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The Right Way to Store Cheesecake (For Maximum Freshness)

The Right Way to Store Cheesecake (For Maximum Freshness)

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After you bake a perfect cheesecake, you may have a little leftover that you need to store (lucky you!). 

Or, perhaps you baked a cheesecake in advance and need to keep it for a few days until you are ready to enjoy it.

If you’re wondering about the best way to store cheesecake, this guide will have you covered with the perfect techniques for different storage durations. Let’s dive right in!

Can You Make Cheesecake in Advance?

Cheesecake is a unique type of cake because adding cream cheese to cake ingredients like sugar and eggs gives it a remarkably soft and tender texture. But despite its texture, you can still prepare it in advance like regular cakes.

In fact, cheesecakes store surprisingly well, so preparing it ahead of time won’t require any special modifications. You can also freeze your leftover batter to bake at a later date.

How Long Can You Keep Cheesecake at Room Temperature?

As you probably know, you can’t store a cheesecake at room temperature or on your counter as you may do with other kinds of cakes. 

The texture and flavor of the cheesecake can deteriorate at room temperature. The filling might soften excessively, and the crust could become soggy.

Additionally, since it contains a lot of dairy products and eggs, high bacterial activity can speed up spoilage significantly. 

Since the cheesecake is best served chilled, you can safely keep it at room temperature from 2 to 4 hours, depending on your room temperature.

How to Properly Store Cheesecake

The ideal way to store a cheesecake is either in the fridge or the freezer. However, while you can prepare it ahead of time without modifications, you can’t simply pop it in after eating a few slices.

If you want to retain the cake’s maximum quality, there are some steps that you must follow if you want to retain the cake’s quality. In this section, we’ll take a quick look at them!

Let the Cake Cool

Taking Cheesecake Out of the Oven

No matter what method you choose to store your cheesecake, the first step should always be letting it cool down after baking.

Placing your hot cheesecake directly in the fridge or freezer can change the texture of the cake because of the steam that would be trapped inside. This extra moisture may cause the cake’s crust to become soggy as well.

Additionally, it takes away that smooth creaminess that we all love and even separates the layers of the cheesecake.

To cool your cheesecake completely, you don’t need to do anything special. Simply do the following:

  1. Let it sit at room temperature after it bakes for at least one hour. 
  2. Move the cake to the fridge while still in the pan, and let it cool in the fridge. This helps it firm up while maintaining its shape.
  3. After an hour, remove the cheesecake from the fridge and take it off the pan.
  4. Place the cake on a cake board, tray, or plate.
  5. Now, the cake is ready to wrap and store!

Wrapping a Cheesecake

The secret behind cheesecakes’ soft texture is the high moisture content in them. Unfortunately, cheesecakes lose so much moisture and dry out when you store them in a fridge or a freezer.

Luckily, you can avoid this problem by properly wrapping the cheesecake to lock in the moisture. Besides locking in the cake’s moisture, airtight wrapping will also keep the flavor of the cheesecake intact by blocking outside odors from being absorbed into the cake.

Using Plastic Wrap

Roll of Plastic Wrap

The simplest method to wrap cheesecake is placing it on a board, plate, or serving tray, and then wrapping it with plastic wrap.

If you are planning on covering the top of the cheesecake in fruit, whipped cream, or with other decorations, make sure that you store them separately.

This comes with another advantage, as you can now let the plastic wrap touch the cheesecake without worrying about imperfections because the toppings will eventually hide them.

However, if you are planning on leaving the surface of your cheesecake plain, you may be hesitant to place plastic wrap directly on the top of the cake. 

In most cases, you should be able to gently remove the plastic wrap before serving the cake with no issue. Yet, there is always a chance that some of the cheesecake sticks to the plastic wrap.

To avoid this, place a few toothpicks around the edge of the cheesecake and then wrap the cake. The toothpicks will hold the plastic about an inch away from the cake surface.

If you remove the plastic wrap from the cheesecake and there are imperfections, use a hot offset spatula to smooth any spots as needed. The hot spatula will soften the cheesecake and level it out again.

