Those of you who have been reading our blog for a while will know that I tend to get a little enthusiastic when things work well.
A sensible person might think, “ooh that recipe was great, I’ll make it again next year”. I, on the other hand, wonder how many variations I can concoct before the boys jack up and refuse to eat any more.
Such was the case (as you probably noticed) with my recent tea cake recipe. For a solid month, I pulled out different flavour combinations until everyone – Pete, the boys, the neighbours – had eaten their fill. Eventually, I was left with a large slab of passionfruit and glacé ginger cake…
I didn’t want to waste it, so I was chuffed to find a crumble recipe in Jacques Pépin’s Essential Desserts which used cake crumbs as topping. The Kindle version of this book is very reasonably priced (about $4), but please note it only works on certain devices (and it’s not 700 pages long – it’s just an excerpt from one of his larger cookbooks)…
The recipe calls for a cup and a half of crumbled “pound cake, sponge cake or leftover croissants”. I used a mix of tea cake (icing removed) and stale faux brioche crumbs…
- 2 cups fresh or frozen berries (I used a mix of raspberries and blueberries)
- ¼ cup apricot jam (we used Pete’s homemade version)
- 2 tablespoons apple juice
- 1½ cups crumbled topping
Preheat oven to 160C with fan.
Warm the jam briefly to soften, then mix in the apple juice. Stir together with the berries, then tip the mixture into an ovenproof dish and top with the crumbs, covering the berries completely.
Bake for 20-30 minutes (check it to see that the topping doesn’t get burnt), then allow to rest and cool a little before serving.
This was hands down the best crumble we’ve ever made! The cake and brioche crumbs crisped up beautifully and the berries were sweetened just enough by the jam and juice. Small Man declared it to be his new favourite dessert, and the dish was scraped clean within minutes.
It made me wonder – was this how crumbles originated, as a way of using up leftover pastries and cakes? In the past, I’ve always made the topping from scratch, using various combinations of flour, butter, nuts and oats, but this was so much better that I doubt I’ll ever bother making it any other way again. What I will do though, is stash all my leftover cake in the freezer from now on!
Fig Jam and Lime Cordial 
I have the exact same habit, to the point where my husband is like, “Can’t you just make it the original way?!?” I can’t help myself… Well, to be fair this happens more or less with his beloved bobotie recipe which apparently he likes one way, and one way only! Ah, well.
What a fun discovery with these cake crumbs! I bet the buttery, golden flavor was an absolute hit. Can’t wait to try!! Xx
Em, I seriously considered baking pound cake just so I could stash it in the freezer to make crumble.. :D
I have a cookbook called Economy Gastronomy and it’s all about “waste not, want not”. In it, it talks about how much food is wasted each year and even touches on cake – it has a comment which goes something like “who the heck throws CAKE way?!”. Not us, that’s for sure :)
Chica, most sensible people don’t bake cake like a madwoman, so they rarely have any to throw out! :D
Brilliant idea, Celia! Shall have to give this a go!
Enjoy Debby! We’ve made it again since, and my youngest son ate most of it on his own! :)
I am sure Brian would love this, but there isn’t any cake in the house, let alone left over cake right now and I haven’t made a cake for ages now. I might have to put him on a plane… lots of Eastern European cake recipes call for cake crumbs. It would seem a totally logical thing to do if you have lots of cake staling gently, like using old bread as a soaker in a new dough :)
Jo, I’ve just noticed that the Pepin desserts book actually uses slices of pound cake as a serving accompaniment to desserts, in much the same way that we’d serve crackers with cheese! He obviously doesn’t like to waste it either! Hope you guys are enjoying the English summer! xx
Great idea Celia, not that I ever make cake let alone have an excess.
Hahaha…well, it’s a good idea in theory, then.. :)
Wonderful. I am full of wonderful theoretical ideas (ie bullshit) :)
Great way to use cake! Usually when I have leftover cake I put it in cake truffles but this looks awesome too! :)
Oooh I adore cake truffles! We make one with leftover fruitcake at Christmas!
Brilliant idea! I wonder why no-one thought of it sooner! I wouldn’t expect it to get crisp, so perhaps that’s a reason why it isn’t a better known idea.
Sue, for what it’s worth, it seems to work better with cakes with a bit of butter in them than oil-based ones. We had a bit of marble cake (the one we both make) and I tried it as a topping, and it wasn’t quite as good (although Small Man still hoovered it).
I love using up left overs! Particularly when we’re using it for something different.
Clare, it certainly makes it easier to get past the boys for a third time.. :)
Yum yum yum,…When I read the title, recycled cake, I wouldn’t think that the outcome would be so wonderfully tasty! Yummm!
Sophie, thank you! It was nice not to have to throw it away! x
Yes! :) xxx
Clever, very clever. And I’m sure all the crumble was consumed. Usually between the G.O.’s work colleagues or the MIL’s household any leftovers are accounted for but crumble would be worth annexing some. Yum.
ED, I liked it heaps more than the usual crumble topping – it’s not quite as crunchy though as the oats/flour/nut combos.. :)
I love Jacques!! When I saw his name and knowing your ingredients, I knew this would be a winner. What a great idea for leftover cake.
Maureen, I have to say that I’ve never had one of his recipes fail me…
This is a lovely idea for leftover cake and this is also a perfect dessert for the weather we’re having at the moment. These cold nights call for something comforting and warming like this xx
Charlie, I’m sure you have leftover cake even more often than I do with all the wonderful huge creations you come up with!
