How to Keep Cake and Bread Fresh Without Preservatives

Food baked without preservatives doesn't last as long as the packaged kind. That's the deal, and we think it's a good one. But it does mean a little care at home makes a real difference to how the last slice tastes.

These are general rules of thumb. Your kitchen, the weather and the bake itself all play a part, so trust your eyes and nose too.

Cream cakes go in the fridge

Anything with whipped cream, fresh fruit, mousse, cheesecake or a soaked sponge belongs in the fridge. That covers most birthday cakes, the classic cakes on our menu, pastry slices and dessert jars.

• Keep it in its box or loosely covered, so it doesn't pick up smells from the rest of the fridge. Cream is very good at absorbing last night's curry.
• Eat it within a day or two. Cream and fresh fruit are at their best early on.
• Take it out before serving. Around 20 to 30 minutes on the counter softens a chocolate truffle or ganache cake, so it cuts cleanly and tastes of chocolate rather than of cold.
• Don't leave it out for hours. On a warm Bengaluru afternoon, whipped cream starts to slump and sweat. Cut what you need and put the rest back.

For clean slices, dip the knife in hot water and wipe it between cuts.

Plain sponges and teacakes stay out

Loaf cakes without cream, like the teacakes on our menu, are happier on the counter.

• Use an airtight container, or wrap the loaf well. Air is what dries a cake out.
• Room temperature, for a few days. As a rule, a plain teacake is at its best in the first two or three days.
• Avoid the fridge if you can. Cold makes butter-based cakes firm and dulls the flavour, and the fridge dries them out faster than you'd expect.

The exception is a very humid spell, or a teacake you won't finish in time. Then wrap it tightly, refrigerate it, and let slices come back to room temperature before eating.

Bringing a teacake back

A teacake that's a day or two past its best is easy to revive.

• Microwave a slice for about 10 seconds. It softens and smells freshly baked again. Don't overdo it, or it turns rubbery as it cools.
• Warm it on a tawa or in a low oven for a few minutes, which gives the edges a nice crust.
• Toast it and butter it. Banana walnut and marble teacake are very good like this.
• Turn it into dessert. Cube it, layer it in a glass with whipped cream and fruit, and you have a trifle.

Bread: counter or freezer, rarely the fridge

Bread made without preservatives, like our whole wheat bread, is best within a couple of days.

• Room temperature, in a bag or bread box, for the first day or two.
• Not in the fridge. It seems like the safe choice, but bread goes stale faster in the fridge than on the counter.
• Freeze what you won't eat in two days. Slice it first, put it in a freezer bag, and press out the air. It keeps well for a few weeks.
• Toast straight from frozen. No need to thaw. Slices go straight into the toaster or onto a tawa.

We bake bread to a next-day schedule, so it reaches you fresh. A good habit is to order what you'll eat over two days, and freeze the rest the day it arrives.

Buns, puffs and cookies

• Puffs and croissants lose their crispness quickly. Re-crisp them in a hot oven or an air fryer for a few minutes. A microwave makes them soggy.
• Buns and pav follow the bread rules: counter for a day or two, then freezer.
• Cookies and rusks go soft in humid air. Keep them in an airtight tin. If they do soften, a few minutes in a low oven crisps them up once they cool.
• Pizza bases go in the fridge if you'll use them in the next day or so, or the freezer if not.

The quick reference

• Cream, fruit, mousse or cheesecake: fridge, eat within a day or two.
• Teacakes and plain sponges: airtight, on the counter, for two or three days.
• Bread: counter for two days, then slice and freeze.
• Puffs: re-crisp in an oven or air fryer.
• Cookies: airtight tin, always.

If you're buying mostly whole wheat, our whole wheat bakes page has everything in one place, and the same storage rules apply.