So you made a delicious homemade cake, complete with swirls of frosting. But does buttercream need to be refrigerated? Here's how to store your cake to avoid spoilage.
Does Buttercream Frosting Need to Be Refrigerated?
Published on May 01, 2025
Anyone who’s ever whipped up a batch of frosting has asked themselves, does buttercream frosting need to be refrigerated? After all, the base of homemade buttercream frosting is a combo of butter and cream, both of which belong in the fridge. So it may be surprising to learn that you can safely keep buttercream at room temperature, in the fridge or even in the freezer.
First, a caveat: We’re talking specifically about American buttercream frosting here. It’s the most common type of homemade frosting, usually made from butter, powdered sugar and milk or cream. Other types of buttercream like Swiss buttercream (made with whipped egg whites) or French buttercream (enriched with egg yolks) must be refrigerated.
Does buttercream frosting need to be refrigerated?
You don’t have to refrigerate buttercream frosting. It will keep at room temperature for up to two days. Normally, that’s long enough; if you’re hosting a birthday party, for example, the birthday cake might get gobbled up before then.
The main benefit to leaving buttercream at room temperature is to preserve its smooth, spreadable texture. We like to leave buttercream frosting out if we made it in the morning and intend to frost a cake in the afternoon, or if we’ve already frosted the cake and intend to serve it right away.
If you’ve made a variation on buttercream that contains eggs, whipped cream or cream cheese, you should refrigerate the frosting within two hours.
How to Store Buttercream Frosting
How to store buttercream at room temperature
To safely store buttercream at room temperature, keep it in a cool, dry place, away from direct sunlight or heat. Cover it well with storage wrap. (Psst: If don’t want to smear a frosted cake, insert toothpicks into the top and drape the storage wrap over the top.)
How to store buttercream frosting in the refrigerator
If you don’t think you’ll eat the frosting within two days, it’s best to keep it in the refrigerator. Store plain frosting in an airtight container or tightly covered bowl. Plain frosting will keep for up to two weeks in the refrigerator.
If the frosting is on a cake, cover the cake with storage wrap. A frosted cake will keep for up to one week in the fridge, although the cake itself may dry out a bit.
The main challenge in refrigerating buttercream is that the texture of the frosting stiffens as the butter hardens. That makes it difficult to spread and ever-so-slightly less appealing to eat. This is easy to fix, however. One key cake frosting tip is to take the frosting (or frosted cake) out of the refrigerator two hours before you plan to use it. The butter will soften as it comes to room temperature, restoring the buttercream’s smooth, creamy texture.
How to Freeze Buttercream Frosting
Freezing buttercream is a good option if your recipe yielded more than you needed. Buttercream freezes well. Transfer it to an airtight container, leaving as little extra air space as possible. Press a piece of storage wrap to the surface of the frosting to further protect it from freezer burn. Cover it tightly with a lid or aluminum foil. Freeze it for up to three months. Defrost it in the refrigerator overnight before using it.
Tips for Storing Buttercream Frosting
Do you have to refrigerate a cake frosted with buttercream?
No, you don’t have to refrigerate a buttercream frosted cake, provided that you plan to eat the cake within two days. Just cover it with storage wrap or a cake dome, and keep in a cool place away from direct sunlight. Refrigerating cake can dry out the crumb a bit, so if you plan to eat the cake quickly, it will taste best at room temperature.
How do you store buttercream frosting overnight?
You can store buttercream frosting at room temperature overnight, but we suggest refrigerating it. Then you can still keep your frosted cake at room temperature for two days, rather than worrying about a shortened shelf life. Buttercream will harden in the fridge, so remember to move it to the counter about two hours before you’re ready to use it.
How can you use leftover buttercream frosting?
There’s no rule that says homemade frosting has to go on a cake! If you have leftover frosting, there are tons of ways to use it up. Slather frosting on toast, peanut butter-style, for a dessert-like breakfast. Frosting also tastes amazing on a stack of pancakes. Spread frosting between two cookies to make instant sandwich cookies. Dollop frosting onto ice cream for a decadent treat. Or, serve frosting as a dip for pretzel rods or fruit. (If it’s a bit too thick for dipping, thin it out with a spoonful of milk or cream.)
