How long can custard, butter, and protein creams be stored at home?

Situations often arise when you bought a cake, but didn’t finish it right away. It happens that you decided to please your guests with exquisite confectionery pastries, but they miscalculated a little, and after assembly the cream remained. Can desserts be put in the refrigerator or should they be disposed of without pity? The conditions and shelf life of creams depend on the ingredients from which they are made. Knowing the expiration dates of the creams, you can safely enjoy the cake later without the risk of poisoning.

How long can the cream be stored?

Not all fillings for cakes and pastries are perishable. Store-bought desserts with a dense filling containing preservatives can be safely stored in the refrigerator for 2 weeks. True, eating later won’t be very pleasant. Despite the abundance of preservatives and stabilizers, the cakes themselves will become saturated with foreign odors and, even in sealed packaging, will pick up moisture. To restore its presentation, you will have to dry it.

If we talk about classic fillers, their storage rating is as follows:

1. Whipped sour cream or butter - no longer than 6 hours. The same period for a cream cake with a similar layer or decoration.
2. Custard - 12 hours, that is, no longer than from morning to evening.
3. Evaporated creamy mass with berry fillings, cheese or curd - 18 hours.
4. Butter cream, yogurt or cream cheese, cheese - 36 hours.
5. Whipped whites will not spoil for 36 hours.

When purchasing ready-made baked goods made in industrial conditions, you should trust the shelf life indicated on the packaging. In most cases it is 3 days. But if you use whipped cream as a layer - up to 120 hours.

Attention! If a product with any type of filling has been at room temperature or warm for a long time, subtract 2-3 hours from the specified time.

Shelf life of cake creams

The shelf life of the cream depends on its base. Creams prepared with butter, yogurt or cottage cheese are best stored. Ganache is also able to retain its properties for a long time.

Any cream is best stored at a temperature of +2...+4°C, so the ideal place to store it is an airtight container in the refrigerator

Custard

Custard is an undeniable classic. The most famous types of custard include “Plombir” (“Diplomat”), “Patissier” and sour cream custard. These creams are based on egg yolks, sugar, corn starch, flavoring (vanilla, alcohol) and a dairy component (milk, cream or sour cream). Butter is also added to some types of custards.

Most often, custard is used for filling eclairs, profiteroles, and tarts. It is also used to layer cake layers (“Napoleon”, “Karpatka”, “Milk Girl”). The cream turns out very delicate, light, creamy and goes perfectly with the choux pastry. Its structure resembles melted ice cream and is quite soft, so it is not suitable for leveling cakes.

At room temperature , pastries filled with custard can be stored for up to 6 hours; in the refrigerator (+2...+6°C) – up to 18 hours (if there is butter) or up to 72 hours (if there is no butter). But freezing custard is not recommended . At low temperatures it begins to delaminate.

Lifehack! If you have any unused egg yolks, don't rush to make custard out of them to extend their shelf life. It is better to freeze the yolks separately and use as needed.

Oil cream

Oil cream is the base cream. It was this cream that was actively used for layering and decorating desserts in Soviet times. The butter cream contains butter (from 82%) and powdered sugar or condensed milk. Protein buttercream (with the addition of beaten egg whites) is also popular.

Even 20 years ago, due to an insufficiently wide range of confectionery ingredients, butter cream was used for filling, leveling, and decorating cakes. But with the development of the confectionery industry, new products came and replaced butter cream. This is why nowadays oil-based creams are mainly used only for leveling cakes.

Buttercream has a relatively simple taste. Due to the large amount of butter, it is quite heavy and greasy. When left at room temperature for a long time, the cream becomes soft; in the refrigerator, it hardens to a “concrete” state. That's why it's great for leveling. Cakes covered with buttercream stand up well to heat and transportation.

At room temperature, butter creams will last up to 6 hours; in the refrigerator - can be stored for about 5 days. A huge plus is that the buttercream can be frozen. in the freezer for up to 2 months.

To defrost buttercream, place it in the refrigerator for 8-10 hours and then defrost naturally at room temperature. During defrosting, you should absolutely not stir or beat the cream, it will separate.

Protein cream

Protein custard is also familiar to many from Soviet times. Most often, it was used to decorate shortbread dough baskets. Its second name is Italian meringue. The protein cream is based on egg white, which is brewed with sugar syrup, then the mass is whipped until thick and glossy.

