the counter covered for days. I always have butter on the counter as well ( much more spreadable )



Many countries don't wash eggs and the protective coating remains. In North america we do and they should be kept in the fridge.

the argument about scrambled eggs doesn't make sense. I cook with eggs in my baking and leave the cake out..... That is probably a better analogy. That said ,I don't know if meringue based bc should be in the fridge.

hi I'm a new baker I am more about design then baking but this is what I do cannot be any easier  buy a store chocolate butter cream adding 4 sticks of butter , never had a complain I even freeze it. Taste not much deferent then the complicated recipe from my country ( Slovakia) what my mother use to make. I have a problem just about now Im making a big Bellagio cake for my husband 40birthda and my fridge is not big for this cake the party is next Saturday please help. have 3 kids not much time and don't want to poison anybody. 

Hi I am making 40 cakes with buttercream icing I am decorating ythem while frozen, how far in advance can I decorate them and leave them at room temp.

I  would like to do it 4 days before the party, is that ok.

Thank you for sharing that incredibly useful information!