General Guidelines

• In general, you can safely leave a cake frosted with a chocolate glaze out for up to two days. Wrap the cake loosely in plastic wrap or cover it with a cake protector and store it in a cool room. Store leftover chocolate glaze in a covered bowl and refrigerate it. To use it, allow it to come to room temperature or heat it gently in a microwave for 10 to 15 seconds. Stir it before you use it, but don't whisk it, which can cause it to become grainy.

Long-Term Storage

• Although chocolate glaze will only keep for two days at room temperature, you can keep it in the refrigerator for up to two weeks or in the freezer for six weeks. Store the glaze in a covered, airtight container and label it with the date. Place the glaze in the refrigerator overnight to thaw it.

The Ingredients Matter

• How long chocolate glaze keeps depends in part on the ingredients. Bacterial growth is dependent on water. The sugar in chocolate glaze binds water and slows bacterial growth. Chocolate glazes, such as chocolate ganache, that contain plenty of sugar are fine to leave at room temperature for two days. Chocolate glaze containing low sugar or a sugar substitute should be refrigerated. Fat can also help slow bacterial growth, so the higher the milk content, the longer the glaze will last. Chocolate glazes containing butter and whole milk or cream last longer than those containing non-fat milk. A chocolate glaze that contains other ingredients, such as fruit juice or fruit puree, may not last as long.

Making the Glaze

• One final consideration in how you store chocolate glaze is how you made it. Cooking, and especially boiling, the ingredients, removes water and stabilizes the glaze so it remains fresh longer. A glaze made by simply beating ingredients together without cooking them won't have the same stability.