5 Things To Do with Sunken Cake
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That feeling you get when you spend the time to bake a cake from scratch only to pull it out of the oven and see that it has fallen is one of the worst feelings in the world. Especially if you bake for a living and that cake was an order! But today I’m sharing 5 things to do with sunken cake so if you find yourself with a sunken cake again, you’re not wasting it!
Cakes can sink for many reasons. Some of the most common being that the cake was underbaked, your oven was too hot or not hot enough, using too much leavening, or even baking a sea level cake recipe at high altitudes.
There can be many reasons your cake sank and in the heat of the moment (pun intended) when you open that oven you probably have no idea what the hell happened. Instead of throwing out the cake or frosting a sunken cake that will have very uneven cake to frosting ratios, use one of my 5 things to do with sunken cake! And if you're a bakery owner, you can use these different ideas to sell as specials to recoup the loss of sunken cakes!
Table of Contents
Make Cake Balls
Cake balls are my absolute favorite way to eat cake. And to make cake balls, you have to crumble the cake. That’s why sunken cakes are perfect for cake balls as no one would even know it sank!
Transform any sunken cake into cake balls by breaking it up and adding to a large bowl. Mix up some frosting, either use the frosting from the cake recipe you were following as the amount should be enough, or make a classic like my Vanilla Bean Buttercream.
Mix up the cake and frosting together into the bowl, make sure the frosting coats the cake enough so you can roll them into balls and they aren’t dry. Freeze them while you melt (or temper) chocolate. Coat the cake balls in chocolate and you have a brand new dessert that is sure to be a hit!
Make Cake Jars
Cake jars are an incredibly easy thing to make with sunken cake. These also require the cake to be broken up, so if it sunk, as long as it’s cooked and tastes good then it’s okay to use!
Make up the frosting from the cake recipe or use a classic like my Whipped Cream Frosting. Gather your jars, use mason jars or even a milk glass! Layer cake in the bottom, top with some frosting, add in toppings like fresh fruit, sprinkles, or Caramel Sauce. Layer with a second layer of crumbled cake, frosting, and topping!
Make Ice Cream Sundaes
Cake makes a great ice cream topping! This is a good use for your cake if it wasn’t all the way cooked and you didn’t realize until after it cooled. This way, you can just keep the sections that are cooked through and crumble them on top of ice cream. Drizzle with Chocolate Ganache or Brown Butter Butterscotch Sauce. Top with Homemade Whipped Cream and sprinkles and you have a fancy AF sundae that your guests will think you actually planned!
Make a Yogurt Parfait
There’s nothing like a little cake in the morning! Add some cake into your yogurt with fresh fruit for a breakfast treat.
Make a Cake Shake
Add cake into a milkshake to make a Cake Shake. When I owned my bake shop, we would make these all the time with day old cupcakes. They’re damn delicious! Top them with Homemade Whipped Cream for an impressive dessert.
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