Cake Containers

Another way to wrap a cheesecake is to place it in a cake container with a lid. Choose a plastic one as they will protect the cheesecake best. Cake containers are also very convenient for transporting cakes and can last a lifetime so they’re also a good investment.

You can also use a simple cake box (typically made of cardboard) but these aren’t as efficient at sealing cheesecakes, so they’ll dry out eventually.

If you are using a cardboard cake box, consider also wrapping the box in plastic wrap for extra protection.

Storing Cheesecake in the Fridge

Wrapped Raisin Cheesecake in the Fridge

Once your cheesecake is cooled and wrapped, it is ready to go into the fridge. Cheesecake will stay good in the refrigerator for up to 7 days when wrapped properly. However, expect its flavor to change after 5 days.

A store-bought cheesecake will stay good in the fridge for up to 7 days because of preservatives added.

If your cheesecake has fresh fruit on top, this may be the first part to go bad, so keep this in mind when you top your cheesecake or store it separately.

Storing Cheesecake in the Freezer

To store a cheesecake in the freezer, I highly recommend wrapping the cake in plastic wrap. This will give the cake a direct seal, protecting it from the extra dry air in the freezer.

Simply, wrap the cheesecake directly in and place it inside a large zippered freezer bag. When sealed this well, the cheesecake will last around 2 to 3 months in the freezer!

If you want to avoid thawing the whole cheesecake for a few slices, you should consider slicing up the cake into individual pieces and wrapping each one independently.

You can place all of the wrapped pieces in a large freezer bag after that.Anytime you would like a slice, you can just pull it out and enjoy a ready-to-go dessert!

Eating Cheesecake After Storage

Eating Cheesecake

While cheesecake can’t be safely stored at room temperature, it does still taste best when served near or slightly above room temperature.

Take the cake out of the fridge about 30 minutes before you would like to serve it. Letting the cake warm up slightly will bring out the delicious flavors of the cake and maintain its texture!

If you are planning to eat a cheesecake that has been frozen, take the cake out of the freezer and place it in the fridge the day before. This will give the cheesecake time to thaw slowly.

Avoid using heat to thaw the cheesecake quickly. excess moisture may get on the cake in the form of condensation, making the crust soggy and the surface wet. It is best to thaw that cake as slowly as possible!

If you need to thaw a frozen cheesecake quickly, unwrap the frozen cake and keep it on the counter at room temperature. 

The cheesecake should thaw in about 2 hours, depending on the size of the cake. The texture may not be as good as properly thawed, but it should still be delicious.

If you are thawing an individual slice, place the cheesecake slice on a plate and microwave on low for 30-second increments until it’s ready to eat.

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Marils

Tuesday 5th of November 2024

I'm so glad I found this site. I love making cheesecake's with various layers like brownie crust, carrot cake bottom, or banana nut cake bottom, and use my imagination to use caramel, nuts, liquers, etc. to build on it. The problem is that I spend so much time making the cheesecakes, that when making them for guests, there's no time to make a dinner to go with it. So your info on how far in advance I can make a cheesecake and keep it is invaluable. Thank you so much..

bianey

Monday 15th of June 2020

Hi, so if I freeze for a few days and thaw out the day before my event the crust wont be soggy?

Marie

Thursday 21st of September 2023

@bianey, Recommend doing so in the refrigerator so as not to thaw too quickly and therefore maintaining the crust integrity.

Casse Forczek

Sunday 24th of May 2020

since my husband passed away last May I have found a new joy in life: baking! thank you for your information on cheesecakes. I recently added banana to my cheesecake and it is still in the fridge, and will be storing it today and giving a piece to the neighbor of course!

I found that cutting the cheesecake with a wet sharp knife really works, drying it and dipping in between slices. However I’m not sure if the cake should be cold or room temperature? however I’m not sure if the cake should be cold or room temperature? I appreciate your opinion.

Thanks, Casse in No. California

Sarah | Baking Kneads

Tuesday 26th of May 2020

Hi, Casse!!

I’m glad you’ve found a love of baking! As far as storing cheesecake, it should be kept in the refrigerator due to the possibility of the cream cheese going bad if left out too long.