Italian meringue is perfect for leveling cakes, decorating cupcakes and tartlets, and filling eclairs. It has a light, airy texture, but at the same time dries well in the fresh air. Protein custard is quite simple in taste. It contains a large amount of sugar, so it goes well with savory choux pastry.

At room temperature, the egg white custard will retain its shape and texture for 12 hours; in the refrigerator - can be stored for up to 3 days. It is not recommended to freeze this cream ; it may separate.

Lifehack! If you have any unnecessary protein custard left, you can transfer it to a pastry bag, place it on a baking sheet and dry it (60-80°C). You will get a very tasty meringue

Sour cream/butter cream

These types of creams are perhaps the easiest and fastest to prepare. To get an airy cream, just beat sour cream or heavy cream (33-35%) with powdered sugar. Some confectioners mix sour cream and cream in equal proportions, and then beat the mixture with powder. This cream is more delicate and holds its shape better.

Both sour cream and butter cream have a delicate, light texture that allows you to soak any cake. These creams are only suitable for filling desserts. They go well with honey and sour cream cakes, biscuits, and can be added to trifles.

But unfortunately, such creams do not last long. At room temperature, products with sour cream or butter cream will last about 6 hours; in the refrigerator - can be stored for up to 18 hours. It is not recommended to freeze these creams .

Lifehack! To make these creams more dense, you can add dissolved gelatin to them (1 gram of gelatin per 60 grams of cream). Then you need to put the cream in the refrigerator for 15-20 minutes until slightly thickened. After this you can assemble the cake

Yogurt cream

Yogurt cream is somewhat reminiscent of sour cream. It is prepared from yogurt, heavy cream and powdered sugar. If desired, this cream can be thickened with gelatin.

The yogurt cream has an airy, pleasant texture and is not at all cloying. To prepare it, you can use yoghurts with various fillings (fruit, berries), then the cream will acquire a new interesting taste. Yogurt cream goes well with sponge cakes. It is also suitable for “Smetannik” and “Milk Girl”. But it cannot be used for leveling.

At room temperature, products with yoghurt cream can be stored for up to 6 hours; in the refrigerator - up to 36 hours. But it is not recommended to freeze this cream .

Curd cream

Desserts with curd cream are very tender and tasty, so they are in great demand. On the Internet you can find a large number of recipes for curd cream. As a rule, it contains cottage cheese, powdered sugar, heavy cream or butter.

Cream-based curd cream is perfect for layering cakes, filling eclairs and pastries. The butter version of curd cream is denser and more stable, so it is perfect for leveling and decorating desserts.

At room temperature , confectionery products filled with curd cream can be stored for up to 6 hours; in the refrigerator (+2…+6°С) – up to 18 hours. But freezing curd cream is not recommended . At low temperatures it begins to delaminate

Curd cream goes well with berries. Particularly delicious is the combination of curd cream with cherries, strawberries or raspberries.

Chocolate ganache

Currently, ganache is especially popular among confectioners. The fact is that this cream turns out to be very dense and stable, which allows you to reliably level the cake. Ganache is prepared using any type of chocolate and heavy cream or butter.

Basically, ganache is used to level cakes. It is also ideal for filling macarons and boxed sweets. It can also serve as a basis for more plastic creams, which are used to layer biscuit and shortbread cakes.

At room temperature, the ganache can be stored for up to 12 hours; in the refrigerator - about 5 days (with cream), up to 3 months (with butter). Only butter ganache can be frozen The cream ganache separates after defrosting.

The shelf life of butter ganache is determined by the shelf life of the butter.

Cream cheese

Cream cheese is probably the No. 1 cream for most confectioners. This is explained by the fact that it is very easy to prepare, turns out to be quite dense and has a neutral taste. It is based on powdered sugar and creamy curd cheese, which is mixed either with heavy cream (33-35%) or with butter (from 82%).

Cream cheese is a universal cream. It's great for decorating cupcakes and brownies, layering desserts, and leveling cakes. Cream cheese made with butter turns out to be denser and is most often used for leveling; cream cheese made with cream is lighter in texture and is perfect for filling.

At room temperature, the cream cheese will last up to 12 hours. In the refrigerator it can be stored in an airtight container for up to 3 days. It is not recommended to freeze cream cheese ; after defrosting, the cream changes consistency.

Basic storage conditions

Despite the fact that different ingredients were used to prepare each filling, the conditions under which the cream will be stored for a long time are almost the same. When it contains preservatives, sugar or honey syrup, stabilizers, the time increases. Basic parameters: +2...+8°C and humidity level 75-80%, that is, at home you can use a refrigerator shelf. During pre-sale preparation, to maintain freshness, a different temperature regime is maintained - +2...+6°C. It is ideal for custard or sour cream, without stabilizers.

