Storing Strawberry Meringue Cake

Our answer

Nigella's Strawberry Meringue Layer Cake (from NIGELLA SUMMER) sandwiches strawberries and whipped cream in between layers of sponge cake with a meringue crust. The cake is at its best on the day it is made.

You can make the cake layers a day in advance and store them in airtight containers in a cool, dry place. However the meringue may soften slightly as it will absorb some moisture from the sponge cake. Also note that in humid or damp conditions the meringue is more likely to become soft as the sugar in the meringue will attract moisture from the surrounding air. The cake should be assembled just before serving and leftovers should be stored in the fridge and eaten within 24 hours. Once the cake is stored in the fridge the meringue will soften quickly. It may be possible to freeze the cake layers, but as the meringue is fragile we suspect that the risk of damaging the meringue in the freezer outweighs any of the benefits of freezing it.