Cupcakes can make you happy. They’re the ideal gift for the friends of your kids when it’s their birthday, all in different colors. Some of them are left over and you wonder: how long do cupcakes last before they will go bad?
We get it, you’re unsure about whether you should eat them all now or just discard them. Have you baked them yourself or did you buy them? There’s a lot of debate and discussion when it comes to storing your cupcakes.
In this article, we will learn all you need to know about cupcakes, their shelf-life, storage, and spoilage.
Enjoy the read!
How Long Can Cupcakes Last
We will start by giving an overview in this table for your convenience:
| Cupcake | Pantry | Refrigerator | Freezer |
|---|---|---|---|
| With Dairy-based and/or egg-based | / | Up to 4 days | 3 months or more |
| With fruit | Up to 4 days | Up to 5 days | 3 months or more |
| Without frosting | Up to 7 days (1 week) | 3 months or more |
First of all, there are a lot of cupcakes out there. Talking about a cupcake is easy, but these can be topped with a lot of possible toppings. A popular topping is one with buttercream.
Not all cupcakes are thus the same. So be aware of this.
When it comes to eating cupcakes, the best thing is to do like you do with other things you buy in your favorite bakery, and finish them within the first 2 days. That’s why we have bakeries, we want everything freshly baked with high quality, and that’s the same for these cupcakes.
The longer you wait, the less likely the quality will be.
Cupcakes are made of a few ingredients like softened butter, sugar, eggs, and vanilla extract. If you want buttercream on it, you’ll need softened butter, icing sugar, vanilla extract, milk, and some food coloring also.
The quality of these ingredients also contributes to the quality of your cupcakes as a whole. If the best isn’t in there, it won’t get out there too.
What we’ll do is divide our cupcakes into those that contain dairy products and/or eggs. We all know that dairy products and eggs are more delicate and more perishable than similar products.
If you’ve too many cupcakes, there’s always the option of freezing them away.
Cupcakes: General
When it comes to cupcakes, they can last up to 4 days, depending on the used ingredients and environment. They are best consumed within 2 days, as for most baked goods of high quality.
They can last in the fridge for up to 5 days. Again, try to consume them within 2 days.
Storebought cupcakes might have some extra additives added to them to prolong their shelf-life, but again, try to consume them within 2 days. We don’t say it will be bad after 3 days but the quality won’t be the same.
Homemade cupcakes should be finished also within the first 2 days. No rocket science about this.
We’ll go more into the specifics for dairy and/or egg-based and (un)frosted cupcakes.
Cupcakes With Dairy Products And/Or Eggs
These will last for up to 3 days in the refrigerator and can be good for more than 3 months when frozen in your freezer.
Cupcakes Without Dairy Products And/Or Eggs
These will last for up to 2 days on the counter, up to 5 days in the refrigerator, and more than 3 months in the freezer.
Unfrosted Cupcakes
Unfrosted cupcakes will last up to 1 week (7 days) on the counter and more than 3 months in the freezer.
All of these times are indicative and depend on the environment and the way they’re stored.
How To Store Cupcakes
Cupcakes can be stored on the counter, refrigerator or freezer, depending on their ingredients and how many you have.
Not all of the cupcakes need to be refrigerated, some can be stored on the counter.
Some people store cupcakes wrong, without even knowing it.
Unrefrigerated Cupcakes
We say that you don’t need to refrigerate cupcakes when they don’t contain dairy products or eggs and aren’t frosted or filled. This means fewer risks.
Most of the cupcakes you see will either be made with dairy or eggs, so it’s best you place them in your fridge.
Refrigerated Cupcakes
When it comes to refrigerated cupcakes: always store them in your fridge when they’re made with eggs, and dairy products and are frosted or filled.
Some of the trendy colored cupcakes contain some nice cream on top like buttercream. Buttercream isn’t something you save on the counter but always refrigerate in your fridge to increase its shelf-life.
Frosted cupcakes are more delicate and tend to dry out faster in the fridge, also be aware of this. Try to finish them in a day or two.
Homemade Cupcakes
Homemade cupcakes are great to do with your kids and in some way, you also eat with your other senses also by smelling everything in your house and it looks great.
When you use fresh butter for your buttercream, don’t think about it letting it rest at room temperature, just don’t do this. Think about it, when you have guests, they lay on the table for some time. Let them rest in the fridge in a separate airtight container.
You don’t store whipped cream and buttercream on the counter, you also store them in your fridge, do the same with your cupcakes. You’ll be glad you did just that.
Most likely, you’ll be able to finish those homemade cupcakes within a day or two. If you don’t, you can always freeze them to use them later.
Can You Freeze Cupcakes
Yes, you can, just as you can freeze almost any food and drink. But the important question is: should you freeze cupcakes? We on GoodOrGoneBad are not a fan of freezing cupcakes as it all comes to this: when you make desserts like cupcakes, you want them of the highest quality.
Freezing cupcakes also means thawing cupcakes. The longer they’ve been frozen, the more likely they will impact the texture and consistency of your cupcakes. It’s even more difficult for frosted cupcakes.
Try to freeze your cupcakes separately and store them away like this. Wrap some plastic foil or put them in separate plastic bags in an airtight container.
Don’t forget to label it with the correct date and time of freezing. It also helps to write down the date when you made them or bought them. This requires some effort but will enhance your decision-making when it comes to discarding them or not.
How Can You Tell If Your Cupcakes Have Gone Bad
Luckily, you can detect this fairly easily by using some general and practical guidelines.
Just like you eat cupcakes with your senses, detecting their quality follows the same principle.
The last step is tasting your cupcake, there are some steps before this that can give away a lot.
Some guidelines when checking for spoilage signs:
- Does the cupcake have an off-color? If yes, toss it away immediately, don’t start by scraping the frost off it or cutting out the off-colored pieces.
- Are there any black spots on the cupcake? This can be a sign of mold. Don’t hesitate to discard.
- Does the cupcake have a sharp smell? If you smell something funny or unpleasant, discard it straight away.
- Is the taste somewhat off or unpleasant? Please rinse your mouth with water and discard the cupcake.
When you see something weird on the cupcake or something that doesn’t please you, don’t be shy to toss it away. As we’ve said before on GoodOrGoneBad and we will repeat it many times, spoiled food is bad news. Money isn’t relevant when it comes to your health or well-being. The cost of buying or making fresh cupcakes is negligible! It is our greatest asset.
It goes without saying that half of the fun of eating cupcakes is, is eating them fresh out of the oven when your house is smelling all the way and you long for that first bite!
Enjoy your cupcakes!