If the filling remains, do not keep it in a metal container - aluminum or steel. It is recommended to place in a container made of glass, enamel or food-grade plastic. It is important that it closes hermetically: this will help prevent the introduction of pathogenic bacteria and slow down the processes of oxidation and delamination. In addition, delicate substances actively absorb foreign odors. It is advisable to place them away from fish, sausages (especially smoked ones), herbs, open preserves, and so on.

Storing buttercream

Many of us love to cook sweets very much. What kind of cake can there be without buttercream? Therefore, many housewives are interested in recipes, as well as the shelf life of buttercream.

Cream is a whipped mass consisting of egg whites, sugar with the addition of milk, butter or whipped cream. It turns out to be a very fatty product. It is used in many sweets and serves as a decoration for cakes and pastries. Every housewife should at least once cook something using various creams. But you need to understand that cake cream has one very big drawback - it spoils very quickly.

In general, the shelf life of buttercream is not very long. But you need to understand that there are different types of creams: butter, protein, butter, custard, cream and sour cream. Also, each type of cream has its own recipe, preparation technology, and storage conditions.

Considering that the shelf life of butter cream is not very long, it is necessary to prepare cakes with such cream immediately before use. But this is except for those recipes that still require some time to soak the cakes. In any case, the shelf life of such confectionery products with cream should not exceed about 36 hours .

Let's take a closer look at butter creams for cakes. Such creams have a very stable substance. They do not spread and allow you to create wonderful decorations on cakes and pastries. The recommended shelf life of this cream is no more than 36 hours .

There are also protein creams for cakes. The basis of the protein cream is egg white. It is whipped with powdered sugar. The delicate texture of this cream is ideal for decorating pastries and cakes. You can also fill tubes and baskets with protein creams. But they are not at all suitable for layering cakes. We already know the shelf life of buttercream. Now it’s time to find out about the shelf life of protein cream. According to sanitary rules, such protein cream can be stored for no more than 72 hours .

There is also an opinion that butter creams go perfectly with biscuits. But in general it is not advisable to use this cream for layering puff pastries. It is very good to fill a variety of wafer rolls and cakes with buttercream. In this case, the shelf life of the buttercream is approximately 24 to 36 hours.

To prepare such a cream, you need to take sour cream with a very high fat content, always chilled and fresh. As for mixed creams (for example, sour cream + cream), they have a much more stable consistency. If you add gelatin to them, they will keep their shape very well and will not lose their tenderness.

Shelf life of dessert in the refrigerator

Products with whipped sour cream or cream have the shortest shelf life - only 6 hours. Cakes with candied fruits, poppy seeds, yogurt filling or sweet cream cheese cream can be stored for up to 36 hours. If whipped cream of vegetable origin was used in the cream of the confectionery product, then it can be stored in the refrigerator for 5 days.

You can find out the expiration date and storage conditions of a product such as sugar in our separate article.

To extend the “life” of cakes, manufacturers add preservatives to the cream. Such products can be stored in the refrigerator compartment for more than a month.

Honey cakes can be stored for up to three days, sponge cakes can be stored for up to 5 days (but you can read about the safety of honey itself and its shelf life in this article). Dry cakes have the longest shelf life. Meringue cakes soaked in jam can be stored for a decade.

The shelf life of products with various types of fillers is given in the table.

Cafes and restaurants extend the shelf life of desserts with curd or protein cream thanks to shock freezing (the shelf life of cottage cheese and curd products is described here). At home, you can freeze the cake in the freezer.

Cosmetic creams

Since we are talking about storing creams in the refrigerator, another cream that is worth mentioning in this context is face cream.

It is recommended to store face cream in the refrigerator if:

• if the cream contains no preservatives, only natural ingredients;
• if according to the instructions the storage temperature should be below room temperature;
• in the summer heat, when the thermometer shows above 30 degrees, all available creams should be moved to the refrigerator.

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Choose a place to place cosmetics that is least cold. Otherwise, many creams that contain fats will turn into a dense, thick mass, and in order to apply it to the face you will have to work hard to melt the cream.

In any case, before putting your face cream in the refrigerator, pay attention to the instructions; low temperatures may not be recommended for a particular product.

Protein custard is prepared using chicken. eggs, or to be more precise, only whites.

It is usually used not only for layering cakes or creating unique dessert decorations.

