How long do cakes last (after being decorated/frosted)

[flzhang]

I'm ordering a birthday cake and I was just wondering how many days the leftover cake will last and what is the best way to store it. It's a standard chocolate/vanilla buttercream cake.

[sandylc]

It depends upon whether it is loaded with preservatives or not!

[babette feasts]

3-ish days at room temp, a week-ish in the fridge. If you refrigerate, you'll want to let slices warm to room temp before eating to soften the butter cream. Or freeze up to a couple of months.

[iluvcookies]

If my husband is home, cake lasts roughly and hour and a half :)

If it's real buttercream made with butter/egg, keep it in the fridge with a slice of bread covering the cut sides to prevent the cake from drying out. Should keep for several days to a week depending on how moist the cake is.

If it's shortening based frosting, you can keep it at room temp under a cake dome for a couple of days.