Welcome to the Cake Decorators Q&A

When covering a cake in ganache how long in advance can I use it before cake being delivered

Hello julietame

Depends on what type of cake you are ganaching. A sponge cake has shelf life of only 5 days from baking to eating so you’d need to work within that time frame. Madeira cake has a longe shelf life approximate 2 weeks from baking to eating so you could ganache it and store in the fridge in cake box. The disadvantage with refrigeration is cake drying out. I would not recommened leaving the ganached cake unrefrigerated for longer than three days. It should be covered in clingfilm to protect the cake from airborn dust and microbes.

Thanks I work in a bakery where cakes have a shelve life of six weeks provide they are covered …. So if I buttercream and them fondant I generally have a bit more time to work with it … So was just wondering if I could swap the buttercream with ganache

If you keep the ganached cake in a cool environment it will be fine for several days but I wouldn’t recommend it being left out at room temperature beyond the five days once covered in sugarpaste. There is information on how to improve the shelf life of ganache in my blog here:

The Shelf Life of Ganache – By madeitwithlove

Hope it helps.