It happens to us all: your cake from a birthday party ends up half-eaten on your actual birthday, then gets tucked into the forgotten back corner of your refrigerator, where it sits for about a week or two before you remember that you have half of a leftover cake to finish.
In some instances, a person might just throw the cake away, knowing it’s easier than finishing it all alone. But for the average consumer against food waste, they look for ways to turn the cake into something completely different in form but equally delicious in taste.
One creator, Ma’ayan (@itsvegansis on TikTok) posted a video on September 28 that offered three creative ways to use leftover cake in order to reduce food waste, and all three of them look completely different from their original layer cake form.
Cake Pops
To turn her cake into their more fun counterpart of cake pops, Ma’ayan throws a quarter of a layer cake into a stand mixer and lets the mixer run until the cake has turned into a dough. Then, she rolls the dough into small balls and lets them chill.
After they’re cold, she puts a stick on each ball, dips them into colorful melted chocolate, and tops them with sprinkles, “just for fun.” The result? An adorable cake pop that looks like it could rival the iconic pink Starbucks cake pop.
Another creator, @sugarmommatreatco on TikTok, also transforms leftover cake into cake pops. Differently from Ma’ayan, this creator scrapes off all of the frosting from the outside and inside of the cake so that only plain cake is left. Then, the creator mixes the dough by hand. As a tip, if the cake is too dry, the creator uses applesauce to moisten the dough. After getting portioned and dipped, these cake pops look delicious as well.
Bread Pudding (or should I say “Cake Pudding”?)
For her next recipe — which is a play on bread pudding — Ma’ayan cuts the leftover cake into cubes, places them into a greased cake pan, and encourages viewers to “get creative with the flavors.” For her dish, she chose to use pecan and caramel for the flavors, since those were the flavors of the original layer cake.
She then makes a simple vegan vanilla custard, pours the custard over the cake cubes, and dusts the top with sugar before baking the whole dish.
Once it’s done baking, the result is a golden-brown, gooey, sizzling bread (or cake) pudding.
“If you’re not making this, you are missing out,” she said in her video. “Can you still call this bread pudding if there is no bread? Yup.”
Well, that solves the mystery of whether to call it bread pudding or cake pudding. “Bread” pudding it is.
Tiramisu
Ma’ayan specifically says that the third and final recipe in the lineup is her favorite, and it might be mine too. Tiramisu has been trending for the past few months, so it’s only right to include it as an option for a leftover cake transformation.
To start, Ma’ayan places a slice of cake on the base of a dish and soaks it with a generous brush of espresso. She then smooths a thick layer of cream on top, and repeats the layering process once again.
After chilling in the fridge for a few hours, the tiramisu firms up enough and is finished with a heavy dusting of cocoa powder.
“I already have my winner,” she said after trying it. “Now it’s your turn.”
The next time you have leftover cake sitting in the back of your fridge, give one of these recipe hacks a try and create a completely new dessert sure to impress your taste buds.