I might have to make the cake this afternoon. I doubt though that there will be any left overs. Sweet things never last long when my Fella is around!
Anne, your Fella is one lucky man.. :)
using things up and transforming them into something delicious is always a good thing..and your crumble looks like a very good thing indeed..x
Jane, I love that bit best of all! :)
You do have a wonderful way of not letting anything go to waste and this is no exception. I love crumble cake and what a perfect way to use up leftovers. Unfortunately my husband always talks me into making and re-making the same dishes that he loves until I can’t stand the thought of cooking them again in this lifetime. I used to love shrimp but after making shrimp scampi a million times, I can’t look a shrimp in the eyes. (Do they even have eyes?)
Hahaha…see, now that you’ve said that, if I ever come for dinner, I’m going to ask for shrimp scampi, you know that, don’t you.. :)
I’ll make as much scampi as you want, just for you Celia!
If we ever had leftover cake (read that, if), this would be perfect Celia!
Hehehe…one day you might, Lizzy! :D
looks great – I stash cake in the freezer (herman the german apple cake has had a place there recently) but usually just eat it slowly – though a few years I was intent on finding cake crumb recipes and made choc chip cookies with the leftovers – I think this crumble looks so much better – it seems like an excellent excuse to bake a huge cake just so i have leftovers
Johanna, that IS interesting to make cookies from leftover cake! I’ve make a cold cookie slice before, but not choc chip ones!
Left-over cake, like left-over wine, is a phenomenon not seen in this house so guess we’ll be sticking with the traditional method.
Oh shoot. I thought you might be able to use the reject sponge cake layers that stuck.. :)
I can’t say that leftover cake is a feature in our house as Anthony will continue to eat something no matter how stale it gets. Love the idea though. My normal topping is a handful of oats, same of flour, a few teaspoons of sugar and same of butter rubbed together and thrown onto some chopped, uncooked apple or pear. Very rustic. I’ll keep this in mind so if I do have some ‘spare’ cake of brioche as a luxurious addition.
Fiona, Jacques also recommends using old croissants, which I think might be divine.. :)
I’m eating my words today Celia. I’m slowly clearing out the small freezer before we head off and have a orange youghurt drizzle cake that I need to use up. I remembered your recipe so that will be going into a crumble topping. Spare cake – who’d have thunk!
What is this leftover cake of which you speak? :)
Yes, yes, I know.. :)
What an awesome idea Celia! I find it’s just the last piece or two that gets left or goes stale, so from now on I’ll keep a freezer container just for these andwait until I have enough for crumble- yummo! Xox
Becca, I’m so glad you like it, because I know you’ll take the idea and turn it into something amazing! :)
That’s so interesting! I never thought about how crumbles originated but that makes sense. I’ve always made the topping myself rather than crumbling up something but it is a great way to use up extra cake!
See, that’s what I thought too – just SO interesting! :)
Oh good. I am always finding ways to use all the excess crumbs. I didn’t in all my concoctions think of making a crumble myself. It would be interesting to know if this is how crumbles originated.Well discovered Celia.
Thanks love! I thought of you – the one person I know who always has more surplus cake than I do! :D
You have this way of doing things in a practical and creative way without compromising taste! Keep it up, Celia! Thanks for sharing your tips!
Julie
Gourmet Getaways
Julie, thank you! You’re always so kind.. x
This is brilliant. We don’t often end up with stale cake but if we do, or if I have a failure I will freeze it :)
Tandy, I’m going to do the same from now on! :)
Hi Celia, Hope I’ve done this right! https://aroundthemulberrytree.wordpress.com/2014/07/06/in-my-kitchen-july-2014/
Cheers Maree
Perfect Maree! It’s on the list! :)
Most interesting and another frugal save for when nature hands me too much cake and not enough mouths :)
Fran, I get so much joy from BAKING cake that I can occasionally overcater..hahaha
LOL. I baked a vegan cake for a non vegan audience the other day. Didn’t tell them. Made a Georgio Locatelli chocolate cake that never fails (so long as you put the right amount of bicarb in…don’t ask… ;) ) and am about to embark on an adventure in creation with that base recipe. It is SO easy to make, uses no eggs or dairy, based on olive oil, rich and moist and I have a LOT of sesame pulp left over from making sesame milk (my homemade milk of choice for my tea) that I want to incorporate into “something” so am going to invent me a vegan type of gluten free cake using sesame pulp. Even if it fails abysmally I can call it fudge and be done with it ;) this experimental cooking thing is a wonderful lark isn’t it? :)
What a fantastic idea! Although I have to confess we rarely have leftover cake (since we’re a bit too greedy) so I’m not sure I’ll ever get to try this!
Not greedy Stephanie, sensible! You’re cooking the right amount! :)
Great idea but we never have leftover cake :)
Hahaha…a few people have made the same comment! :)
This looks so yummy!
http://www.emilyfranklin.com
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Hi Em!! How’s it going? How nice to hear from you.. x
What a fantastic idea :D Though I’ll have to make a cake especially for crumbly I think as it never lasts too long as our place ;-)
Sandy, any excuse to bake a cake is a good one, right? :)
What a good idea. The only problem is that I don’t usually realise that we have leftover cake until I open a tin to find a mouldy lump sitting there. I guess that might not make too good a crumble.
Anne, that’s the problem with tins – you can’t see what’s inside them! :)
What an amazing idea! love this! Thanks!
Thank you! I think it’s really clever too! Jacques Pepin is really very brilliant! :)