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I've just made a rather delicious raspberry "crumble cake". It consists of a thin layer of cake with whole raspberries, topped with crumble and baked. I get the impression crumble is more of a British thing, so for those that haven't come across it, crumble is basically a rich, buttery, sugary crumb topping that goes nicely crunchy when baked (flour, sugar and lots of butter).

After eating as much as we could today, there's still quite a bit left. I'm now wondering how I can store it so that:

  1. It maintains the textures as well as possible (cake stays moist and crumble stays crunchy)
  2. I don't give anyone a bad stomach

I've always been told you should store cakes at room temperature as putting them in the fridge ruins the texture and generally isn't necessary if they're eaten within a few days. Would the same apply to my crumble cake?

Also, will storing it in a closed container cause the crumble to go soggy due to absorbing moisture from the cake? I've stored some scones overnight in a tub before and by the morning their crunchy outside had gone all chewy.

Any thought appreciated.

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    I've not ever had an issue with refrigerating cakes... heck, people freeze them all the time with little trouble. Some cakes must be refrigerated depending on the type of frosting they have. I wouldn't want to eat a cake with whipped cream frosting that'd sat out for two days...
    – Catija
    May 8, 2017 at 3:20
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    Yes, but if you refrigerated crisp sugar cookies (and in the end, that's what a crumble topping is), would you not expect them to get tough and moist?
    – rackandboneman
    May 8, 2017 at 8:54

2 Answers 2

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A lot depends on the climate and your ambient conditions. It is perfectly fine and common to keep it under a bell jar in a NW European climate other than at the peak of summer whenever that may be, but it would not last half a morning in the tropics where a sealed container with silica gel is mandatory before you put it all inside a chiller.

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  • Hey, I thought of silica gel as a possibility... so that is actually done?
    – rackandboneman
    May 11, 2017 at 15:09
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    Yes, just be sure you have food grade and there is no cobalt in the beads which is used as a wetness indicator for non-food types. For longer storage, and in a humid climate, I would also use oxygen absorbent to protect the fats in the cake too.
    – user110084
    May 11, 2017 at 15:21
  • The main reason for the desiccant is to prevent condensation as the air in the container chills.
    – user110084
    May 11, 2017 at 15:23
  • How would cobalt in an intact desiccant pack contaminate food nearby, as long as the food does not contact it and there is no condensation that directly contacted it dripping on the food?
    – rackandboneman
    May 11, 2017 at 15:52
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    I just prefer not to have colbalt and food in the same container. Also, the packs have to be permeable by necessity. I am not confident enough to assure myself of absence of bead dust. This is especially the case if you regenerate the beads/packs. Thermal cycles compromise mechanical integrity. Dust may not be so obvious with small sachets, but it is always there in large scale.
    – user110084
    May 11, 2017 at 15:59
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Just put in a fridge for 20 minutes.When it chills cake becomes harder.Then wrap it using a layer of wrapper and place it back to fridge.

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  • Refrigerating crumbles needs some care. The main enemy is condensation, both initially when going into the fridge and coming out of it, and repeated cycles only accelerate the making of soggy crumbles.
    – user110084
    Jun 7, 2017 at 10:13

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