How To Properly Store Baked Goods
How To Properly Store Baked Goods
You've spent all day perfecting your light and airy cupcakes, that buttery pie crust, those dense amazeballs brownies, but are you hip to the last step in your perfect perfection: how to store your baked goods?
This step often gets overlooked in baking.
How you store your delectable creations can mean the difference between an inspired marriage proposal and a blunt break-up text.
NO BUENO!
I mean, we'll drive three states away to get the best vanilla (or at the very least give our credit card digits to Amazon in the dead of night), but do we know how to make sure our cookie doesn't crumble?
DON'T PANIC!
It's as simple as these following steps.
How To Store Cake
* Frosted cakes can be stored at room temps for 4-5 days, unless they have a buttercream or cream cheese frosting. The latter can be stored in fridge.
Before you serve, let the cake come to room temps, or if you're like me, eat it cold!
I'm not picky.
* Once you cut a cake and store in fridge, the countdown to stale cake has started, unless...you either frost that cut portion (don't look at me that way...you know you wanna) or you cover it tightly (the exposed cake portion) with plastic wrap.
I'm going with door #1.
CAVEAT: If you live in a humid and hot environment like I do, leaving a cake out can result in frosting slippage, causing your cake to dislocate a hip.
So wonky!
Worse yet, bacteria loves them some warm sugar to feast on.
How To Store Cupcakes
* Store at room temperature if cupcakes will be consumed within a day of baking.
* Cupcakes that will be eaten the next day can be stored in the fridge (this is controversial because they dry out so quickly), especially if they have cream cheese or buttercream frosting, but not so much in Tupperware (personal preference, because it's not as airtight as I would like).
This is how I do it: put the cupcakes in a cupcake box, then wrap that box tightly with plastic wrap like you're trying to prevent the world's next pandemic from escaping.
Role playing in the kitchen is fun!
You can also wrap like this and leave on the counter for next day consumption, but if it has a delicate frosting, I'd personally put in fridge.
* Who stores cupcakes?!
How To Store Pie
Store at room temperature.*
If the pie is cream or custard-based or has a meringue topping it goes in the fridge.
Basically, if it jiggles, it's stored in the fridge.
* Patti Fun Fact: I have been known to store a covered pie in the microwave overnight. Why? I have no idea. I just do.
How To Store Cheesecake
* Always the fridge, unless you're storing it in your belly. Cause that's a good place too.
How To Store Cookies
* Most folks go with room temperature. I'm not most folks.
I store ALL my cookies in the freezer, with the exception of a few left out for Garry to eat as they come out of the oven.
Why?
I actually have a reason for this one!
- It's easier for me to resist eating my weight in cookies if they're safe and sound in the freezer. I know they won't go bad in there, so I can relax my cookie gluttany. Know thyself, baker!
- I love foods with crunchy hard textures. Frozen cookies = I'm in heaven.
- It allows me to have a stash to give to folks on an as needed basis.
How To Store Brownies
* Store at room temps, tightly covered with plastic wrap.
The caveat is this: if frosted, you may want to wrap tightly and store in fridge.
How To Store Bars
* Just like pies, if the bars are cream or custard-based, put 'em in the fridge.
If not, cover with plastic warp and store on counter.
How To Store Muffins
* Store at room temperature in an airtight container or Ziplock bag.
* Again, who stores muffins?! GET IN MAH BELLY!
How To Store Quickbread
Quickbread is really a variation of a muffin. Follow the above recommendation for quickbreads.
How To Store Cobbler
* Store in fridge covered tightly with plastic wrap.
There you have it...baked good storage made simple, offered with a little sass.
Happy storing, y'all!
Original Post: September 22, 2014 ~ Updated Post April 23, 2025
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Except to click on the image.
You still have enough strength for that.
COME ON!
YOU CAN DO IT!
Did I miss anything?
Let me know how you properly store your baked goods.
Thanks for sharing your time with me!
These are great tips!! I always just stick everything in the fridge to be on the safe side, but now I know! 🙂
When you live in an area of high heat and humidity, I think the first instinct is to put everything in the fridge!
THANK YOU for this! Great tips! I have a cakestand in which I store my items, ultimately many of them mold.
So happy this will help!
I try so hard to store my cookies somewhere besides my butt! Often times when I bake I give 1/2 away to my daycare mom and then I try to freeze cookies and even cake but often times.. it does not make it to the freezer. (I have a big problem)
~snort~ I only laughingly snort because I feel your pain. Perhaps we need to start a 12-step program.
This is GOLD. I never know the best way to store my baked goods after slaving over them and they end up tasting not so great the next day. Bookmarking this one!
It's such a mystery, what to do with the leftovers (~snort~), isn't it? I'm glad this helped.
Good tips! It i s pretty dry her ein Colorado so I usually don't have problems with mold, so i can use a cake stand, but I always wondered about fruit pies. Freezing cookies is genius!
I'm visiting you today from Grandma's Briefs, Grand Social 🙂
Frozen cookies are the best, but you can always pull a few out and they will thaw in under 10 minutes. Come back again, Pat!
Thanks for the tips. I'm a little crazy about food going bad. Unfortunately since I've moved to Texas several years ago I realized many items that I used to leave on the counter no go bad it left out.
Yep, it's one of the things folks in Texas have to live with: can't leave much out for long. Thank goodness for the fridge/freezer!
Good points about which things must be refrigerated always and which might be able to be left out!
I literally never use plastic wrap. My baked goods go in the cake pan with lid or in Gladware type containers, and then on the counter or in the refrigerator as necessary.
Have you read the Frog and Toad story "Cookies" by Arnold Lobel? I think you would appreciate it.
I'll have to refresh my memory on that story. ~off to check Amazon~ Thanks!
Patti, can you make a vertical image too, for better pinning? Let me know if you need help!
I think I got you covered.
Yes you did, yay, thanks!
So I'm reading this going "Who has baked goods that last long enough to worry about storage?" We might have a problem here. Great tips though! Followed you over from Handmade Hangout link party!
~Meaghan from DIYfaerie
Ha! I'm with you, never much to store.
I have been baking for years and I didn't know a few of these. Thank you so much for posting this great list!
Happy to post, Tracy!