Imbc Requires Refirgeration But Then Do You Have Dry Cake?
Decorating By J1977 Updated 7 May 2011 , 2:10am by costumeczar
IMBC, SMBC, and Whipped Topping need to be refrigerated correct? I read time and time again that freezing the cake isn't so bad but the fridge will dry the cake fast. What am I missing here?
I would love to use these mediums in addition to crusting buttercream but the two times I did the cake didn't return to it's pre-fridge condition (soft). Never dry but becasue my cakes are moist it's like they got hard and just weren't the same after thawing.
Any similar experiences?
People in Europe have used these buttercreams for years without refrigeration. Not saying they will last forever out of the fridge, but they will last at the very least two days.
I also use pasteurized egg whites for mine and i leave it out for two days...sometimes three. No problems. I DO refrigerate it up until the time of delivery...but after that I have left it out for a few days at a time without problem.
Also, a whole, uncut cake needs a few hours to "soften" back up if you refrigerate the whole thing. If it's cut, it's going to dry out a lot faster.
I make SMBC and don't refrigerate. I have eaten SMBC on a cake that has been on my counter for 7 days. Cake was dry, buttercream was fine.
It wouldn't scare me in my home but I was wondering for those that offer these "perishable" icings for cake orders. It just seems like a pain in the butt having the tiers in and out of the fridge while decorating.
I also was planning ahead for my dream bakery and would like to have some ready-to-go cakes with IMBC or whipped cream in a fridge for convenience. I'm sure the Health Department is going to like them sitting out on a counter.
It could be my cake recipes that are the problem. Looks like I'll just have to try a few different combos, refrigerate, thaw, and eat! lol
It wouldn't scare me in my home but I was wondering for those that offer these "perishable" icings for cake orders. It just seems like a pain in the butt having the tiers in and out of the fridge while decorating.
I also was planning ahead for my dream bakery and would like to have some ready-to-go cakes with IMBC or whipped cream in a fridge for convenience. I'm sure the Health Department is going to like them sitting out on a counter.
It could be my cake recipes that are the problem. Looks like I'll just have to try a few different combos, refrigerate, thaw, and eat! lol
I should have specified...
I have gotten into this discussion with lots of people that are scared of this type of buttercream - those same people eat fried eggs with nice, runny yolks and dip their toast and bacon right in. Well, THAT is what makes people sick from eggs - bacteria in eggs lives in the yolks or the outside of the shell, whites are considered sterile. Yolks coagulate at 149-158 degrees, but salmonella and other bacteria can live up to 160! So if you eat an egg with a runny yolk, you take the risk of getting sick. Of course, your odds are better getting hit by lightening... 
There is a great debate here on CC about weather meringue buttercreams are considered perishable. I can only speak for my area, my health department, and my experience, but they are not and do not require refrigeration. They are no more dangerous then American buttercreams that use crisco or shortening, butter, milk, 1/2 n 1/2, cream cheese or whatever else people put in them. All those ingredients when left to their own devices are perishable. But mix them with sugar, a natural preservative, and you now have a shelf-stable buttercream. Even more safe is you are cooking your eggs to at least 160 degrees to make either SMBC or IMBC, which kills any contamination they may have gotten from the shells.
When I decorate a cake I do not refrigerate it prior to the customer picking it up. I only refrigerate if I've finished the cake the day before, but I take the cake out a few hours before pick-up so it comes back to room temp prior to pick up, and I advise my clients that they only need to refrigerate if the cake lasts over 24 hours. But this is to save the cake from drying out (I bake 100% scratch so my cakes don't last for days and days like Betty Crocker), not because I am worried about my buttercream. If I fondant-cover, the cake does not go back into the fridge. All-buttercream wedding cakes DO go in and out, but only because they are much easier to manhandle, decorate, deliver and set-up when the buttercream is firm.
There are several bakeries here that have storefronts, use meringue buttercreams, and have them sitting in glass cases unrefrigerated.
To be clear though, scratch custards, real mousses and whipped cream ARE perishable and do need refrigeration, also I have heard that some health departments require refrigeration if there is fruit in the cake.
Hope this helps!
Jen
Thanks for that post FromScratch! I've always had concerns about IMBC and letting it sit out. I guess I'll just try sitting it out and see what happens.
What whipped topping are you talking about OP? If you use Bettercream, which is a non dairy whipped topping, it does not need refrigeration. You will want to keep it chilled when you're going to be working with it because it doesn't pipe or spread well if it's warm. But once it's on the cake and you're done it can sit out for 5 days.
With the meringue buttercreams you can ice the cake then refrigerate them, and it won't affect the cake because it's "sealed" with the icing. I'm assuming that you're talking about refrigerating overnight or for a day or so. I do that all the time and don't have trouble with the cakes drying out.
The meringues probably aren't as perishable as people panic about, but it's also good to refrigerate the cakes before delivery so that the icing sets up and they won't be as likely to shift when you're transporting them.
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