You can fill waffle rolls with protein custard, or fill delicate eclairs, the recipe for which came to us straight from France.

If you decide to bake a homemade cake, I would advise you to make not just a protein cream, but a custard mixture.

The thing is that a simple protein mass very quickly loses its airiness under the influence of the cake layers.

Storage recommendations

Housewives who regularly delight their households with desserts using protein custard in their preparation recommend:

• try to make the cream right away, and if there are small leftovers, put them on the dinner table as a separate dessert - there are probably sweet lovers in the family,
• if you still have to put the custard in the refrigerator, then you should not leave it for a period longer than indicated earlier,
• the cream in the refrigerator should be stored separately from other products, on a shelf installed closer to the refrigerator compartment,
• if circumstances force freezing, then it is better to place the composition in a plastic container with a lid; it is not recommended to store it in metal-containing packages,
• shock freezing is optimal for preserving consumer properties,
• When purchasing confectionery products in a retail chain, you need to carefully study the production time and expiration date markings, and if you have doubts about the authenticity of the dates, choose another product.

Recommendations for the preparation, use and storage of protein cream are presented in the following video:

The use of properly stored preliminary preparations significantly reduces the preparation time for confectionery and desserts. Knowing exactly the expiration date of the protein cream and how long it can be stored in the refrigerator, a thrifty housewife will find the opportunity to use it on time, preparing goodies for the whole family.

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Housewives who regularly delight their households with desserts using protein custard in their preparation recommend:

How to store buttercream

How long butter cream is stored and how long it will retain its taste and consistency depends on temperature, humidity, light and other factors. There are different methods and ways to preserve the perfect cream. It can stand either in the refrigerator or just in the room, in the freezer, or in sealed vacuum packaging, or with the addition of preservatives. Of course, the cream will be better if you prepare it yourself; unnatural cream can be stored for a very long time. Let's figure out where we can store the sweet product so that we don't have to use it all at once.

How to store buttercream in the refrigerator

The storage temperature of buttercream should not exceed the range of 2-6 degrees, otherwise the growth of bacteria will lead to rapid spoilage of the product, try to put the cake with cream in the refrigerator as quickly as possible if you are not going to use it now. The same applies to excess cream. How long does buttercream last at this temperature? For example, according to GOST No. 53041 - 2008 “Confectionery products and semi-finished confectionery products”, the shelf life of butter cream will be 36 hours . Do not store cream in metal containers; it is better to use enamel containers or plastic for this. It is imperative to cover the cream with cling film to prevent it from drying out, and reduce the rate of oxidation, the entry of bacteria into it and, accordingly, increase the shelf life. Also, with this storage method, it is better to keep it away from other products, since it has the property of absorbing odors. It won’t be very good if your cream smells like sausage; it’s unlikely that anyone will eat it. Be careful when storing butter cream, because it can be very poisonous; do not eat it after the expiration date.

For example, buttercream will last no more than 36 hours, just like buttercream. This cream has a stable substance and is suitable for both decorating and soaking the layers of the cake, which cannot be done with butter cream.

Protein cream is stored for a longer period of time - 72 hours. This happens due to the fact that it does not contain fatty dairy products, only egg whites whipped with sugar.

If you add chocolate to the cream, for example to store chocolate cream, you don’t need to shift the timing, everything is the same.

Follow these guidelines when storing in the refrigerator:

• Store at a temperature of 2-6 degrees, no more;
• Use non-metallic utensils to avoid accelerating product spoilage;
• Cover with cling film, preventing it from drying out;
• Keep away from other products;
• Watch the deadlines, do not keep them in the refrigerator for more than a day and a half, as there is a chance of poisoning.

How to store buttercream in the freezer

The methods for storing other types of cream are similar, the only difference is in the shelf life, due to the difference in ingredients.

Any frozen cream has a much longer shelf life compared to others. According to GOST 53041 - 2008 , freezing is not provided; it can, of course, be used, but it would be better to use blast freezing before regular freezing. This way the homogeneous structure of the cream would be preserved and it would not be broken by ice crystals. But usually fatty creams tolerate freezing well. When freezing, the main thing is to choose the right container; it should not be metal, and there is no need to wrap the cream in foil or cellophane. It is better to put it in a plastic, airtight container with a lid and put it in the upper section of the freezer. They will lie there for 2 months , and if it is a protein cream, then two and a half months . Only protein cream will not retain its original structure, it will separate and lose moisture, so it is better to avoid freezing it.