Just wondering how to store large wedding cakes that are done the night before? What if the filling and or icing is made with a parishable ingredient like milk or cream? Any suggestions are appreciated. Thank you

Milk or crream in icing is not considered parishable. The sugar in the recipe preserves it. Leave the cake at room temp - it will be just fine.

Depending on how much milk or cream is in the filling, you may not have to refrigerate it.

I always store cakes on the counter.
And I never use perishable fillings that have to be refrigerated.

Question to those of you who do you perishable fillings - After you set up the cake for display at the reception, do you give them a time when the cake is no longer safe to eat? If the filling is truly perishable, then it's got a total of four hours outside of refrigeration before it's no longer safe, and that includes decorating time.

Sooo . . .let's say you spend 30 minutes crumb coating, finish coating and decorating the tier and then get it back in the fridge. And that seems pretty speedy to me. From loading to driving to the venue and unloading, let say another 30 minutes. Again on the speedy side. Then for example the cake is set up at 5 pm so you can finish and get out of the way for a reception that starts at 6 pm. (Frankly I like to deliver much earlier than that, but this is just for argument.) Dinner is served, toasts made, first dance done and now it's time to cut the cake. Trouble is it's 8 pm and the cake is at the end of the safety time and can not be served.

Seriously, and this is a real question, how do you handle this?

I store all my cakes in the fridge. I like the buttercream really firm during the delivery process. I have a second fridge in my basement that is tall enough to fit a stacked 5 tier cake and wide enough to fit 2 of my smallest 4 tier stacked cakes (12", 10", 8", 6" sitting on a 14" drum board).

Before the second fridge I stored my cakes in the fridge in my kitchen (I work from a licensed home bakery). I learned not to cook things for dinner that would have left overs that would take up space in the fridge. If I had 2 orders, I had to make sure 1 didn't have anything that could spoil because it would have to sit on the counter overnight since I would only fit 1 cake in the kitchen fridge.

What if there is a mousse filling inside? And if I leave the cake out at room temp do I need to cover it with something? If so how do I do that? Sorry for all the questions, I'm a newbie at this. Thank you so much for helping me.

leah--I am so curious about the perishable fillings as well. But now you've raised another question for me. I always figured that if you put things back in the fridge and let them cool down, that would sort of "reset" the clock for perishable fillings. So that's not the case?

traci, no absolutely the food safety clock does not reset. It's TOTAL time out of refrigeration.

That's why I use the sleeved fillings, but mixed with a light, whipped bc so that it comes out sort of mousse-like.

According to the company rep, the company puts that on the sleeves in an abundance of caution. I store huge buckets of the stuff on the shelf.

Quick question.... making 2 cakes tomorrow one German chocolate covered with whipped ganache and then Fondant and the 2nd red velvet with cream cheese icing and then Fondant..... both cakes will be half mmf and half duff.... do they both need to be put in the fridge and if so will that mess with the Fondant??

depends on your cream cheese icing recipe. See food safety discussion above.

Forgive me for being blunt but if you all are selling cakes shouldn't you already know the answers to these very basic "food safe" questions?

This is all stuff that is covered in the basic ServSafe course and if you're selling food you should take the course and be certified whether it's required or not by your local HD.

I can't tell you how many times I open these threads and shake my head in shock that so many people take preparing, storing and selling potentially hazardous food so lightly.

This isn't a game, this is serious. You could make people sick if you really don't know how to properly store the very foods you're selling.

Believe me, I'm not trying to start trouble here. I'm honestly shocked by how lightly people take this.

You can take this course on-line...I suggest everyone do that.

Also didn't your HD's go over this with you all when you applied for your license? I was given a list of what I could and couldn't sell. I had to submit all of my recipes for approval.

I know every state is different, but even if my state didn't require it, you bet I still would have taken the ServSafe course and educated myself. I don't want to lose my home because I make somebody sick.

Please, don't take any chances. Educate yourself and I don't mean by asking questions on a public cake forum. Take the course, find out what needs refrigeration and what doesn't.

