Few things in life are sadder than a dry, stale cake. You spend hours baking, icing, and admiring your masterpiece—only to find it’s turned into a cardboard brick overnight. Tragic. But fear not, cake lovers! We’ve got the ultimate guide to keeping your cake fresh, moist, and worthy of that second (or third) slice.

Here we have the storage tips, tricks and hacks to help you work out how to keep a cake moist after baking.

How long does cake last for?

Like a great party, a cake peaks at about three days. After that, it starts to lose its charm, get a little dry, and overstays its welcome. But with the right tricks, you can keep the good times rolling—and your cake tasting fresh - for much longer.

Long-Lasting Sponge Recipe

An oil-based cake sponge recipe will remain moist for longer than a butter-based sponge. This is because oil is liquid at room temperature and has a higher fat content than butter which helps lock in moisture. Our signature Hero Sponge recipe can remain moist for up to 7 days, and even longer. 

How to store a cake?

Cakes, like houseplants and high-maintenance pets, need the right environment to thrive. Some love the fridge, some hate it. Some need to be wrapped up like a newborn baby. Others will survive on the counter - but only if they’re properly protected from the elements (or hungry housemates). Make sure it is kept away from direct sunlight or any heat sources like radiators.

Covering Cakes

Place your cake on a cake stand or plate with a cover, or upturned bowl, to protect it from the dust in the air. You can also leave the cake in a cake box.

Individual sponges should be wrapped tightly with cling film.

If you have a cake with slices cut out or cut slices, wrap the cut edges with cling film. This will prevent the sponges from drying out.

Storing Cakes in the Fridge

If you’re worried your cake is going to melt during the peak of summer, it may be best suited for the fridge. But to ensure the cake doesn't absorb funky smells of the fridge (errr...hello stinky cheese!), it needs to be covered properly. How you store cakes depends on the type of icing you have on the cake.

Fondant Cakes

Fondant is a diva. It hates the cold, loathes condensation, and will turn into a sweaty, sticky mess if left in the fridge unwrapped. If you must refrigerate it, wrap it tight - because once condensation hits, there’s no going back. When required, bring the cake out and remove the cling film only when the cake has had enough time to come to room temperature. This is to prevent beads of water forming due to condensation. Remember, condensation KILLS fondant cakes.

Buttercream and Ganache Covered Cakes

To prevent smudges on frosted cakes, put the cake in the fridge for 30 minutes in an airtight container and allow the frosting to firm up. Then cover well in cling film and place back in the fridge.

Cream Cheese and Whipped Cream Frosting

These are notoriously unstable and will not function well in warm weather. So, unless you want a sad-looking sponge, keep these types of cakes in the fridge if you’re not devouring them straight away.

How to freeze a cake?

Buttercream Cakes

Buttercream decorated cakes can be frozen to preserve its shelf life. To avoid the icing freezing and snapping off, transfer the cake to the fridge so it can slowly cool and set. Next, wrap the whole cake tightly in cling film and store in an airtight container and place in the freezer. Typically, sponge cakes with this type of decor can last up to four months with the correct storing.

Fondant Cakes

Wrap your fondant covered caked tightly in multiple layers of cling film before placing in the freezer. You will need to thaw it in the fridge before bringing it out to room temperature and finally removing the cling film. This is to prevent condensation forming beads of water on the icing. Thawing in the fridge could take up to 12 hours, and bringing to room temperature could take up to 6 hours, so prepare accordingly.

Cream Cheese and Whipped Cream Frosting 

These type of cakes are not good for freezing as the properties of the frosting will change the texture when it's under cold conditions. If you have a cake with a whipped cream filling or frosting such as a classic Victoria sponge, you can freeze just the sponge and defrost and decorate with fresh ingredients when needed.

Ganache Covered

Storing ganache cakes will follow similar guidelines to buttercream cakes. It can last in the fridge for up to a week and it can be frozen for several months. However, if your ganache is made with water instead of cream or butter, you won’t be able to freeze your cake. This is because water expands when it’s frozen, which will cause pockets of air that can change the appearance, taste and make your cake go stale.

Help, my cake is stale!

Your cake is dry. Your heart is breaking. But WAIT—there’s still hope! Before you throw it in the bin (or at an enemy), try these last-ditch rescue missions to bring it back to life. Sugar syrup: the miracle worker of the cake world. A generous drizzle will revive even the driest sponge, like a splash of water on a wilted plant. Just be sure to let it soak in - this isn’t a crime scene; no one wants a cake drowning in syrup.

You can also pop the slice of cake in the microwave to zap for 10 seconds at a time. The warmth helps bring the moisture out. 

Alternatively, you can also repurpose a stale cake. We have a whole bunch of delicious recipes for stale cake! 

Now that you know how to keep your cake fresh, the only real question is… how long can you actually resist eating it? (We won’t judge if the answer is ‘not long at all.’) Got any of your own cake-saving hacks? Share them in the comments—we love a good cake-saving secret!