3 delicious ways to use up stale cake

French toast, truffles and more!

Leftover cake? A crime. A sin. An absolute betrayal of all that is good in the world. But don’t panic - we’re turning those dry crumbs into something even better. Here are three ridiculously easy ways to revive stale cake so you’ll never have to shed a tear over wasted sponge again. 

1. Cake French Toast

Breakfast, but make it cake. Yes, you can turn stale cake into the most indulgent French toast ever - golden, buttery, and completely outrageous. No one will ever know it started as yesterday’s leftovers.

You’ll need:

Slices of stale cake (hero sponge is great for this)

2 eggs

1 tbsp milk (whole or semi skimmed is fine)

1/2 tsp cinnamon

Knob of butter

Gently beat the eggs, milk and cinnamon together in a shallow dish until it’s combined. Drop your stale cake slices into the mixture and let them soak up the liquid. Turn over the cake after 30 seconds or so, so both sides are covered. Heat a knob of butter in a frying pan and then gently lower the cake slices into the pan. Fry on both sides until evenly golden brown. Remove from the pan and serve with whatever toppings you like – we love whipped cream or Greek yoghurt, fruit and a drizzle of Maple syrup!

2. Cake truffles

Cake truffles: because sometimes, you need to take your cake experience to a whole new level of indulgence. Think of these as cake’s glamorous, chocolate-dipped second act - so easy to make, so dangerously addictive. These truffles are great to whip up if you don’t have piles of cake leftover but want to extend the cakey joy a bit further.

You’ll need:

Slices of stale sponge

1 tbsp of buttercream

Melted chocolate

Crumble the stale sponge into a mixing bowl, and then fold into the buttercream. You want it to come together as a soft dough, but without a dry texture. Roll the mixture into 1-2 inch balls.

Pierce them with a cocktail stick and then dip into melted chocolate to coat.

Place on baking parchment to set.

3. Cake rusks

Cake too dry? Don’t chuck it - bake it twice! Enter cake rusks: the crunchier, dunkable cousin of sponge cake. Perfect for tea-dunking, coffee-dipping, or just shameless snacking straight from the tray. This recipe will create a gorgeous rich biscuit that is perfect for Elevenses… Twelves… you get the picture! Think of it as a kind of a more cakey biscotti. Absolutely delicious. Plus check out the recipe list – you’ve definitely got everything you need.

You’ll need:

Stale slices of cake. That’s it!

Preheat your oven to 150º. Line a baking tray with baking parchment. Pop your slices of cake, about 2cm in thickness, on the lined tray.

Bake for 15 minutes, then turn over and bake for a further 5 minutes until golden brown. Remove from the oven and leave to cool completely. Best enjoyed with a cup of tea, dunked.

Skip the hassle and order cake online for a hassle-free cake delivery experience in London.

Got your own genius stale cake hack? Spill the (cake) crumbs in the comments! Or, if you just want fresh cake delivered without the leftovers, you know where to find us.