I have to agree with cakestyles it seems kind of harsh but it's true. You should def educate yourself as much as possible! You could get yourself in a lot of trouble.

Once open sleeve fillings are perishable, just like any other perishable filling or a jar of mayo (ha!). No difference.

Woah there everyone, I don't disagree with food safety being important. It is. It's no joke. I think it's a great start for someone to have asked the question on here in the 1st place. What I didn't think was cool is the finger wagging and scolding that followed, along with all kinds of assumptions about the OP (and me, maybe?).

Wag your finger all you want at me for pointing it out, but it was a pretty harsh response when a quick, "Hey, there are online classes that teach you all about food safety, here's the link ...". Lots, and I mean, LOTS of people don't actually know that.

But even with that, there is a difference between what common sense tells us is perishable and what your local health department considers a problem. Just because I've taken an online food safety class and learned how meat should be properly stored or what kind of towels I can use doesn't answer a lot of specific questions when it comes to baking.

bunnywigglesworth, I haven't heard of a bakery getting shut down for IMBC. Not that there has never been, but in all the meringue buttercream discussions I participate in nobody has ever popped in with an actual bakery getting shut down. Can you share the name? I'd like to learn more about it.

Can I name the bakery on here? Chances are that baker is a member. If not, PM me and I will send you the news article link, it happened last summer. It was a massive Salmonella outbreak due to poor food safety practices, someone even died. Why are people walking a blurred line of what they "think" might be safe, when it's fairly black & white. That's all. I'm not only concerned about losing my license/home/etc. is someone gets sick...I'm concerned with the child or elderly person who spends weeks with massive stomach pain or worse. I'm sorry if my passionate view offends anyone.

Leah_S is correct Next time you go to donut shop or grocery store bakery for that matter. Take a look around you would be surprises how many items are not refrigerated after opened. Especially the filling that come in sleeves available in buckets for large productions. These businesses are inspected and I would bet my life that most of your home based kitchens follow a better hygiene program. I think everyone should take a ServSafe course as it helps you become aware of thing you would never have considered. Like: do you know that you should never wear any jewerly including a WATCH when working around food??? Bacteria can get trapped between the watch and your skin.

As for the topic I am "old School" most people like buttercream American that is..LOL good ole butter cake with buttercream. I bake set up (with buttercream filling)most of the times- and freeze. Take out the morning before the event-let thaw in a cold a/c room on table and decorate that night. I then leave out on the table till delivery next day. I use a crusting buttercream that sets up nicely. I have never refrigerated my cakes. Good luck !!!

thanks guys for all your posts... this is a very good topic.

Costumeczar you are correct that bakery was in RI...and I say was because they remain closed and are now selling their business after being in business for decades...Sad.

Here's a link to the story. 79 people contacted Salmonella poisoning after eating zeppoles (sp?) from here and 2 people died. VERY serious stuff. There are other stories that you can click on from this link about other bakeries in that area with violations.

http://www.wpri.com/dpp/news/local_news/northwest/defuscos-bakery-ordered-to-stay-closed


So thank you to those who support my post and thank you to those that took the time to PM me in support of it but who don't wish to publicly post that support. That's ok....it's still good to know that some people actually take food storage/safety as serious as I do. I'd rather be beat up by one and be helpful to many, than to shut up and not speak up at all.

Whether we're selling a cake or just making a friend's wedding cake, which many many people will be consuming, let's make sure we educate ourselves on the basics of food safety.

I'm certain the employees of this closed bakery didn't set out to intentionally make people very ill and kill 2 others....they just didn't educate themselves and their staff. All of this could have been avoided.

Makes you think twice about it though, doesn't it? Serious stuff. 2 people killed because of storing pastry shells in used egg cartons. Wow!

What's really disgusting, is when you see a food service worker either adjust their wedgie or reach into the back of their pants and NOT wash their hands...going on like nothing happened. My second favorite are the face touchers and nose wipers and hair sweepers...yeah, I really want THAT stuff near and on my food.