Cheesecake is one of the most loved desserts in any country. No wonder since this creamy light deliciousness can have various tastes being paired with any topping, besides, it suits both tea and coffee parties!
But what if you (for some miraculous reason) have some leftover dessert? Of course, the major task is to keep it tasty and eatable to its longest!
How long does cheesecake last? Can it go bad? These and other inquiries will be answered below.
How It Is Made
To understand how long this yummy can stay good, we need to figure out what it is made of.
As it comes from the name, this dessert consists of cheese. Usually, the recipe requires soft cheese like ricotta or cream cheese. Also, you can find eggs and sugar there. If the cake has a base, then there will be also crust or crushed cookies.
Some cheesecakes are served without decoration, others have various toppings from fresh fruits and berries to whipped cream, nuts, or sweet sauces.
All these desserts are known for their light texture, however, some cheesecakes can be thicker than others. Anyway, the basic recipe states that cream cheese, sour cream, eggs, and flavorings have to be mixed, and then poured into the cookie crust, baked, and chilled. The only thing that needs your attention is the baking stage because cheesecake must be baked partially submerged in a bowl of water to make it harden evenly and not get too watery.
Of course, people renovated the original recipe, and how we can taste all possible sorts of it from cakes with matcha from Japan to purple Filipino dessert!
- Did you know, for instance, that Asian dessert is very light, almost not sweet, and has a sponge-like texture?
- In India, on the other hand, this yummy is made of cottage cheese
- Japanese cake feels almost like plasticine due to the emulsification of cornstarch!
- Australians don’t bother about baking so their cheesecakes are non-baked at all!
- In Italy, this dessert looks like loaves of bread and use ricotta or mascarpone
- French deliciousness is one of the lightest ones
- And the Philippines is the only place where you can taste purple cheesecake! It uses the powder of a plant called purple yam which is very popular in that area and that makes all the desserts deep purple in color.
How to Keep Cheesecake?
No matter whether you made too much of it or there is some cake left after the party, keeping cheesecake properly is a must if you want it to stay delicious longer.
- Since the basic component of it is cream cheese (and sometimes sour cream), the dessert must obviously be kept chilled in the fridge.
- This cake is usually quite well-absorbent when it comes to other odors, and in addition, it is predisposed to drying out. That is why it must always be covered to protect from dehydration. Airtight tanks or a cake carrier will be perfect for this purpose.
As a variant, go for the aluminum foil or the cling film.
- If your cheesecake requires topping and you know it won’t chill well, keep the cake separately, and add the topping right before serving it.
Shelf Life Specifics
So what about its lifespan, you may wonder? Since this kind of dessert includes eggs and dairy components, it is quite delicate and can’t obviously stay eatable for too long.
As a rule of thumb, if we pack the dessert properly and toss it to refrigerate, the cake will be fine for 3-5 days. The same goes for the store-purchased dessert.
| Fridge | Freezer | |
|---|---|---|
| Commercially made | 5-7 days | 3 months and more |
| Homemade | 3-5 days | one month or more |
Anyway, always read the label since some manufacturers set the shorter storage period.
To Freeze Or Not to Freeze?
Refrigeration can help to slightly extend the lifespan of the dessert, but what if you want to preserve it longer?
Is freezing a good option?
The good news is that this dessert is one of the few that can survive the frosting camera without dramatic changes! Nevertheless, consider the recipe and the ingredients that were used since not all cakes will be frozen equally well. Dense dessert without any sensitive topping will most likely freeze way better.
As for the freezing itself, it is extremely simple.
- The major goal is to cover the cake with something frost-resistant so that it won’t dry out or get freezer burn. freezer bag, airtight tank for frosting, or even a double layer of aluminum foil – any of these variants will do!
- Don’t freeze cheesecake with topping on it, even if you think it will stand the freezer. It will be much better to preserve the cake separately and decorate it when defrosted.
Defrosting is the same easy. All that your cake needs is to be removed to the fridge overnight until it returns its original texture.
And the most wonderful piece of news for you: cheesecake can be repeatedly frozen!
What If It Goes Bad? How to Define The Spoilage?
Unfortunately, cheesecake can not live forever. If it is kept too long, sooner or later you will see the signs of spoilage<span style=”font-weight: 400;”>.
- Unpleasant smell
- Changes of color
- Mold
- Degraded texture
Of course, such a foodstuff must go to the trash bin, but we also recommend you check the cake now and then even if you know it is far from getting spoiled. No one can predict when dairy components of it will start degrading, and sometimes, cheesecake can become bad a bit earlier than expected.
So even if the cake looks and smells fine, it would be wiser of you to toss it away after five days of keeping. It’s better to buy or make a new one rather than suffering from upset stomach or food poisoning!
We hope these hints and handy suggestions were useful, and from now on keeping cheesecake fresh won’t be a big deal for you!
Keep an eye on it, and take care!
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